Private Tour: Experience Active Kilauea Volcano & Hilo Rainbow Falls
5.0
10 Ratings
Hilo
Embark on an exclusive private tour of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and Hilo's tropical beauty. Witness the active Kilauea volcano and explore stunning attractions like Rainbow Falls and a local chocolate factory.
Duration:
5 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation:
1 day
learn more
Highlights
- Hawaii Volcanoes National Park - Explore Hawaii Volcanoes National Park including a visit to Kilauea caldera where you will witness the dramatic changes from recent or perhaps current volcanic eruptions within Halema’uma’u crater. Feel the heat of steaming bluffs and enjoy the cool mist of the Hawaiian rainforest. Enjoy short hikes and Hawaiian cultural interpretation throughout Hawaii Volcanoes National Park with your certified national park guide.
- Nahuku - Thurston Lava Tube - Enjoy a walk through the Hawaiian rainforest to Nahuku (Thurston Lava Tube). Explore the 500 year old underground tube where hot molten lava once rushed through.
- Chain of Craters Road - Explore volcanic formations amongst frozen fields of lava and peer down into once active volcanic craters. Learn the history, culture and geology of Kilauea volcano on this small group guided tour.
- Rainbow Falls - View the majestic 80 foot waterfall of Waianuenue or Rainbow Falls. Enjoy the tropical landscape as you learn the legends of Hawaii.
- Big Island Candies - Get your pep in your step with tasty hand-made chocolates, locally grown macadamia nuts and island fresh coffee!
- Liliuokalani Gardens - Enjoy the scenic drive through Liliuokalani Gardens with large banyan trees, fishponds, pagodas and picture perfect landscaping along Hilo bay.
What's Included
- Private transportation
- Hotel pick-up for select hotels
- Hilo Mo’oheau Bus Terminal meet-up for others
- Hilo Airport pickup and drop-off
- Bottled water included
- Professional guide
- Hilo Harbor Port pickup and drop-off
What's Not Included
- Lunch
- Gratuities
- We DO NOT provide transportation from Kona or Waikoloa. Please meet us in Hilo at the bus terminal.
Additional Information
Indulge in a unique private expedition to the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and Hilo’s lush landscape.
Embark on a journey to the peak of Hawaii Island’s youngest and most vibrant volcano, Kilauea. You might be fortunate to witness the awe-inspiring spectacle of volcanic eruption if timing favors! Witness the sulfurous Kilauea caldera, foggy rainforest of Nahuku (Thurston lava tube), and the Chain of Craters Road. Participate in brief treks along the trails as you gain knowledge about historical and recent volcanic outbursts, diverse lava structures, and the local history and Hawaiian traditions relevant to the region.
Being a private expedition, you have the freedom to decide whether to spend your entire time in the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park with additional trekking options or you can descend to the Hilo with stopovers at the splendid Rainbow Falls, Liliuokalani Gardens, and a regional chocolate factory.
- Operates in all weather conditions (be prepared for sun, wind and rain).
- Covered walking shoes are required and a jacket is highly recommended.
- We do not guarantee you will see molten lava on this tour.
- HOTEL pick-up is offered for select HILO HOTELS ONLY. If you are staying outside of Hilo, please plan to meet at the Hilo Mo’oheau Bus Terminal (please confirm at time of booking).
- CRUISE SHIP passengers, we pick-up directly at HILO HARBOR and will adjust the tour time as needed to accommodate your ships time in port.
- For a one DAY TRIP to the Big Island, please make your travel arrangements to and from the HILO AIRPORT. Schedule your flight arrival a minimum of 30 minutes prior to the tour start time AND provide your flight details at time of booking.
- Children ages 8 years and up may participate in tour. All participants must have a paid seat. We do not allow any “lap” children.
- Kilauea volcano is an active volcano, you may be exposed to volcanic gas on this tour.
- This tour cannot accommodate guests with wheelchairs, scooters or oxygen tanks.
Location
329 Kamehameha Ave
Kamehameha Avenue
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
5.0
(10 Ratings)
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489shannons
Mar 28, 2024
Amazing tour! - Amazing tour of Volcano National Park!! Jill was our guide and grew up on the island. She was a wealth of knowledge. Being a small group we were able to see a ton of the park as well as explore some areas in Hilo. Definitely recommend this tour company!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kevin_p
Sep 7, 2023
Highly recommended Volcano Tour - First, Jill was an incredible guide!!! She has genuine and meaningful stories about the area. She was super attentive and catered to our specific requirements. We thought we had scheduled a different, longer tour, but I am so glad we ended up with Jill!! I would (and may) book this tour again in the future. Highly recommended!!
Review provided by Viator
Nomad782809
Aug 6, 2023
Personalized and educational - They customized a tour to fit our flight schedule! Jill was not only kind and professional, but was a wealth of knowledge! We learned so much from her and she knew exactly where to take us to ensure we hit all the highlights! Without her guidance there is not way we would have known all these places existed!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lovedstjohns112022
Jul 8, 2023
Amazing tour of Volcanoes with true Hawaiian energy and vibe… - Our Volcanoes tour with Mauka Makai was the highlight of our two week Hawaiian adventure! We are in Big Island for the second half of our trip, and did a private tour for our family of four with Jill and Mauka Makai. What a wonderful experience to get a true Hawaiian perspective on this beautiful island and all it has to offer! The tour started promptly and Jill was so warm and such a great energy to be with. She shared so much of the history and culture of Hilo and Hawaii, with a very personal touch weaving in stories of her family, her upbringing on the island, and her insights into the local culture and traditions. She truly was wonderful - we especially enjoyed her storytelling of some of the Hawaiian legends of Pele, Maui, and other stories that had our young pre-teen kids mesmerized. Quite a feat! We also got lucky with the weather , having amazing weather to explore the caldera. Jill worked the sequence of the trip so that we felt like we had the park to ourselves - we were literally the only ones on our hike and at the viewing outlook of the caldera. It was truly special. If you are considering a tour of the volcanoes, and especially a private tour for a small group, look no further and just book this trip, you won’t regret it.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Brian_c
Apr 6, 2023
Take this tour. - Great day, excellent tour with a fun and knowledgeable host. Josh kept us entertained and on time but never rushed. He was prepared with umbrellas in the rain and took us places and told us history, facts and stories we would never have gotten in a larger or self guided tour. Worth the money. You'll have a great time.
Review provided by Viator
Daydream107861
Aug 3, 2022
Great tour! - Our family really enjoyed this tour. Jill was very friendly and knowledgeable. It was a great experience for all of us to visit the volcano viewing locations. Also enjoyed the stops at the waterfalls and chocolate factory. Highly recommend this tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Joshwenttoaplace
May 6, 2022
I'm not summarising my experience, Tripadvisor, just let me write a damn review. - It rained and was Josh's fault. 0/10.
For real though, we had a great time on this tour despite the rain trying to obscure everyone's view of Kīlauea. Plenty of local knowledge from an enthusiastic guide who knew the right places to go at the right times. Josh was also more than happy to provide flexibility in the tour, as well as pick up and drop off.
(Just for clarity's sake, Josh is one of the owners. I'm not talking about myself in the third person)
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Millers308
Apr 6, 2022
Great Time for Good Walkers - Josh is a fun and knowledgeable guide and the large Mercedes shuttle van was immaculate. Max 10 people which is great. But be aware that while the description says several short hikes, that is mainly true, but the main hike to see the lava at the top of Kilauea is two-miles round trip. And the description also says uneven terrain which is also very true. So if you're not steady on your feet or can't walk a mile in one go - this isn't a tour for you. The tour also ended at Big Island Candies (chocolate factory), which was fun for us but others might find that annoying. Anyway, we had a great time and recommend :)
Review provided by Tripadvisor
