All Reviews for Hilo

The tour is very informative and enjoyable. The guide is very patient and expalined in detail.

Was an excellent time!!!! The guides were professional yet down to earth!! They made the whole experience so much more fun and exciting! I would definitely go back and do it over and over!! Everyone was so nice and fun to he around. Totally recommend this as something to do while in hawaii!!!!

Jeremy was an incredible pilot! We learned about the difference between lava and magma, saw some incredible sights, and had an overall amazing time! A definite must do!

Professional pilots and a well-coordinated organization combined to show us where the lava action was happening. We were safely strapped in and plugged into communications so we could get the most out of what we were seeing and trying to photograph. With an experienced pilot, everyone in the chopper got a good chance for the best views. The photography itself can be tricky; the higher quality pictures you try to take, the more you should have a good camera setup and practice from a vibrating platform. Overall: a rousing success.

The garden had many varieties of plants. The zip rides were kind of short. There was also a suspension bridge we walked across. They need to add more and longer zip lines. The few seconds that we zipped across were hardly enough. The guides provided some fruit snacks from the trees as we walked between zip lines and talked about different trees. The water fall and the surrounding ranches with cows sleeping were a nice sight. Though those ranches do not belong to botanical gardens. Staff was very friendly and professional. I did not take Segway tour and chose instead to drive by myself to Hilo. Make sure to drive to Liliuokalani Park in Hilo when you are there. It was a very impressive Japanese garden design.

IT WAS THE BEST HELICOPTER TOUR WE HAVE BEEN ON, (OUR 3RD ONE)
THE POILOT NEW WHAT HE WAS LOOKING FOR AND MADE SURE WE SAW WHAT WE CAME FOR. THE DOORS OFF WAS MORE FUN THAN WE HAD THOUGHT WE LOVED IT!

I researched how to see the lava flows of Kilauea, including night tours from the sea. A helicopter tour was my first choice, but it was a bit pricey, so I was unsure. However, I found that tours from Hilo are about half the price compared to those from Waikoloa, and the travel time from Kona to Hilo was shorter than I expected. So, I decided to go for it and signed up for a tour from Hilo, along with a drive around the Big Island.

Seeing the Earth's living processes up close from the sky was incredible. The sight of the village buried in lava, the bright red crater, and the dramatic flow of lava into the ocean with steam was breathtaking. It was definitely worth it, and I was extremely satisfied.

キラウエアの溶岩流をどうやったら見れるのか、夜間の海からの見学や、色々探しました、ヘリツアーは最初から第一候補でしたが、少々値段が高く、どうしようかなと迷っていましたが、ワイコロアからのツアーに比べ、ヒロからのツアーは約半額であること、コナからヒロまで思ったより時間がかからないことなど、思い切って、ハワイ島一周ドライブもと、ヒロからのツアーに申し込みました、
とにかく地球の生きた営みを，そのすさまじさを間近に上空から見れること、溶岩流に埋もれた村、真っ赤な火口、海に流れ込む溶岩と水蒸気のすさまじさは圧巻、間違いなく価値はあります、大満足でした　　

The pilot was very knowledgeable of the area and specifics around the volcanic activities as of late. All 4 of us fully enjoyed the flight! We got some great close-ups of the volcano and the remnants of the village that once was there. We didn't see as many waterfalls as I thought we would but it didn't take away from the trip. I would recomend this to any friend or family member.

Marco was our pilot and he was fabulous. My 13 year old was a bit nervous with the doors off and he made her feel right at ease.
The view you get and the knowledge passed down by Marco was great! You cannot truly appreciate the volcano and what it can do unless you see it from above. The big picture and unique view from above is priceless.
We saw lava the day we went and that was a bonus, but even if you cannot see the the lava, it is still a wonderful way to view the landscape and truly see the devastation the lava flow can do.
We have done another helicopter tour in the past on Kauai and it is the best way to see the islands. You can go places a car cannot and that is worth it!
Thank you Marco and the rest of the staff at Paradise Helicopter...you were wonderful and we had a great trip!

The tour was OK. There was a lot of bus riding just picking folks up and dropping them off. I think were the only folks staying in Hilo. There were a couple of stops at commercial sites that could be left off the tour. The guide was good and knew a lot about the area. This tour could be streamlined and only take half a day.

We are first timers and enjoyed the entire experience .The guides did a super job and kept the activity moving and fun.

I can tell you that we were totally satisfied and happy with the helicopter tour. The weather was great and so the pilot could show us fantastic views. The pilot and the whole crew was friendly and helpful and we felt safe and happy. Five stars for everything. Thank you again

I did this helicopter ride with my husband and 12 yr old son. It was fantastic! We got lucky and had a sunny day, and the views of the island were amazing. We saw some lava flows, we saw waterfalls, and the pilot shared lots of information. We saw a house that had recently been destroyed by lava flow, and all that was left was a bit of roof. We had never done a helicopter ride, and I was a bit nervous about it. We rode with the doors on. It was very smooth, and the views made me forget to be nervous. I felt very safe actually. Our pilot (Aaron) was completely competent and friendly and knowledgeable. I got to sit in the front, next to the pilot. My husband and son sat behind us and they had a great time. Its expensive, but its worth doing at least once. You'll get a view of the island that you can't see any other way.

It was phenominal. Incredible views and good commentary from the pilot. I would definitely recommend a wind breaker if going with the doors off.

I took the doors off flight and I was totally amazed.
This is the best experience you could even imagine.
Ranks equal to or even better than riding my Harley through the Rocky mountains in Colorado.
Of coarse you can tell that I highly recommend this flight and especially with the doors off.
The pilot on my flight (Dillon) (hope I spelled your name right) was skilled and competent and ready to answer all questions with knowledge and completness.

Just do it!!! A. L. (John) Johnson Englewood CO

Just go on this tour! So freaking fun!

Totally awesome! Mark was full of interesting information and the trip was beautiful and amazing! We would highly recommend this adventure to anyone!!

This was our first experience ziplining and we had an absolute blast! Staff was very well informed not only about what we were doing but also about the ecology of the area we were in. Can't wait to do it again!

We loved our helicopter tour! Our first time in a helicopter and we both had a few hesitations, but the ground crew was very helpful and supportive and Koji, our pilot, was wonderful. He made an effort to circle around each area so that everyone would have a great view of the area. The tour was awesome, we felt like we saw all the highlights on the island and really got a feeling of how the lava flows and how the island has changed over the years. We would definitely recommend this tour. The highlight of our trip to the Big Island.

This was an extremely unique experience. Some of the views can only be experienced from a helicopter. Waterfalls, lava flows, flights deep into the valley are just some of the sights on this tour. The pilot/guide is extremely knowledgeable and makes the trip fun as well. Well worth the cost and would highly recommend for any individual or group. I can only imagine that each trip would be different due to environmental conditions such as lava flows and rainfall so it is perfect for first timers and repeat guests.

This would be a great trip IF you don't get stuck in the backwards seats. These seats are a total rip off since you don't get to see where you are headed and when there is something cool to see well too bad it's already past. Pilot does a good job of trying to circle around so everyone see's but there's no way for the backward seat folks to see anything really well. If you decide to go I STRONGLY recommend that you get guarantee's that you get a front seat or front looking seats only. My wife and Mom had great seats and enjoyed the views I'm happy about that but I wish I had saved the money and sent them up without me since it was two hours of flying backwards and barely seeing anything. You have been warned. :O
**** Also you should also be aware that the photo's of all the cool lava flows are really old. We saw very little lava and after the flight we found out they use old photo's for advertising. Pretty views are to be had but not much lava.

The staff was fantastic - friendly, helpful, and safe. Let alone the views and vistas you get to see - this is the best bang-for-the-buck of helicopter tours, with a full 2 hours in the air. The pilot, Koji, was very knowledgeable of the area and led an incredibly informative and fun talk over the intercom. Koji also provided a very comfortable ride that was much more mellow and safe than I was expecting (I'm afraid of heights and I LOVED IT, so don't let your fear of heights worry you, you'll be fine with these guys). Excellent work from everyone and I'll be back soon : )

Everyone shoud do this tour in the first few days of vacation. Fantastic experience and the best way to see the island!

Had a fantastic time! Our guide, Jesse, grew up on the island and was a wealth of information about not just what we saw on the tour, but also about other activities on the island. Word of caution: if you book through a third party like we did, after you receive confirmation, call Paradise to verify your group size. We showed up as scheduled to discover that someone (don't know if it was Paradise or Hawaii Activities) incorrectly entered the size of our group as two instead of three. We couldn't take the tour on our scheduled day because the group was overbooked. Luckily we were able to go the next day and Paradise had availability. They took great care of us once the error was discovered, but if you're on a tight schedule, don't risk missing out. Call ahead! Inconvenience aside, this is something you should do and was well worth the cost!!

Well worth doing the helicopter ride and the Doors Off Experience is the way to do it. The ride itself is worth it but to then fly over the lava flowing into the ocean and seeing collapsed lava tubes is something else.

I am so happy that we found this tour since it was by far the best experience me and my family had while on vacation on the Big Island. The zipline experience itself was amazing, but to be able to see such a beautiful garden as well just took it over the top.

Totally recommend this tour and can't wait to go back to Hawaii and do this again!

John and I wanted to send this email thanking everyone at Paradise for a once in a lifetime experience on our vacation. We took one of your newer trips which flew out of Kona, over the valleys, drop off in Hilo for the day (with paid rental car), then over the Volcanoes, and back to Kona. We really enjoyed the entire day. In fact we hadn't originally thought we would get to visit the Hilo area since the drive from Kona is a couple of hours. So not only did we get to see beautiful valleys, waterfalls, and running lava from air but we got to explore the Rain forest national Zoo, The Volcano national Park, Rainbow Falls, and Akaka Falls all by land as well. Also our pilot Steve was so informative and friendly he really helped make our day just that much more special. I'm sure he flies the same routes every day, yet you couldn't tell. His passion for the land, and surroundings was contagious. Thanks again, we included some of our amazing trip photos.

This is a great activity except if you're prone to motion-sickness then it is not for you. Two hours was way too long for us. I was doing well in the first hour when we were shown the volcanoes and mountains but in the second hour I could not keep my eyes open due to my motion sickness. And that sucked because in the second hour is when he shows you the beautiful valleys and waterfalls! Thank God my husband was able to record it for me but it still wasn't the same. I would recommend a 45-minute-1 hour tour but not the 2 hour tour.

I flew from Honolulu to Hilo early for trip which was scheduled for 8:30 AM. We were delayed starting by about one hour for other guests who took a later flight. My main reason for this tour was to see the volcano. Because of air quality, the observation area was closed. Because of cloud cover, we could not see the top of the volcano. We were able to visit the National Park Visitors Center which was worthwhile.

The tour guide was just fair. We visited several commercial sites.
He tried to make up for the closing of the observation area by stopping at other volcanoes in the park & a lava tube.

We had a great time on the Big Island tour today. The flight was
awesome. The pilot, Koji, did a terrific job. He made sure folks on
both sides of the helicopter saw the sights-Pu'u O'o, lava flowing
into the ocean, waterfalls, etc. It was our first time in a helicopter
and it was a great experience.

The reservationists were patient and informative. The folks at the
terminal were helpful, supportive and very upbeat-they truly seemed
excited for us.

We will be sure to spread the good word about your outfit.

Thank you for making the experience positive, simple and memorable for
us.