Exclusive Landing with Spectacular Big Island Helicopter Tour

About This Experience

This is Blue Hawaiian’s Big Island loop with one addition: a landing at Laupāhoehoe Nui on the Kohala Coast, where you step out beside a freshwater pool at the foot of a waterfall. The site is reachable only by air, and the pilot descends past sea cliffs of about 1,200 feet to reach the grassy pad. The listing gives about 10 minutes on the ground, and the tour runs about 2.3 hours in all.

Flights leave from the Waikoloa heliport on the Kohala Coast, about 25–30 minutes north of Kailua-Kona, not from Kona airport. There is no hotel pickup. Check-in is an hour before departure for the weight check and safety briefing, and current departures are at 8:00 and 10:30 a.m. Wear dark clothing to cut window glare, and leave hats, bags, large cameras and selfie sticks behind, since none are allowed on board.

The rest of the route follows the island loop: south over Kohala and the Kailua-Kona coast, across Mauna Loa toward Kīlauea and Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, past the site of the 1983–2018 East Rift Zone eruption, then north over Hilo, the Hāmākua Coast and ʻAkaka Falls before the Kohala valleys. The listing still says the volcano has been erupting continuously since 1983, which is out of date. The current eruption began in December 2024, sits inside Halemaʻumaʻu at the summit, and comes in short episodes; as of 23 October 2026 it is paused after Episode 55 on 17 October. Check the USGS Kīlauea page before you fly.

The park’s Air Tour Management Plan, completed in December 2023, also shapes what you see. Air tours may fly only three routes over the park, all of which avoid the Kīlauea summit, on limited days and hours. Lava and glow are never guaranteed, so ask Blue Hawaiian which route your flight takes and what is visible that week.

At $1,150 per person against $883 for the version without the landing, you are paying for the stop at the falls. If the aerial loop is enough, see our review of the standard flight; for a departure from Kona airport, compare our review of Rainbow Helicopters’ tour.

Highlights

• A landing at Laupāhoehoe Nui on the Kohala Coast, a site reached only by air, beside a freshwater pool and waterfall
• A descent past sea cliffs of about 1,200 feet to the grassy landing pad
• Kīlauea's lava fields and the slopes of Mauna Loa, on the route the park's air tour rules allow
• Hilo, the rainforest of the Hāmākua Coast and ʻAkaka Falls, which drops 442 feet
• The waterfall-lined valleys of the Kohala Mountains and the ranch country of Waimea
• A preview of your flight video at the heliport after landing

What's Included

• ✓ Shared helicopter flight around the Big Island
• ✓ Landing at a private waterfall site on the Kohala Coast
• ✓ Pilot-guide who is a State of Hawaii certified tour guide
• ✓ Bose noise-cancelling headsets and two-way microphones
• ✓ All fees and taxes

Not Included

• Transportation to and from the Waikoloa heliport
• Gratuities
• Flight video and photo packages (preview free, purchase optional)
• 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 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.
• The listing's line that the volcano has been "continuously erupting since 1983" is out of date: that eruption ended in 2018. The current eruption is episodic and at the summit; as of 23 October 2026, USGS reports it paused after Episode 55 (17 October). Lava is never guaranteed.
• The flight leaves from the Waikoloa heliport on the Kohala Coast, about 25–30 minutes north of Kailua-Kona, not from Kona airport.
• The landing at Laupāhoehoe Nui is listed at about 10 minutes on the ground.
• 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.

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.