Grand Circle Island Tour - Volcano, Black Sand Beach, Waipio Valley & Waterfalls reviews, Big Island tours & activities, fun things to do in Big Island | HawaiiActivities.com

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Grand Circle Island Tour - Volcano, Black Sand Beach, Waipio Valley & Waterfalls

Overall Rating

4.89 4.89 / 5

Reviews

38 reviews
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Excellent!

Reviewed by: Kara, 2024/01/28

I felt like I got to see all the best spots of Big Island on this 1 day tour!

Rating:
Attended as:Friends
Activity Date:2023/10/24
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Second tour and still amazing

Reviewed by: Leah , 2023/12/24

Took this tour 6 years ago and had the most amazing experience. So I had to do it again. This tour offers the best of Big Island because you get to see Akaka Falls and Rainbow Falls. We saw lots of turtles at black sand beach and an actual rainbow at Rainbow Falls! Our guide Brent was very informative and helpful.

Rating:
Attended as:Solo Travelers
Activity Date:2023/12/23
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Best way to experience BI

Reviewed by: Kara, 2023/09/18

You hit it all and you do not need to drive and miss views along the way!

Rating:
Attended as:Families
Activity Date:2023/08/02
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Hit all the events!

Reviewed by: Kara, 2023/08/13

So much goodies in 1 day- we loved the Kona coffe and cannot stop thinking about it!

Rating:
Attended as:Couples
Activity Date:2023/06/19
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Loved this day

Reviewed by: Kara, 2023/07/31

Amazing experience! Lots of the island wrapped up in a day you can't go wrong.

Rating:
Attended as:Families
Activity Date:2023/06/09
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The best tour you will ever take on the Big Island

Reviewed by: Dan&Renee, 2023/02/24

This tour was worth every penny. The sites and culture we experienced were beyond our expectations. The tour guide was so friendly and her knowledge of each and every site visited and of the Hawaiian culture and history was beyond outstanding. This tour has to be the highlight of our visit to the Big Island. If you want an exciting, exhilarating, beautiful, and culturally immersive experience this tour will meet your every expectation.

Rating:
Attended as:Couples
Activity Date:2023/02/22
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Circle tour

Reviewed by: Christine , 2022/01/16

We really liked the tour, got to see the everything in whole Island that we wanted to see! Robert was our guide and gave us the history of the islands, so knowledgeable and mixed in fun stories! Don’t think we would of seen all of it on our own

Rating:
Attended as:Families
Activity Date:2022/01/14
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Volcano circle tour

Reviewed by: David Embrey , 2021/03/12

Awana was awesome. He did a great job from the start by getting out group of 20 together in one van. His knowledge of the island’s as well as the big island was extensive. Never a dull moment he kept us laughing and taught us a great deal. All stops were as promised. Would do the tour again

Rating:
Attended as:Families
Activity Date:2021/03/10
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Island tour

Reviewed by: Steve and Michelle, 2020/03/17

We had a wonderful experience. Our tour guide Daniel was excellent. Informative and witty. We highly recommend this complete island tour. The steam vents at Volcanos National Park highlighted the day!!.

Rating:
Attended as:Couples
Activity Date:2020/03/14
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Great tour!

Reviewed by: Flow, 2020/01/23

We had a great time on this tour. We were able to see many different places on the island and our tour guide Awana had great knowledge of the island. The tour is a lot of driving but the van is decently comfortable and they have frequent stops to get out and stretch.

Rating:
Attended as:Couples
Activity Date:2020/01/20
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Tour Guide Rigid

Reviewed by: big island tour, 2019/12/02

The tour was nice and Big Island is beautiful, but our tour guide gave an extensive history of Big Island which felt removed and disconnected from what we were seeing. The guide was asked multiple times from other people on the tour about things they had noticed during the tour but the guide was stuck on the historical narrative and refused to talk about "politics", yet the questions being asked were quite simple and relevant to what we were seeing. He was very knowledgeable but it made for a very tiring and boring ride. It would be great if he could break up the historical narrative with some more present-day information about Big Island.

Rating:
Attended as:Families
Activity Date:2019/10/09
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Complete Circle Island Tour - Volcano National Park, Waipio Valley, and Waterfalls / Grand Circle Island& Volcanos National Park

Reviewed by: Charles Wilson, 2019/07/27

Verry good tour. Our guide was a geologist and provided a lot of information on the formation of the island chain and the volcanic activity and its aftermath.

Rating:
Attended as:Solo Travelers
Activity Date:2019/07/24
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The perfect way to see the entire island!

Reviewed by: sandyc, 2019/07/24

Our tour guide knew so much about the island - history, weather, plants, animals, local favorite spots for food and fun, beaches, etc. I wish we had reserved the tour earlier in our stay so that we could take advantage of the tips he gave! We had plenty of time at each stop to really experience each of them - Kona coffee, lava tubes, black sand beaches, turtles, volcanoes, waterfalls and more! We had beautiful weather everywhere except Akaka Falls and the driver was equipped with rain jackets for everyone. I highly recommend this tour!

Rating:
Attended as:Families
Activity Date:2019/07/18
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Circle Island Tour

Reviewed by: Ron, 2019/06/30

My wife and I did not have a car for the week but wanted to see the Island for what it had to offer. This tour came to our Hotel and picked us up as well as brought us back and gave a view of the Island most people would not be able to see. Our driver Nathan was excellent and gave us a relaxed and informed trip and even gave us some extra insights that a book would not give. The views were amazing and gave you an option if you wanted to come back and stay for more indepth viewing. I would recommend going with a tour to really get the flavor of the Island.

Rating:
Attended as:Couples
Activity Date:2019/06/20
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Great way to see the island!

Reviewed by: Katerina, 2019/02/19

This tour provided a great overview of the island. The stops were timed well for bathroom/stretch purposes. We made a couple unscheduled fun stops/detours which was great. Nate had a lot of info to share amd was very knowledgable. Food was very yummy and Nate even found an orchid shopnfor us to eat at while it was pouring outside. Overall great experience.

Rating:
Attended as:Solo Travelers
Activity Date:2019/02/16
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Awesome tour and special thanks to Awana for being an awesome Guide during entire journey and make it a memorable one

Reviewed by: Jitendra Shrivastav, 2018/12/01

Awesome tour and special thanks to Awana for being an awesome Guide during entire journey and make it a memorable one

Rating:
Attended as:Families
Activity Date:2018/11/27
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Best Tour of the Island

Reviewed by: Phil P , 2018/11/24

Great way to spend a day and learn about the Big Island. If you are lucky enough to have Keith Mowibski as your guide the tour gets better by 10X. He is knowledgeable about the history of the island like no ones business. Can’t say enough good things about this tour.

Rating:
Attended as:Families
Activity Date:2018/11/21
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Amazing tour!

Reviewed by: Nivy, 2018/10/31

The tour was amazing, scenic and very informative. Our tour guide, Ryan was very friendly and considerate and we enjoyed the tour a lot. Would definitely recommend to a friend.

Rating:
Attended as:Couples
Activity Date:2018/10/28
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Complete boss island tour

Reviewed by: David, 2018/10/25

Drew was exceptional at telling story and being flexible with peoples preference. The lunch provided was good and the scenery was beautiful with highlights everywhere including Turtles, waterfalls, rainbows and Waipo Valley.

Rating:
Attended as:Couples
Activity Date:2018/10/22
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Big Island Circle tour

Reviewed by: Kay , 2018/09/20

Awana, our guide was absolutely wondetful. He was so courteous, professional and accommodating. We thoroughly enjoyed the tour. I think we best part besides the scenery, was the Hawaii Botanical Garden. It wasn’t user friendly, due to some health conditions, but I thoroughly enjoyed it, and could have spent a lot more time there. Awana got us back to the airport to catch our flight in record time, after a long day.

  • Wondetful tour with beautiful sites along the way.

  • Beautiful spot on tour.

  • Black sand beach. Great tour! We highly recommend.

Rating:
Attended as:Couples
Activity Date:2018/09/17
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The Grand Circle Island Tour

Reviewed by: Pat and family, 2018/08/06

A wonderful way to experience the diversity of the island. There were frequent stops with ample time to enjoy the site and/or walk the trails. Many foods to sample along the way and delicious lunch! Awana was an informed and entertaining guide who was flexible throughout the day to make sure we could get the best experience.

Rating:
Attended as:Families
Activity Date:2018/08/03
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Good day trip option

Reviewed by: Deonna C., 2018/07/12

We only had one day on the big island and wanted to see as much as possible. This tour takes you all the way around with multiple, although brief stops and several locations. Could omit the coffee tasting and spend more time on the black beach or at the falls.

Our guide, Keith, was full of history, folk lore and traditional information which was a big bonus.
If you want history and a good whirlwind tour of the island, this tour is for you.
Of note, lunch was provided and this service has its own chef who prepares the meals. Very healthy sampling of the typical fare at area restaurants, however, when it’s served in lieu of a cold sandwich and a picturesque park, it suddenly becomes one of the best meals of the vacation.

  • Black sand beaches

  • Flowers everywhere!

  • Yummy lunch

  • Black sand valley

  • Falls

  • Paradise

  • Amazing viewing area

Rating:
Attended as:Families
Activity Date:2018/07/09
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Great

Reviewed by: Deborah, 2018/05/16

This was perfect to see the whole island. We were very fortunate to see lava. However,
We feel by 8 hrs we were ready to get off the bus and feel that the first hour or so could have been cut out

Rating:
Attended as:Couples
Activity Date:2018/05/02
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AMAZING Tour!!

Reviewed by: Alexis Albert, 2018/02/20

Our tour was AMAZING!! Our tour driver was Nathan or Nate. He was awsome!!
They pick you up at your hotel, which is super convenient! The tour group can fit up to 12 people. So it is nice and small. Our group was super fun and Nate was very informative and talked to us about everything and anything he could! The van is nice and clean and not to mention Eco friendly! It rained alittle, and they had raincoats for everyone just in case.They provide bento lunch for everyone. We actually had 2 vegans in our group and Nate was very caring and took them to a nearby grocery store, so they could pick up a few things to eat since they could not eat much from the bento. Nate not only took us to the places mentioned, but he also drove by a few other places he thought our group would like! He was AMAZING!! This tour was so much fun, the sights were beautiful and very informative!

Rating:
Attended as:Families
Activity Date:2018/02/08
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Experience of a lifetime

Reviewed by: Leah , 2017/12/24

This tour was life changing for me! Such an awesome experience to really see the island and have someone guide you through it so you really understand what you're seeing and the history behind it.

Tour guide was Chris who was excellent. He has a real gift for this, and you can tell he is truly passionate and loves what he does. Makes the tour feel more real and less like show and tell or reading from a script. 10/10 highly recommended tour.

Tour provides you with all the comforts you need for the day so you're never hungry, cold, or unsure of where a clean bathroom is. Even had plugs for you to charge your phone although I had a portable charger with me that day which I recommend for any trip.

  • Rainbow falls

  • Volcano park crater

  • Black sand beach (yes there were turtles!)

  • Waipi'o valley lookout

  • Rainbow falls lookout

  • Akaka falls park

Rating:
Attended as:Solo Travelers
Activity Date:2017/12/21
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Recommend this tour.

Reviewed by: LJKouri, 2017/11/15

This tour is very informative. You get to see black sand, volcanoes, waterfalls, and more. Our driver/guide was excellent.
There was more walking than indicated on the website, including climbing lots of stairs. Therefore I was not able to see some of the sites. But if you don't have any mobility issues, I recommend this tour.

Rating:
Attended as:Couples
Activity Date:2017/11/06
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Island tour

Reviewed by: Kenneth Kacenga, 2017/07/28

Excellent. Chris was exceptional. Had passion for his job and loves Hawaii

Rating:
Attended as:Couples
Activity Date:2017/07/25
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Very interesting

Reviewed by: Shari, 2017/07/28

Had a great time Kevin the tour guild was great ,
We even had great weather
If you only can do one tour this would be the one and must have kevin

Rating:
Attended as:Solo Travelers
Activity Date:2017/07/25
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Big Island Circle Tour

Reviewed by: Linda, 2017/07/27

Our driver and tour host presented us with a very interesting and colorful history of the Big Island. He had a great sense of humor too! He paced the trip on the attendees, when there was an obvious interest in an area. This tour is a good for those wanting to get a broad acquaintance with the Big Island and it's various areas and interests. It was our springboard for other activities!

  • Akaka Falls

Rating:
Attended as:Families
Activity Date:2017/07/24
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A "Grand" Tour

Reviewed by: Staci S., 2017/06/27

This was a great tour for our first full day on the island. Kala , our guide, was a world of information about all things Hawaiian! He was so excited to show us turtles on the black sand beach, lava at the volcano,and beautiful Waipio Valley. He gave us great ideas on where the best burgers and the most delicious malasadas on the island where...and yes we went back to try them ! It was a long day, but as others had commented before me, it flew by!


Rating:
Attended as:Couples
Activity Date:2017/06/13
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