(All Reviews) Volcano Hiking Tours (Hawaii Volcanoes National Park), Big Island tours & activities, fun things to do in Big Island | HawaiiActivities.com

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All Reviews for Volcano Hiking Tours in Big Island

Overall Rating

4.83 4.83 / 5

Reviews

24 reviews

Big Island Kilauea Volcano Hiking Tour with Experienced Guides

Relaxing Hike at a beautiful place

Reviewed by: D_H, 2023/06/15

This was a great hike with our guide Jennifer. She adjusted it to match my kids’ level of interest. She was well prepared with all the supplies including backpacks, snacks, rain gear and jackets. On our visit we got sun and rain and sun and rain. My kids’ were tired so we cut our hike short but it was just enough to have great introduction to the park, and the plants and history around it.

Rating:
Attended as: Families with Young Children
Activity Date: 2023/06/13
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Deluxe Volcano Unveiled Tour and Golden Lava Cave Expedition with Lunch & Dinner

We saw lava!

Reviewed by: Kate, 2023/02/04

It's not every day you can say you saw new earth being formed in front of your eyes. We loved seeing the glow of lava at night. Not many places you can do this in the world.

Comments from activity operators

Mahalo, Kate!

Rating:
Attended as: Couples
Activity Date: 2022/03/22
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Deluxe Volcano Unveiled Tour and Golden Lava Cave Expedition with Lunch & Dinner

Twilight Volcano Unveiled with Night Lava Viewing

Reviewed by: Anita & Wilf, 2023/01/13

Madi is the perfect tour guide! She has great knowledge of the volcanos, loves answering everyone’s questions, and has a bubbly personality that makes it impossible to not have fun!! It was a long day, but everything is worth seeing. Walking through a lava tube is an amazing experience and my personal favourite. My hubby enjoyed the whole volcano park experience. To top it off they feed you all day, so it’s impossible to go hungry. Thank you so much and we’ll recommend this tour to everyone we know! Well worth the money!

Comments from activity operators

Mahalo for the kind words about Madi and your experience! We strive for all of our guests to have this enjoyment with us!

Rating:
Attended as: Couples
Activity Date: 2023/01/10
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Deluxe Volcano Unveiled Tour and Golden Lava Cave Expedition with Lunch & Dinner

Volcanos national park

Reviewed by: William Dye , 2022/08/05

We had a great time on this tour. The van picked us up on the Kona side and took us over to Hilo then VNP. Along the way we got to see Rainbow falls, a fantastic lava tube and VNP - Killawea during the day and at sunset.

Rating:
Attended as: Families
Activity Date: 2022/07/27
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Big Island Kilauea Volcano Hiking Tour with Experienced Guides

What in informative, beautiful time!

Reviewed by: David & June S, 2022/07/01

We had a wonderful time hiking the Big Island's Kilauea Volcano! Our guide was very informative, patient, and willing to answer our many questions. Part way through our hike, we sat along the rim and ate a lovely lunch provided by our guide. We would recommend taking part of this hiking adventure to fully appreciate Kilauea!

  • Walking the crater of Kilauea.

  • Feeling the steam of Kilauea through an air vent.

  • Hiking along the rim of Kilauea.

Comments from activity operators

Thank you for the wonderful day David and June!
Jennifer

Rating:
Attended as: Couples
Activity Date: 2022/06/19
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Elite Volcano Hiking Tour - Explore Kilauea’s Most Recent Eruption & Lava Flows

Awesome experience with awesome people

Reviewed by: Nono, 2022/05/19

The tour guide is awesome, friendly, easygoing and very considerate.

Rating:
Attended as: Solo Travelers
Activity Date: 2022/05/17
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Elite Volcano Hiking Tour - Explore Kilauea’s Most Recent Eruption & Lava Flows

Awesome Day

Reviewed by: Mitchell Goff, 2022/04/01

Marcus was the best tour guide I’ve ever had. I usually don’t like this sort of activity, but he was so knowledgeable and enthusiastic. We all learned a lot about the forests and volcanoes of Hawaii and had a lot of laughs on the way. He modified appropriately between kids and adults. He was even training someone else and he still made everyone feel like a priority. There was a mixup with the food and he went way out of his way to make it right. I was very impressed. My whole family had a really great day.

Rating:
Attended as: Families
Activity Date: 2022/03/30
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Deluxe Volcano Unveiled Tour and Golden Lava Cave Expedition with Lunch & Dinner

Great trip but a long trip!

Reviewed by: Karen, 2022/03/31

A great day trip but a long day. I would recommend that this trip is done ex Hilo as opposed to ex Kona. The lava tube was excellent and exciting to get close to a live volcano. We had a great glow going on the evening we were there. Tour guide was informative and knowledgeable.

Rating:
Attended as: Couples
Activity Date: 2022/03/29
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Deluxe Volcano Unveiled Tour and Golden Lava Cave Expedition with Lunch & Dinner

Beautiful sites

Reviewed by: Kara, 2022/03/10

I would love to bring my family back on this trip! it was so beautiful

Rating:
Attended as: Couples
Activity Date: 2022/03/08
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Deluxe Volcano Unveiled Tour and Golden Lava Cave Expedition with Lunch & Dinner

Great day

Reviewed by: Mr. Sing, 2021/11/06

The guide was very knowledgeable of the fauna and history of the island. He pointed out things that would have otherwise been overlooked. At the volcano he even setup a telescope for the group to get a closer look. My wife and I really enjoyed the tour.

Rating:
Attended as: Couples
Activity Date: 2021/11/04
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Elite Volcano Hiking Tour - Explore Kilauea’s Most Recent Eruption & Lava Flows

Very Interesting!

Reviewed by: Deb P, 2021/08/30

This was a very interesting adventure. Our tour guide, Don, was fantastic. and helped make it a very enjoyable trip. He was very accommodating and made sure we saw as much as time would allow. Very long day but lots of good information and local lure.

Rating:
Attended as: Couples
Activity Date: 2021/08/18
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Deluxe Volcano Unveiled Tour and Golden Lava Cave Expedition with Lunch & Dinner

Awesome Guide! Company not very accommodating

Reviewed by: Julia W, 2021/06/01

The good- our guide Garry was incredibly knowledgeable about the rocks, plants, birds, very accommodating regarding bathroom breaks and stops along the way, and incredibly kind and thoughtful. We have nothing but raves for him. The company on the other hand was a bit of a pain in the butt. We first booked this tour as a party of 6, and we were told that these tours booked in groups of 9, so they would be adding in 3 additional fares to the tour group. Later they informed me that my son was too young for the group tour, but the private tour had no age restrictions. For an extra ~$400-500 we booked the private tour, since we wanted a tour that would let us see the lava glow at night, and this was literally the only tour that did that. However, even though we were paying so much extra for a private tour, they said that they couldn't accommodate us by going to any stops different from the usual tour, they couldn't start/end earlier, and they were unable to provide pick up/drop off from our hotel 15min away. Then, a few days before the tour, they called to tell us that because the lava flows stopped, they were changing the tour from 10a-10p, to 7a-7p, and adding a stop at Rainbow falls to make up for the loss of the lava flow at night. No dinner meal. Still unable to pick up/drop off from the hotel. And unwilling to make any time changes. I would have appreciated some compromise for our requests considering the extra costs of the private tour or some discount since they were both unable to accommodate our requests and had changed the original nature of the tour significantly.

Rating:
Attended as: Families with Young Children
Activity Date: 2021/05/27
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Deluxe Volcano Unveiled Tour and Golden Lava Cave Expedition with Lunch & Dinner

A very educational and fun tour

Reviewed by: TT's mom, 2020/02/19

Pick up was right on time!
Our guide Matt was very knowledgeable and passionate about Hawaii island from legends to Hawaii original plants and animals. He kept entertaining us until his voice got hoarse! My favorite part of the tour was definitely the lava tube. it's really amazing!! The way to and from the lava tube is super bumpy and rough. If you get motion sickness, you should take medication for it. I brought kids (12 and 10) with us and they enjoyed themselves as well. Hiking was very mild so anyone can enjoy this tour, I think.

Rating:
Attended as: Families with Young Children
Activity Date: 2020/02/18
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Elite Volcano Hiking Tour - Explore Kilauea’s Most Recent Eruption & Lava Flows

Great experience

Reviewed by: Randi, 2019/08/04

My husband and I moved to Kailua-Kona last year and are still in discovery mode, so we were happy to play tourist for a day to join this tour. Although the rides were long (it is a big island), the stops were all interesting and worthwhile, the other guests were friendly and engaged, and - notwithstanding all of our pre-move diligence and studying - we learned a ton from our fabulous tour guide, Kent. Kent was extremely knowledgeable, enthusiastic, engaged, warm, and courteous - we thoroughly appreciated the positive impact he had on the day's adventures.

Rating:
Attended as: Couples
Activity Date: 2019/07/27
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Deluxe Volcano Unveiled Tour and Golden Lava Cave Expedition with Lunch & Dinner

A Dream Come True

Reviewed by: Annie, 2019/06/10

This was purchased as a birthday gift for my sister. She has always been fascinated by volcanoes and it's been her lifelong dream to come to the island and see the volcano for herself. She was incredibly excited to have this tour. However, the day before it was scheduled, she received a call and was told that there had been a mistake when recording her reservation and they no longer had room for her on her scheduled date. They offered to move her reservation to a different day or to schedule her for the same day as her initial reservation for instead for the Epic Circle Island Volcano Journey. She chose to keep her originally scheduled day and do the Epic Circle Island Volcano Journey.

The woman who called was very apologetic and kind, let's face it, humans make mistakes sometimes, we've all done it. They did their very best to make it right. In the end, my sister said her experience was incredible and she was glad there had been a little bit of a mix up, because she thought the tour she went on was better (granted, that is based purely on the description of the originally scheduled tour).

Her guide was knowledgeable and told all kinds of stories about Pele and the island and recounted the history of the volcano. The lava tube they visited was unique and interesting and fascinated her.

Overall, it was a huge win and even in spite of the little problem I would definitely book again!

Rating:
Attended as: Friends
Activity Date: 2019/06/07
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Deluxe Volcano Unveiled Tour and Golden Lava Cave Expedition with Lunch & Dinner

Private Lava Tube is the Highlight!!!!!

Reviewed by: Nunia T., 2018/10/26

This was the greatest experience ever! Our tour guide Justin was very knowledgeable and informative with every guests questions and the history of the island. We first drove to Mauna Kea Park and the weather was just perfect! Clear skies and a beautiful breeze. Once we arrived to the Volcano National Park, it was so nice to see the park reopened again. Beautiful scenery and but what took the cake was the private lava tube that only this activity provider has access to which definitely makes up for the fact that Thurston Lava Tube is still closed. The lava tube was breathtaking and the deeper you go in, the more treasure you unveil. THIS IS A MUST DO!!!

Rating:
Attended as: Solo Travelers
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Puna Coast Expedition & Kilauea Volcano After Dark Lava Hunt Adventure

Perfectly planned out tour

Reviewed by: Stacey, 2017/09/16

I absolutely loved this tour! It was perfect! Each guide was very friendly and knowledgeable. The van was clean, cool and they drove safely. All the food, drinks and snacks were very tasty and fresh. We got to see, do and learn so much and it was never grueling or boring. Each stop was so exciting and breathtaking. Taking this tour sheds 2 miles each way of walking out to the lava flow which is a huge bonus. Seeing the lava hitting the sea is amazing! Bringing binoculars will help you see it better. I have no suggestions for making this tour better because I truly think it's perfect the way it is and you will walk away very happy and satisfied. Thank you for a great 40th Birthday!
**Wanted to share with you guys that I did the Chain of Craters drive down to the Holei Sea Arch and on my way back up I saw 2 Nene's!! I was so excited! (pic below)**

Comments from activity operators

Mahalo Stacey for taking the time to write such a lovely review! We are so glad you enjoyed your day and especially glad that you came at a time when the volcano is very active! I will be sure to pass on your kind words to the guides - they will appreciate them! We hope to see you for another birthday in the future!! Mahalo!

Rating:
Attended as: Solo Travelers
Activity Date: 2017/09/09
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Puna Coast Expedition & Kilauea Volcano After Dark Lava Hunt Adventure

Great Tour, Saves a lot of Walking

Reviewed by: Lava Seeker, 2017/07/27

I was really looking forward to this tour, being the first time on the big island. I was not disappointed by the tour. Amanda, our first half tour guide was terrific! So nice and informative, had a great time with her. Deric, (I hope I spelled his name correctly) was also great, gave us a lot of information regarding the previous lava flows and the area. The two mile walk didn't seem like two miles on gravel, it seemed like it took forever. Walking back to the van in the dark and trying to avoid the bikes was also an experience. It was so dark out there, we spotted the Hubble Space Telescope in the sky! All of the sites the tour took us to were interesting and fun. I have to admit, it was a long day. We got picked up at 8:30 from Kona, but didn't get back to our car till 11:30 pm! We really went driving around the island. Would do it again, but the money spent is worth it.

Comments from activity operators

Aloha, Thank you for taking the time to write such a lovely review! Amanda and Deric are terrific and really enjoy what they do. We are so glad you enjoyed your day. It's called the Big Island for a reason...it is BIG! :) But as you said, as long as you are coming over to the east side to see the volcanic activity, you might as well see it all! I will be sure to pass on your kind words to the team. Mahalo for spending the day with us!

Rating:
Attended as: Families
Activity Date: 2017/07/21
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Puna Coast Expedition & Kilauea Volcano After Dark Lava Hunt Adventure

Great day!

Reviewed by: Ginger W, 2017/07/08

We enjoyed everything about this experience. We stopped at a wonderful bakery on the way up the mountain. We saw all the best of Volcanoes National Park, and then headed to a more out-of-the-way area for breathtaking scenery and dinner before the hike to the lava flow. The hike is not difficult and really worth it for the views. The rainwear provided by the tour (we needed it in the Volcsno Park) was nice Columbia jackets; not the ponchos I expected. Both guides were excellent and we learned a lot about the culture as well as volcanoes. Our college-age kids loved it!

Comments from activity operators

Aloha Ginger! We are so glad that you and your family enjoyed spending the day with us! The volcano is so active right now and we are glad we were able to show you all the aspects of it's activity in one day. Thank you for taking the time to write such a lovely review and I will be sure to pass on your kind words to Aaron and Deric. Mahalo :) We hope to see you again in the future!!

Rating:
Attended as: Families
Activity Date: 2017/06/19
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Puna Coast Expedition & Kilauea Volcano After Dark Lava Hunt Adventure

Fantastic

Reviewed by: Flora, 2017/07/02

Fantastic tour, with great tour guides, 100% would recommend

Comments from activity operators

Thank you so much for recommending us! We are so glad you enjoyed your day!!! Mahalo!

Rating:
Attended as: Solo Travelers
Activity Date: 2017/06/29
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Puna Coast Expedition & Kilauea Volcano After Dark Lava Hunt Adventure

Best way to see the volcano, no doubt

Reviewed by: Elise Wilson, 2017/06/24

If I could give this more than 5 stars, I would.

My family and I had an absolutely amazing time on this tour - it's a long day, but it's SO worth it. Both of our guides were fantastic; they did an excellent job teaching us about the history and geology of the island while keeping the tour atmosphere casual and fun. They had answers to pretty much every question that was asked, and despite not being Hawaiian natives, they clearly studied extensively about Hawaiian history and cared deeply about Hawaiian culture. The volcano national park was as spectacular as we hoped it would be and the hike out to the lava flow was well worth it.

Some of the highlights of the tour were kind of unexpected. The bakery we visited on the way from Kona was delicious, and walking through Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and learning about the past eruptions was fascinating. The southern area of the island where we had dinner was absolutely incredible. Our guide talked to us about the politics on the island and about the movement for Hawaiian freedom centered in that region. If you take this trip, bring your passport so you can get it stamped! Honestly, the evening portion of this tour was the highlight of our whole vacation - it cast light on aspects of Hawaiian culture we had never thought about and gave us breathtaking views of the ocean and the lava. It was totally amazing in every respect.

Absolutely take this tour if you get a chance!!!

Comments from activity operators

Aloha, Thank you so much for writing such a wonderful review! We so very much appreciate your time and we are delighted that you enjoyed our tour! We realize that it is a bit of a long day, but it is a big island and we want to show you both sides of the volcano!! The National Park and the hike out to the lava on the back side of the volcano. They are both so unique and worth the time! I will be sure to pass on your kind words to our team (and yes, they all study a lot to be a part of our team:)) and I know they will appreciate your comments. We hope to see you again someday!! Mahalo!

Rating:
Attended as: Families
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Puna Coast Expedition & Kilauea Volcano After Dark Lava Hunt Adventure

Great trip, knowledgeable guides

Reviewed by: Lilly, 2017/04/25

We had kind of an unusual situation, as our hike down to the lava in the afternoon was canceled due to the directions of the winds, which were blowing toxic VOG inland. Instead, we ended up going to the crater for the second time that day, which actually turned out to be pretty cool, as the lava level had risen quite high.

Our AM guide was Angelique, who was really sweet and had a great deal of information about the flora/fauna in the area as well as having some really fun stories about Captain Cook and various other historical figures. She's clearly done her homework!

Campbell was our PM guide, and he's quite a character. He had a lot of great information to share about the various eruptions that have happened on the island and took us to a few places to see old lava flows. He's pretty new to the island and the tour, though, and it does sometimes show. I'd say, after he gets a little more experience under his belt, he'll be great. He's done quite a bit of research on his own, so he did have some good information debunking some common misconceptions on the origin of various species on the island.

We were pretty disappointed that our hike out to see the lava flow was canceled, but the owner was really great to work with, and let us jump into the hike the following day so we got to see it anyway! For that trip, Shawn was our guide, and he's a very experienced guide and seems to know every single person on the island, and shared some fun local trivia with us :). Sadly, the lava wasn't flowing as strongly as it had been in previous weeks so we saw more spurts than flows, but it was still REALLY cool.

The hike down wasn't as strenuous as I was expecting, they've actually bulldozed the road so it's more like a gravel road than hiking across lava as I was (for some reason) expecting, and there weren't any inclines/declines. They are able to park further into the park than the public, though, the hike was cut down to a 3 mile hike round trip.

Comments from activity operators

Aloha Lilly, We were glad that we were able to accommodate you on a second night. That was the first time that Hawaii Civil Defense blocked the lava viewing area since we have been hiking out via this shorter distance and it was a disappointment, but unfortunately, we can argue with the big guys. :) It is a major safety issue if the south winds are blowing strongly enough to have the SO2 gasses go directly into guests faces.We are glad that you enjoyed the overall experience and we hope that you will be able to visit the islands once again! Thank you for taking the time to write a lovely review and we will be sure to pass on your kind words to our guides. Mahalo!!

Rating:
Attended as: Couples
Activity Date: 2017/04/20
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Puna Coast Expedition & Kilauea Volcano After Dark Lava Hunt Adventure

Best Adventure Ever! Best way to see the all sides of Kilauea Volcano.

Reviewed by: mcavalheiro, 2017/04/06

This was by far the coolest thing I ever done in my life. Nothing compares to see an active volcano and watch the power of creation right before you eyes.

Excellent service from start to finish. The vehicles are clean and comfortable. The food was substantial for the duration of the tour. For lunch we had an nice picnic lunch at Volcanoes National Park with delicious deli-sandwiches. For dinner we stopped at a local restaurant in Pahoa town with good options for everyone. Inside the van they also carry a cooler and a basket full of snacks and drinks.

The guides were professionals, punctual, courteous and knowledgeable.
Amanda did a wonderful job of blending geography, history and culture. We learned about the flora and fauna native to the area, as well as plants and animals brought to the island. We also learned about the past and recent eruptions.

Inside the Volcanoes National Park we visited Jagger museum and Halema’uma’u Crater. We also had fun seeing the steam vents. The Iki Crater Trail is a nice and easy hike through the rainforest and after that we walked through Thurston Lava Tube.

After leaving the park we drove by Pahoa Town and I was very impressed to see how close the lava flow got to this little town in 2015 / 2016. We had dinner and then we drove to Kalapana for the best part of the day.

Nui Pohaku offers the shortest hike to the viewing point where the lava is flowing to the ocean. it was an easy 30 to 40 min walk until the end of the trail. Walking right next to the lava fields was an amazing experience and witness the explosive power of the volcano pouring lava to the ocean was unbelievable.

As the sun sets the colors change and you see the eruption getting crazy bright shades of orange, red and yellow. Once the sun is down they give you flashlights to help the hike back tot he car and we were blessed with an awesome stargazing.

Everything was as promised...and better!

Comments from activity operators

Aloha! What a lovely review - thank you so much!! We appreciate the time you took to write it and turn it in! Thank you for noticing the details :) Our slogan at the office is "Excellence is in the Details" and that is what we strive to do at all times in the way of food, customer service, training, etc. I will be sure to pass on your kind words to the team! Your pictures are incredible and I would love to use some on our site with your permission. You can let me know at romeo@nuipohaku.com. We hope that you come visit us again some day!! Mahalo!

Rating:
Attended as: Solo Travelers
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Hawaii Forest & Trail - Kona Volcano Hiking Tour & Hidden Craters Adventure

Well informed tour!

Reviewed by: irene, 2011/09/13

The excursion was extremely interesting and our tour guide Mavrick very knowledgeable also he was concered about the group safety. We where well informed about the history of the creater, lava tube and the coffee tour! The staff was wonderful and extremely polite, took their time for the guest to drink some of the delicious Hula Daddy Coffee while looking out at the beautiful view.
The only downside I had was the ***extremely*** bumping ride as we got closer to the crater, I feel if there was dirt road or pavement all would have been perfect... I also feel because of the rough road and the crater edge no kids should be taken on this tour. Overall, this was an experience I will always remember, Thanks.

Rating:
Attended as: Families with Young Children
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