I wanted to pack a lot into a 7-day Hawaii trip, and at first, I scheduled a whole day to go to the airport, take a flight to the Big Island, stay overnight at the Big Island, and spend time in the airport again the next day, etc. But it seemed like a lot of time in travel and not a whole lot of time actually seeing the volcanoes, which was the whole reason for going to the Big Island. THEN I found out that it was a 5-mile hike to even see the lava flows, and that’s what kicked me over the edge to look for an alternative.

Enter Volcano Air Tours. For $375 (look online to join Hawaii travel card clubs and save 10%) you can fly over the Big Island and see lots more than you could ever cover from the road. Plus, there are no helicopter tours from Maui to see the volcanos, they can’t go that far.

Admittedly, the planes are 8-seater propeller planes, so if you have a small plane phobia, it might not be a good idea. BUT they have an excellent safety record, and every seat is a window seat (wear dark clothes so you don’t reflect for better photos). The pilot is very good at narration and making sure everyone can see by tipping the wings and circling the important views.

The plane takes off from the West Maui airport, which is about 3 stoplights north of Kaanapali and the West Maui hotels. During the two hour flight, we saw the coast of Maui, Hana, the rainforests on the Big Island, waterfalls upon waterfalls, Hilo, volcano craters, and most interestingly, the lava flows when they hit the ocean.

Here’s the tricky part. The town of Hilo (at the base of the volcano) is one of the rainiest cities, so what you can see is pretty dependent on the weather. We had the best day when we took our trip, and could really see a lot. Here’s another kicker. You’ll need air-sick medicine. To see the lava flows, and make sure that both sides of the plane get a good look, the pilot takes a lot of sharp turns in the air.

However, knowing what I know now, and if I wanted to see the volcanos, I’d take this trip again in a heartbeat. I’d just take more Dramamine and extra airsick bags with some saltines.