Hilo Shore Excursion: Active Volcano, Lava Tube, Waterfall and Gardens

Recommended by 99% of travellers

Badge of Excellence

Big Island of Hawaii, USA

Popular pick

Booked 5+ times last week!

5 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Why travellers loved this

4.9

· Robert_G ·

Aug 2026

Very pleasant, personable, and knowledgable. Out guide provided the perfect amount of commentary along the route. She made an extra effort for us to catch a rare fountaining. She seemed genuinely excited and pleased at being able to access sites closed until that day due to hurricane Lala. Highly recommended.

· Todd_S ·

June 2026

Great experience with knowledgeable tour guide and driver. Josh was fantastic! He gave us so much information about the island.

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Overview

Visit some of the Big Island’s key attractions, without the pressure of keeping up with a large group, with this small-group tour. Relax with a convenient package that includes transportation, entry fees, and a guide, allowing you to fully immerse yourself in the experience. Enjoy an itinerary that includes Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Rainbow Falls, the Thurston Lava Tube, and Lili'uokalani Gardens.

Enjoy a personalized experience on this small-group tour
Choose from multiple start times to suit your schedule
Relax with pickup from the Hilo area, including port and airport
Go beyond the guidebooks and gain insights directly from your guide

What's Included

Professional guide
Private transportation
National park admission fee
Snacks

Island chips
Bottled water

Help protect our island environment and bring your own refillable water bottle!

Lunch

We are sorry there are no options for meal purchases along the way. You are welcome to bring your own snacks for the trail, however we do not allow eating in our vans.
Gratuities
We DO NOT provide transportation from Kona or Waikoloa. Please meet us in Hilo at the bus terminal.

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Pickup details

CRUISE SHIP PICKUP INSTRUCTIONS: Upon disembarking the cruise ship in Hilo, head through the passenger terminal and look for your guide standing to the left near the pre-arranged tour operators with a sign that reads "Mauka Makai Adventures". Please check in with your guide 15 minutes prior to tour start time. We have scheduled the tour to coincide with the cruise ship’s arrival and will be waiting for you onshore. HILO AIRPORT PICKUP INSTRUCTIONS: Please schedule your flight to arrive at the Hilo Airport a MINIMUM OF 30 MINUTES PRIOR TO THE TOUR START TIME. We require your airline flight number and arrival time to schedule pickup at the airport. As you disembark the airplane head towards Baggage Claim “D”. Look for the tour operator parking area near the restrooms. Our vans are marked with the logo "Mauka Makai Adventures". HILO HOTEL PICKUP INSTRUCTIONS: We provide pick up service at Hilo Hotels along Banyan Drive only. Please meet your tour guide near the front entrance to the lobby, our vans are marked with the logo "Mauka Makai Adventures." We may also contact you prior to the tour to make arrangements for a meeting time and location. ALL OTHERS MEET AT HILO MOʻOHEAU BUS TERMINAL: If you are driving from Kona, Waikoloa, or another part of the island, please meet us at the Hilo Mo'oheau Bus Terminal (329 Kamehameha Avenue, Hilo, HI 96720). There is free parking adjacent to the bus terminal. Look for our van parked in the parking lot with the "Mauka Makai Adventures" logo on it.

Itinerary

Receive a morning pickup from your Hilo hotel, Hilo Airport, or Hilo Port. You’ll continue on a drive through some of the Big Island’s historic sugar plantation towns as you make your way to Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

Explore this unique volcanic area with your group, stopping to visit attractions including the steam vents and Halema'uma'u Crater. You may even witness a volcanic eruption. Trek through the nearby rainforest to visit Thurston Lava Tube, where you can learn more about how volcanoes form, erupt and cool. You will see additional lava flows as you continue on a drive along the ‘Chain of Craters’ Road.

After stopping to enjoy the beauty of locally grown orchids, continue to Hilo, where you'll sample island treats at a chocolate factory and visit Rainbow Falls. Finish the day with a drop-off back at your original pickup location.

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

2 hours • Admission Ticket Included

Nahuku - Lava Tube

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Chain of Craters Road

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Rainbow Falls

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Big Island Candies

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Lili'uokalani Gardens

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Near public transportation
Not recommended for travellers with back problems
Not recommended for pregnant travellers
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Travellers should have a moderate physical fitness level
Youth ages 10 years and older only are allowed on this tour. All participants must have a paid seat. We do not allow children under the age of 10 years old.
Covered walking shoes are required and a jacket is highly recommended.

Participants must be able to walk a minimum of 1 mile on uneven terrain.
Operates in all weather conditions (be prepared for sun, wind and rain).
We do not guarantee you will see molten lava on this tour.
HOTEL pick-up is offered for select HILO HOTELS ONLY. If you are staying outside of Hilo, please plan to meet at the Hilo Mo'oheau Bus Terminal (please confirm at time of booking).
CRUISE SHIP passengers, we pick-up directly at the PORT OF HILO and will adjust the tour time as needed to accommodate your ships time in port.
For a one DAY TRIP to the Big Island, please make your travel arrangements to and from the HILO AIRPORT. Schedule your flight arrival a minimum of 30 minutes prior to the tour start time AND provide your flight details at time of booking.
Kilauea volcano is an active volcano, you may be exposed to volcanic gas on this tour.
This tour cannot accommodate guests with wheelchairs, scooters or oxygen tanks.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 12 travellers

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Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveller Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveller's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveller's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveller's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveller's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveller's review)

Reviews

4.9

based on 446 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

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Sort by: Most recent

Good tour guide and great views.

Shawn_B, Sept 2026

Good tour of volcano and other sites. Well versed in culture and tradition. Recommended to all who wants to visit the volcanos.

Live erupting volcano!

Kari_B, Aug 2026

This was an excellent tour. Jill was very knowledgable and we saw many great sites including an erupting volcano, lava tubes, waterfall, candy factory, etc.

Perfect guide.

Robert_G, Aug 2026

We had a great tour....

Melody_B, Aug 2026

We had a great tour. Totally worth it. Jill was a fantastic tour guide. We were able to see a labe eruption and explore the lava tubes.

Rainbows and Volcanos ❤️

Sandra_P, Aug 2026

This was an excellent day trip. Jill met our family (group of 11) at the port. The van was spacious and comfortable. The tour included the Rainbow Falls, Volcanos National Park, an easy walk to into the Lava Tube and a final stop to the chocolate factory. All in all, Jill was an amazing guide. She shared tons of stories and info about Hilo. It was nice to have an intimate experience during our tour.

Benefited from knowledgeable tour guide!

Paula_H, July 2026

This tour made a lot of stops to enjoy most of the volcanoes experience. Our tour guide Jill was very knowledgeable about the local history, hawaiian lore, fauna and the science about the volcanoes. Enough time was given to enjoy each stop. We really enjoyed the lava tube.

Fantastic Tour Guide and Itinerary

Melina_K, July 2026

We had a wonderful time with Josh who is incredibly friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable. I highly recommend this tour with this particular company.

Volcano Experience

Kim_B, July 2026

Josh was a great tour guide and shared many stories about the island. As I hurt my knee prior to this excursion, he was very accommodating. Took us to many beautiful sights that we soon will not forget. If you have the chance to do this tour with him or Jill you will not be disappointed.

Our Hilo tour was a...

Loretta_H, July 2026

Our Hilo tour was a wonderful experience! Visiting Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park and exploring the incredible lava tubes was truly unforgettable. The scenery was breathtaking, and learning about the island’s volcanic history made the experience even more meaningful. Our tour guide was extremely knowledgeable, sharing fascinating facts and stories throughout the day. He kept the tour engaging, answered all of our questions, and made sure everyone had a great experience. We never felt rushed and had plenty of time to enjoy each stop. If you’re visiting the Big Island, I highly recommend this tour. It was the perfect combination of natural beauty, history, and outstanding hospitality!

Super fantastic awesome tour!!

Robert_M, July 2026

We had Josh as our tour guide, and he was all around awesome. He had a great deal of knowledge about Hilo and the volcano having grown up in the region and also having worked at the Volcano National Park previously. He knew all the best spots to take us for both the lava viewing (got very lucky to have the volcano vent go active on our tour day; day before and after there was no lava flowing). The Rainbow Falls were a nice surprise - very beautiful there! Great photo opportunities there on your first stop. The last stop was the candy shop, which was exceptionally delicious and very artisan. Highly recommend the shortbread cookies and the Ice Cream Pie w/chocolate crust. All in all was a fantastic experience that we will never forget. Mahalo Josh & Jill.

Review

Kim_W, July 2026

This was a great experience that had a little something for everyone. Our guide was very knowledgeable and we leaned a lot about the landscape, culture and history.

Seeing the Island.

Lisa_R, July 2026

Informative. A great way to get a feel for the island. Guide very knowledgeable. Nice to have native guides.

Great tour of Rainbow...

Mabry_H, June 2026

Great tour of Rainbow falls, Volcano Park, and Liliuokalani Park! It lasts about 3 1/2 hours. We had a great time.

Volcano, waterfall, and garden tour

Todd_S, June 2026

Great experience with knowledgeable tour guide and driver. Josh was fantastic! He gave us so much information about the island.

Fantastic Excursion

ERIC_H, June 2026

Take lots of pictures and videos. The sights are amazing and Jill did a magnificent job telling the history of the island.

Great Tour!

Robin_H, May 2026

Our tour, led by Jill, was very informative and fun. We enjoyed Jill’s stories of life on a volcano and her kindness. We saw much more in one day than we could have on our own and had so much fun!

A must see

Lois_L, May 2026

Great tour great tour guide!! Rainbow falls was beautiful and the volcano was awesome. Relaxing tour with lots of interesting stories and history.

Our guide, Jill, was very...

Mark_T, May 2026

Our guide, Jill, was very knowledgeable and a great storyteller! We saw some great sights and had a wonderful experience.

Great tourguide

Bethany_K, May 2026

Josh was an amazing tour guide, super knowledgeable and funny!! Very attentive and the snacks were a bonus

Very easy to find the...

Gretchen_F, May 2026

Very easy to find the tour guide at the Hilo cruise terminal and Josh was an excellent guide. Rainbow Falls is very pretty but I’m originally from Buffalo, NY so Niagara Falls makes me pretty biased on the magnificence of other falls. Great experience at Volcanoes National Park, and I enjoyed the brief stops at the Gardens and macadamia nut factory.

Eruption!

Perry_W, May 2026

Jill was great and when we told her that Kilauea was erupting she took us straight to it! We had great views of it and got out of the park befor it got crazy busy!

Fantastic tour of The volcano and Hilo.

Douglas_R, Apr 2026

What a great tour!! Jill was a fantastic host and was so pleasant, knowledgeable, and kind. The transportation was excellent with only 12 total guests. The itinerary was excellent and the tour of the volcano was spectacular. A true must do when in Hilo! Once again a spectacular day, don’t hesitate to book this tour.

Excursion review of this trip

Laurie_Y, Apr 2026

The walking was doable. Great view. Great variety of experiences. Comfortable ride to and from excursion

Josh was very...

Rick_O, Apr 2026

Josh was very knowledgeable and entertaining. He had lots of great stories about the islands history

Excellent tour

Jeanne_H, Apr 2026

Jill was an excellent tour guide. I highly recommend this company for anyone who visits Hilo. Very informative and knowledgeable. It was a pleasure ❤️

Must do!!

Deanna_J, Apr 2026

A great way to spend an afternoon! Multiple stops along the way with opportunities to buy souvenirs. Great guide!

Amazing day seeing the...

Jamie_F, Apr 2026

Amazing day seeing the Hilo and Volcano National Park. Jill was a wonderful guide and all the stops were seemless.

Great Tour

John_E, Apr 2026

The tour guide was amazing. Although the Volcano had erupted the day before and we were not able to access the entire park, he made sure we had an opportunity to see it and the lava tubes. I had a great time. Highly recommend.

Bucket 🪣 list CHECK

Christine_G, Mar 2026

Bucket List♥️This was one of the best times of my life. I could have not imagined having a better ambassador for your island. Thank you for sharing your culture and knowledge with us.

Hilo Volcano tour

Lee_R, Mar 2026

This volcano tour was absolutely incredible—easily one of the highlights of our trip! The landscapes were unlike anything we’ve ever seen, from dramatic lava fields to breathtaking crater views. Our guide was knowledgeable, friendly, and made the whole experience both fun and informative.