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Dreams come true: Hawaii from the air. One of the most unforgettable experiences in my life was a helicopter flight over the Big Island of Hawaii…

Destination Hawaii

If you would have asked me 10 years ago to choose one place on a map I´d love to visit the most – that would be Hawaii without any doubt. I was in love with these exotic far-away islands since a long time ago. So no wonder, when we started to plan our honeymoon (ok, I started to plan it lol) – I couldn´t miss a chance to visit the place of my dreams. Therefore, we gave up the blue see-through waters and seaside houses of Maldives or Bora Bara to jump on a plane to the States, ready to have an adventure of a lifetime.

So that you understand – Hawaii has a 12h time difference with Spain and it´s the farthest I´ve ever traveled. As we also planned on getting married in Las Vegas, visiting the Hollywood hills of LA and strolling up&down the steep streets of San Francisco, we really had time to adjust to the time zones on our way to Kona Airport. Although our return ticket only had a day layover in LA, so once back home – the famous jet lag caught up with me. I really couldn’t get myself together for several weeks.

Nevertheless, the first opportunity I´ll have, I´m going back to Hawaii again. Even if I´d be jetlagged for the rest of my life. [lol] Along with Iceland, The Big Island of Hawaii is officially the most beautiful place I´ve ever been to. Even my husband admits it was one of these “once in a lifetime” experiences. Although, as I already told you in my post about the Canary Islands, he tried his best to criticize and compare it to the most impressive Spanish landscapes. But let´s face it, we might all have our favorite vacation spots around the globe, for instance, I have a longtime love story with Greece, but you just can´t deny the obvious. Hawaii is like nothing else you´ll ever experience.

Here´s the perfect Big Island Itinerary that’s going to make for a great trip.

Hawaii´s Unique Nature

First of all, Hawaii´s flora and fauna have evolved in their own unique way due to the isolated location. As a result, 90% of all species in Hawaii are endemic, this means they exist nowhere else on this planet. Every island can give you unique experiences of Hawaii´s unexampled nature. Kaui has the largest number of native bird spices. Maui is the best places to see the humpback whales migrate from Alaska (ever since I´ve done a whale watching tour in Iceland, I´m dreaming to do it again). And in Waipio´s valley of the Big Island, you can see wild horses. However, the Big Island of Hawaii is mostly famous for its iconic lava watching experiences, as it is the home of the world´s most active volcano – the mighty Kilauea.

The Big Island (also called Hawaii´s Island) is the largest and yet the less explored one of Hawaiian Islands. In my view, it is a perfect choice for adventurers and nature lovers, as Hawaii´s Island is most famous for its amazing wild nature. The 8 (of 13) climate zones can be found on the Big Island, so if you drive around a lot – you get to experience different climates in one day. At times, I really felt like we were traveling across the globe, while we actually never moved from this far-away island in the middle of the Pacific. The landscapes vary a lot indeed.

And yet road tripping couldn´t beat the views of Hawaii´s Island from the air for me. It is one-of-a-kind experience worth every penny you´re paying. When I go back in my mind to this epic Hawaiian trip, deep in my heart I start believing that all the dreams actually come true ( if somehow I ended up here).

I want this moment to last forever

Have you ever wanted a moment to last forever?! Something so special that you know you might never feel this way again! That´s how I felt when the helicopter took off towards the white blanket of foggy clouds.

A helicopter flight over Kilauea is, probably, the best way to get closer to real lava. Walking tours make you see magma rocks and you don´t always get the best views from the boat. I was so impressed by this unique experience: nothing could substitute seeing Hawaii from the air!

And while my husband said that seeing real lava in action was the most incredible experience of this trip – I´m definitely standing by Waipio Valley and its waterfalls. Ok, I admit – I kind of expected to see “the Lord of the Rings” sort of lava rivers [lol]. But you won´t get that close. And even flying over the almost dry lava surfaces – you could notice it’s getting harder to breathe. I think at some places where you could clearly see the lava taking down rain forests, road, and former villages I was getting goosebumps.

So, as grown-ups, we all understand that local authorities monitor the eruptions and no one would let us on board if there would be even a small risk. But you never know for sure, right?! Those “Lord of the Rings” lava rivers could still happen for me[lol]. Luckily they did not though. But this was the moment when I felt so little, so insignificant in front of the magnificent power of Mother Nature in Hawaii.

Waipio Valley

And when I felt like nothing could beat the lava fields, the helicopter set a course for Waipio Valley.  In an instant, we were flying near 600m high cliffs with tropical waterfalls that emptied directly into the Pacific.  For a moment I couldn’t believe it was actually happening. If only I could fly – I´d jumped out asap[lol]. You approach all these natural wonders so close, that if it was not for the helicopter windows, you could really just extend your hand and touch the cold crystal water.

Some locals explained to me later that it is hard to explore properly this coastline area of Waipio Valley in any other way: it is dangerous to get close on a boat due to strong ocean currents and sharks. Moreover, in order to hike you need to get special permission in advance (a month or so). And even if you manage all of the above, you still can never get the same view as the bird´s eye.

When, in the beginning, I said about the moment lasting forever – I did not mention the flight was 3 h. Where did the time go?! It was honestly, like 5 min. We even bought a DVD record of our actual flight. I was waiting for it to be sent for 2 weeks back home. Although at the end the video quality was quite average. I mean we can still watch it and remember the route, but it doesn´t reflect even 10 % of the vibrant landscape palette we saw on this flight. So it´s all narrowed down to my memories then. And photos – those unique return tickets to moments gone forever otherwise…

What about you?! Would you like to see Hawaii from the air?!

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This post also linked at Weekend Travel Inspiration and Feet Do Travel