VOLCANO ADVENTURE TOUR FROM KONA AND HILO

Highlights

Description

Discover 10 Hawaii island highlights in one day on this comprehensive tour. Instead of juggling cars and cabs, you can relax and enjoy the sights with a guide to handle planning and navigation. Visit various attractions such as Rainbow Falls, a black sand beach, and explore Volcanoes National Park to see and learn about its volcanoes, craters, and lava flows.

In Hilo, we will drive through Banyan Park on our way to see the famous Rainbow Falls. A stop at Liliuokalani Gardens is perfect for a photo op and a look across the bay! On to Richardson State Beach to walk along this fascinating black sand beach and maybe see a turtle or two.

Volcanoes National Park is the highlight of our day, the site of the most recent volcano eruption, Kilauea will be featured in many of the stops we take. Experience the heat rising from the ground where molten lava had covered the whole area and steam vents where gases are being released all the time. We will visit numerous overlooks, take small hikes, walk through the Thurston Lava Tube, and hopefully see lava flowing during periods of eruption, (not guaranteed.)

Your guide will spend as much time as possible in the park exploring lava flows, craters, and the beautiful native forest. Once we leave the park, we will make a couple of stops so you can purchase some gifts, souvenirs, or maybe a little snack or two. The tour will head back to Hilo and return our Hilo guests to their hotel before heading for a dinner stop for our Kona-based guests.

Kona Guests

Our Kona-based guests have 2 options to explore the national park, which involves circling the island at various times and 4-5 hour increase in tour length. We have options to combine your Hawaii Volcanoes Tour visit with additional sights and even stargazing.

• 10-Hour Circle Island Stargazing Tour - There are the same additional stops as the Big Island Sightseeing Tour with the difference being this tour starts starts about 3 hours later so you can enjoy a little stargazing.
• 12-Hour Grand Circle Big Island Tour - This makes a complete circle around the island and makes additional stops at Akaka Fall State Park, Punaluu Black Sand Beach, a scenic rainforest road, and Waipio Valley Overlook.

Our guides will time the trips so you can enjoy a beautiful sunset or a great stargazing experience from high above Kona to end your day exploring the volcanic nature of the Big Island.

Itinerary

• Stargazing guests will have a stop for dinner and stargazing instead of Mauna Loa Macnuts and the sunset viewing stop. Pickup will be 3 hours later as well as return.
• Grand Circle Island guests will have additional stops at Waipio Valley and Akaka Falls State Park, arriving 1 hour later back to their hotels.
• The guide may alter and change the itinerary route based on the group's desires, timing, road construction, or weather conditions. We will alter this tour as well when major lava flows occur.

Food & Drink

To help our communities with tourism, we encourage our guests to purchase food, drinks, and other items directly from the local family farms, bakeries, and restaurants we visit. They are places you would want to come back and visit again on your own!

For our guests, during stargazing, we have hot water to make some tea, instant coffee, or hot chocolate to help keep you warm.

Depending on the group, we may make stops at Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Plantation, a honey farm, Hilo's Farmer's Market, food truck lots, or other locations to get additional food, treats, and drinks. Your guide will choose the best spots for that day.

Kuhio Grille - $10-$30 / per person

The family history starts in the 1900s when Japanese immigrants moved to Hawaii to work in the sugar plantations. They soon began farming and selling taro as well as the leaves. Grandma would make laulau to feed the family and friends, fresh meat wrapped and cooked in taro leaves. It became so popular they opened a restaurant to feed everyone, that was over 25 years ago.

• Laulau & Combo Plates
• Fried Rice, Saimin & Locos
• Seafood & Steak Entrees
• Tempura, Udon, & Katsu
• Burgers & More
• All-Day Breakfast

Included

• Admission to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
• Pickup at your hotel or accommodation
• Numerous stops at points of interest
• Meal stops for food purchased on your own
• Local expert guide providing a narrated tour
• Cooler with non-alcoholic canned drinks & cold water refills (Please bring your refillable bottles as we do not provide water in plastic bottles.)
• Towels for drying off
• Umbrellas for staying dry
• Sanitary, motion, and first-aid supplies for your safety
• Comfortable seat in a small group tour vehicle

Cancellation

We do not refund tour prices due to weather-related reasons. We will promise an incredible volcano or stargazing experience but unfortunately cannot control the weather. Guests will be charged 100% of the tour price for cancellations made within 72 hours of the scheduled tour.

A combined minimum of 4 guests is required for a tour to operate. Should a tour not meet the tour minimum, customers will have the option to reschedule or receive a full refund. Advance notice will be provided at least 12 hours before the start time.