Da Best Small Town in the World
Rainbow Falls is located in the heart of Hilo, Hawaii. It is just a few miles up Waianuenue Avenue, just above downtown Hilo. You have the best chance of viewing a rainbow made by Rainbow Falls is you visit during the later hours of the morning on a sunny day.
Which is the better Hilo Helicopter Tour Company? Should you choose Safari Helicopter Tours or Blue Hawaiian Helicopter Tours?
When you are visiting Hawaii, you should consider taking a Hilo Helicopter Tour. Sure you can see amazing waterfalls on any island in Hawaii, but where else can you fly over an active volcano, but on the Big Island?
Two names you have probably run across when deciding which Hilo helicopter tour company you want to choose to make your Hawaiian vacation memorable are Blue Hawaiian Helicopters and Safari Helicopters.
Both fly out of Hilo International Airport and both offer aerial tours of the Kilauea Volcano and Hilo’s waterfalls and scenic cost line. So how do you decide on which company to choose?
When it comes to prices, Safari Helicopters wins hands down. Safari Helicopters’ cheapest helicopter tour is $169, while Blue Hawaiian Helicopters’ most inexpensive tour costs $196.
Blue Hawaii edges out Safari, when considering what you will see. All of its tours include flights over the volcano, plus waterfall viewing, while Safari’s lowest price flights exclude the waterfall.
When it comes to flight time, Safari Helicopters has a slight lead over Blue Hawaiian Helicopters. Safari’s longest tour is 50 to 55 minutes, while Blue Hawaiian’s is 50 minutes.
Blue Hawaiian, provided you are willing to pay a premium price, offers the helicopter with the best seating and views. Their Eco-Star helicopter package is designed to offer 180 degrees views, so you can take in the full beauty of our island. Though you will still get a great view no matter which helicopter tour you choose.
Blue Hawaiian Helicopters has a slight edge when it comes to years in business. It was started back in 1985, while Safari was started back in 1987.
I don’t think that you will go wrong with either Blue Hawaiian Helicopters or Safari Helicopter Tours out of Hilo. The best tour for you is probably going to come down to how much you are willing to spend on either of these fine tours.
Is Hilo a dangerous place? The short answer is no, but with a few caveats. In comparison to a lot of other places, Hilo is much safer. There are fewer violent crimes, though property crimes may be slightly higher. The relative safety of Hilo depends on you personally.
Are you a person that tends to get in bar fights? Well then, Hilo might be a dangerous place for you. Do you like to go to the tougher parts of town at inconvenient hours? Well this would also make Hilo dangerous for you?
Or are you a person that gets along with everyone and is smart about where they go and what times they go there? If this is the case, then Hilo is an extremely safe place.
According to Neighborhoodscout, Hilo is safer than 12% of the cities in the U.S., which means that it is more dangerous than 88% of the cities in our country. Is Hilo really this dangerous? Perhaps, but I don’t think that this is indeed the case. I think that this might be skewed by certain regions of Hilo. Most of Hilo are relatively safe, but a few areas skew the statistics. Just keep your eyes and ears open and don’t go there.
The short answer is no. Hiloans are some of the friendliest people around. Most of the stories you hear are the result of visitors who behave obnoxiously. If you act foolishly Hilo or even the safest city in the world can be a dangerous place for you, but if behave with a reasonable measure of decency and common sense, Hilo is a safe and friendly place.
Safari Helicopters offers two helicopter tours out of Hilo Airport. Both of their tours will take you to see the Kilauea Volcano and their Deluxe Tour also offers majestic views of Hawaii’s coastline. Their Regular Tour costs $169, while their Deluxe Tour costs only $20 more, so it is probably worth it to splurge a little.
Time: 40 to 45 minutes
Fly directly towards the Hawaii Volcano National Park and see volcanic activity on this tour. You’ll see the Lava Tree forest and may even get to see lava gushing into the ocean and perhaps a fiery, hot lava lake.
Time: 50 to 55 minutes
View the volcano and towering waterfalls. You’ll get to see everything listed in the Safari tour, plus amazing waterfalls on Wailuku River such as Rainbow Falls and Boiling Pots and you’ll get to see Hilo Bay too.
Looking for a Volcano Helicopter Tour in Hilo? Who has the best prices and reviews? Read on to find the answer.
| Tour Company | Tour | Price | Time | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paradise | Doors Off Volcano & Waterfalls | $241.11 | 40 to 45 minutes | 20 | 4 stars |
| Paradise | Fire & Falls Helicopter Tour | $205.20 | 40 to 45 minutes | 20 | 4 stars |
| Blue Hawaiian | Circle of Fire & Waterfalls | $196.02 | 50 minutes | 23 | 4 stars |
| Safari | Volcano Tour | $169.00 | 40 to 45 minutes | 17 | 4 stars |
| Safari | Volcano & Coastline Tour | $189.00 | 50 to 55 minutes | 17 | 4 stars |
| Tropical | Volcano Adventure | $160.00 | 35 to 40 minutes | 4 | 4 stars |
| Tropical | Volcano & Falls Adventure | $193.80 | 40 to 50 minutes | 4 | 4 stars |
Paradise’s motto is “fly today…remember forever”. They offer two tours out of Hilo to view the fiery Volcano National Park and Hawaii’s most beautiful waterfalls.
Price: $241.11
Time: 40 to 45 minutes
Paradise offer a doors off Hawaiian Volcano Tour for $241.11. Doors off tours provide the best views and most exciting flights and are not to be missed.
Price: $205.20
Time: 40 to 45 minutes
Paradise gives an educational tour of Hawaii’s Volcano and Hilo’s Waterfalls. This tour is narrated and highly interactive, so you can ask all of your questions about Hawaii’s natural wonders.
http://paradisecopters.com/hilo.php
Blue Hawaiian provides a Helicopter Tour of the Volcano and Hilo’s Waterfalls out of Hilo airport which is just a few minutes away from the Hilo Wharf and their tours provide 50 minutes of airtime, so it is a great choice if you are visiting Hilo on a cruise ship.
Time: 50 minutes
A-Star Price: $196.02
Eco-Star Price: $240.90
The primary difference between these tours is the type of helicopter that you will get to fly on. The Eco-Stars are on the cutting edge of Helicopter Technology.
On Blue Hawaiian’s tour you will get to see Hawaii’s Volcano which has been spewing molten hot lava since 1983 and you will see Hilo’s crashing waterfalls while learning about the culture and history of Hawaii.
Safari will take you on a flight to see the Kilauea Volcano in an A-Star 350 Helicopter.
Price $169.00
Time: 40 to 45 minutes
In this tour you will fly directly towards the Hawaii Volcano National Park and see volcanic activity. You’ll see the Lava Tree forest and may even get to see lava pouring into the ocean and perhaps a lava lake.
Price: $189.00
Time: 50 to 55 minutes
In this tour you will see the volcano and waterfalls. You’ll get to see everything mentioned in the Safari tour, plus majestic waterfalls on Wailuku River such as Rainbow Falls and you’ll get to see the Hilo Bay too.
Visit: http://www.safarihelicopters.com/big-island-helicopter-tours/
“Safari Helicopters has been awarded 10 stars—the highest ever awarded—by the Hawaii Helicopter Operator’s Association.”
Tripadvisor ranks them 7 out of 36 activities in Hilo, they have a rating of 4.5 stars by 176 reviewers. Here are a few highlights of their reviews:
Tropical flies three helicopters out of Hilo airport and provides two tours.
Price: $160.00
Time: 35 to 40 minutes
In this tour, Tropical, take you on a flight to see Hawaii’s most active volcano. You will see majestic views of the Kilauea volcano.
Price: $193.80
Time: 40 to 50 minutes
In addition to seeing the Kilauea Volcano you will also get to see the towering 80 foot tall Rainbow Falls of Hilo which is part of the longest river in the Hawaiian archipelago, the Wailuku River.
Visit: http://tropicalhelicopters.com/hilo-helicopter-tours.html
Sources: Yelp and Tripadvisor