Kilauea Summit to Shore from Kona: Small Group Kilauea Volcano
5.0
36 Ratings
Kailua-Kona
Embark on a small-group tour from Kona to explore the magnificent Kilauea Volcano and Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park. Discover diverse landscapes, stunning beauty, and the ever-growing shores of Kilauea.
Duration: 9 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • The Volcano Van Private Tours - Discover Hawaii’s most breathtaking natural sights on a small-group van tour that’s brimming with towering volcanoes, lush rainforests, and magnificent coastlines. Experience the islands’ many microclimates and environments during a tour that exposes you to a little bit of everything.

After convenient pickup from your hotel, travel to the lush rainforests found in great abundance on the island’s east side. Make your way to Hilo via Saddle Road, reaching an elevation of almost 6,800 feet (2,072 m). Along the way, pass through many of the microclimates that make the Big Island among the most exceptional places in the world.

As you approach Hilo, glance inside a once-scorching conduit of molten rock from the Mauna Loa Volcano as your guide enlightens you to the significance of lava tubes to Hawaii’s creation. After a quick trip into the nearby Kaumana Caves, check out Waianuenue, also known as Rainbow Falls. This stunning 80-foot (24-m) drop has beckoned generations of visitors to Hilo.

After lunch at Hilo Sharks Coffee, visit the village of Pahoa and drive along the famous Red Road, which follows the Puna Coast on the southeast flank of Kilauea volcano. This beautiful stretch of paradise showcases some of the island’s youngest and most scenic coastline. Lush rain forests give way to black cliffs, rocky coastlines, and crashing waves. Your journey along this road ends at Kalapana, a town that was mostly buried by lava in 1990.

Next up is Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, and the summit of Kilauea volcano. Gaze into Kilauea’s vast summit caldera, formed 500 years ago. The drive takes you past pit craters, scorched earth, steaming ground, and lava flows old and new. Enjoy plenty of opportunity to stop, look around, and learn about what’s going on both above and beneath the ground.

What's Included
  • Hotel/Airport pickup and drop-off
  • Picnic lunch
  • Bottled water
  • Snacks
  • Transport by private vehicle
What's Not Included
  • Dinner (Guests are taken to a restaurant of their choice to purchase dinner for themselves)
  • Gratuities
Additional Information

The splendid Kilauea Volcano is a prominent feature on Hawaii’s Big Island, this small-group or exclusive private journey is centered mainly around Kilauea and Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park. Kilauea’s varying terrains, breathtaking allure, and seemingly infinite sightseeing possibilities have led us to devote a full day to exploring this volcano, from its impressive peak to its continually expanding coastline.

  • Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately. Conditions subject to change.
  • Please bring along close-toed shoes.
  • A maximum of 6 people per booking.
  • A minimum of 2 people per shared and 1 per exclusive is required.
Location
The Volcano Van Private Tours
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(36 Ratings)
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Linda_a
Feb 15, 2024
Volcano adventure - Our driver Scott was the BEST! Very informative and knowledgeable -- we had a great time. The Kilauea crater was incredible, certainly makes you feel infinitesimally small. Hitting 10 different climate zones over the course of the day was amazing! Beautiful scenery around every corner! So worth it!
Review provided by Viator
Michael
Dec 26, 2023
Excellent and highly recommend! - Scott was an excellent tour guide! What a kid of fun too. He really knows about volcanos and volcanic activity. Going up to the inner rim was just wonderful. Even though the weather was not ideal Scott kept us informed and got us to spots we never would have seen. I really appreciated that he tried twice to get us to see the lava tubes- unfortunately each time there was no parking available and tourists pretended to not speak sufficient english to recognize they were parking in a spot reserved for tours. Scott tried and was very respectful. We highly highly recommend this tour. Scott also took us to a wonderful coffee farm and we got an up close and personal tour by the GM. Fabulous!
Review provided by Viator
G2312tirebeccas
Nov 14, 2023
Best nature sight seeing tour - We had so much fun with Scott!! Because we came in the off-season, we got lucky enough to have our own private tour that was catered to exactly what we wanted to see. We even stopped at a few local spot here and there. Scott is the perfect combination of an informative, cheesy, genuine guide. It was great spending a few hours with a fellow volcano nerd, and to see all the beautiful nature sites we otherwise wouldn’t have been able to see. Highly recommend!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Pbarker1701
Aug 29, 2023
Custard … good, jam … good, Scott’s Volcano Van … GOOOOD! - The tour was fantastic, informative and fun. All of those things were made possible by Scott, our tour guide, driver and all around cool dude! If you go with any other tour, you are cheating yourself.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Roynb9446ft
Jun 27, 2023
Best volcano tour ever!!! - This whole trip was amazing. My wife and I enjoyed that it was a small group and Scott was the best host/tour guide you could ever ask for. His knowledge of the island and volcanoes was outstanding. He is a very kind person who engages everyone in the group. I cannot recommend this trip any more than this - do it!! You will thoroughly enjoy every minute of it.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Georgina_t
May 24, 2023
Excellent adventure! - We had a wonderful trip with Scott! He was incredibly knowledgeable about the island and volcanos, and super friendly. He took us to great places and knew how to avoid the cruise ship crowds. We had a wonderful trip and would highly recommend him to others.
Review provided by Viator
Juliemc5176bl
Apr 29, 2023
An awesome all day excursion on The Big Island. - Fun, informative, entertaining, beautiful scenery! Scott was the best guide one could ask for. Thank you for the memories!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Relax576993
Apr 28, 2023
Best Tour EVER - Scott is AMAZING! He made certain we saw everything we wanted to see AND had a blast doing it!!!! He is knowledgeable, funny, kind and generous. I highly recommend this tour. You will love it. You will love Scott!!!!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ryanm7115
Mar 29, 2023
Best Way To Get To Know The Big Island - Scott is amazing. Friendly, knowledgeable, and funny. He connected with everyone in our group and by the end of the day we had running jokes and a great rapport throughout. The volcano is amazing. The malasadas at the Punalu'u bakery are not to be missed. We loved the black sand beach and were happy the sea turtles waved at us. The waterfall and lava tube were also great. Overall this is the best way to get introduced to the big island. Cannot overstate just how great Scott's contagious enthusiasm and genuine passion really made this experience fun.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Stefani
Mar 28, 2023
Great tour and operator - This tour was fantastic! Scott is super knowledgeable and personable. The van was comfortable and he personalized the tour for what we wanted to see. He even managed to engage our teens in conversation! Pick up directly from our hotel. Our expectations were well exceeded.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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up to 6 guests
1 Adult
May 2024
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