Big Island Helicopter Tours

Hilo Departures - Kilauea Volcano

No Doors Volcano & Falls - 50 min.

A helicopter with no doors ... the wind in your face ... 2200 degree molton lava below ... enliven your senses on your Kilauea Volcano flight by feeling the heat and smelling the sulphur of the world's most active volcano! Fly in a Hughes 500 (the Magnum PI helicopter) which seats four passengers and offers all-window seats. Your adventure begins with checkin and safety briefing in at the Hilo Airport general aviation / tour area in Terminal 2. Your flight departs the airport and offers views of Hilo Bay, tropical rainforests of Puna, and the world famous Mauna Loa Macademia Nut Farm en route to Kilauea. Once you reach the volcano you'll see the areas of activity including any lava ocean entry points and Puu Oo, the volcanic vent that has been the focus of most current activity since 1983. On your return to Hilo you'll see beautiful Rainbow Falls and other cascades of northern Hilo. This is a 50 minute flight. This flight is not suitable for children under the age of 10. Passengers weighing over 250 pounds are subject to the capacity surcharge policy at the bottom of this page. Passengers should wear comfortable clothing including a sweater/jacket and long pants. Base Fare $235 per person + 14% fuel surcharge

Hilo Fire and Falls Adventure - 50 min.

Fly to the volcano in luxury and climate controlled comfort on board a 6 passenger Bell Jet Ranger. Your adventure begins with checkin and safety briefing in at the Hilo Airport general aviation / tour area in Terminal 2. Your flight departs the airport and offers views of Hilo Bay, tropical rainforests of Puna, and the world famous Mauna Loa Macademia Nut Farm en route to Kilauea. Once you reach the volcano you'll see the areas of activity including any lava ocean entry points and Puu Oo, the volcanic vent that has been the focus of most current activity since 1983. On your return to Hilo you'll see beautiful Rainbow Falls and other cascades of northern Hilo. This is a 50 minute flight. Five out of 6 seats on this helicopter are window seats, and the one that is not has an excellent view out of both sides of the aircraft. Passengers weighing over 250 pounds are subject to the capacity surcharge policy at the bottom of this page. Passengers should wear comfortable clothing and dark colored shirts reduce glare on the windows. Base Fare $200.00 per person + 14% fuel surcharge

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CRUISE SHIP PASSENGERS

Hilo Cruise ship passengers are able to do any of these Kilauea helicopter tours but availability is very limited when ships are in port and your reservation should be made weeks in advance of your date! A short cab ride of less than 5 minutes is required, or you can ride a rental car shuttle if you are renting a car for use before / after your flight. 

Kona Departures - Complete Island Tours

All Kona flights are done in a comfortable and luxurious 6 passenger Bell Jet Ranger that departs from the Kona Airport. Five out of 6 seats on this helicopter are window seats, and the one that is not has an excellent view out of both sides of the aircraft. Passengers weighing over 250 pounds are subject to the capacity surcharge policy at the bottom of this page. Passengers should wear comfortable clothing and dark colored shirts to reduce glare on the windows.

The Hawaii Experience

Five volcanoes, beautiful mountain scapes, amazing white and black sand beaches, dozens of waterfalls, 2,000 foot cliffs, breathtaking coastlines, and 11 different climate zones ... this is what we call the true Hawaii Experience. It is impossible to see many of these sites from the ground; in about two hours you can feel the awesome granduer of the Big Island from the comfort of your "flying limosine." This flight includes the volcanic activity at Kilauea, and the waterfalls and rainforests of the Hamakua Coast. Base Fare $415 per person + 14% fuel surcharge

Hawaii Experience w/ Valley Landing

Take your Hawaii Experience helicopter tour to the next level with a remote landing / ground stop in a rainforest valley. The flight path is the same as the Hawaii Experience, but during the tour a stop is made at a landing spot only available to your helicopter. Step out of the helicopter into another world ... breath the fresh air, smell the scents of the forest foliage, step into a crisp cool mountain stream. Guests may bring a lunch and beverages of your choice with you on this tour. Flight time is 2 hours with a 1 hour stop on the ground. This tour is normally offered at 7am and 10am. Base Fare $450.00 per person + 14% fuel surcharge

Helicopter & Waipio Waterfall Hike

Your flight is similar to the Hawaii Experience ... you ascend the slopes of Hualalai, then travel through the saddle between Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea to arrive at Kilauea where you will witness the current activity of Pele, the fire goddess. Then tour rainforests and Hamakua Coast waterfalls on your way to a landing at the Waimea Airport ... from there you will be transported by narrated ground tour to the start of your hike. This is a rare opportunity to skirt the rim of the island's most immense and best loved valley. A private, historic trail takes you to places where you can securely view the ocean and the valley floor over 1,000 feet below. You will hike for 3.5 miles over moderate/gradual terrain with footbridges that cross streams and pass waterfalls and pools where you have an opportunity to swim. At the end of your hike there is a narrated van tour through the Parker Ranch area as you are transported back to the Kona Airport. This is a 1.5 hour flight, and a total event length of approximately 5 hours. Light packs, walking sticks, rain gear, lunch and beverages are all provided. This is a fantastic and very exclusive vacation experience. Base Fare $660 per person + 14% fuel surcharge

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CRUISE SHIP PASSENGERS

Due to the distance between the Kona Airport and the cruise ship dock, helicopter tours are not practical for cruise ship passengers arriving in Kona. We recommend you fly in Hilo, or do a helicopter tour of Maui or Kauai instead.

ACTIVITY TIPS

Yes, helicopter tours are expensive. Honestly though, people don't come to Hawaii to save money. They come in search of the complete Hawaiian experience. The reality is that there is so much beauty in Hawaii that cannot be seen in any other way that the high cost of helicopter tours becomes worth it for those who seek the ultimate in their vacation experiences. When you consider the thousands of dollars spent on airfare, meals, and accommodations on a Hawaii vacation, it only makes sense to spend a few hundred dollars more and REALLY see the island while you are here.

These helicopter tours depart from the Hilo and Kona airports ... Hilo is close to Kilauea Volcano, and flights from Hilo are the most affordable way to see the active volcano from the air. If you are staying in the Kona or Waikoloa resort areas, you'll have a long drive to get to Hilo. The advantage though of this approach is you can also drive up to see the volcano from the ground after doing your tour. Allow an entire day for the drive to and from this side of the island.

For those who don't have the time or the desire to spend the better part of a day driving to and from Hilo, the helicopter tours that leave from Kona are the way to experience the active volcano. Flights are two hours in length ... remember this is the BIG Island after all ... it takes time to fly to the other side of the island although not nearly as long as it takes to drive there. Of course with a longer flight comes a higher price. For a little more money you can also add the Valley Landing option. There is nothing cooler than having your helicopter land in the middle of nowhere in the jungle and getting out for a relaxing break. Feel free to bring along whatever you'd like to eat or drink on this tour to enjoy during this break. And for those for whom money is no object, the helicopter tour combined with a remote landing and Waipio Rim waterfall hike is about the most exclusive vacation activity available anywhere in the state.

Tours on this page are done is two different models of helicopter. The first is a Hughes 500, which is the helicopter of Magnum PI fame. It seats four, two passengers sit up front with the pilot, and two more sit in the rear. With this configuration all passengers get a window seat. While this helicopter can be flown with doors on or doors off, the doors off is hugely popular and the tour operator leaves them off for all flights. Because this helicopter is not climate controlled, passengers need to dress for cooler temperatures and winds aloft. Long pants and a sweater/light jacket are sufficient. Note that this helicopter is only available at the Hilo Airport and there is only one flight option ... the 50 minute tour.

The other helicopter model is a Bell Jet Ranger which seats 6 passengers. This model helicopter is very spacious and comfortable, and the interior feels a little like the inside of a limosine. One passenger sits up front with the pilot (sort of like riding shotgun), a second row of two seats faces the third row of three seats. With this arrangement five out of the six seats in the helicopter are window seats, and that one seat in the middle in the third row is NOT a bad seat as it has good views out of BOTH sides of the helicopter. Typically when the pilot hits a particularly scenic spot he or she will make a first pass on one side of the helicopter and turn so that the other side of the helicopter gets the same view. This middle back seat gets the view both times and one staff member I talked to with the tour company says this is his favorite place to sit! All flights in Kona are done with this model helicopter, and it is also available for the 50 minute tour in Hilo for guests who aren't up for the "doors off" helicopter.

Seating is assigned in the helicopters based upon body weights and best balance of the aircraft. While it is possible to pay a little extra to guarantee particular seats, we find that the cost is not worth it. If you request a particular seat and you don't fit the weight and balance profile for that seat on that particular flight, you'll get moved to another seat anyway and the upgrade fee will be refunded. If you do fit the weight and balance profile for that seat, the changes are good that's where you'd end up sitting anyway without paying extra. Because the Hughes has four window seats and because the Bell Jet Ranger has 5 window seats and the one seat that isn't a window has very good views out of both sides of the aircraft, we recommend that you avoid paying extra to secure any particular seat. Why pay extra if you probably were going to sit in the same place anyway? If money isn't an object for you and you do want to spend extra to reserve a particular seat, give us a call after you fill out the form on the right side of this page. We'll add your specific seat requests to your reservation and let you know if you fit the profile for the seat you've requested. This little guarantee is $25 extra per person on Hilo flights and $50 extra per person on Kona flights.

A word about children flying on these tours. The doors off helicopter normally has a minimum age of 10. Most kids younger than that will be a little reluctant to experience such an extreme adventure. If you have a child who is a little younger than that but is particularly fearsome, the tour operator will probably OK it ... but be aware that if you push your child to do the tour and then they back out at the last minute, you will not get refunded because your child is afraid to do the tour. Kids are best flown in the helicopter that has doors on it. As a matter of fact, there are no age restrictions at all on the Bell Jet Ranger. Child policy is the same on this helicopter as it is on a commercial airliner. Children 2 and older will require their own seat and will pay the same fare as an adult. Infants under the age of 2 are seated in the lap of a parent and fly for free.

One other little feature that's nice ... all of these helicopters have two-way communication between the pilot and the passengers. You can talk to the pilot ... and to each other ... during the tour.

Big Island Helicopter Tour Reservations

Upon submitting your activity reservation for processing, one copy is sent to your e-mail address so that you have a record of your order. We will make reservations for you and send an e-mail confirming all of the details. These confirmations are often sent a few minutes after your reservation, but some activities take longer to confirm than others. You will receive an e-mail confirmation by the end of the next business day at the latest. There are no tickets that you need to pick up prior to your event. Your e-mail confirmation will have all the details you need to check in and enjoy your selected activity. This saves you precious time when you arrive in Hawaii. 

A credit card is required to guarantee payment for your reservations, but in most cases WE DO NOT charge your credit card when your order is placed. Your credit card is typically charged five days before you leave for Hawaii, and a voucher is faxed to the vendor. Some activities are charged at the time of check-in and your e-mail confirmation will inform you if this is the case. If you cancel your activity after your credit card has been charged you will receive a refund less 10% to cover our credit card processing costs.

We do have one vendor that requires payment at the time that your reservation is made. These activities are clearly marked on our website with the words, "Payment required at the time of reservation."

After making reservations, you may reschedule or cancel your activity up until 48 hours prior to its start (a few activities have 72 hour cancellation policies ... see your confirmation e-mail for details). Within 48 hours of the start of your activity all reservations are final and non-refundable (unless the event is cancelled by the vendor due to weather or other factors). Due to our incredible climate here, weather cancellations are rare.  No-shows and cancellations without adequate notice are charged in full on the credit card used to secure the reservation and are non-refundable.