All Reviews for Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

After researching several options, we chose the Ultimate Hawaii Circle Island Sightseeing tour from Veltra for our mid-April 2026 trip, and it did not disappoint. Our guide, Marcus, was total pro, wWith 15 years of experience, his knowledge and storytelling made the 10-hour journey fly by.

The Highlights:

1) Coffee Farm: Stunning views and a great tasting session in the gift shop.

2) Punaluu Black Sand Beach: We were lucky enough to see sea turtles basking on the sand!

3) Volcanoes National Park: Seeing the steam vents and the scale of the active volcano was easily the highlight of the day.

4) Rainbow Falls: The best panoramic view is actually from the side of the park; the hike to the top isn't strictly necessary for the best photos.

5) Waipio Valley Lookout: Absolutely breathtaking photo opportunities.

The logistics were seamless with a prompt pickup at 7:20 am from the Fairmont Orchid. While it is a long day covering 2/3 of the island, Marcus kept us entertained throughout. Lunch, dinner, snacks, and water were all provided, making for a stress-free experience. Highly recommended!

Wow just wow, Shane was our pilot and boy he had a lot of knowledge of the island and for him to give a good answer to everyone's questions was exceptional. The ride was smooth, we felt safe and it was longer than I expected. The views are amazing and beautiful. My grandkids and I truly loved this experience. Shane even let Liam shut the helicopter down once we landed.

Terrific experience! Derek was a wonderful guide! Knowledgeable, friendly, and professional! Gave a preview of events, a timeline, and kept to the schedule.
The tour took us to places we probably wouldn't have gone to on our own. We saw turtles on the beautiful black sand beach, enjoyed a walk around the coffee farm with delicious samples. Spent time at Rainbow Falls. Enjoyed cookies at a local bakery. Plenty of opportunities along the way to pickup meaningful, local souvenirs.
But my favorite stops were in Volcano National Park. The caldera was amazing. No spouting lava but lots of smoking vents. The steam vents were amazing as well. Lunch at the cafe was well organized and tasty. The view from the restaurant was great. Beautiful vistas along the route. What more could you ask for???

We had an awesome experience with Blue Hawaiian. We weren't able to experience the complete experience because of poor weather over Volcano National Park but Blue Hawaiian did an excellent job of working with us to create an alternative tour for us. Dale was great as our pilot and tour guide.

We were hopping the volcano would be erupting when we booked the flight, but missed by 2 days. We did see the layout of the volcano and got a better understanding what happens and where it happens.

Unfortunately, the weather on the day was not great, and we couldn't do the planned flight over the volcano, which was disappointing. However, the alternative suggested was a landing plan at the waterfall. When I signed up, I thought it was a bit pricey, so I didn't include the waterfall landing, but adding that option turned out to be a great decision!

The view of the waterfall from above and the experience of landing right next to it are completely different in terms of impact. Walking through the tropical rainforest after descending was refreshing, and it was fascinating to see various fruits along the way. Since we could land in places that only a helicopter can reach, I highly recommend the waterfall landing!

We had the helicopter to ourselves as there were five of us in the family. The seating arrangement is determined by weight, so those who got to sit in the front row or on the ends were lucky.

当日はあいにくのお天気で予定していた火山上空へのフライトは出来ず残念でしたが、代わりに提案いただいたのが滝の着陸プラン。
申し込んだときはちょっとお高いので滝への着陸はつけていなかったのですが、オプション付けて大正解！！
上から見たと滝と着陸して間近に見る滝とでは迫力が全然違うし、滝を降りての熱帯雨林のお散歩は気持ちよく、様々なフルーツも見れてとても興味深かったです。ヘリじゃなくちゃいけないところに着陸できるので、滝の着陸、おススメ！！
家族5人で乗ったので貸しきりでした。
体重などによって乗る場所が決まるので、最前列や両端に載れた人はラッキー。

We had a great time with Kimo. He made us feel at ease. He was very knowledgeable and funny. He was able to answer our questions and did not make us feel dumb. He also seemed to genuinely enjoy our party’s craziness.

The tour was super well organized, with a guide who shared interesting insights along the way!

Loved this tour - our tour guide was very accommodating and knowledgeable and we saw some beautiful spots of the island. Definitely recommend this trip as you get to see a lot in one day. My favourite places were the black sand beach with the sea turtles and the Volcanoes National Park (but to be honest, I loved all the sites).

We got to explore the upper slopes of Hualalai Volcano, exploring ancient craters and crawling through a lava tube!

The guides shared geology, Hawaiian history, and local plant life in a way that felt really genuine. The group was also small so it never felt rushed.

Loved this tour! We saw so much of the Big Island in a single day. And the guide shared really interesting facts along the way.

A fantastic way to see the islands highlights in one day like the Volcanoes National Park, Waipio Valley (our favorite), black sand beaches, and gorgeous waterfalls.

The tour guide was super knowledgeable and kept a smooth pace, making it easy to enjoy every stop. Highly recommend for a comprehensive island experience.

Such a great day - from the black sand beach to the Waipio Valley lookout and multiple waterfalls, of course with visiting Volcanoes National Park as the standout!!

Saw everything from volcanos to waterfalls and both sides of the island

This was the highlight of our cruise. We were lucky to see the Volcano erupt, which was well worth the trip. The restaurant we stopped at for lunch was also very good. Desmond and Anthony were great guides.

The good: Black Sand Beach and Volcanoes National Park are as good as they can be. Halema'uma'u Crater is amazing.

The average: The Coffee Farm we visited is a small one. We saw the coffee plants, but didn't see much about how the coffee is produced as the machines are taken apart and stored. Food is ok-ish, lunch is fast-food bento, dinner is at a small restaurant.

The unfortunate: We didn't see any star due to the cloudy weather. If you want to do stargazing, join a stargazing group as they will have better planning and equipment.

So many gorgeous stops along this tour, and the guides are so funny and make a long day seem like a breeze.

Anthony and Desmond were spectacular tour guides! Desmond is an expert at taking the amazing photos of your group, and Anthony is so knowledgeable and taught us so much with words, pictures, and artifacts while driving. But most of all, they were friendly and caring. I've never been more impressed with two tour guides! The tour showed us many interesting sites and we had a blast. It was the highlight of our trip to the big island!

My wife was initially scared to board, but it wasn't too bumpy, and while receiving explanations in Japanese, we were able to see various mountains, volcanic craters, and waterfalls from the helicopter, which was moving. The price was a bit high, but we created wonderful memories that were worth it.

家内は最初乗車するのが怖がっていましたが、
たいして揺れることもなく、日本語での説明をしてもらいながら
色々な山や火口付近・滝などをヘリコプターから見られて
感動しました。
お値段はちょっと高額ですが、それ以上に良い思い出が出来ました。

Participating as a family of four was truly a courageous choice, especially considering the impact of the exchange rate, but I'm so glad we decided to go for it! It was my first time on a helicopter, and thanks to the thoughtful care of the staff and pilot, I was able to enjoy it without any worries. I wanted to see the Kilauea volcano erupting magma, and I was able to capture that on video to show my elderly mother who was waiting back in Japan. Additionally, we chose a tour that included a stop at a waterfall, and that turned out to be a fantastic decision! It allowed us to truly experience the lush nature of the Big Island. The view of the mountains and valleys from the sea, the green landscape, the blue coral reef waters, and the brown-black of the volcano and lava were all so vibrant and unforgettable. Plus, we were greeted by a cute dog! I wholeheartedly recommend this tour.

為替レートの影響もあり、家族4人で参加するのは本当に勇気がいる選択でしたが、思い切って参加してよかったです！人生初のヘリコプターも、スタッフとパイロットの細やかな心遣いで心配せず、心から楽しむことができました。キラウェア火山がマグマを噴き上げている様子を見たくて参加したのですが、その動画も撮って、日本で待っていた年老いた母にも見せることができました。また、せっかくならば･･･と滝に寄るツアーにしたのですが、これが大正解！自然豊かなハワイ島を感じる内容となりました。海から見る山や谷の緑とサンゴ礁の海の青、火山や溶岩の茶黒。カラフルで自然の姿をしっかりと目に焼き付けることができました。そして、アイドル犬が出迎えてくれます。とってもキュートですよ。心からお薦めのツアーです。

Highlights included walking through Volcanoes National Park, seeing steam vents and lava fields up close, the stunning black sand beach at Punaluʻu, and panoramic views over Waipiʻo Valley.

It’s a long day, but absolutely packed with jaw-dropping sights and well-paced stops.

We enjoyed a great day learning and exploring the Volcanos, Craters, Lava Tubes. The bus was clean and on time, the tour guide (Torrie) was really good and informative. The lunch was really good as was the dinner. Overall it was a great experience. I would definitively recommend this company and tour.

I splurged on a helicopter ride, thinking I might never come back to the Big Island again. I was moved by the breathtaking scenery that can only be seen from a helicopter, such as valleys, cliffs, and the traces of flowing lava. It was also great that I could ask questions and talk with the pilot through the microphone.

もう2度とハワイ島まで来られないだろうと、奮発して搭乗しました。
普通では見られない渓谷や岸壁、溶岩が流れた跡など、ヘリコプターならではの風景に感動しました。パイロットさんとマイクを通して質問したりお話し出来たのも良かったです。

Shawn is super polite and well educated in many topics regarding the lava, plant life, history and sites on the islands. He was particularly helpful in suggesting to us to change the itinerary so we could see the active eruption and we are so happy he made the suggestion. 100% well worth the private tour. We changed things up and kinda called audibles throughout the day and Shawn was all about it. We had a great dinner and the day was a total success. Thank you.

This tour was mind blowing especially because of tour guide Felix! He showed us all the best spots and gave so much interesting history and facts without making you want to fall asleep LOL. First time in Hawaii and I’m so grateful to have been on this excursion! Amazing food, views and so much more. Thank you wasabi tours and even bigger thank you to Felix!! ❤️❤️

I experienced it on May 7, 2025.
1. I was very satisfied with the location, the pilot, and the staff. I highly recommend it. 100 points.

2. Since my seat was on the left side, all the highlights were on the right side of the journey. The aircraft blocked my view, and I couldn't take the photos I wanted, which was disappointing. I requested the pilot to make a turn, but it was only accommodated once. Minus 40 points.

2025年5月7日体験しました。
1、体感は、ロケーション、パイロット、スタッフのみなさんには大満足でした。
おすすめです。100点

2、席が左サイドだった為、見所は全行程右サイドで、隣りの人越し、機体が邪魔になり、せっかくのロケーションが写真も思うように撮れず、心が折れましたよ
パイロットに旋回をリクエストしたがその1回切りの対応でした。
マイナス40点。

Kilauea was just amazing, I could go every day if it was possible!