what is Best island/ tour company for helicoptor tour

[ghoterman]

Sailing Pride of Aloha 3/15/8. Which island is the best for a helicoptor tour. Also, any recommendations for helicoptor tours booked independently, rather than thru NCL.

[whale-watcher]

We took our Helicopter tour on the Big Island, as this is the ONLY was to see red molten lava. Our tour was from the Kona side, and included some amazing scenery in the Waipio and Waimanu valleys as well.

 

We flew Blue Hawaiian in an Ecostar, and I would choose this option again...next time we would consider taking a Heli tour in Kauai as well.

[AZGrandma]

We LOVED our airplane tour of Kauai with Bruce Coulombe, pilot/owner of Wings Over Kauai. You will talk to and work directly with he and his wife in making your arrangements; he is a retiree who decided to make his 'hobby' a 'vocation.' I thought his tour had all the advantages of a helicopter tour without the expense: it is only $100 per person. Same scenery of gorgeous Kauai for a lot less $$$!

 

www.wingsoverkauai.com. And no, I don't work for him, I just loved being able to afford a birds' eye view of this beautiful island! And of the whales he took us out to see, first!

 

Leslie

[maribro]

The helicopter tour in Kauai is fantastic - we had rented a house there a couple of years ago, so made our own arrangements - with Harter (I think) and it was wonderful - if we ever get back to Kauai, it is the first thing we'll do! Going over the canyons, etc. was breath-taking!

[marilynbn]

Air Kauai was fantastic! The pilot was not a hot dogger. We hardly felt that we were moving at all. Kauai is best seen this way as so much can not be driven to. We went into waimea canyon and along the Napali coast and into this area like a horse shoe that had waterfalls on all three sides. With a helicopter you can get right into these spots and linger a bit, unlike a plane. This was a great company too! Marilyn

[mattmommy]

We did Blue Hawaiian in Maui and a different company in Kauai (before BH flew there). Both pilots were professional and both had spectacular views. The BH helicopter was far roomier and more modern. Maybe a bit more money, but definitely the preferred chopper of our family.

 

The worst part was telling the booking agent your weight.

[tbthomps]

I booked Safari Helicopters in Kauai.

 

Weblink: http://www.safarihelicopters.com/

 

My trip isn't until April though so I can't report yet.

[SailAwayGal]

For those of you who used one of the tour companies that leaves from the airport how did you get to the airport from the pier. How long does it take, cost, etc.

[CruisinMK]

I recommend Jack Harter and Blue Hawaiian companies out of Kauai. They leave from airport about 10 min from the pier.

 

Also consider a plane instead, air adventures out of kauai, a forum favorite.

[pastfinder]

We used Blue Hawaiian out of Hilo for a Circle of Fire and Waterfalls flight. As the name implies, this was primarily a flight over the volcano. It was wonderful. They were very professional. I love the $25 DVD I bought of our flight so I could share my flight with family and friends and I can continually live it over again. The heliport next to the Hilo airport is very convenient to the ship's port.

 

Kathy

[tbthomps]

For those of you who used one of the tour companies that leaves from the airport how did you get to the airport from the pier. How long does it take, cost, etc.

 

Sarafi Helicopters has shuttle pickup at the pier as well as local hotels....and it's included in your costs.

[Luanne]

For those who used Blue Hawaiian, I don't care where I sit since it goes by weight, I just want a window. I hear that some of the helicopters are 6 passenger and wondering if some people are in the middle or what the configuration is.

 

Thanks, Luanne

[whale-watcher]

We were in a Blue Hawaiian Eco-Star....the pilot sits in the front left (driver's side) seat; there are 2 more seats across the front, which on our tour were assinged to the 2 smallest people on board (the smallest in the center, the next smallest in the window seat). There are 4 seats across the back, and these were assigned to the 4 heavier people (with the 2 heaviest getting the window seats).

 

The seating is somewhat tiered, so that both the front and back rows can easly see the view in front, and the windows are large enough that even the people in the center seats of the back row have good visibility.

[pastfinder]

Our flight out of Hilo used the A-Star helicopter. Our experience on seating was different than Whale-Watcher had. I know the weights of 4 of the 6 passengers. There were 3 couples and each sat together. One couple in front and two in the back. I was in the back and next to one window. Yeah! The men sat in the middle and the women were next to the windows. In the front, the man was next to the window.

 

We were told that they balanced the helicopter by weight. It may have been a coincidence but the shortest man and shortest woman were in the front. I had a wonderful view and took lots of pictures. As we were watching our DVD of the flight I asked my husband if he could see okay and he said he had no problem.

 

The Blue Hawaiian website has lots of information if you're interested. In even includes pictures and descriptions of the Eco-Star and A-Star. Select 'Our fleet' under 'About us'.

 

Kathy

[Luanne]

Thanks for your help with the Blue Hawaii helicopters. I will check the website again see what I can find. I may call them too and see if I need to lose or gain weight to get a good seat! :D

 

Thanks, Luanne

[medcruiseplanner]

We used Inter Island on Kauai. Helicopter seats 4 plus the pilot and they fly with the doors off - everyone gets good views. We booked the trip with the waterfall landing and lunch. It was absolutely amazing, a trip highlight for both of us.

[Terre]

We used Air Ventures in Kuai. It's an airplane and every one has a window seat. We saw the Na Pali Coastline and Jurassic Falls. They picked us up at the cruise terminal and brought us back when the tour was over.

http://www.airventureshawaii.com/