Brea and I have done helicopter tours before but never one with the doors off so this was definitely something we wanted to do in Hawaii. We booked our reservation with Paradise Helicopters and our experience was amazing! We also managed to get some epic photos too.
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Hours
If you go on their website, you only have the option to select either a morning or afternoon tour. I would suggest that you call them and set up the time you want to come (when you call they will also ask you how many people are in your group and the weight of each person). The person I spoke with over the phone (Jill) was very helpful. We had to fly in from Oahu so I wanted to make sure we had enough time to check-in. We ended up picking the 10:30AM tour time and landed in Hilo around 8:30AM on October 27, 2018.
Directions
Paradise Helicopters is located at Terminal 2 in the Hilo International Airport. So if you’re flying in and just want to do the helicopter tour, you don’t even have to leave the airport!
Price
The doors-off tour costs $324 per person (after fees and taxes). The helicopter can fit up to 4 people, so if you want to be guaranteed a window seat, you will need to purchase an upgrade. Since we had 3 people and we wanted at least 2 of us to have a window seat, we bought 2 upgrades for $25 each. On the day of the tour, we were the only 3 in our helicopter so we all got a window seat!
If your group does not take up all the seats, we would suggest that you get a seat upgrade, especially if you want to sit up at the front with the pilot.
Restrooms
After you check-in at the front desk, you’ll have some time to use the restroom and you can also wait in their lobby (there is water, air conditioning, and souvenirs there).
Doors-off Helicopter Tour
Paradise Helicopters offer several different types of tours. The one we picked was the doors-off tour departing from Hilo.
TIPS:
You will need to wear closed-toe shoes and long pants. Flip flops and sandals are not allowed. If you have long hair, they require you to tie it back (if you forgot hair ties, they do have some you can use/keep). You are not allowed to wear hats but you are allowed to wear your sunglasses. You also can’t bring any bags or purses on the tour. Any phone or camera that you want to bring on the helicopter will require a strap. They have some GoPro straps that you can rent for $5. I also borrowed a strap for the iPhone for free. It’s similar to that of an underwater clear case for the iPhone, but it’s pretty used looking.
The Helicopter Ride
The tour will be about 45 minutes. Before you get on, there is a short orientation session where they talk about safety and also how you will board the helicopter. You will have to wear big headphones and walk in the exact path that they say. Make sure you pay attention to what number you are – that is the order you will be going in to the helicopter.
The pilot was very knowledgable and friendly. He narrated each place that we visited. You can also speak with him too if you press a button on your headphones. On the tour, you will see some waterfalls, rainforests and even Kilauea volcano. If you come at the right time, you might even see some active lava. Sadly, we didn’t get to see lava though.
I sat in the back so it was a little bit more cold and much more windy.
Brea had a jacket that kept flapping all over. We were able to get some really cool pictures but be careful because you’re not allowed to stick anything or any body parts outside of the helicopter. It takes some strength to stick anything outside the helicopter due to the wind.
After the tour, we had some time to kill since our flight was not for another 1.5 hours. There is a small cafe where you can buy drinks and food.
Overall, the doors-off helicopter tour was a great experience. It was something new and unique that we never tried before and we also learned some cool information too. The only thing we wished that could be different was that we saw some lava from the volcano. Maybe next time!
Click here for other things to do during your trip to Hawaii.
