Volcano National Park and Rainbow Fall in Hilo, Hawaii
Description
Experience the best of Hilo and Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park on this unforgettable tour. Pass by the serene Liliʻuokalani Gardens, the largest Edo-style Japanese garden outside of Japan, then take in the scenic coastline at Hilo Bayfront Beach Park. Enjoy the historic charm of Downtown Hilo, where plantation-era buildings and vibrant storefronts line the streets. Witness the breathtaking Rainbow Falls, cascading 80 feet into a lava cave steeped in Hawaiian legend. Treat yourself to handcrafted chocolates and macadamia nut cookies at Big Island Candies. Finally, explore the dramatic landscapes of Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, home to the world’s most active volcano, Kīlauea. Walk through the Thurston Lava Tube, feel the heat from geothermal steam vents, and journey along Chain of Craters Road, surrounded by vast fields of hardened lava. This tour is the perfect blend of history, nature, and adventure!
Tour Options
Itinerary
Lili’uokalani Gardens, is the largest, authentic Edo-style ornamental garden outside of Japan. Liliuokalani Gardens features Japanese imported stone lanterns, sculptures, arched bridges and gazebos from as early as 1916. The garden highlights plant species and building styles drawn from traditional Japanese temples and gardens. As you stroll along Waihonu Pond, crossing arched red bridges over koi ponds to pagodas, and a Japanese traditional teahouse named Shoroan, you might feel like you’re transported to the incredible temples of Kyoto.
The Hilo bayfront Beach Park was conveniently located in the town of Hilo, which is also known as Crescent Bay and it is one of the most beautiful coastal scenery in Hilo. It is also the largest sandiest beach in the Hilo area.
Historic charm of Plantation-era buildings, colorful storefronts and Hilo's Landmarks. All located in the heart of Hilo Bay.
The Rainbow Falls cascade 80 ft over a lava cave that, according to legends, is home to the ancient Hawaiian goddess Hina, the goddess of the moon. The short climb to the top of the rainbow falls is well worth the effort. As you climb up along the left shoulder of the falls you walk past lush vegetation and some HUGE banyan trees. After walking for a few minutes you will be rewarded with a new perspective on the falls.
Established in 1977, Big Island Candies is home to Hawaii’s finest cookies, chocolates and confections. Only the freshest, highest quality ingredients go into their products. They proudly feature Big Island macadamia nuts and 100% pure Kona and Ka`u coffee from farms on Hawaii Island.
The park climbs from sea level to more than 13,000-feet, encompasses two volcanoes – Kīlauea, one of the world’s most active volcanoes and Maunaloa, the world’s largest active subaerial volcano – and six of Earth’s climate zones along the way. On this tour, we will get a close look at the Kilauea crater, then visit the geothermal steam vents, Thurston Lava Tube, and the Chain of Craters Road to see the spectacular scenic of the solidified black lava.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
We are based in Hilo, on the east side of the island, and therefore, we provide hotel pick-ups only in the Hilo area. Our tour begins at 9:30 a.m., and pick-up times are as follows: Airport travelers: Pick-up at Baggage Claim D around 9:00 a.m. Cruise ship guests: Pick-up at the “Pre-Arranged Pick-Up” area around 9:00 a.m. Hotel guests: Pick-up in the hotel lobby between 9:00 and 9:30 a.m. Please note that actual pick-up times may be slightly earlier or later depending on traffic and scheduling. We will contact each guest within 24 hours of the tour to confirm their specific pick-up time and location. We look forward to welcoming you soon. Mahalo!
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- The 6-7 hours was the hours from the begging of the tour to the end of the tour, which includes the transportation time and lunch time. The tour will include some walking activities, so be sure to wear somfortable walking shoes or sneakers.
Reviews(77)
Auntie Karen was an excellent tour guide on this trip. Very informative, great sites and overall good tour. One downside was the choice for the lunch stop. It was after 300pm at a run down food court with limited options. Other than that, it was a great time.
This tour was our least favorite during our visit to Hawaii. Our tour guide was knowledgeable but seemed a little disinterested. Our lunch stop was a food court near Walmart with zero healthy options and nothing our kids would actually eat. We stopped at a Macadamia nut farm for lunch around 2 pm (tour started at 9am) and the kids were really hungry but the cafe had closed for the day, hence the food court. You can drive to the volcano and the steam vents and lava tube without paying hundreds of dollars for a tour. Save yourself the time and money and drive yourself.
Auntie Karen was a fabulously entertaining guide. We loved her stories! The stops were all well organized and interesting. We would absolutely recommend this tour!
Pick up was good collect at the port Was expecting more information on the sightseeing tour And thought the tour guide would come with us and show us what we were looking at and directions where to go !! Nearly drove off without two people on the tour! Need to always do a head count!
The tour agent stopped at a grocery store for lunch - She said there was a deli inside the grocery store where we could buy sandwiches. In truth, the deli only would slice meats. It did not assemble sandwiches at the deli counter. The store had only 2 choices of pre-made sandwiches: tuna sandwich or egg salad sandwiches - Both were not good. I knew this grocery store was a problem when neither the tour agent nor the driver went inside the grocery store - They brought their own food from home. Very disappointing choice. The tour company should be ashamed for selecting such a terrible place for us to buy lunch!
This tour was incredible. Ernie, our tour guide was superb. Very knowledgeable and pleasant. Ernie gave us flexibility with our stops. Would definitely do again!!
Tour guide was patient and knowledgeable. She made sure everyone knew the time fir each stop so that we did not miss anything.
This tour was good—it covered a lot of territory and we saw a number of sites on the big island. What would have made it better was if our guide had gotten out at some of the stops and provided more information on what we were seeing, e.g., at the various volcano stops. After a while it became more of a hop on/off type experience.
Marissa was wonderful. She took us everywhere and gave us tips for our next stop. She was very informative and helpful.
Marissa was our guide/driver and she was amazing! She was very knowledgeable about the volcanoes and history of Hawaii. She was flexible in case the volcano decided to erupt and would have changed our tour around to maximize our time to see the best things. We would highly recommend this tour and Marissa.
