Best Helicopter Tours in Big Island — Top 3 Ranked (2026)
Ranked by aggregated TripAdvisor + Google reviews · Updated April 2026
Mauna Loa Helicopter Tours is our top pick for helicopter tours in Big Island — rated 5/5 across TripAdvisor and Google. Blue Hawaiian Helicopters is a solid runner-up, starting at $379.
Book Mauna Loa Helicopter Tours — From $229 →Rankings
| # | Operator | Score | Price | Best For | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mauna Loa Helicopter Tours Top Pick | 5/5 | $229+ | Best Overall | → Book |
| 2 | Blue Hawaiian Helicopters | 4.8/5 | $379+ | Runner-Up | → Book |
| 3 | Rainbow Helicopters | 4.6/5 | $305+ | Also Great | → Book |
Mauna Loa Helicopter Tours
Best OverallHelicopter Tours · Big Island · $229–$639 · 5/5 composite
Only Big Island operator flying exclusively private tours. Doors on/off at no extra cost.
“Jake was our pilot and did a fantastic job. He made us feel safe and gave us a grand tour of Kauai and it’s amazing waterfalls and the Nepali coast.” — TripAdvisor · ★★★★★
“Expérience incroyable, paysages spectaculaires tout au long du vol. Sensations décuplées avec un vol door-off! Le vol initial avait été reporté la veille, à cause du vent et nous remercions l'équipe de Mauna Loa pour leur professionnalisme.” — TripAdvisor · ★★★★★
Blue Hawaiian Helicopters
Runner-UpHelicopter Tours · Big Island · $379–$719 · 4.8/5 composite
Largest Hawaii helicopter operator since 1985. Only company on all 4 islands. Airbus EC130 T2 fleet. Custom booking system.
“Went today February 24th for the last flight around Maui and Molokai with the landing on the side of Haleakalā. Incredible experience, first time in a helicopter and we couldnt have been more stoked on it. Chris was a top notch pilot, smoot…” — TripAdvisor · ★★★★★
“We did the west Maui and Molokai trip. Excellent time...easily in the top 1-2 things we did on Maui! Tim was our pilot and he was awesome. Lots of great information and he also made everyone feel comfortable with the turns and ascent and…” — TripAdvisor · ★★★★★
Rainbow Helicopters
Also GreatHelicopter Tours · Big Island · $305–$1180 · 4.6/5 composite
Doors-off standard on every tour. Oahu + Kona. Up to 105-min Kilauea tour.
“Bucket list experience for sure. you get to see all of Oahu's mountains and beaches. Our pilot Connor talked to us about geography and a bit of history as well which was fun.” — TripAdvisor · ★★★★★
“We did the doorless helicopter ride. It was amazing. I would highly recommend it. The views were spectacular. The pilot also had a lot of great information about the island.” — TripAdvisor · ★★★★★
How We Ranked These
Rankings are based on composite scores aggregated from TripAdvisor and Google reviews, weighted equally (50/50). Operators within 0.1 points are considered tied and ranked by starting price. Operators without published review data are listed last. We update scores monthly from live API data.