A Helicopter Tour experience by Mauna Loa Helicopters. Back to all Big Island tours.
Tour Summary: A private full-island loop from Kona for up to four, with a window seat each at parties of three or fewer. When the summit clouds over, the pilot turns north to valleys no road can reach.
The windward Kohala valleys hold many waterfalls that no road reaches, which is why this stretch is the most reliable highlight of the flight. 
Rainbow Falls sits on the Wailuku River in Hilo, one of the first landmarks the route passes on the windward side. When Kīlauea is erupting and skies are clear, the flight can pass over the activity. Both depend on the day. In winter, snow can sit on Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea as the route crosses the saddle between them. The windward cliffs between Waipiʻo and Pololū valleys, a stretch reachable only by air or boat. Image adapted from source (by Eric Tessmer). Waipiʻo Valley is the first of seven valleys you pass, carved into the windward side of the Kohala volcano. Image credit: Eric Tessmer, source.
5 Tour Highlights:
- Impressive Kohala valleys, their sea cliffs and tall waterfalls, reachable only by air or boat
- Live weather rerouting: when the summit clouds over, the pilot turns north instead of canceling your view
- A full island loop in one flight, from the Kīlauea and Mauna Loa summits to the Hāmākua lava cliffs
- Pilot narration on geology, Hawaiian history, and culture, with some pilots running a playlist timed to the terrain
- Doors-off option available for an extra fee.
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
Location: Circle Island
Pick-up available? No
Included: Private charter, never shared with strangers (1 to 4 passengers)
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.
Read more about the Big Island Helicopter Experience
No road reaches Waimanu Valley. The same goes for the windward Kohala valleys behind it, a run of sea cliffs and tall waterfalls you get to only by boat, by a long trail, or from the air. This is the part of the flight reviewers single out again and again, including the one person who left three stars instead of five.
Your pilot decides the route, and that is why you book private
Reviewers lead with the pilot, not the scenery. The narration covers geology, history, and Hawaiian culture, and the pilots get named and remembered in review after review. More useful for planning: they watch the weather and reroute in the air. Several guests describe a pilot texting ahead to move the flight earlier when conditions were closing in, or talking through the route on the tarmac before takeoff. When clouds sit on the volcano, they turn north to the valleys instead of burning your 2 hours on a gray ceiling.
A private flight is what makes that possible. With one to four passengers and no strangers aboard, the pilot can read your group and the sky and adjust. Up to three passengers each get a window. The aircraft seats four across two front seats and a three-person back bench, so a full party of four puts one person in the center back, which is the seat the operator’s own listing nods to when it calls this a three-of-four-window-seats flight. If everyone wants a window, fly with three.
Summits, waterfalls, and valleys: the full loop
The route circles the island: the Kīlauea and Mauna Loa summits, Hilo and the rainforest behind it, the lava cliffs and waterfalls of the Hāmākua Coast, the Kohala valleys, then back down the Kona and Kohala coast. Mauna Loa Helicopters flies Robinson aircraft, four seats, with a doors-off option for an added fee that about fifteen reviewers took and enjoyed. Some pilots run a music playlist timed to the terrain.
Good to know: the active volcano is not guaranteed. Kīlauea is one of the most active volcanoes on Earth, but its activity is episodic, and whether there is surface lava on your flight depends on the current eruption and the cloud cover that day. The Robinson flies higher and farther from the crater than the larger aircraft some competitors use, so this is not the tour to book solely for a close volcano pass. Weather cancellations happen at the pilot’s discretion, and free cancellation runs up to 24 hours out.
Who it suits
This flight rewards travelers who have already driven the island. If you have done the Hilo side and the Volcano park by car, the farmland stretches can read as familiar from above, but Waipiʻo, Waimanu, and the windward cliffs are ground you cannot cover any other way. It also fits a proposal or an anniversary, which is how the operator markets the private buy-out.
Departures run at 8am and 11am from Kailua-Kona. The morning slot is the safer bet for the volcano, since clouds build over the summits as the day warms. The listed $639 is the per-person rate at three or more passengers, so a couple flying alone pays more each and a group of three or four gets the best value per seat. Bring a light layer for the doors-off option, and tell the pilot your priorities before you lift off, because the route is theirs to shape and they will build it around the one or two things you most want to see.
About Mauna Loa Helicopters
Mauna Loa Helicopters has flown in the islands since 2006, starting on Kauaʻi, and runs a Robinson fleet capped at four passengers per aircraft. We list them because their private format does something most shared tours cannot: the pilot is free to rework the route around the weather and your group rather than a fixed schedule, and parties of three or fewer each get a window. Their reviewers name their pilots, which is usually a sign the narration and the flying are both worth the seat.
Affiliate Disclaimer
Booking through this page costs you nothing extra and is made directly with Mauna Loa Helicopters. We earn a commission from the operator, not from you, and it is what pays for the research that keeps lovebigisland.com free and free of paid placement. We only list operators we would send a friend to. Details on our affiliate links are here.