Within minutes of departing Volcanoes National Park from the air, the landscape changed from rocky a

At 30 I left my job and home in the USA to live, travel, eat(!), and work in Australia for a year. Now, I’m a 30-something back in the US, developing contract and remote work, baking and learning about food, enjoying life as a newlywed, and plotting my next adventure.
When I was five, my parents went to Hawaii on a company trip, and they returned raving about their helicopter flight weekend cruises from boston over Kilauea. The volcano has been continuously erupting since 1983, and they flew right above the lava flow, feeling the heat from the safety of their seats.
As I looked into tour providers, Blue Hawaiian Helicopters stood out above the rest. The company is regularly recognized for providing top tours, weekend cruises from boston service, and talented pilots and guides. I felt that if I was going to invest in the experience, I wanted to go with the best.
While flying over Kilauea was my top priority, we chose Blue Hawaiian s Big Island Spectacular tour , the longest, most comprehensive tour, so we could enjoy scenic views both of the volcano and the lush, green valleys of the north.
Before we knew it, our names were called and we followed our pilot to an Eco-Star model helicopter. Compared to the A-Star model that Blue Hawaiian also operates, the Eco-Star offers its guests individual seats (instead of bench-style seating), more cabin space, and greater visibility. We wanted to be as comfortable as possible while seeing as much as possible, so we d opted for the more expensive flight ($495pp versus $396pp).
weekend cruises from boston Gav and I were assigned two of the four seats in the second row. I was thrilled I had a window seat! Gav had the middle seat beside me. I knew it would be more difficult for him to take photos, but we all had a good view to our right, left, and front.
A few days before this tour, Gav and I had visited Volcanoes National Park on foot and saw smoke from the Kilauea caldera . The caldera is a crater one has to view from afar, as the poisonous weekend cruises from boston gases in the smoke prevent guests from getting any closer. I was SO excited weekend cruises from boston to get a view from above!
And if this wasn t all awesome enough, our next lava stop would be to the spot I really wanted to see an area of the coastline where lava has been spilling into the ocean for several years. Before we arrived, I could see smoke alerting us that we were in the right place.
After seeing so many active spots of Kilauea, I thought that if the tour had to end there, I would still be a VERY happy guest. Since we had booked the Big Island Spectacular, however, we still had the east coast and northern valleys to explore!
I ll be honest I didn t know if the remainder of the tour could top what we d already experienced. I figured that the coastline would be pretty, but what would we see that we couldn t see from ground level? Was I in for a surprise!
Within minutes of departing Volcanoes National Park from the air, the landscape changed from rocky and dark to lush and green. This sudden change summarized the Big Island beautifully the tropical, flowering landscape of the east versus the rocky, volcanic scenery of the west coast.
While it s possible to hike to some areas of the valley, the area is very remote and hiking would be quite a challenge. When I realized that I couldn t have enjoyed this area of the island without a helicopter tour, I was overwhelmed with a deep sense of gratitude. weekend cruises from boston How blessed weekend cruises from boston was I to be safely and comfortably flying over one of the most beautiful sites I had ever seen with my husband beside me?
These pictures cannot do the waterfalls weekend cruises from boston justice. One was the height of the Empire State Building, and one was another 1,000 feet taller, though it s still only the 13th tallest waterfall in the world.
We retrieved our stored items and ordered two copies of our flight on DVD one for me and Gav and one for my parents. It s been nearly 30 years since their first and only trip to Hawaii, and I knew the video would bring back so many wonderful memories of their trip.
If you want to make special memories on your own Hawaiian helicopter tour, I can t recommend Blue Hawaiian enough. I felt like I was safe in the hands of experts from start to finish, and our pilot was also a knowledgeable tour guide, sharing details about our surroundings throughout the tour.
Disclosure: We were guests of Blue Hawaiian Helicopters. They did not ask me to share heaps of photos, fall in love with Waimanu Valley, or write a positive review. All of those came completely naturally. We had planned to book and pay for the Big Island Spectacular as it was my must-have experience and were over-the-moon when Blue Hawaiian invited us for a flight.
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Your pictures are gorgeous, looks like it was a lot of fun! I never knew there was a section that spills lava out into the ocean, that s cool! Glad you finally got to take this helicopter tour you ve been dreaming about!
Thanks Ali! Though I want to fly over the other islands as well, I d do this exact tour again in a heartbeat. The views were magical. Living out dreams in reality is always a truly special experience
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