All Reviews for Top Places to Visit in Hawaii

I'm so glad I participated! I encountered more than eight manta rays, and it seemed like it was a particularly lucky day for encounters. It was the best! I wasn't cold at all after borrowing a wetsuit! Thank you for the amazing experience!

めちゃくちゃ参加して良かったです！
8枚以上のマンタと出会えて 本当 この日は特に
遭遇率がラッキーな日だったみたいで最高でした♡
ウエットスーツを借りたら寒くもなかったです！
最高な体験をありがとうございました★

Frantastic. Trip could not have. Been better well worth the money

Trip was great captain Jon was funny/informative. Chelsea and Rachael were both awesome would definitely book again and look forward to seeing them all soon

Loved the event and tanner made it fun! They broight drinks and snacks, and we agree with rahguard shirts and a hat are great choices!

It was my first time kayaking, but I managed to move forward somehow. I went snorkeling, and I felt a bit anxious when I couldn't return to the kayak, but I somehow got back on board like a beached tuna. It was fun!

初めてのカヤックでしたが、なんとか前に進めました。
シュノーケリングをして、カヤックに戻るのができないので、一瞬不安になりましたが、打ち上げられたマグロのように乗り込んでなんとか戻れました。楽しかったです。

Since retiring at 65, my dream has been to fulfill my childhood longing for space by visiting Mauna Kea.

I spent two years planning under the conditions of a new moon during the off-season, thoroughly researching direct flight tours to the Big Island, and spent two weeks online looking into Mauna Kea tours before choosing Masashi's tour.

After witnessing the splendid sunset with the Subaru Telescope proudly glowing red, I was able to see the starry sky a little further down. However, clouds started to appear after a while, which was a bit concerning, but as Mr. Otaka suggested, waiting paid off as the skies cleared beautifully.

Everyone says it’s like a planetarium, and I thought it couldn’t be that great, but it truly felt like a planetarium.

Additionally, the Leonids meteor shower coincided with our visit, providing the best conditions with occasional shooting stars and the Milky Way.

From the moment I got into the welcoming car, Mr. Otaka's high-energy tour began. I bombarded him with various questions during the ride, and he provided precise answers that were far superior to what I found in books or online, which greatly benefited my travels in the following days.

Thank you very much.

65歳でリタイアしてからの夢は、
少年のころからの宇宙への憧れを、
マウナケアに行って満たすことでした。

2年かけて新月でシーズンオフの条件で計画し、
ハワイ島直行便ツアーを調べつくし、
2週間ネットでマウナケアツアーを調べつくして、
マサシさんのツアーを選びました。

スバル天文台が誇らしげに赤く輝く極上の夕陽を見た後、
少し下った所で星空が見えました。
が、暫くして雲が出て来てやや危なかったですが、
大高さんの言う通りに待つときれいに晴れてきました。

皆さんまるでプラネタリウムと言うけれど、
そこまでは無いでしょうと思ってましたが、
本当にプラネタリウム見たいでした。

さらにしし座流星群も重なり、
時折の流れ星と天の川最高の条件でした。

迎えの車に乗った時から大高さんのハイなツアーが始まり、
車中で様々な質問を浴びせましたが、
本やネットとは別格の的確な答えをいただき
翌日以降の旅にとっても良かったです。

ありがとうございました。

My wife and I were celebrating our Honeymoon in Hawaii and were lucky enough to have a full day of entertainment with this tour! The Big Island can require a lot of driving time to get to see the numerous sights it has to offer. The tour we booked provided us with an experience I know we would not have gotten on our own. I cannot speak anymore highly of our awesome Tour Guide Jim Carey (I know and yes he has the same name). He made the whole experience that much more memorable by his genuine appreciation for Hawaiian culture. He was extremely knowledgeable about EVERYTHING which made the tour in depth and interactive. His added commentary was great while visiting the waterfalls and volcano. The day flew by and we were continuously more and more impressed with everything the tour offered. The provided lunch and dinner were both delicious. Every part of the day flowed very well and it was capped off by our last stop back at the volcano to stargaze. We were able to set up the telescope and see the lava erupting in the volcano! I definitely would recommend this tour to anyone and everyone and I can't thank our tour guide enough. Jim made the whole experience 10 times better! Thanks Jim!

After a self-guided drive and tour of the Haleakala volcano in Maui, I decided to let a professional do the drive from Kona to the Kilauea National Park. After reading many of the TRIP ADVISOR reviews (97% excellent), I felt confident this was the tour for my wife and I. It did not disappoint! I hate bus tours because it seems you spend half your day loading and unloading the 50+ passenger buses. Our 11 person tour allowed us to spend much longer times at each wonderful stop with no pressure. Our guide, Kevin Hasting, just said “Come back when you have seen enough.” Fantastic! In addition, Kevin had an encyclopedic knowledge of Hawaiian culture, lifestyle, history, geography, ecology, you name it. He was also an excellent storyteller between stops which made this tour a unique and personal adventure. Lastly, Kevin was so proficient at navigating the Eastern Coast, Hilo area and park that he was somehow able to adjust his routes and timing to avoid the many rain squalls and downpours common to this area. I cannot say enough about how great this tour is. Don’t drive yourself, you will miss so much. One piece of advice. Take some warm clothes with you as it gets cold at night at the high elevations. I carried a light windbreaker jacket, a hoodie, a knit cap and a pair of pullover slacks to put on at night. I ended up giving my hoodie to a fellow passenger to wear who was shivering. The tour does provide emergency blankets and jackets.

My girlfriend broke her ankle trying to go snorkeling so going again was out for us. The next best thing or better even was this tour; Kat, our guide, answered every one of our questions and it was super fun! We saw all kinds of critters and fish and it felt like you were under the waves yourself! Clear and colorful! I’d do it again, and the price was the most reasonable of all the activities we’ve tried so far on the Big Island ;)

It was my first experience riding a horse, but I got used to it in about 30 minutes. The guide was flexible and provided support throughout the ride. Since we walked along narrow paths in the valley, the horse stopped to drink water and eat grass along the way, and we even passed by cars, which helped me improve my reins handling. They also took some great photos.

The meeting point was quite far and hard to find. I was a bit nervous during the journey, but somehow I understood the pickup fee.

乗馬初体験でしたが30分ほどで慣れてきました。
ガイドの方が前後について、臨機応変にサポートしてくれました。渓谷の細い道を歩くので途中で馬が水を飲んだり草を食べたり、途中で車とすれ違うことも、おかげで手綱さばきも上手くなりました。いい写真も撮ってくれました。
集合場所は遠くわかりづらいですね
道中ハラハラドキドキ、ピックアップの料金になぜか納得しました？

Had a great time with beautiful surroundings and very cooperative horses!!! Would definitely do it again.

This was my second trip up to the summit of Mauna Kea for the Sunset & Stargazing Adventure. The drive up this time was smoother than the first, thankfully, and our guide was excellent. You could tell he was well-informed on all the topics he discussed. The catered Hawaiian dinner was very tasty, and in sufficient quantity to satisfy a good appetite. The only drawback this time was that the clock-drive on the telescope was not working, which took away from our ability to look at celestial objects at high magnification. I recommend this trip, and also that the tour company repair their clock drives!

After eating lunch at the Onizuka Visitor Center, we put on our warm clothing and were about to head to the summit when the road to the summit was closed due to snow and icy conditions. I understand that this is nature, and it can't be helped, but I have questions about the subsequent handling of the situation.

We were left at Onizuka for over 30 minutes without any explanation, then we were taken back to the car and descended. Just when I thought, "Are we going home like this?" we returned to the parking lot at 2000 meters, received a refund of $15 per person, and were left waiting again...? When I checked with the guide, I was told, "We descended because you can't see the sunset from Onizuka."

Of course, due to the thick clouds, we couldn't see the sunset, and after being taken back to the car, I was wondering, "What will happen next?" We returned to the dark Onizuka, and when we arrived, the driver and guide left us in the car and went outside. We were left in the cramped car for about 30 minutes, still in our warm clothing, without any explanation. Everyone started expressing their dissatisfaction, saying things like "It's hot," "What will happen next?" and "I want to get out of the car." Finally, the guide returned and let us out.

There seemed to be about 25 of us on the tour with two cars. During that time, I was quite irritated by the sound of the guides laughing outside.

After that, they used a laser pointer to explain the constellations against a sky where only three stars were visible due to the thick clouds, but at that point, I just wanted to go back to the hotel. Since our time on the Big Island is limited, I think it would be better to have the option to descend instead of forcing a tour that can't do anything.

Our guide had the stance of "Please ask anything if you have questions," so perhaps I should have asked more questions, but since it was a change in the tour itinerary, I would have appreciated explanations each time. More than being unable to go to the summit due to the weather, I was most disappointed with the guide's handling of the situation.

I heard that on 90% of the days, you can reach the summit, but on 10% of the days, you cannot. I was told that in January of this year, there were more than ten consecutive days when the summit was inaccessible. I think it's better for those who are looking forward to it to understand in advance that there may be disappointing outcomes.

オニズカビジターセンターでお弁当を食べた後、
防寒着を着込み、これから山頂へ・・・というところで、
雪と路面凍結の為に、山頂への道がクローズされました。
自然のことなので仕方がないのは理解できますが、
その後の対応に疑問が残ります。

何の説明もないまま３０分以上オニズカで放置状態、
その後車に戻されて下山「このまま帰るの？」と思ったら、
２０００Ｍのパーキングまで戻り、１人－１５ドルの返金を受け、また放置状態・・・？
ガイドに確認すると「オニズカでは日の入りが見れないから下山した」とのこと。

もちろん雲が厚く日の入りを見ることはできず、また車に戻されて、
「これからどうなるの？」って思っていたら、また真っ暗なオニズカに戻り、
着いたらドライバー兼ガイドは私たちを残したまま車外に出てしまい、
３０分くらい狭い車の中で、防寒着を着たまま何の説明もなく放置され、
みんなが「暑い」「これからどうなるの？」「車から出たい」など、
それぞれが不満を口にするようになったところで、
やっとガイドが帰ってきて車外へ出してくれました。
私たちのツアーは車２台で２５名前後いたように思います。
その間、車外から聞こえるガイド同士の笑い声にかなりイラっとしました。

その後、厚い雲で３個しか星が見えない空に向かって、レーザーポインターを使って
星座の説明をして下さいましたが、こんなことならさっさとホテルに帰りたかったです。
ハワイ島の滞在時間はわずかなので、何にもできないツアーを無理に継続するのではなく、
ツアー客の多数決を取るなりして、下山するという選択肢もあっていいと思います。

私たちのガイドは「質問があったら何でも聞いて下さい」というスタンスだったので、
こちらが何度も質問すればよかったのかも知れませんが、
ツアー自体の行程変更なので、その都度説明をしていただきたかったです。
天候で山頂に行けなかったことより、御社のガイドの対応が一番残念でした。

９割の日は山頂まで行けるけど、１割の日は行けないことがあるそうです。
今年の１月は１０日以上山頂に行けない日が続いたそうです。
楽しみにしていても残念な結果になることがあることを、
事前に納得して参加された方がいいと思います。

Such a nice way to be greeted! The company called in advance to make sure the flight info was accurate.

When we gathered, the guide mentioned that on the same tour a few days prior, they hadn't encountered any dolphins, which made me a bit worried. However, we were lucky to see many dolphins!

After heading out to sea, I learned that usually, they swim slowly towards where the dolphins are, but that day, there were unusually many dolphins coming towards us.

While we were fortunate, I believe it was also thanks to the guide who chose that location. The guide decides where to wait for the dolphins.

The boat ride took about 30 to 40 minutes, but the guide shared various stories about the Big Island, dolphins, and whales, making the journey enjoyable. It was also nice that it wasn't a large group tour, but rather a small one. Thank you very much.

集合したときガイドさんに、私が参加した数日前の同じツアーでは全くイルカに出会えなかったと聞いて心配になりましたが、運よくたくさんのイルカに会えました。
沖にでてからも、いつもはイルカのいるほうへ少しずつ泳いで移動するそうですが、その日はいつになくたくさんのイルカが来てくれてたそうで、イルカのほうから寄ってきてくれる感じでした。

運もよかったですが、その場所を選んでくれたガイドさんのおかげでもあると思います。どのあたりでイルカを待つかはガイドさんの判断だそうです。

船での移動は30～40分ほどありましたが、ガイドさんもハワイ島やイルカやクジラのいろんな話をしてくれたので、移動中も楽しく過ごせました。一度に大勢参加するツアーではなく少人数でのツアーだったのもよかったです。
ありがとうございました。

This was one of the best tours ever! The high lite was the star gazing, holy cow was it fantastic!

John was super helpful, never surfed before and rode quite a few waves during the lesson. Very positive, upbeat, and skilled! Had a blast!

Three manta rays appeared and circled around us, which was exciting. Two family members got seasick and seemed to need motion sickness medication. The boat was fast, and since it was nighttime, it was quite a unique experience. There was no explanation for snorkeling, so those who are not accustomed to it might panic, especially since it was in the pitch dark sea, and there were elderly people who seemed to be in distress. It might be worth considering this more carefully. I was fine since I am a diver, but for those who are not familiar with marine sports, the spray from the boat constantly hitting their faces could be tough. After it was over, despite being cold, we were handed cold bottled water. The Japanese staff were cheerful and very kind, and I enjoyed our conversations. At the end, there was an explanation about tips, and I had prepared some, but when I got off the boat and changed, there were no staff left as they had already left for the next tour. This meant I had to prepare the tip while feeling cold and drenched, which was a bit challenging considering I had a lot of luggage.

３枚のマンタが現れて、周りを旋回してくれて、エキサイティングでした。
家族が２名船に酔ってしまいました。酔いどめが必要なようです。
ボートは高速で、夜ですし、なかなかできない経験です。
シュノーケルの説明などないので、シュノーケルに慣れていない方は、
真っ暗の中の海なので、パニックになっているご老人がいらっしゃいました。
よく検討されたほうがよいかも。私はダイバーだったので、大丈夫でしたが、
マリンスポーツに親しんでいない方だと、ボートの海のしぶきが顔に
かかりっぱなしですし、つらいかも。終わったあとに寒いのに、冷たい
ペットボトルが渡されました。
日本人のスタッフは明るくて大変親切で会話が楽しかったです。
最後にチップの説明があり、用意もしていたのですが、
船から降りて着替えたら、もう、スタッフはだれもいなくて次の
ツアーにでかけていました。
そうすると、びちゃびちゃのさむーい下船のグロッキーなときに
チップを用意しないとですが、、、普通に考えると、荷物も多いし、
難しかったかな？と思います。

We had a great time in our trip. Our guide jeff was fantastic and took the time to make sure everyone had a great night. Highly recommend this trip.

What a wonderful evening. The cruise was great. The crew was extremely attentive and helpful. The live music was excellent. And I enjoyed seeing the sites. I would definitely take this cruise again.

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.

It was a tour that my husband, who loves the ocean and animals, had been longing for. The large rubber boat we boarded just before it got dark was thrilling, almost making us feel like we would be thrown off due to the speed and waves, but we all arrived at our destination while squealing with excitement. We quickly grabbed onto a long float and began observing the mantas. As we floated still, mantas came one after another, starting to spin while opening their large mouths incredibly close to us. I had never seen such a sight! It was breathtaking. While waiting patiently for the mantas, I felt a bit of chill, but when they came close, I forgot the cold and was completely captivated. I think this is definitely an experience you should have when visiting the Big Island of Hawaii.

海と動物が好きな夫が切望していたツアーでした。暗くなる直前に乗り込んだ大型ゴムボートはスピードと波で振り落とされそうなほどスリリングでしたが、乗客皆でキャーキャー言いながら目的の場所に着きました。すぐに長い浮きに捕まってのマンタ見学となり、じっと浮いているとマンタが次から次へとやってきて、信じられないほど近くで大きな口を開けながらクルクルと回転しはじめました。こんな光景は見たことない！感激でした。ジッとマンタを待っているときはちょっと寒さが沁みてきますが、マンタが近くに来てくれたら寒さも忘れて見入ってしまいました。ハワイ島に行ったら是非体験するべきオプションかと思います。

The manta ray came close enough for me to see its face, body, and mouth, and while I shouldn't touch it, it got within touching distance... I was scared, but I had an amazing time observing the manta ray.

マンタの顔、身体、口全てにおいて近くまで接近してきて、触ってはいけないのですが、向こうから触れる距離に来てしまい・・・
怖かったですが、すごい楽しくマンタを見ることができました。

If you go thinking it's a touristy show in Honolulu, you might be a bit disappointed. The dinner didn't quite suit my taste either. Since the prices aren't exactly cheap, I think next time I'll book shows in Honolulu instead. It was outdoors, so it was very windy and cold at night. Honestly, I felt like I wanted to spend my time and money on something different.

ホノルルの観光客向けのショー的な感じと思って行くとちょっとがっかりするかも。ディナーもちょっと私の口には合わなかったです。値段も決して安いわけではないので、同じ払うなら、次回から、ショー関係はホノルルで予約すると思います。屋外であったので、とても風が強く、夜も寒かった。正直、もっと違うことに時間とお金を使いたいなと思いました。

We had a total of 8 participants ranging from 6 to 70 years old. Everyone was a beginner at kayaking, and we were quite worried, but the 4 kayaks smoothly paddled out into the Pacific Ocean and safely made the round trip to the cave. We were blessed with clear weather and everyone enjoyed snorkeling together. The guide was very kind and took great care of us.

6歳から70歳まで総勢8人で参加。カヤックは全員初心者でとても心配でしたが、4隻のカヤックは順調に太平洋に漕ぎ出し無事洞窟往復できました。晴天に恵まれシュノーケルもみんなで楽しめました。
ガイドさんはとても親切で大変お世話になりました。

When we arrived at Sheraton's Point, we saw the shadow of a manta ray and immediately jumped into the water, but it never showed up. We held onto a flat rope while waiting, but it swayed with the waves and moved below, so it wasn't much support. Eventually, I grabbed onto the board directly. I was only breathing through my mouth, swaying up and down and side to side, and after half of the people got seasick and gave up to return to the boat, a few manta rays finally passed by, and that was the end of it. I chose a company that allows you to participate again if you don't encounter manta rays, but since I did see a few, I consider it a graduation of sorts. People who participated with two other companies on the same day said, "As soon as we got in the water, a manta did a flip right in front of us," and "We saw so many," which made it even more disappointing that we didn't have a day with manta rays. There were clouds on the horizon, and we were unlucky enough not to see the sunset, which was highly rated in the reviews.

シェラトン沖のポイントに着くとマンタの影が見え、すぐ海に入りましたが、その後一向に現れませんでした。
平たい紐に掴まって待ちますが、波にユラユラ漂うし下にも動くので支えにならず、途中からボードに直接掴まりました。
口呼吸のみで上下左右に揺られ続け、半数の人が気分が悪くなりギブアップして船に戻った後、ようやく数枚のマンタが通過して行き終了。
マンタに遭遇出来なかったら再度参加出来る会社を選びましたが、一応見られたので卒業。
同じ日に別の2社で参加した人達は「海に入るや否やマンタが鼻先で宙返りした」「いっぱい見られました」と言っており、マンタがいなかった日ではない所がさらに残念です。
水平線に雲が懸かっていて、クチコミで評判の夕日さえ見られないという運の悪さでした。

I arrived at the port an hour early and while I was walking in the beautiful park by the coast, I was able to see two sea turtles basking in the sun. I highly recommend it. There was apparently only one manta ray, but it was amazing how it flipped and came right in front of me multiple times.

1時間早く港に着いて海岸にあるきれいな公園を散歩してたら甲羅干ししてるウミガメ2匹を見ることができました。おすすめです。マンタは1匹だったらしいですが、宙返りして何回も目の前にやって来るのがすごかったです。

It was mostly cloudy, and unfortunately, we could hardly see the sunset or the starry sky. The tour guide was bright and cheerful, which was satisfying. However, we couldn't win against nature...

ほとんどが曇っていて、夕陽をはじめ星空はほとんど観測できず、残念。添乗員の方は、明るく元気で満足。ただ、自然には勝てず・・・。

If you have the opportunity to visit Hawaii and the big island is on your agenda, the tour to the top of Mauna Kea is a must do !! The journey up and down the mountain is exhilarating, the views on the way up, stunning and the views from the top at sunset - unforgettable!!!!
Of course the weather gods can have their say and you could be unlucky.
Very impressed by the capability of our driver Joe who also made our star gazing even more memorable with his explanations and knowledge. You will leave with an impression of how “special” it is to visit the top of Mauna Kea and with an understanding of why the Hawaiian people see it as a place to be treated with respect

It takes a long time to get on the horse. We went down the valley in a four-wheel drive vehicle, and it was quite an old car! The engine warning light was on, which was a bit scary.
The horses are well-trained, so it's safe. Even beginners will be fine.
Also, you can't go to the bathroom for about three hours. Just a heads up. Plus, the bathroom you can use before that is really dirty!

馬に乗るまでが長い。渓谷を四駆で下っていきます。しかも結構年季の入った車！エンジンの警告灯がついていたし、ちょっと怖かったです。
馬は調教されていて安心です。初心者でも大丈夫です。
それから3時間くらいトイレに行けません。注意です。しかも、その前に行けるトイレめっちゃ汚い！