A Helicopter Tour experience by Mauna Loa Helicopters. Back to all Big Island tours.
Tour Summary: A 2 hour private helicopter tours exploring the Big Island. From 1500ft waterfalls to lush rainforest to towering sea cliffs to active lava
Large photoDuring wintertime you may see snow on Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea as we fly following the saddle between these majestic volcanoes.
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Spectacular views between Waipiʻo and Pololu valley. Image adapted from source (by Eric Tessmer).
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Waipiʻo Valley is the first (of 7) valleys you will pass. Image credit: Eric Tessmer, source.
Tour Highlights:
- Fly over the most active volcano in the world, Kilauea, which has been almost continuously active for over 30 years and inspires awe every day.
- While on the east side of the island, you are treated to views of Hawai’i Island’s capital and largest city, Hilo.
- Your private journey continues along the Hamakua Coastline with wave-swept shorelines, tropical rainforest, and hundreds of waterfalls.
- Upon reaching the Kohala Coast, there are several majestic and sacred valleys to explore.
- Deep in the back of the valleys, where only helicopters can reach, are over 2000-foot waterfalls that you can hover right next to as you gaze at their power and beauty.
- As you cross over the Kohala Mountain, you cruise back to the airport along many beautiful white sand beaches and stark black lava fields on the Kohala and Kona coast.
Important: Total weight per person cannot exceed 285lbs and total group total cannot exceed 700lbs (weights are taken at check-in)
Tour Information:
| Price: | Adult |
|---|---|
| (excluding taxes & fees) | $639 |
Tour Provider: Mauna Loa Helicopters
Activity: Helicopter Tour
Tour start time: 8 am, 11 am
Duration: 2 hours
Departure from: Kailua Kona
Pick-up available? No
Cancellations: Free cancellation up to 24 hours prior to the flight time. Cancellations or delays to the flight are at pilot’s discretion for safety reasons, which may include inclement weather.
Read more: about helicopter tour in our Big Island helicopter tour guide.
For those of you who want it all, the full island VIP adventure tour is for you! It’s all of the helicopter tours of the Big Island rolled into one, plus an active volcano!
Departing from Kona International Airport, we head straight to Kilauea by way of the saddle running between Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa, Hawaii’s tallest mountains.
Kilauea is one of the most active volcanoes on earth and has been continuously erupting since 1974. Here, we explore the East Rift Zone of Kilauea, including Kilauea Crater, the Puʻu Oʻo Vent, and active lava flows – if there is lava flowing at the surface.
The tour then flies north up the windward side of the island passing lush and rainy Hilo town, and the beautiful Hamakua Coast that is covered in waterfalls. Then we whisk you up north to explore the seven windward valleys of Kohala. The first stop is the windward side of the Kohala Mountains, where we follow the coastline of Waipiʻo Valley and then move westward to Waimanu Valley. Waimanu can experience annual rainfall of up to 200 inches, fueling 1500-foot waterfalls, some of the tallest in all of Hawaiʻi.
Following the valleys west, we fly over Honopue, Honokea, Honokane Iki, and the historic valley of Honokane Nui or Big Valley and Pololu. We climb and cross over the summit of Kohala, the oldest of the five volcanoes that make up the Big Island of Hawaii.
Your tour concludes with a beautiful coastline flight over sparkling ocean waters, ancient lava flows, and the spectacular luxury resorts that make their homes on the island’s leeward shores.
This is a private tour (best for groups of 3 or 4 people)
What sets this tour apart from other helicopter tours is that it is guaranteed to be a private tour – which means that you do not have to share the aircraft with a second party.
The cost of this tour is $639 per person, and the minimum passenger requirement is 3 people. Parties that do not meet this minimum requirement will be subject to the minimum passenger pricing. Parties larger than 4 people will be split into multiple helicopters. Depending on availability, there may be an option of multiple helicopters to take off at the same time.
Mauna Loa Helicopters exclusively uses the reliable and energy-efficient Robinson helicopters. They have been offering private sightseeing tours over Kauaʻi since 2006, and recently expanded to offer tour operations from the Big Island.
Along with their impeccable safety record, they take pride in making each tour a spectacular, personalized experience. Numerous 5-stars reviews (over 650 now, on several platforms) prove that they deliver what they promise!
We are affiliate partners with Mauna Loa Helicopters and any booking on this page you make is made directly with Mauna Loa Helicopters. We receive a percentage from the activity provider for each successful booking made through our website but this happens without any additional charge to you. (read more on the use of those links on our website here).
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