All Reviews for Sightseeing / Guided Tours

Very comfortable bus with a bathroom. Our driver Larry provided a plethora of information about Oahu and Pearl Harbor. Highly recommend both the Arizona and Missouri tours. Take the guided tour on the Missouri as the guide will point out many facts and stories you would not otherwise learn. Food stands at the Missouri are much better than what's available at the Arizona so if you want to snack hold off until you get to the Missouri. This was a great tour and I highly recommend it!

Great food, great service. The only thing I might add is to provide something to crack open the lobster

Before horseback riding, I had an early lunch of garlic shrimp. BIG WAVE is far from the meeting point near Matsumoto Shave Ice, so I had to finish lunch within an hour while exploring Haleiwa Town, which made for a rather rushed meal. It was good that it wasn't crowded, but it took some time for the order to be ready, and I wished I could have taken a bit more time.

The horseback riding felt relaxed as I enjoyed the view of the ocean. I was able to see a sea turtle sleeping on the beach during the ride.

乗馬の前に早めのランチでガーリックシュリンプを食べました。BIG　WAVEは集合場所のマツモトシェイブアイス付近から遠いためハレイワタウン散策１時間でランチを済まして集合は時間的に厳しくかなりあわただしい食事になりました。空いていたからよかったけど、注文してできあがるまで時間もかかるしもう少し時間をとれればなあと思いました。
乗馬は海を眺めながらのんびりという感じでした。乗馬中に浜辺で寝ているウミガメ見れました。

My husband and I took our first trip to Hawai'i (O'ahu) and decided to take this Grand Circle Island tour so we could get a quick summary of some of the many sites to see and explore later on, when we have more time. Our tour guide, Lei-Hua, was definitely a local and she was able to share her vast personal knowledge and experiences of O'ahu with our group, which helped to make it even more special for us! Not just some regular tour guide that points out stuff and tells you what it is. Lei added her own personal touch to all the landmarks and then some!

I'm not sure if folks can specifically request their tour guide, but if you take this tour and it happens to be Lei-Hua, then you are in for a treat!

Sean was a wonderful guide. Being a native to Oahu, he was knowledgeable about anything we wanted to know. He was friendly and polite and made sure that we saw the things that were important to us. I would highly recommend this tour. Ask for Sean!

This was a last minute thing that we decided to do - and we're sure glad that we did.
Was a great night with good food and good entertainment to follow. Rose was our server and what a fantastic job she did, she had a number of tables to look after (as servers do over there) yet she gave intimate tables of two just as much as large group tables.
Overall a well run experience from pickup to drop off couldn't fault it at all

The tour guide was wonderful lots of stories funny and knew lots of history. I enjoyed the Polynesian Cultural Center as well all the different cultures was interesting and fun at the same time. Great time for the whole day of staying busy.

Entertainment was great. There was always something going on if you don't be careful you will miss the sunrise. I was beautiful.

My daughters and I had a great time The tour bus picked us up on time . The tour guide /driver provided us a lot of information and history about the island, restaurants and all important sites we drive by . He was was funny too . He answered every ones questions.He allowed us enough time for breaks and photos. We had an amazing time at the Waterfall, my youngest had a foot surgery last year and she can’t walk too fast , we where having a great time swimming in the waterfall pool that we lost track of time . We had 15 minutes to make back to the bus , knowing my youngest can’t walk too fast or run my oldest said “ I’ll have him wait mom “ and took off running ( she runs track and cross country) . We had to be back by 12pm , we ( my youngest and I) made by 12:05 , My oldest daughter was happy the driver waited for us , we all were :). Then we drove to the snorkeling site , the tide was low and it was too rocky, I have never snorkel and I’m not a great swimmer, so we walked up to do some shopping and had a fresh coconut. We made our last stop at Haleiwa, the driver recommended some restaurants . The girls and I had a wonderful time , we ate and did some shopping. He was on time to pick us up . On the way back to the hotel we were tired and feel asleep. Overall we had a great time, we visited a few places and I didn’t have to drive through all that traffic I feel bad I forgot the drivers name , He was knowledgeable and I felt safe with him behind the wheel while the girls and I enjoy the activities and sites . The only reason I didn’t rate outstanding is because the snorkeling was not fun , the waves were too strong and the tide was too low , too rocky, but no one can really control that :)

We went for my daughter's graduation, we had a great time. The food was ok, but the performances and audience involvement made up for it. My kids really enjoyed it! The sunset was amazing!!! This is a must do activity.

This was my first trip to Hawaii for our honeymoon. We chose this tour because it seemed like a great fit for both my athletic partner and my less coordinated self. There was a little hiccup at the hotel that morning, but the tour company responded quickly, and we were able to join the tour without any issues. Our guide was a Japanese man who kept us entertained with explanations of the scenery and quizzes during the drive.

The North Shore sightseeing allowed us to visit the places we wanted, so we took photos at the popular Instagram spot with the wings and visited Matsumoto Shave Ice. Unfortunately, there were no sea turtles at Turtle Beach, but it had a different atmosphere from Waikiki, and we enjoyed the scenery.

The much-anticipated horseback riding was led by a staff member, and we rode in a line along the beach and through the forest for 45 minutes. It seemed like they chose horses based on the participants' types; the horse I rode was very smart, carefully going down steps and staying in line. My partner's horse, on the other hand, was a bit mischievous, immediately going for grass and not keeping a consistent distance from the others (laughs). The staff also took photos with their phones during the ride. It was an amazing experience to hold the reins while gazing at the ocean.

On the way back, we stopped at a macadamia nut souvenir shop where we could crack and eat macadamia nuts ourselves, and there were various flavored nuts that I bought as souvenirs. We arrived back at the hotel by 3:30 PM, allowing us to spend our evening meaningfully. This tour was very satisfying, offering not only horseback riding but also sightseeing!

ハネムーンで初ハワイ。スポーツ万能な彼と運動音痴な私がお互い楽しめそう、と選んだのがこのツアー。当日の朝ホテルでハプニングがありましたが、ツアー会社の方が俊敏に対応して下さり無事ツアーに参加することが出来ました。アテンドさんは日本人男性で、車中から見える景色の説明やクイズなどをして下さり道中も退屈せずに過ごせました。ノースショア 観光はそれぞれが行きたい場所へ行けるので、インスタ人気の羽の壁で写真を撮ったり、マツモトシェイブアイスへ行きました。ウミガメビーチでは残念ながらウミガメは居ませんでしたがワイキキとは又違った雰囲気のビーチで景色だけでも楽しめました。お待ちかねの乗馬ですが、係の方を先頭に一列になって浜辺や森の中を45分かけて回ります。参加者のタイプに合わせた馬を選んでくれるみたいで、私を乗せてくれた馬はとても賢く、段差をゆっくり降りてくれたり列からはみ出さない馬でした。彼の方はすぐに草を食べに行ったり、馬間距離がバラバラだったりと中々やんちゃそうでしたが(笑)途中係の方が携帯で写真も撮ってくれます。自分で手綱を握りながら海を眺めるという最高の体験が出来ました。帰りに寄ったマカデミアナッツのお土産屋さんでは自分でマカデミアナッツを割って食べることが出来たり、色々なフレーバーのナッツがありお土産に買って帰りました。15時半にはホテルに着いたので、夜も有意義に時間を使えます。乗馬だけではなく観光も楽しめるとても満足なツアーでした！

I went on three tours: a movie location tour, a jungle exploration tour, and a garden tour. All of them were rich in nature and enjoyable.

・映画ロケ地ツアー、ジャングル探検ツアー、ガーデンツアーの３つを回りました。どれも自然が豊かで楽しかったです。

I booked a tour for the next day while I was there. I received a confirmation email and waited at the pickup location on the day of the tour, but after waiting for over 20 minutes, no one showed up... I couldn't speak English, so I had to call, and with the help of the hotel staff, I managed to convey my issue. It seems the tour company said there was no reservation. In the end, I took a taxi to the boat and got a refund for the taxi fare, so I was able to participate in the tour after all. Since I didn't incur any financial loss, I asked Veltra to check the situation after returning home, and they responded sincerely. The tour itself was fine (I even saw a whale, albeit just a little), but it might be a bit risky to make last-minute reservations.

現地にいる時に翌日のツアーを予約しました。
予約完了メールも来て、当日迎えの場所で待っていましたが20分以上待っても来ず…英語が喋れないけど電話するしかない、とホテルの人に手伝ってもらいなんとか要件を伝えると、予約が入っていないとツアー催行会社から言われたようで…
結局タクシーで船のところまで行ってタクシー代を返金してもらえ、ツアーに参加することが出来たのでなんとかなりました。
金銭的に損をしたわけではなかったので、帰国後ベルトラさんに状況確認だけお願いしたところ誠実に対応してくださいました。
ツアー自体は問題ありませんでしたが（鯨もちょこっとだけ見れました）、直前の予約は少し注意が必要かもしれません。

I participated in a horseback riding and North Shore sightseeing tour. Since I had previously joined a seaside course, this time I chose the valley course. Riding a horse along the hilly mountain paths was a lot of fun. Also, I was lucky to have the weekend-only huli huli chicken for lunch in Haleiwa. The driver was very pleasant and accommodating. If I have the chance, I would love to participate again. Thank you!

乗馬とノースショア観光のコースに参加しました。
乗馬は、以前海辺コースに参加したことがあるので、今回は渓谷のコースにしました。
アップダウンのある山道を馬に乗って進むのは大変楽しい時間でした。
また、ハレイワでの昼食は週末限定のフリフリチキンを食べることが出来てラッキーでした。
ドライバーの方は大変気持ちのいい対応でした。
機会があればまた参加させて頂きます。
ありがとうございました！

I couldn't see any sea turtles. Due to the poor footing in the canyon, we switched to horseback riding along the coastal route. The one-hour horseback ride was easy to manage with well-trained horses.

ウミガメは見れませんでした。渓谷は足場が悪くなったことから、海岸ルートの乗馬に変更になりました。1時間程度の乗馬はしっかりと調教された馬で乗りやすかったです。

The driver who spoke Japanese considered a route that passed through areas not visited by participants, providing commentary on the scenery as we traveled, which made me feel like I was sightseeing twice as much beyond just the North Shore.

Even for someone like me who is not athletic, I was able to enjoy horseback riding with the guidance of the staff at the local resort.

The horse was larger than a pony but smaller than a racehorse, and it was properly trained to ensure there was no risk of it running away, so there was no danger of falling off.

Above all, the scenery along the beach as we rode with the horse was beautiful.

日本語が話せるドライバーさんが、

時間が可能な限り、参加者が訪れていないエリアを通るルートを考慮して、景色の解説を交えつつ、移動してくれたので、ノースショア以外も２倍観光できた気分になった。

運動音痴の自分でも、現地リゾートの係員さんの手解きをうけ、楽しく乗馬できました。

ポニーより大きい馬でしたが、
競走馬より小さい馬で、しかも、暴走することのないようキチンと調教されており、
落馬の危険もありませんでした。

なにより馬と一緒にすすむ海辺の景色が美しかった。

Shame that we couldn’t see the USS Arizona memorial - a real disappointment

The two guides were very friendly and informative. They helped us to understand what it takes to produce an entertaining television program that has spanned so many years.

I was excited about the tour, being a keen Hawaii Five-0 fan & was very happy when I was accepted as a solo traveller. The tour was described as being 4 to 4 1/2 hr duration. I was picked up at 8.15 am & by 11.45 am we were heading back to our hotel. There were two vans with four people in each meeting up at stops along the tour route.

Our Guide was very knowledgeable but I felt she was bored & repeating everything by rote. I still don't know her name as she didn't bother to introduce herself. She could have made the whole morning a lot more interesting. I do appreciate all the locations we were shown & background information we were given.

I felt very rushed & would have appreciated more time to take photographs. Also, being allowed out of the van at the National Cemetery would have been better than trying to get photos out of the windows of the van. The same at the Studios. If the tour lasted another 1/2 hour it would not have been so rushed & maybe a couple more locations could have been included. eg .Aloha Tower or where the Shrimp Truck is located.

I hope I might get another chance to do this tour again. Keeping the tour group small is a great idea.

Our tour guide Alex was excellent. He is friendly and knowledgeable about the island, as well as, photography. I learned a lot about my camera and how to improve on my landscape compositions. I highly recommend Alex from Oahu Photography Tours to take you on your sunset photography excursion.

Frank was great! He totally took care of us. Suggestion to get the package with the food. It was good food and no hassel!

Our driver and tour guide, Lola, made this tour such a great experience. Her local knowledge, historic information and passion for Hawaii made the tour for us. Unfortunately the Arizona memorial was off limits for us due to issues but we were still able to drive by and pay our respects.

This is a wonderful excursion i would not recommend it for small children due to the time frame of the tour cause it is a long tour buf well worth it our tour gudie was knowledgeable and friendly and was on time. the food was excellent.

- Toilet break at Dole Plantation → There is hardly any time. If you're going to eat ice cream, it seems good to share one among 3 to 4 people.
- Free time in Haleiwa. I received a map with points of interest, which made sightseeing easier. I strolled around and had garlic shrimp, and before I knew it, time flew by. You can be dropped off at your favorite spot, but you have to walk back to the meeting place at Matsumoto Shave Ice, so it’s difficult if it’s too far.
- It seems they recommend shrimp from Camaron, and they take orders for that in advance. Giovanni may not open as scheduled and has long lines, so it might be difficult to eat there.
- For horseback riding, it seems that sneakers are necessary to communicate commands to the horse, and I was warned when I went in flip-flops. However, the horses are well-trained, so there wasn't any particular problem.
- If you don't go with a shoulder bag or a small backpack, there is no place to leave valuables. There are no lockers, and you can't go empty-handed with just your phone. It might be good if you can wear it around your neck. Selfie sticks are also not allowed.

・ドールプランテーションでトイレ休憩→ほぼ時間はありません。アイスを食べるなら3〜4人で１つで良さそう。
・ハレイワでフリータイム
見所を記載した地図を貰えたので観光しやすかったです。
ブラブラしてガーリックシュリンプを食べたらあっという間でした。
好きな場所で降ろしてもらえるのですが、集合場所のマツモトシェイブアイスまで歩いて戻らないといけないのであまり遠いと難しいです。
・エビはカマロン推しのようで、そこだけは予め注文を取ってくれます。ジョバンニは予定通りに開くとは限らないのと行列なので食べるのは難しいかもしれません。
・乗馬はスニーカーでないと馬へ指示が伝わりにくいようで、ビーサンで行ったら注意されました。ですがよく飼いならされた馬なので特に問題なかったです。
・ショルダーバッグや小さめのリュックで行かないと、貴重品を預けるところはありません。ロッカーもないし、手ぶらで携帯だけを持っていく、ということも出来ません。首から下げられるといいかも。セルカ棒もNGです。

Great & affordable shuttle to Diamond Head! The shuttle is very clean, comfortable and reliable.We were picked-up on time, the driver gave us instructions, a map and a bottle of water. The great thing about this tour is that you can walk at your own pace. The hike itself is easy, however towards the end there are some stairs. Walking through a lava tube was really cool. During the hike there are many lookout places with beautiful views of Oahu's south shore. You can see Waikiki, the mountains, downtown Honolulu & Koko Head from a distance and taking a lot of pictures. It was a great way to start my day. Thank you Kaimana Tours for such a great service and for taking me to one of Honolulu's top attractions, it's not everyday that you can tell your friends that your hiked am ancient volcano. I love Hawaii =)

This was my second time at Chief's Luau and I got say... i love the new location. The new venue is so beautiful. Chief Sielu is the best luau host in Hawaii, he is funny, entertaining and for sure he is what makes this luau so special. The dancers and the musicians are really good and the fire-knife dance is breath taking. The food is delicious and the buffet has a lot of variety. It was a lovely evening and I recommend this luau to everyone, specially families and couples.

I decided to take my entire family on a hike just to experience it and since we did not have a car rental planned, we decided to book a shuttle with Kaimana Tours! I was even more excited that they allowed us to bring my toddler (2 years old) as a lap child as long as we have a baby carrier, free of charge!

We were picked up by van on time directly from our hotel. The driver was very nice and friendly! The hike to the top was not too bad at all, even my girls enjoyed it (ages 8 & 10). Most of us are beginner hikers and the best part, the view of Waikiki was just breathtaking! I would definitely book Kaimana Tours again next time we visit! maybe go to Manoa Falls or Makapuu Point next time!! I will for sure recommend this to family and friends!

The beach horseback riding and exploring Haleiwa were amazing!

What made the tour even more enjoyable than originally planned was our guide, Hiro!

Thanks to Hiro's thoughtful arrangements, we were taken to the SOAP factory and some great photo spots near Kualoa!

Perhaps it's his Kansai personality, but his tour talk was filled with jokes, making the journey completely entertaining.

When I sign up for another tour with the same company, I definitely want Hiro to be my guide again!

海辺乗馬もハレイワ散策も最高でした(*´∀｀)

でもツアーの元々の予定以上に楽しくしてくれたのは、ガイドのhiroさんでした‼️

hiroさんの粋な計らいによって、SOAP factoryやクワロワ近くのフォトスポットにも連れて行ってくれました！！

関西人の人柄なのか、ジョークを織り混ぜたツアートークで道中飽きることは全く無かったです。

また同社のツアーにエントリーする際は是非ともhiroさんに着いてもらいたいです！！

Hearing from the guide about her experience when she came to Hawaii as a bride, and how she wanted to return to Japan every day, resonated with me deeply, especially knowing that the graves of the first generation are facing Japan. For us, Hawaii is a dream destination, but for Japanese Americans in Hawaii, going to Japan is their dream. They work hard and save money to taste authentic Japanese food and experience Japanese culture. It made me realize that what I take for granted in Japan is not something everyone has access to.

On the boat to the Fern Grotto, there was a live Hawaiian performance, and they sang nostalgic songs in Japanese about longing for home and parents. Although I couldn't understand the fast-paced English commentary, I was happy to see that music is a universal language.

ガイドさんが、ご自分のお嫁に来られた当時のこと、毎日、日本へ帰りたかったと、初代の方々のお墓が日本の方向に建てられていると聞き、どんなにか
帰りたかっただろうと胸に響きました。私達にとって、ハワイは憧れですが
ハワイの日系人は、日本に行くことが、憧れだそうです。そのために一生懸命働いて、貯金して本当の日本食を味わい、日本文化に触れたいとおっしゃっていました。日本に生まれ、当たり前に食べているものが、決して当たり前でないことを、再認識させられました。
シダの洞窟へいく船の中で、ハワイアンを生演奏して下さり、日本語の恋しやふるさと、懐かし父母と歌って下さり、まくしたてるような早口の英語での
司会は、わかりませんでしたが、音楽も世界共通だなと嬉しく思いました。

Just getting back from Hawaii and had to rate this tour to help all of you out there, like myself, who maybe confused on which tour to take when u r in Hawaii. I definitely would recommend you this one with my experience with Larry as our tour guide. He was very informative as well as funny to keep the fun alive atmosphere (especially in the early morning). It included a great city tour visiting the famous palace too and then a chance to visit Pearl Harbor and The Arizona Memorial. The tour was not too long either so it’s perfect for us since we have two middle school aged kids and can plan to do something else later in the day. Unfortunately we did not get to step onto the Arizona Memorial itself due to a crack being repaired currently but it ensured a time slot for us to visit the site after watching a 20 min video clip on the event. Overall, excellent experience and great tour! Thanks Larry!