BIG ISLAND
Ranked by traveller popularity
The 10 most popular historical tours on the Big Island. What they actually deliver, who runs them, and what they cost.
Kona small-group Big Island day tour with Volcanoes National Park, waterfalls, black-sand beach turtles, and Kona coffee farm.
“Kamika was an amazing tour guide. Highly recommend to anyone visiting the big island. We took the tour the first day and now able able to see all the things we wanted more time at.”
Sunset catamaran dinner cruise from Kona to Kealakekua Bay with live Hawaiian music, historian narration, great food, and wildlife.
“My wife and I had an amazing time aboard Body Glove. We had a very tasty dinner, and listened to culture island history, while cruising the Kona coast. The sunset was amazing. We had the best time ever.”
Sea turtles, a historic Kona church, and Kona coffee samples on a 5-hour cruise shore tour with easy port pickup and local stops.
“Our tour guide, Kelvin, was very knowledgeable and spent time not just on the bus guiding us, but at the sites as well. He led us through Greenwell for the Kona coffee tour, explaining the growing and processing of the coffee cherry, pointing out other plants on the farm, and even let us try fresh…”
Kona sunset dinner cruise to Kealakekua Bay with a historian guide, live slack-key music, island food, and marine life sightings.
“We had an outstanding experience! The seating was comfortable, the crew was extremely attentive, friendly and knowledgeable. One member even microwaved hot water for my wife to have tea. The food was five star, delicious and a beautiful presentation. We enjoyed the music and the narration of the sights. This is a must do event…”
Kona’s bee farm, organic honey tasting, Kona coffee on the coffee belt, and two national historical parks in one small-group day.
“Our guide for the day, Kala, was very informative. The tour is long, with lots of stops. Wear good walking shoes! We did the tour on the next to last day of our visit and we were worn out due to the length. Maybe best to do this tour early in your trip.”
Historic Kona shore tour with port pickup, Kona coffee tasting, Puuhonua refuge park, and St Benedict Painted Church in 3.5 hours.
“The guide spoke in a monotone the entire time....could hardly understand what he was saying. Just sort of dropped off at spots and figure it out on your own. You need to add the amount of time just riding in the bus to get to one place to the other.”
Small-group guided kayak in historic Hilo Bay to Coconut Island, plus Lili’uokalani Gardens; snacks and gear included.
“Isaiah was a great guide for this fun excursion! He was friendly and helpful and made the afternoon lots of fun. Going out to Coconut Island on a Saturday really gave this out-of-town visitor a nice perspective of what Hilo daily life is all about.”
A 2-hour Kona evening ghost-and-history walk with 8 downtown stops, free site admission, and English storytelling for $59.
“It was unique, interesting, and well-presented. Gabby was very knowledgeable and her personal experiences made it more meaningful.”
Paddle Hilo Bay with lifeguard-certified guides, snacks and water included, plus narrated stops on Moku Ola, rivers, turtles, and waterfalls.
“Wonderful trip with Andre! Best experience on a 10-day vacation. Learned a lot, laughed, kayaked and filled the soul. Highly recommend.”
A 2-hour Kailua-Kona haunted history walk linking Kamehameha landmarks, kahuna lore, and shoreline ghost and UFO sightings.
“I was the only one there so I had a private tour. I had a great time and learned a lot”
