All Reviews for Kilauea Volcano, Big Island

It was my first time on a helicopter, and it was exciting. The pilot provided explanations in Japanese, which was helpful. Well, since it was volcanic activity, it couldn't be helped, but I didn't get to see the red lava of Kilauea. Also, it wasn't a landing tour to the waterfall, but I was hoping to see it, so I was a bit disappointed.

ヘリコプターの初搭乗なこともありますが、エキサイティングでした。パイロットさんが日本語でも解説してくれたので、助かりました。まあ、火山活動なので仕方ないですが、キラウエアの赤い溶岩は見られませんでした。あと、滝への着陸ツアーではありませんが、見られると思っていたので少し残念です。

Great day, we got lucky to get to see the current ruption! What a perfect experience.

The Big Island is so beautiful and to wrap up at Mauna Kea- the perfect tour!!

Brett was an excellent tour guide. Funny engaging and informative. It is a long day as the island is rather large. Greenwell Farms (coffee farm) was our first stop. Excellent coffee! Brett explained the growing and harvesting process, followed by tasting and souvenir purchases. Then on to the Punalu'u sweetbread bakery for treats. I lived the Lilikoi flavored pastry. Nice gift shop also. Next stop was Punalu'u black sand beach with a bonus sleeping turtle. Quick provided tasty lunch at a shady state park. Next into Volcano National Park. Brett has fantastic volcano pics. Kilauea was steeming and erupted hours later. Traveled down a large lava tube, very cool. Huge old lava fields. Next on to Rainbow falls and majestic Akaka falls on the East side of the island. On the North end, we visited Waipi'o lookout for sunset. It was along day, but excellent. Strongly recommend. Brett made the trip very enjoyable.

While flying over the vast skies of the Big Island, the lack of changing scenery was a bit disappointing, but I enjoyed the views of Kilauea Volcano and the coastline. I had hoped to see lava around Kilauea Volcano, but unfortunately, that didn't happen.

ハワイ島の広大な上空をフライトしている時は、風景の変化も乏しく、少し期待外れのところもありましたが、キラウエア火山、海岸線等では、楽しめました。キラウエア火山周辺では、溶岩等が見えることも期待していましたが、残念でした。

There were 13 participants, including 10 travelers from the mainland United States and us, but the guide made an effort to speak Japanese when talking to us, which showed consideration and allowed us to enjoy the tour.

アメリカ本土からの旅行者10人と私たちとで13人の参加でしたが案内のドライバーが私たちと話す時には極力日本語を使ってくれ、気遣いが感じられ、楽しくツアーをすることが出来ました。

The Grand Circle Island tour is a great way to have a compact adventure all in one day. It was full of beautiful scenic views of cliffsides, beaches, cooled lava formations, waterfalls, volanic crater, and so much more. You experience a hike through a rainforest with some inclines at times, volcanic steam vents that feel like you're in a sauna, turtle viewing at Black Sand beach, cliffsides overlooking crashing waves, a coffee harvesting & processing walkthrough, a lava tube cave, and much more. Some hikes can be a bit challenging if you have mobility problems but our tour guide Brent is so accommodating and on the HNP Kilauea hike, you can ride along with him to the top of the viewing area if you're not able to do the short walk. Additionally, Brent is not just a tour guide, he will transport you to another time. He wove an amazing storytelling of Native Hawaiin history into the scenic mountains, beaches, historical battleground sites, trees, buildings, fantastical stories, and rich cultural backdrop. I walked away with a deep appreciation for how the Hawaiian island and culture came to be. This was an amazing way to experience the island!

Your in the bus for a long rides but the sights are all beautiful!

A really well planned day, we really wanted to stargaze so was super happy we got the day tour + the evening

After leaving the hotel, we had lunch at Punalu'u Bake Shop. There is a small shop and restrooms available. We enjoyed the lunch we ordered and then set off. At Black Sand Beach, we saw a few sea turtles. After that, we stopped by a Kona coffee shop, but there were no small souvenirs available, so we decided not to buy anything. They do offer various samples for tasting.

Finally, we entered the Volcano National Park. We took a short break at the Kīlauea Visitor Center. They informed us about souvenir magnets, restrooms, and smoking areas, so we took a moment to relax. We visited the Kilauea Overlook to see the crater. There was a bit of smoke rising, but there was no eruption. Apparently, it was impressive last year, and we were shown some videos. We enjoyed watching the steam vents releasing smoke for a bit. After that, we were guided to several spots within the national park. We ended with a break at Volcano House Hotel.

After that, there was supposed to be dinner and a night tour... but it didn't happen. We returned to the hotel, and it seems there are no night tours currently since there is no eruption. If you expect a night tour when booking this tour, you might be disappointed, so please be cautious. If you're hoping for a night experience, I think it's better to check in advance with a place that can accommodate you in Japanese. Overall, it was nice to get a general tour of Kīlauea Volcano.

ホテルを出発して、プナルウ ベイク ショップでランチ。
ちょっとした売店とトイレがあります。
頼んでいた昼食を頂き、出発。
黒砂海岸では、ウミガメが数匹いました。
その後、コナコーヒーのショップに寄りましたが、お土産用に小さいのが無く、購入を断念。
試飲では色々頂けます。

いよいよ、火山公園に突入。
キラウエア ビジターセンターでちょっと休憩。
お土産のマグネットと、トイレ、喫煙場所を教えて頂き、一服。
Kilauea Overlookで火口を観光。
ちょっと煙が上がってましたが、噴火はしていません。
昨年はすごかったらしく、動画で見せて頂きました。
スチーム・ベンツで煙が上がるのをちょっと鑑賞。
その後、火山公園内を数か所案内して頂きました。
最後にボルケーノ ハウス ホテルで休憩。

その後に、夕食と夜のツアー。。。？なし？
そのまま、ホテルに戻って終了。
いまは噴火していないからか、夜のツアーはありません。
それを期待して、このツアーを申し込むとがっかりしますので、ご注意を。
夜を期待するならば、日本語で対応可能な所に、事前に確認した方が良いと思います。
ただまあ、キラウエア火山をざっくりと回ることが出来たのは良かったです。

Really easy way to get to see so many fabulous spots around the Big Island without needing to drive and look at directions all day!!

We expected a better guide around the park then just an app but the bikes were in good condition

For the tour departing at 10:30, we needed to arrive at the heliport an hour in advance. The heliport is located near Waikoloa. We arrived at 9:30, checked in, and then watched a video. When the time came, we took a tour of the Big Island, flying counterclockwise. It was about a two-hour helicopter tour. The pilot, who is from Massachusetts, provided guidance in a mix of Japanese and English. There were a total of seven of us on board: four Japanese, the pilot, and two Americans. It was very helpful that the guide spoke Japanese.

十時三十分出発のツアーで一時間前までにヘリポートに行く必要がある。ヘリポートはワイコロア近くにある。九時半に到着してチェックインしてから、ビデオを見た。時間になりハワイ島を左回りに一周した。約二時間のﾍﾘﾂｱｰ。マサチューセッツ州出身の操縦士が日本語と英語を混ぜながら案内してくれた。登場したのは我々日本人四人と操縦士とアメリカ人二人の合計七人。ガイドは日本語を話せるのでとても助かった。

This day may be long, but you get to see all the island and find spots you want to go back and see more! The stargazing was unreal!!

We thoroughly enjoyed the Grand Circle Island Tour. We had the opportunity to visit so many different parts of the island and experience the true beauty of the Big Island. The tour was well planned and Neil was an amazing host!
I definitely recommend that all visitors try this tour at least once!

I participated in a helicopter tour of the Big Island! The pilot was Toshi, who recently became a grandfather and has semi-retired. I felt very lucky to meet Toshi on this trip!

From the moment we headed to the helicopter, my excitement soared, and it reached its peak during takeoff! I was moved by the breathtaking natural beauty of the Big Island spread out below me.

The landing and takeoff at the cliffs of Kohala Coast and the 365-meter drop of Punalu'u Falls were absolutely thrilling!

As I flew, reflecting on the history from the birth of the Big Island to the present, I was reminded of how short and precious life is.

It was truly priceless! I highly recommend it!

ビッグアイランドのヘリコプター遊覧ツアーに参加しました！パイロットはToshiさん、お孫さんが産まれて、セミリタイアされたとの事。今回、Toshiさんにお会い出来たのは、非常にラッキーでした！
ヘリに向かう時からテンションが上がり、テイクオフでMAXに到達！眼下に広がるビッグアイランドの大自然に感動しました(^^)
特にコハラ海岸の断崖絶壁と、落差365mのプナルルの滝へのランディング&テイクオフは迫力満点でした！
ビッグアイランドの誕生から今に至る迄の、歴史に思いを馳せながらのフライトは、人の一生が如何に短く、如何に大切か、改めて感じる事が出来ました！
正にプライスレス！！お勧めです(^^)

The pilot was Toshi Mochizuki! With his warm and passionate guidance, we discovered the true charm of the Big Island of Hawaii! Thank you so much, Toshi!

パイロットは望月トシさんでした！
彼のあたたかく、そして熱い案内で、わたし達はハワイ島の本当の魅力を知りました！トシさんホントにホントにありがとうございました！！

This was such an amazing experience that I hardly know where to begin.

I can't say enough about Jen, who was our guide. From the moment we met her at 7:30 am (she was early to pick up near our residence) until she dropped us back home ~12 hours later, she made the trip such a positive experience. She was very personable and easy for my husband and I to chat with us as we made the ~1.5 hr drive to pick up the rest of the passengers in Hilo.

She was constantly pointing out areas of interest and sharing background information and context so that we could fully appreciate the sights of the Volcano park.

The 3 mile hike was great, and it was so interesting to spend time on the caldera floor, although I will admit that the trek back up truly tested my stamina!

All in all, an amazing day!

Great experience. Our tour guide Grant is top notch. His knowledge on the everything the big island and particularly the volcanoes was impressive and he makes it so much fun. Highly recommend if never have explored the big island before.

Our guide for the tour was Grover. What a wonderful, knowledgeable kind man.
Volcano National Park is beautiful and lush with an abundance of plant life. Stunning scenery of the volcano and caldera.
Learnt so much about volcanoes, how they have formed, how they behave with earth tremors/quakes, eruptions and the that island continues to grow because of them.
Grover spoiled us by taking us to a couple unplanned locations such as the Lava Tubes, Rainbow Falls and Steam Vents
Highly recommend this tour and especially if you’re lucky enough to have Grover as your tour guide.

While it may be a lack of research on my part, I would like to see a review of the tour promotion that prominently features nighttime photos of volcanic craters. It would be helpful to clearly inform participants that this is a tour where you generally won't see magma erupting from the volcano. Although it seems there is a note mentioning this, it only states that "it may not be visible," which gives the impression that it's a minor possibility. However, upon arriving at the site, it becomes clear that the chance of actually seeing it is quite rare and would be considered very lucky.

下調べ不足といえばそこまでだが、夜間の火山火口の写真を前面に出したツアー募集は見直して欲しい。基本的には火山からマグマが出るなんて見れないツアーということは通知しておいて欲しい。注意書きにその旨を書いているようだが、注意書きだけ見ると「見れない場合がある」程度の表記だか、現地に来ると「見れたら相当にラッキー」という確率の話。

On the day, it rained, and it was cold, making the conditions terrible. The woman in charge explained everything clearly and patiently, providing instructions on handling the bike and setting up the navigation for us, who do not understand English. I would like to try again on a nice day.

当日は雨が降り、寒くなりコンデションは最悪でした。
担当した女性の方は分かりやすく、英語のわからない私達にバイクの取り扱いの説明、ナビの設定など丁寧に説明してくれました。
天気の良い日に再度チャレンジしたい。

I felt like I got to see all the best spots of Big Island on this 1 day tour!

This is one of the best tour I had, the driver always take care of you even if you Re late lol.
But it was an amazing experience you can meet new people and have a great time, I would do it again when I come back to kona!

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.

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.

It was a great days long adventures around the island. I would highly recommend it!

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.

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

This tour was the highlight of my families trip. The tour was amazing and our guide was knowledgeable and friendly. He was happy to answer all of my children's questions.