Evening Volcano Explorer - Black Sand Beach, Night Lava Viewing & Wine Tasting
Fun guided tour of the big island
Reviewed by: Vince, 2017/12/28Overall a good experience:
- Tour guide very knowledgeable and friendly
- Good way to see a lot of the island in a day
- Beginning of tour was relaxed, end felt a little rushed
- Look in the tide pools to the right of the black beach for green turtles!
- Wine/tasting and dinner was rushed (we were the last group that day)
- Good views of the volcano as a finale.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2017/12/19 |
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Had fun
Reviewed by: Curt, 2017/11/16It was a fun day. We got to see the lava’s red glow at night( but not the lava itself ). The Japanese coffee plantation was ok as well as the lava tube. Our guide Brett was great! It was a long 12 hr day :)
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2017/11/13 |
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Beautiful must do tour
Reviewed by: Tracy Wilmot, 2017/08/12Henry our tour guide was wonderful and very passionate about getting the most out of our tour. If if you are thinking about a tour that takes you down to see the actual lava close up, this is not the tour for you. However what you do get to see on this tour is the black sand beach, the wine tasting tour (which is one of two wineries on all the islands) with dinner, walking through a lava tube, seeing the steam vents and the night glow.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2017/08/08 |
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Great Time
Reviewed by: Phillip Krupp, 2017/07/29This guided tour was worth every penny. Our guide was incredibly knowledgeable and made the entire trip fun. Being taken to some lesser know locations and then being told about the history of the area and the lava flow was great. Mixing in local Hawaiian legends was just great. The dinner and wine tasting at the winery was an added plus. I highly recommend this activity!
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Activity Date: | 2017/07/05 |
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Great tour!
Reviewed by: The Arizona Ladies, 2017/07/10Enjoyed touring the island with our guide Campbell. The van was comfy and the stops were interesting. We were well taken care of with drinks, snacks and bathroom breaks. Campbell narrated the entire tour and had extensive knowledge of the island history and ecology. Would highly recommend this company.
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Activity Date: | 2017/07/07 |
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One Fabulous tour!!
Reviewed by: Steve Barbour, 2017/05/12Our tour guide Lawrence made this the best tour we have ever been on. His knowledge and "gift of gab" was essential in making this a great tour. Thank you Lawrence
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2017/05/09 |
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Hottest Tour in Town
Reviewed by: Rolland, 2017/04/10From morning 'til night John was the ultimate tour guide--intellect, humor, history, sociology, insight, equanimity, John bathed us in sweet knowledge and well being. Could not be improved upon. We had 13 tourists so was puzzled by the phrase in the tour title "Groups of 1 to 3" I was expecting a semi-private tour--not a complaint, merely an observation on clarity in advertising.
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| Attended as: | Solo Travelers |
| Activity Date: | 2017/04/07 |
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Volcano national park guided by a geologist!
Reviewed by: Kelly, 2017/03/18A really awesome tour! Modern,comfortable, transportation-nice lunch and dinner included... a bonus was wine tasting,a bakery stop, and getting to see sea turtles at the black sand beach. Aaron, the guide, had so much knowledge about volcanos - it was incredible!
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| Attended as: | Solo Travelers |
| Activity Date: | 2017/02/20 |
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Volcano excursion
Reviewed by: Joe , 2017/01/21Great day, Rich our guide was the best! Recommend it highly to all...
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2017/01/17 |
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Can't go to the big island without seeing the active volcano!!!
Reviewed by: Jill , 2016/11/23There aren't many active volcanoes in the whole world so this is a bucket list type thing. You can't get that close to the active volcano but you can get close enough to see the lava (about a mile away). Plus, you don't want o get too close anyway! (not healthy). The side excursions on the way to the Volcano National Park were good. Went to a coffee farm, winery, southernmost bakery that sells those great malasadas, the lava tube, the steam vents, etc. It is an all day excursion but well worth it. It's amazing how many climates there are on this island and you really see the differences as you go on this excursion. The museum at the volcano national park was very informative. Great excursion!!
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Activity Date: | 2016/08/27 |
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Great tour!
Reviewed by: Adam, 2016/10/28Would suggest this tour to anyone! Very fun and informative!!
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| Attended as: | Solo Travelers |
| Activity Date: | 2016/10/25 |
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Great Day
Reviewed by: sjpIdaho, 2016/08/27The tour was very enjoyable and our guide, Grant, shared a lot of interesting information about Hawaii.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2016/08/01 |
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Adequate but certainly overpriced
Reviewed by: endomorphioustravel, 2016/08/16Our tour guide was very pleasant. Bus seats in the main rear were very uncomfortable with seatbelts that dug into ones backside. This tour although nice was a serious let down as far as volcano watching went. I was expecting something a bit more up close and personal. But we were on the same lookout available to any body who drove up to the observation area. Also, the dinner was not what I was asked to select from. I would highly recommend you take the salads they looked ever so much better than our sandwiches. Would I do this tour again? Probably not. Would I recommend this tour to others. Yes if you have limited mobility and are content with looking at the volcano activity from a sizable distance. Easily 500+ yds.
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Activity Date: | 2016/08/10 |
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Such a great experience!
Reviewed by: RoS, 2016/07/23Mike was such a great tour guide! Every stop along the tour was amazingly breathtaking!
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| Attended as: | Friends |
| Activity Date: | 2016/07/20 |
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Great tour, but expensive
Reviewed by: sinecostan, 2016/06/30The tour guide was very courteous, accommodating, and knowledgeable. Lunch was OK. The dinner at winery (and the tour of the winery by the owner) was great. I am not a wine drinker, but I enjoyed the tour nevertheless. The finale of watching the volcano smoke out red hot lava was just awesome.
The driver had very little sleep, he said. Perhaps because he commuted from another place and had to get back after he dropped late in the night. So, we were scared a bit.
A great, guy, though.
Lastly, book book the tour _after_ you come into this place. you will get _deep_ discounts (esp. if you sign up to a time-share presentation).
Hope this helps.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2016/06/27 |
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Private Tour
Reviewed by: Elyse, 2016/06/19I went during the off season and got a private tour! I got to do things that most people in a group would not and go at my own pace. I had a great tour guide and had a blast. I would definitely recommend this tour.
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| Attended as: | Solo Travelers |
| Activity Date: | 2016/06/16 |
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Excellent tour and Mike is great!!
Reviewed by: Amit B, 2016/06/07Really enjoyed the tour and our tour guide Mike was great - two thumbs up to him. He made the tour very engaging and informative. It was a job well done.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2016/05/31 |
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Fantastic experience!!
Reviewed by: Erica, 2016/06/01Wonderful day spent on black sand beach and into Volcanoes National Park. Our guide was super!!! He explained us all about the park and about Big Island!! Don't miss this tour!
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2016/05/26 |
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Volcano tour was awesome!
Reviewed by: Cielle Tovey, 2016/05/28Our tour guide Tyler was the best! Very knowledgeable about everything Hawaii. Trip was long but it didn't feel it as he kept us entertained. The lava flow at night was stupendous.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2016/05/19 |
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Volcano National Park Tour
Reviewed by: Rahman, 2016/04/28Well managed. Excellent tour guide and driver. When you book ask for Grant
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| Attended as: | Friends |
| Activity Date: | 2016/04/25 |
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Volcano evening tour
Reviewed by: Kathy, 2016/03/07Enjoyed the view at the volcano, but disappointed with bus very tight no leg room especially for my 6' husband. The 2 hour ride back was very uncomfortable. Thought the driver/guide could have been more engaging. He talked to the people sitting up front and when another rider asked if he could turn his mic on so we all could hear he just stopped talking. Enjoyed the stops for the most part but in my opinion could have passed on the bakery since fellow riders spent too much time there we got less time at the black sand beach.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2016/03/03 |
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Great tour and excellent tour guide!
Reviewed by: Deb Ross, 2016/02/11Our tour guide was great, not a review we give loosely... Eric was curteous, excellent driver, knowledgeable and fun!
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2016/02/03 |
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Not as advertised
Reviewed by: Maree, 2016/01/14This tour is for older tourists. The lava viewing at the end of the tour (30 minutes) was great as was the black sand beach (30 min). The information about volcanos and lava was very detailed. The 'hike' was a 20 minute walk along a paved path viewing others actually doing a real hike across the caldera. Dinner was NOT at Volcano House, but at a local farm, where we did a tour of the farm (40 min) :( and sat outside and ate a cold dinner - in the cold. Earlier in the tour we spent over an hour at a coffee farm - no tour - just a cold lunch in the lovely setting and a free sample of the coffee. there was a stop to buy donuts.
The tour took an entire day - 11 hours - its a long drive, with too much time wasted. I would rather have driven straight there an 'hiked'!
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2016/01/04 |
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got to understand lava
Reviewed by: David, 2015/12/04A full day of learning about lava and seeing it firsthand (cooled by years). Really enjoyed the dinner and the view. Loved the guided tour - so much better than doing it yourself. Don't expect red glowing lava. We saw the lava glow after dark very clearly and orange.
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Activity Date: | 2015/11/27 |
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A MUST DO TOUR
Reviewed by: Suzi K, 2015/11/23We had a wonderful time. Our tour guide Chris was terrific. This is a truly don't-miss-it tour.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2015/11/18 |
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absolutely amazing!
Reviewed by: Candi, 2015/08/25We did the tour of volcano national park from Hilo on our honeymoon. Rich, our tour guide, couldn't have been better. He talked the entire way and taught us not only about the Hawaii's nature, the volcanoes, but also about Hawaiian culture. You could really tell how much he loves Hawaii and heritage. This was definately well worth it! The food wasn't bad at The Volcano House, beautiful view. Rich came prepared with flash lights, snacks,and water. We had 6 people in our group, which made it easy to ask questions and chat throughout the day. Thanks so much Rich!! -honeymooners from Hershey, PA
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2015/08/21 |
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Night volcano viewing
Reviewed by: Chris, 2015/07/10This was an awesome trip! Our tour guide was amazing. We visited the black sand beaches, steam vents, lava tube, and our dinner was right in front of the volcano crater at the Volcano House, breathtaking!! Then at night, we viewed the volcano from the museum, totally different experience than the day time viewing. You have to see it at night. Our tour guide provided us with cold towels, snacks throughout the day, water, ect. This trip exceeded my expectations and we learned so much from our guide!
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Activity Date: | 2015/07/08 |
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Dinner and volcano tour
Reviewed by: Julia Gore, 2015/06/29We had a wonderful time on this tour. Our guide, Emma, was awesome! She was very knowledgeable and made the tour interesting and fun! We swapped stories about volcanoes, books, family. I truly felt that we were cousins by the end of the tour. Mahalo, Emma
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Activity Date: | 2015/06/26 |
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volcanoes national park tour
Reviewed by: Natascha, 2015/05/10Tour was great. Guide was very informative and ensured we had everything we needed.
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| Attended as: | Solo Travelers |
| Activity Date: | 2015/04/16 |
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