One-Day Hawaii Volcano Evening Eco Tour from Kauai
Round Trip Airfare from Kauai Included

  I was staying on Kauai for two weeks but having never visited the Big Island I decided to take this tour. The trip to and from Kauai was long left at 515 to get to airport by 6 am, arrived at Hilo 915, and about four hours returning home past 11 pm. Happily, every flight was on time, which isnt always the case. Once arrived, had to wait another hour as picking up people from Maui flight, and then went to a hotel in Hilo to pick up third party. The good news that was our entire group 10 of us total, which was great, and we all got to know each other. Also, our guide, Kalani, was really excellent and went out of his way to make everyone comfortable. SInce it was a cloudy/rainy day, the morning in Hilo was nice but not extraordinary. Cant help the weather. During lunch I had a problem in that I had requested a glutenfree meal which Discover Hawaii said was no problem but the restaurant didnt actually have anything other than green salad that was gluten free. Discover Hawaii tours made up for this afterwards, both with an apology and a small refund. I might add that the restaurant was actually very nice and also went out of their way to figure out some way I could at least eat something, and everyone else liked the food. Then on to Volcanos Park. This was an excellent tour We had lots of opportunities to get off the bus. We saw films at the visitor center, drove from the visitors center down towards the beach with lots of stop offs, including an opportunity to walk through a Lava tube, incredible views of a many different types of lava, seeing a lake that had become covered with lava, seeing where lava had poured over a preexisting road in the park, and all different kinds of ore in the lava. We also passed steam vents, and ended up at the Jaggar Museum where there was a crater that you could see the red glow of lava in the steam. No flowing lava, but didnt expect that. I learned a lot and it was unlike anything Ive seen elsewhere. At dinner glutenfree was a problem again I should have brought my own food, Kalani serenaded us with Hawaiian songs on his guitar. Very sweet. I really had a great time, even though I was pretty exhausted at the end of day. Probably better to do this tour coming from Oahu or Big Island, but Im glad I went, because I couldnt have gotten as much out of this on my own in one day.

  Our tour guide was the absolute best thing about this tour. He gave us so much information and he was incredibly humorous. I think that this tour was the best and I highly recommend it.

  This tour was amazing! I rarely go on tours because I feel I can see and do more on my own, but it would have been impossible to go all the places I went and learn as much as I did in one day otherwise. Our tour guide was of Hawaiian descent and told us about the Hawaiian oral tradition that had been passed down through generations mixed with historical accounts, and was truly a pleasure to listen to. I did the tour by myself and was a bit concerned about feeling out of place or being bored, but the group and guide were very friendly and the day was filled with exciting sites. Our guide made sure that we were very comfortable by taking us to places where we could get water and food as well as by telling us what to expect, and the van was extremely comfortable and roomy. This was my first time to the Big Island and the sights were amazing! The Rainbow Falls waterfall was flowing nicely, and while were at that stop our guide told us the accompanying Hawaiian story of the goddess Hina and her sons. He also told us about the surrounding plants, foliage, and their uses, which I was very interested to learn about. Lunch was at a country club high in the mountain, and the
service was courteous and attentive (I have a diary allergy and there were very accommodating). We had the good fortune to see the state bird, the Nene goose, taking a stroll just outside the restaurant!

Throughout the day our guide pointed out plumes of think smoke from active calderas or lava flows hitting the water. At the Jagger Volcano Museum we were able to look into such a caldera, and I spoke with the very knowledgeable museum staff about earthquake detection and the geological events that cause one to occur. We next traveled to the Thurston Lava Tube where we walked through lush rainforest and a real lava tube! I have never been inside a cave or anything like it and thought I would not like it, but
I loved the feeling of being underground. It was amazing to walk through this otherworldly tunnel where lava once flowed. Afterward we headed to the black sand beach where we walked over the old beach, which had been covered by lava in the 90's, a quarter of a mile to the new beach. Along the way I discovered I really like volcanic rock and took many pictures, and the beach itself was delightful (I have only been on conventional beaches, mainly in New Jersey, so the smooth black sand was a novelty). Back at the van we were greeted by a big beautiful rainbow which lasted until nightfall and had a chance to visit the guide's uncle's stand where he sold 'awa (kava), a deeply calming beverage. As we drove to and from the beach we could see
where people were had built their houses right on top of the dried lava! Our final stop was a viewpoint of the lava flow from which we had been seeing giant smoke plumes all day. We walked out over volcanic rock to the closest point possible from the non-state park side, which was great because the smoke was blowing away from us and we had an unobstructed view. There was one giant red ball of lava that shot up while we were watching, and on the walk back just after the sun had set we could see the lava flowing down the mountainside in the distance and glowing red-orange. We headed back to the airport and got there with time to spare, and had a comfortable flight back to Oahu. I am very happy with the tour and highly recommend it to anyone that wants to see many beautiful sights on the Big Island all in one day with comfortable accommodations in between and a knowledgeable tour guide, and experience all (safe) aspects of a volcano. Have fun if you go!!

A few tips:
* If you are flying from Kauai, sit on the right side of the plane for a
great view of the other islands on the way to the Big Island.
* Bring a light raincoat or buy a poncho at one of the stops (Jagger Museum
store, etc) - there are delightful sprinkles of rain throughout the day.
* The smoked mountain chicken at the country club restaurant is delicious.
* Wear sneakers or other supportive footwear, volcanic rock is natural and
uneven!
* Dress in layers - it is hotter by the waterfall and cooler as the
elevation increases.
* Bring a camera!