patterson3 Posted April 3, 2008 #1 Share Posted April 3, 2008 I'll be staying in Maui and we definitely want to do a helicopter tour. We're especially interested in seeing a volcano and were therefore wondering how difficult it is getting over to the Big Island to do a helicopter tour? I guess if it's too difficult or too expensive we'll probably opt for the tour that leaves from Maui and flys by Molokai (seeing the huge cliffs would be our 2nd choice to volcanos).... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Antioch Cruiser Posted April 3, 2008 #2 Share Posted April 3, 2008 I'll be staying in Maui and we definitely want to do a helicopter tour. We're especially interested in seeing a volcano and were therefore wondering how difficult it is getting over to the Big Island to do a helicopter tour? I guess if it's too difficult or too expensive we'll probably opt for the tour that leaves from Maui and flys by Molokai (seeing the huge cliffs would be our 2nd choice to volcanos).... On Maui we did the helicopter tour. We saw the most beautiful waterfalls. I will never forget it. Go to youtube and search. We also did the Alantis Submarine. I found these on youtube. The same as we saw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beachchick Posted April 4, 2008 #3 Share Posted April 4, 2008 To go to the BI for a day for a helicopter tour wouldn't be too difficult. You'll need to book a super early inter-island flight to Hilo or Kona, depending on which tour you take and which company you use. As far as I know, the heliport is right by the airport (it usually is, but I'm not 100% certain for either one of those). Getting to the heliport should be pretty easy if you just take an quick taxi from the airport proper. After your flight, you could either take the return inter-island flight to Maui or rent a car for the rest of the day and explore a bit on your own (depending on what time your flight ends). If you do that, you'll want to book the last flight from Hilo or Kona back to Maui. You won't have checked luggage or have to go through the whole agricultural inspection that non-inter-island flight pax do. You'll need to be at the airport to check in about 1 hour before your flight. Leave time to go through the regular TSA security. beachchick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whale-watcher Posted April 4, 2008 #4 Share Posted April 4, 2008 Also...google "maui air volcano" ... when we were checking out tour options for this January, we found a 3 hour air tour out of Kahului and West Maui airports...this was on a 10-seater plane, but included scenic flightseeing over maui as well as the big island (including the active lava flows). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whale-watcher Posted April 4, 2008 #5 Share Posted April 4, 2008 I still have the website for the Maui Air volcano tours: http://www.volcanoairtours.com/ Otherwise, as Beachchick pointed out...if you fly to Hilo first, you might have time to rent a car and see a bit of VNP or the ocean entry site from ground level as well...both would be very worthwhile activities if you have an entire day to spare, IMHO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patterson3 Posted April 4, 2008 Author #6 Share Posted April 4, 2008 Thanks for the suggestions! One other question- would you agree with me that the Big Island offers the most interesting sites from a helicopter, or do you think another island is better? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whale-watcher Posted April 4, 2008 #7 Share Posted April 4, 2008 Each island is different. The big island is the only option if you want to see active lava flows and other volcanic activity from the air (and when we went, this was the only way to see the molten lava; now it is visible from land and sea as well). The big island also offers some spectacular scenery in the Waipio and Waimano valleys on the Kohala coast (not included in the typical Heli tour from Hilo, but we flew out of Kona/Waikoloa so did get to experience this)... I have heard that Kauai offers even more spectacular scenery, however...we will have to wait until next time to see this for ourselves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattmommy Posted April 4, 2008 #8 Share Posted April 4, 2008 We've done the helicopter from Maui to Molokai and also one in Kaui in the canyon. Both spectacular, but we're doing the volcano helicopter in July because there's just way too much walking involved to get to actual flowing lava. I saw you take an early flight out of Maui and go right to the big islands helicopters. I highly recommend Blue Hawaii. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beachchick Posted April 5, 2008 #9 Share Posted April 5, 2008 I think it's entirely impossible to say which island is "better" for a helicopter tour. As whale-watcher writes, each is different and has its own special charms, both on the ground and from the air. If flowing lava is the priority, then of course the BI is your only option. Do keep in mind that Madam Pele can change her mind on a whim and stop the flow (or make it not visible) at any time. There are never any guarantees that you'll see flowing lava. However, all of VNP is wonderful to see, no matter what. We took the Blue Hawaiian comprehensive Maui flight and loved it. Contrary to what some people believe (and say), Kauai is not the only island where you can only see large parts of it by air. The same is true of the BI and Maui (and even Oahu, although that is not an island we would choose for a heli tour). IMO, you really can't go wrong no matter which island you choose. beachchick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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