Big Island Spectacular Helicopter Tour

About This Experience

Blue Hawaiian’s Big Island Spectacular is a shared helicopter loop of about two hours from the Waikoloa heliport on the Kohala Coast. That base is about 25–30 minutes north of Kailua-Kona, so if you are staying in Kona, plan the drive and the one-hour check-in before departure. Flights on the current schedule leave at 8:00 and 10:30 a.m. There is no hotel pickup.

The listed route heads south past Kohala ranch land and the Kailua-Kona coast, crosses the flanks of Mauna Loa toward Kīlauea and Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, and passes the site of the long East Rift Zone eruption that ran from 1983 to 2018. It then turns north over Hilo, the rainforest of the Hāmākua Coast and ʻAkaka Falls, and finishes among the waterfall-lined valleys of the Kohala Mountains before returning over Waimea’s pastures.

What you see over the park depends on rules as much as weather. The park’s Air Tour Management Plan, completed in December 2023, limits air tours to three routes that all avoid the Kīlauea summit, where the current eruption takes place inside Halemaʻumaʻu, and allows them only on certain days and hours. Treat any promise of flying over an erupting crater as out of date, and ask Blue Hawaiian which route your flight will follow. As of 23 October 2026 the summit eruption is paused after Episode 55 on 17 October, so lava and glow are never guaranteed; the USGS Kīlauea page has the latest.

The aircraft is an Airbus EC130 with individual seats, wide windows and two-way microphones, and the pilots are state-certified tour guides. Wear dark clothing to cut window glare, leave hats, bags and large cameras behind, and note the weight rule: anyone over 240 pounds needs a second seat at half price. Children 23 months and younger ride free on an adult’s lap, and the heliport has a wheelchair lift for boarding.

This flight suits travelers who want the whole island in one morning more than time on the ground at the volcano. For a waterfall landing on the same loop, see our review of the landing version, and for a flight that leaves from Kona airport, compare our review of Rainbow Helicopters’ tour.

Highlights

• A full loop of the island from Waikoloa, starting over Kohala ranch country and the Kailua-Kona coast
• The slopes of Mauna Loa and Kīlauea's lava fields, on the route the park's air tour rules allow
• The site of the 1983–2018 East Rift Zone eruption, seen from the air
• Hilo town, the rainforest of the Hāmākua Coast and ʻAkaka Falls, which drops 442 feet
• Deep Kohala Mountain valleys lined with waterfalls, then the pastures of Waimea on the way back
• An Airbus EC130 with individual seats and wide windows

What's Included

• ✓ Shared helicopter flight around the Big Island
• ✓ Pilot-guide who is a State of Hawaii certified tour guide
• ✓ Bose noise-cancelling headsets
• ✓ Microphones for two-way talk with the pilot
• ✓ All fees and taxes

Not Included

• Transportation to and from the Waikoloa heliport
• Gratuities
• In-flight video and photo packages (sold after the flight)
• Private flight for your party only

What to Bring

• Dark clothing, to cut reflections in the windows
• A phone or small camera (large cameras and selfie sticks are not allowed)
• A credit card if you want the optional flight video or photos
• Enough travel time to reach Waikoloa an hour before departure

Good to Know & Caveats

• Under Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park's Air Tour Management Plan (NPS and FAA, December 2023), air tours over the park fly only three set routes, all avoiding the Kīlauea summit, and only on limited days and hours. Confirm with Blue Hawaiian which route your flight takes and what volcanic activity is visible right now.
• Lava and glow are never guaranteed. As of 23 October 2026, USGS reports Kīlauea's summit eruption paused after Episode 55 (17 October), and that eruption sits at the summit, which the permitted routes avoid.
• The flight leaves from the Waikoloa heliport on the Kohala Coast, about 25–30 minutes north of Kailua-Kona, not from Kona airport.
• Check in one hour before your flight. Late arrivals may be refused and are not refunded.
• Each guest over 240 pounds (108 kg) needs an adjacent empty seat, charged at half the tour price and arranged after booking.
• Hats, bags, large cameras and extending selfie sticks are not allowed on board.
• Routes and times can change with wind and weather. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
• Children 23 months and younger fly free on an adult's lap. The heliport has a wheelchair lift for boarding.

Meeting Point

Check in at Blue Hawaiian's Waikoloa heliport on the Kohala Coast one hour before your flight for the weight check and safety briefing; there is no hotel pickup.