A night flight over a scorching volcano that is cheerfully pumping superheated lava over the barren landscape is an eerie and spectacular sight. From an altitude, it's possible to grasp nature's inexorable creative urge. Thanks to Kilauea, the volcano, and the lava it produces, the Big Island is one of the only places on Earth that is growing faster than it is eroding.

Big Island Air is the only tour operator in Hawaii that conducts volcano night flights. From a seat in the company's jet prop CE-208 Cessna Caravan, surface lava takes on higher definition. And from the sky, you're likely to see the fireworks when liquefied rock, heated to 2100 degrees, steams out of a lava tube and hits the ocean.

For a safe ride, the aircraft is equipped with a sophisticated ground proximity warning system, global positioning and traffic collision avoidance systems including on board weather and terrain mapping radar.

Weather permitting, the tours are offered daily and depart from Kona International Airport.