(All Reviews) Black Sand Beach (Top Big Island Attractions), Big Island tours & activities, fun things to do in Big Island | HawaiiActivities.com

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All Reviews for Black Sand Beach in Big Island

Overall Rating

4.85 4.85 / 5

Reviews

97 reviews

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

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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Twilight Volcano Tour with Stargazing, Black Sand Beach & Coffee Farm

Worth the money for sure!

Reviewed by: Sue, 2024/01/06

We really enjoyed this tour. It is a long one so be prepared. But they keep you hydrated and fed. I loved the black sand beach, and the sea turtles and the stop along the shore the most. But all of the events were really fun. They packed so much into one day. it was a great tour and we had a lot of fun. The picnic, the stop at the bakery, and the dinner, you were all excellent quality as well.

  • Double rainbow along the way.

Rating:
Attended as: Families
Activity Date: 2024/01/04
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Grand Circle Island Tour - Volcano, Black Sand Beach, Waipio Valley & Waterfalls

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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Big Island Highlights Tour - Volcano, Waterfalls, Black Sand Beach & Coffee Farm

Great tour!

Reviewed by: Mpy14, 2023/11/21

The tour was very well organized and very well planned. I felt I saw so much and learned a lot about the culture and history of the island. Jim was full of interesting information and made the trip memorable Fun group.

Rating:
Attended as: Solo Travelers
Activity Date: 2023/11/19
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Twilight Volcano Tour with Stargazing, Black Sand Beach & Coffee Farm

Amazing Tour Guide!

Reviewed by: Brittany B-M, 2023/11/05

The perfect experience for first time visiting Kona! Loved the Coffee farm, black sand beach, and stargazing the most on this full-day excursion!

Rating:
Attended as: Couples
Activity Date: 2023/10/19
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Evening Volcano Tour from Hilo - Kalapana Village, Black Sand Beach & Dinner

AWESOME

Reviewed by: Richard Robertson, 2023/09/27

MUST DO!

This was a great tour - really educational and fun. Be prepared for rain, you are in the rainforest and it rains a lot. Our guide came prepared with umbrellas and rain jackets, flashlights for the lava tube, water and snacks.
Andre, our tour guide was amazing, experienced and incredibly knowlegable of the volcanoes, land, plants and trees, Hawaiian culture, plus more, and the history of all mentioned. He made sure we were always entertained during the approx. 8 hour trip.
Would recommend shorts, closed toed shoes (sneakers fine) suntan lotion, somewhat water repellant light jacket (in case your tour does not provide).

Rating:
Attended as: Friends
Activity Date: 2023/09/20
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Grand Circle Island Tour - Volcano, Black Sand Beach, Waipio Valley & Waterfalls

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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Big Island Highlights Tour - Volcano, Waterfalls, Black Sand Beach & Coffee Farm

Great Great Great tour even better guide and hospitality.

Reviewed by: Mob_cali_breaks (IG), 2023/09/09

Incredible tour but our Tour guide, Anson really brought the island and the tour to life. Honestly enjoyed the tour to the max but we would pay to just hang out with Anson again. Lol. I'm sure all the guides are great and extremely courteous.

All the jokes we made he would rebuttal and be involved all while still maintaining his poise and professionalism. It's the little things guys and this tour has it all. Thank you From the bottom of our hearts.

Rating:
Attended as: Couples
Activity Date: 2023/09/08
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Big Island Highlights Tour - Volcano, Waterfalls, Black Sand Beach & Coffee Farm

Wonderful Tour

Reviewed by: Barbara , 2023/09/07

We had a lot of fun on the tour Ridge was amazing and gave us a lot of good local history and knowledge. If he didn't know the answer to a question he found it out for us. We'd highly recommend this tour to anybody looking for a great day on the island.

Comments from activity operators

Aloha, Barbara!
Thank you for sharing your positive experience! Ridge is indeed a fantastic guide, always eager to provide local history and insights. We're thrilled to hear you had a lot of fun and enjoyed the tour. Your recommendation means a lot to us, and we hope to welcome you back for another great day on the island in the future! Mahalo again!

Rating:
Attended as: Couples
Activity Date: 2023/09/05
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Twilight Volcano Tour with Stargazing, Black Sand Beach & Coffee Farm

Great experience!

Reviewed by: Justin, 2023/09/04

Good tour! Aaron was our guide and he did a perfect job! I only wish the volcano was erupting so we could see more activity. The meals were good, the views were good and we learned a lot.

Rating:
Attended as: Couples
Activity Date: 2023/09/02
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Twilight Volcano Tour with Stargazing, Black Sand Beach & Coffee Farm

A lovely day around the southern part of the Big Island

Reviewed by: Sandrine, 2023/08/27

My partner and I went on this tour with Aaron. He was a fantastic tour guide, with lots of interesting tidbits about the history of the island and plenty of jokes. He also offered to take plenty of photos of us at all the stops. A huge thank you to him for remaining so cheerful and helpful after such a long day. If it was a long day for us, I can't imagine how long it was for him.

The tour was exactly what's stated in the description. We chose to do the tour in part because we weren't certain how to navigate Volcano National Park, and the tour offered highlights of the Park. After the tour though, I wish we had had more time on the island so we could explore Volcano National Park ourselves. Two hours wasn't nearly enough. If you're lucky (we unfortunately weren't), there will be lava at the Park. But don't worry, the volcanoes on Hawaii won't kill you, but bad tour guide jokes will (thank you for that one Aaron!).

Another highlight was Punalu'u Bake Shop. Try the pineapple malasadas: you won't regret it! I was initally hesitant because I'm not a fan of pineapple not in its raw form/juice, but the pineapple malasada was the best of those we ordered. I wish we got more. The passionfruit (lilikoi) and apple ones were also delicious.

After the bakery, we went to Punalu'u Black Sand Beach. It's absolutely lovely and a nice chance to see the endangered Hawaiian sea turtles up close. It's also very picturesque. Just don't get too close to the waves or you'll get very wet.
We finished the tour with stargazing.

Overall, I highly recommend this tour for anyone who wants a quick, yet interesting and surprisingly thorough, tour of the southern part of the Big Island. If/when we go back, we would book with Wasabi Tours again.

Rating:
Attended as: Couples
Activity Date: 2023/08/01
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Twilight Volcano Tour with Stargazing, Black Sand Beach & Coffee Farm

Aaron was outstanding!

Reviewed by: Diana P., 2023/08/26

This was a long tour, about 13 hours, and it was so informative and fun! Our guide Aaron was very safe, smart, and informative during our tour. We had a great time at the coffee plantation, black sands beach, a famous bakery, and at the volcano national park. Dinner was good and so was lunch they provided. We had a great and unforgettable time.

Rating:
Attended as: Families with Young Children
Activity Date: 2023/08/17
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Grand Circle Island Tour - Volcano, Black Sand Beach, Waipio Valley & Waterfalls

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

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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Twilight Volcano Tour with Stargazing, Black Sand Beach & Coffee Farm

Island your with Aloha

Reviewed by: M & A, 2023/06/20

We booked this tour based on these reviews, it seems that these reviews were spot on. Our tour started when Tod picked us up on time and whisked us off to our island adventure. He was very knowledgeable and went out of his way to explain Hawaiian culture and pointed out things in our drive that were informative.

The stargazing portion of our tour was an incredibly unique and awe-inspiring experience. Tod was a knowledgeable guide and took us to a dark and remote location in Mauna Kea, perfect for stargazing. With the use of his personal high-quality telescope, binoculars and a powerful laser pointer, we were able to see constellations, planets, and even faint nebulae. Tod also shared interesting facts and stories about the night sky, making the experience both informative and enjoyable.

Tod even made the experience memorable by playing The Planets by Gustav Holst, its those little details, that made this tour the highlight of our Big Island Vacation.

Overall, this tour is a must-do for anyone who wants to see the stars in all their glory accompanied by our an amazing guide Tod.
Make sure to request him on your next stargazing adventure.

  • the adventure start when sun goes down

Rating:
Attended as: Couples
Activity Date: 2023/05/13
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Twilight Volcano Tour with Stargazing, Black Sand Beach & Coffee Farm

1st timers to the Big Island.

Reviewed by: Sherri , 2023/05/21

Tour was excellent, Aaron was a great host. Very informed, engaging. Had fun all along the way. We had plenty of time at all the stops to experience and enjoy. Made our 1st trip here an experience to remember. We are telling everyone if they come to the Island they need to take this tour.

In addition when we 1st booked, we were told that our location was around 90 minutes from the tour pickup. We chose to go ahead but very much appreciated the help and advice. Excellent service all around.

Rating:
Attended as: Couples
Activity Date: 2023/04/27
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Big Island Highlights Tour - Volcano, Waterfalls, Black Sand Beach & Coffee Farm

All the Best Parts of BI

Reviewed by: Kara, 2023/04/08

From local coffee to black sand beaches to wineries to lava flows to lava tunnels to a charming sunset, this tour is a entire day filled with memories. The guides were knowledgeable and so kind and accommodating, which we appreciate :)

Comments from activity operators

Aloha Kara,

Thank you so much for the kind review! Thanks for acknowledging the guide, they are your captain for the day and we are so proud of the ones we have. We hope you enjoyed your time on the Big Island!

Rating:
Attended as: Couples
Activity Date: 2023/03/13
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Twilight Volcano Tour with Stargazing, Black Sand Beach & Coffee Farm

This tour was the highlight of our week on the Big Island.

Reviewed by: Frances Morgan , 2023/03/25

Awesome day on the Big Island. A full day with a coffee farm, tour of the Volcanoes National Park, then stargazing on a clear night. Our Tour guide Aaron was the best. His knowledge of Hawaiian culture, the volcano, and then the night sky was awesome. He was so helpful and kind. This was a once in a lifetime experience. The volcano stopped erupting a few days after our tour. So, we felt so lucky to get to see an active volcano. Be sure to take a sweatshirt or jacket. It got cold in the evening. It is a full day, but so worth it.

Rating:
Attended as: Families
Activity Date: 2023/02/28
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Twilight Volcano Tour with Stargazing, Black Sand Beach & Coffee Farm

Wasabi Volcano Tour

Reviewed by: Julie, 2023/03/23

We really enjoyed our experience on this tour. Our tour guide, Aaron was very informative! I mean who better to have for a tour guide than a history teacher!! The only part that could use some improvement are the meals. We expected a meal with more substance.

Rating:
Attended as: Couples
Activity Date: 2023/03/14
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Big Island Highlights Tour - Volcano, Waterfalls, Black Sand Beach & Coffee Farm

Worth Every Penny

Reviewed by: Kara, 2023/03/22

Not only does it cover so many aspects of the island, you have an excellent guide the full time that makes you understand each area you are stopping at and the history!!

Comments from activity operators

Aloha Kara, and thanks for your kind words. We're glad you enjoyed the tour, and we thank you for choosing Kailani Tours!

Rating:
Attended as: Friends
Activity Date: 2023/03/22
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Big Island Highlights Tour - Volcano, Waterfalls, Black Sand Beach & Coffee Farm

Zachary

Reviewed by: Flora, 2023/03/09

Just want to say that my husband and I really enjoyed our tour with Zachary he was very knowledgeable and attentive with everyone in our group! Thank you!

Comments from activity operators

Aloha Flora,

Thank you for your review! We appreciate you picked Kailani to tour you around the island. Zachary is amazing, a very humble and knowledgable guide. Thanks again for posting, and we hope you enjoyed your time on the Big Island!

Rating:
Attended as: Couples
Activity Date: 2023/03/07
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Grand Circle Island Tour - Volcano, Black Sand Beach, Waipio Valley & Waterfalls

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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Twilight Volcano Tour with Stargazing, Black Sand Beach & Coffee Farm

Fun and Convenient Volcano Tour

Reviewed by: Katherine Y., 2023/01/12

This trip was such a convenient way to see Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. I think it can be a bit daunting when planning trips to the different islands for the first time especially considering location of places, terrain, the type of vehicle you may need, parking, and the length of the trip. So I would say this is a great way to get a taste for a bunch of different activities to do on the big island.

It will take about 13 hours to complete the whole trip and the temp will be warm during the day and cold at night so be prepared. Luckily the company does provide windbreakers and fleece jackets for the cooler temperatures. Our tour guide Aaron was great! He was very friendly and helpful. He is very knowledgeable about the history, environment, landscape, and so much more! Thanks so much for touring us around, Aaron. We appreciate it so much.

Rating:
Attended as: Families
Activity Date: 2023/01/10
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Twilight Volcano Tour with Stargazing, Black Sand Beach & Coffee Farm

Amazingly jaw dropping views of the volcanic eruption with a very knowledgeable and patient guide

Reviewed by: Gitika, 2023/01/07

Todd was great, he went out of his way to make it a great experience for us. He set up his own telescope for the group to get a good look at the stars and moon. He was very knowledgeable and extremely patient. We were also lucky enough to catch the eruption making the trip really great

Rating:
Attended as: Couples
Activity Date: 2023/01/06
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Big Island Highlights Tour - Volcano, Waterfalls, Black Sand Beach & Coffee Farm

Amazing Event

Reviewed by: Kara, 2022/11/21

You see everything on this tour!!! Delicious coffee!!

Comments from activity operators

Thank you Kara! We hope you had a wonderful experience and that your time on the island was amazing!

Rating:
Attended as: Couples
Activity Date: 2022/11/13
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Big Island Highlights Tour - Volcano, Waterfalls, Black Sand Beach & Coffee Farm

Fun!

Reviewed by: Kara, 2022/10/12

Jumped over to Bg Island for the day and this tour hit it all! Great experience

Rating:
Attended as: Couples
Activity Date: 2022/09/23
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Evening Volcano Tour from Hilo - Kalapana Village, Black Sand Beach & Dinner

Big island Tour

Reviewed by: Georgie, 2022/10/09

We had a great time on the tour. The description about black sand beacb was misleading we did t go there since it’s not anywhere near hilo but We got to see lava rocks, lava tubes and learned a lot about the National park and plants located on the island! Definitely recommend the tour

There is some hiking (up to 2 miles round trip) involved so definitely wear comfortable shoes and bring a jacket

Rating:
Attended as: Couples
Activity Date: 2022/10/06
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Twilight Volcano Tour with Stargazing, Black Sand Beach & Coffee Farm

Jammed Packed with Goodness

Reviewed by: Saunders 2022, 2022/09/30

This tour was jammed packed with fantastic activities and good information. Todd was our guide, and he was filled with lots of good information on the area and language. He is definitely the one you want around for star gazing as he has a formal education in astronomy. One word of caution--bring warm clothes and jacket! You are going to a higher elevation with trade winds, and it gets cold!! (even on the van)

Rating:
Attended as: Couples
Activity Date: 2022/09/28
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Big Island Highlights Tour - Volcano, Waterfalls, Black Sand Beach & Coffee Farm

Best tour ever!

Reviewed by: KellyB, 2022/09/19

Our driver was mike and he was awesome! The bus was a luxury bus with limited passengers. Mike was funny and personable and treated us like royalty. Set us up for breakfast and lunch, provided snacks and drinks, cold cloths and hot cloths when needed. Made sure we all got our Portuguese donuts without having to wait in line. Just all around awesome! The back sand beach and the crater on the volcanoes were amazing as well as walking through the lava tube. I 100 percent recommend this tour to anyone

Comments from activity operators

Aloha Kelly,
Thanks for posting a review, and we're thrilled you enjoyed your Big Island Circle Tour experience! Mike's awesome, so happy you thought so too. We hope you enjoyed the rest of your time on the island as well!

Rating:
Attended as: Couples
Activity Date: 2022/09/16
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Big Island Highlights Tour - Volcano, Waterfalls, Black Sand Beach & Coffee Farm

Awesome Day

Reviewed by: Kara, 2022/09/15

Filled with amazing views and places along the way. It really hits so many must dos on Big Island- worth every penny!

Comments from activity operators

Aloha Kara,
Thank you for your review! We appreciate your feedback and hope you had a wonderful time on the island!

Rating:
Attended as: Friends
Activity Date: 2022/09/08
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