Why Now is the Time to Visit Hawaii Island's Dynamic, Living Volcanoes | TRAVEL

TRAVEL | Experience the Power of Nature Now, While Hawaii Island's Volcanoes Are Most Active

A Once-in-a-Centuries Opportunity!

Kīlauea Volcano's Molten Lava
A Helicopter Tour from Above

Attention is focused on Kīlauea Volcano, which erupted in May 2018. While parts of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park remain closed due to the eruption, Mauna Loa Road and the Mauna Loa Trail reopened on October 8, 2018. Helicopter tours offering aerial views of the active volcanic activity are now popular.

Text by OZAKI Sayaka

Helicopter Tours Offer a Chance to Witness Hawaii Island's Astonishing Nature

Affectionately known as the "Big Island" by locals, Hawaii Island is indeed the largest in the Hawaiian archipelago. It's a special island where you can experience a "natural Hawaii" unlike any other, with the still-flowing magma of Kīlauea Volcano, Mauna Kea, home to observatories from around the world, and the stunning vistas of Waipiʻo Valley.

While Kīlauea Volcano's eruption has subsided, the current period of intense volcanic activity and visible magma flows is a rare event, said to occur only once every few centuries. Helicopter tours that allow you to witness this activity up close are now drawing the attention of tourists.

Helicopter tours are usually a popular tourist activity, but with the volcano so active, participants are flocking to experience it. Various tours are available, including routes that get close to the crater or offer views of Waipiʻo Valley accessible only by helicopter. Be sure to include a helicopter tour in your itinerary to experience the heat and unique scent of the lava, and to feel the power of nature and the energy of Hawaii Island.

The area where lava is flowing covers less than 25 square kilometers, approximately 0.2% of Hawaii Island. This eruption zone is over 100 kilometers from the Kohala and Kona districts on the island's west coast, the main tourist hubs, and is unaffected by the eruption. Therefore, all airports and flights are operating normally, and all accommodations and tours are available as usual, except in the evacuation zones (summit, East Rift Zone, southern Puna).

For accommodations, consider the "The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort" within the Mauna Kea Resort in the Kohala district, known for its beautiful beaches, or the "Mauna Kea Beach Hotel," a luxury hotel overlooking Kaunaʻoa Bay. Both hotels have Japanese-speaking staff on hand and offer activities like golf and swimming, as well as shopping.

Mauna Kea Beach Hotel