Kona: Circle Island Experience
$599.00
Description
Flight
Departs: Kona Airport, Kona Duration: 2.25 hrs*
Features
Narrated, Harbor, Rainforest, Beach, Waterfall, Volcano, Coffee
Experience
Hawai‘i Island really is a “Big Island” and you want to see it all! Why spend your whole vacation in the car, when you can get the lay of the land by air? Paradise’s Circle Island Experience is the only helicopter tour in Hawai‘i that ventures south to encompass the entire island, and it does so in just over two hours!
Starting from Kona Airport at the island’s western-most tip, your pilot leads you past the Kona coffee district and slopes of Mauna Loa to the southern-most town in the United States, Punalu‘u. You’ll be amazed by our exclusive views of Papakōlea – one of only four green sand beaches in the world! Next, explore the lava flow activity at Kīlauea crater and, if Madame Pele is willing, catch a glimpse of the molten heart of Hawai‘i in the form of red, hot lava. Then, turn to the east, the island’s lush windward side and Hilo town. Notice how now water flows where lava once did, gushing out of sheer cliffs through lava tubes, creating hundreds of waterfalls, and nourishing the rich vegetation. The grandeur of the Kohala valleys and waterfalls of the north are sure to catch your breath, as are the white sand beaches on your return to Kona.
Sights
- Circumnavigate the entire island!
- See all five volcanoes
- Waterfalls
- 2,000-foot deep valleys
- White, black and GREEN sand beaches
- Rugged coastlines
- Dramatic waterfalls
- Lava flow activity at Kīlauea crater
- Rain forests
- Kohala’s lush valleys
- See 11 of the planet’s 13 climate zones
Upgrades
Make your tour epic with our exclusive and signature add-ons.
Route Map
Click to view
Tour Notes
For answers to common questions please read our faq.
* Total flight time typically varies from 1.9 – 2.35 hours.
Free round-trip transportation for tours departing from the Kona International Airport.
- Free transportation is limited and based on availability.
- Please reply to your confirmation email with a request for transportation and hotel name.
- Paradise Helicopters will confirm availability for your date via email and/or phone.
- Pick up and drop off locations are limited to the Kona Coast including the Hapuna area – North and the Keauhou area South.
- Exceptions and other restrictions may apply.
- Free transportation only applies to Air Adventures purchased directly from Paradise Helicopters.
- May not be combined with other offers.
Activity Level
Easy: Suitable for adults, children and seniors.
Reviews
Laura & Terry –
The trip was amazing!! Saw so many great things. Highly Recommended!!!
Noelani R. –
Beautiful experience from pickup to drop off!
Many, many thanks + lots of Aloha!
Greg & Connie C. –
First time, Outstanding. Incredible views and commentary.
Rhonda Doa –
Three years later and I continue to keep up to date with the amazing video Paradise Helicopters provides the Big Island Now News It fascinates me how it is this earth continues to recreate itself. Paradise Helicopters are a group of professionals who help to safely bring us close to the magnificent experience of a live volcano which evolves daily. Go for it people an experience of a lifetime you should not miss, well worth every penny spent
Court H. –
That was the BEST! Ryan was tremendous.
Jane G. –
Awesome experience! Very smooth flying and the pilot did an awesome job!
Scott & Ulla Gordon –
Fantastic Experience!!!
Allan L. –
Great experience! Pilot Koji was great. Overall it was so cool seeing the island from a different perspective since I was born and raised here!
Dam. S –
We felt welcome and valued as customers. Enjoyed Ryan’s music and friendly commentary.
Melissa B. and Cliffei –
Initial Booking- 5 stars
Check in- 5 stars
Your flight- 5 stars
Your pilot- 5 stars
Ground crew- 5 stars
Overall Experience- 5 stars
FANTASTIC!!
Brooke & Attila –
Everything about the tour was great – from check-in to landing. The pilot was very friendly and pointed out all of the interesting sights! Wish we had more time to do it again!
Joanna of Brisbane Australia –
Thank you so much. That was so amazing. Best experience & would highly recommend to anyone.
Beth –
Once in a lifetime adventure! will recommend it to all my customers.
Brian L –
Our pilot was amazing. Beyond friendly and takes pride in what he does. We appreciated him very much.
Jessica L –
Jork’s tour is fun and engaging! Loved it so much, I came back for a second tour in four days i will definitely be back!
Ed and Laura –
An excellent way to begin our day. Seeing the beauty of the island from the air was [email protected] The narrative about what we were seeing was good. We would definitely do it again!
James K –
Chris was a great pilot and friendly tour guide! Thanks for the great flight!
Julie B –
Thank you so much for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Those waterfalls were breathtaking and the active volcano was more than we could ask for. Truly a unique experience
Will, Jo, & Sam D –
Great time- Really worth spending the bucks. Awesome waterfalls, valleys. Chris was great- safe, informative pilot.
Casias Family –
Our pilot was a 10! Ryan was so awesome! Super informative, and loads of fun. We would do this a million times over!!
Chloe S. –
Dan was amazing! Views were breathtaking!
Jill S. –
Entire staff was incredible and Dan went above and beyond to give our entire party great info and views!
Paul S. –
Ryan did an exceptional job. Music, tour and knowledge well versed and very enjoyable throughout the tour! Thank you!
Melanie B. –
-Great service, very fun.
-On-line reservation system is great.
Brenda S. –
Sensational Experience.
Joel was a pleasure-
informative, pleasant
good on the controls.
Thank you.
Rochelle R. –
Rob was great; just the right amount of commentary. Circle tour was a wonderful way to see the island. Lava was AMAZING!
Julian G. –
What an amazing experience !!! Thanks Danny, everything was incredible!!! One experience of a lifetime!!! I hope I can fly with you guys again in the future!
Jeff & Michelle –
An Amazing experience from the reception, to take off, the trip, to our send off. Amazing people, Amazing Experience!!!
Michele –
Excellent! From booking to Landing! Great Staff!
J. Bull –
Absolutely incredible! The view of the crashed plane and stop at the waterfall was unbelievable. Thank you so much!
Dave A –
Most amazing flight i’ve ever had. This check mark is my bucket list check for seeing real lava! I can’t come up with anything bigger and better to say. AMAZING!!!
Ana C. & Raul B. –
amazing- Joel was great, knowledgeable, friendly.
Kina Bankmove –
This was great! Such a beautiful day and experience. Pilot was so informative:) Thank You!
Betty Jean –
Fabulous trip. Pilot was very informative & felt really safe. amazing views from front seat. Feel like I have had a great view of Hawaii from the air.
Lauritas –
My first time on a helicopter and I am 63! I was a bit nervous at first, but it soon faded away. What an amazing, beautiful day!!
Michael –
Koji was awesome and the views were amazing!!! I would recommend this to anyone.
Kate –
Awesome! Great to see so many waterfalls and parts of the island only accessible from the sky!
Higgins Family –
Loved the trip!
Amazing Experience!
Waterfalls and lava (check)
Amanda & Ben H. –
Amazing crew and experience!
Caitlin B. –
Such a fun experience! All of the workers here are so friendly and helped make this a great experience!
Lee –
Thank you so much! This is the best trip so far and Kalei is truly talented in getting us the best views! Mahalo! Super friendly ground crew and impressively professional with Aloha spirit!
Hayley F. –
Wonderful flight & wonderful pilot! Smooth ride & perfect scenery! Thank you! Thank you!
Eric & Gina P. –
Circle Island Experience was amazing. Koji was a great pilot and host. All staff were helpful with our reservation. The lava, valleys, waterfalls, beaches were all incredible!
Trissa –
Everything was great, flawless from booking to flight experience.
Michele S. –
Wonderful view of beautiful Hawaii!
Robert M. –
Absolutely fantastic! Marco did an amazing job! Thank you so much for making my trip to Hawaii super special!
Linda G. –
Koji was amazing. We saw everything he told us we would see. AMAZING TRIP
Sheryl –
Thanks for making our Big Island experience a great one – thanks to Koji for spending extra time to make sure we saw EVERYTHING
Yetta B. –
The pilot, Dan, was wonderful! He gave us a spectacular tour which blew my mind! We saw lava flow, black sand beaches, white sand, and a few whales! It was the best spent money!
John F. –
Great tour! Saw the island in a unique way only Paradise Helicopter tours can offer.
Mary & Jane C. –
Best part of our vacation.
Lois N. –
Phenomenal experience! Thank you for an awesome flight!
Manuel Flisser / Mexico –
It was so wonderful -Alana
Joel excellent pilot
Ground crew excellent
Shell –
Awesome! Driving doesn’t touch it!
Kate –
Thank you so much! Best experience of my whole life!
Hannah –
Daniel was amazing – very friendly and informative.
Daryl Mattoon –
One of the best experiences of my life!
David –
Absolutely incredible and will go down as highlight on all my vacations.
Donna T. –
This was the best experience!! WE had a blast and will remember this forever! Thank you our pilot was the best!!
Jake K. –
Incredible experience from start to finish. Best way to see and learn about the island.
DeAnn Cagle –
Amazing! Next time I call shot gun!
Patricia C. –
Thank you for a fun & breathtaking tour. I now understand the passion my dad had for helicopters – it’s like touching the sky! Thank you!
Sue C. –
Incredible views with an expert pilot. Did Molokai last week. This exceeded that ride! Thank you.
Ben T. –
Great experience, very friendly staff! Thanks so much!
Ben T. –
Great experience, very friendly staff! Thanks so much!
Chantal –
Very Friendly Team. Thanks for everything. Mahalo
Sharon S. from Indiana –
Absolutely FANTASTIC !!! Brought tears to my eyes. Such BEAUTY. No improvements.
Wendy from Louisville Ky –
Best trip of our life! Thanks
Judy Wallace –
I 100% recommend Paradise to everyone who is thinking about taking a helicopter tour!! My husband and I took the Big Island experience on October 25, 2014 and it was breathtaking!! Our pilot, Dan, was terrific. He was very experienced and extremely knowledgeable about the island. The ground crew was wonderful and really helpful. I’m in a wheelchair full time, but had no issues at all getting into and out of the helicopter. We are so glad that we took the tour! Highly recommend!! You won’t be sorry that you did.
Caitlin C. –
The experience was fantastic! The crew was welcoming, informative, helpful, and provided a wonderful flight! Highly recommended!
Colleen –
Wow! I have been on several great helicopter rides but this was the best!
Cassie & Eric. M –
Awesome! No way we could have seen the Big Island in its entirety without this helicopter tour.
Andrew –
Pilot was excellent & flying over the volcano was great. The flight through the valley was definitely the highlight. I had an amazing time & will recommend this to everyone.
Andrew –
Pilot was excellent & flying over the volcano was great. The flight through the valley was definitely the highlight. I had an amazing time & will recommend this to everyone.
Pat of California –
Trip was great, wonderful view, would highly recommend it.
Pat of California –
Trip was great, wonderful view, would highly recommend it.
David Grishaver –
Seeing the entire island in one day was super appealing. Pilot Danny was really great! There’s incredible variation in terrane. The blue ocean water and where it intersects land at beaches, cliffs, or rocks was particularly beautiful form the air. We even saw whales!
David Grishaver –
Seeing the entire island in one day was super appealing. Pilot Danny was really great! There’s incredible variation in terrane. The blue ocean water and where it intersects land at beaches, cliffs, or rocks was particularly beautiful form the air. We even saw whales!