Circle of Fire Plus Waterfalls Helicopter Tour

This tour will take you above the southeast region of the Big Island, where the Kilauea Volcano is constantly changing the landscape and adding new ground to Hawaii. Kilauea is one of five volcanoes that make up the Big Island and is the most active volcano in the world. It has been pouring out lava continuously since 1983 from two vents, making this latest eruption the largest known from the Kilauea. In more than twenty-five years, new lava has covered more than seventy-two miles of Puna and created more than 490 acres of new land. Steam rises from the cracks of the mountain as the lava makes its descent. The lava flows into the Pacific Ocean, where the cold water causes it to explode. When the lava flies apart, it becomes beautiful black sand covering the beaches of Puna, which you will also see from the air. As magnificent as Kilauea is from the air, it also has a dark history for some of the people who have lived in Puna. In 1990, lava completely destroyed the towns of Kalapana and Kaimu and covered the famous beach at Kaimu Bay. Lava also flowed over a large portion of State Route 130, which now simply dead-ends at the lava flow. Yet the rich lava from the Kilauea has created some spectacularly beautiful sites as well. Its craters are home to two large fresh-water lakes. Parts of its flanks are covered in the rich vegetation of rainforests. The area of Puna is also home to several waterfalls, including the famous Rainbow Falls and the island’s tallest waterfall, the Akaka Waterfall.