Volcano Adventure: Hilo Sightseeing w/ Optional Helicopter Tour
Recommended by 93% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Big Island of Hawaii, USA
- 10 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
On this exciting full-day Kilauea volcano adventure, scour fields of jet black lava in search of volcanic activity, from steaming vents to gaping volcanic craters. Trek through the Thurston Lava Tube and In addition to the sights in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, you’ll also make trips to Rainbow Falls.
- Full-day tour of Big Island Hawaii Volcano National Park
- Explore Nahuku Lave Tube and Helema'uma'u Crater
- Scenic drive through Hilo Town and Banyan Drive
- Learn the natural history of the Big Island volcanoes
- Professionally narrated tour
Why Travelers Choose This Tour
See craters on land or upgrade to spot lava flows by helicopter.
What's Included
- Tour narration by a professional driver/guide
- Pick-up and drop-off at specific Hilo hotels
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- All Admission Fees
- Lunch
- Gratuities
Meeting and Pickup
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Itinerary
Ever since it began erupting in 1983, Kilauea has been one of the most world’s most active and fiery lava flows. On this full-day Big Island volcano adventure, you’ll not only experience the volcanic formations Kilauea has left behind, but also potentially witness the lava as Earth is created before your eyes.
The tour begins in downtown Hilo by historic Banyan Drive, where you’ll next travel to either a macadamia nut or tropical orchid farm. Upon entering Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, trek through the rainforest to the Thurston Lava Tube that was formed by a river of magma, and tour this well-lit tube to walk where magma once flowed. While the lava tube area is green and lush, the landscape is rockier up near the rim of Haleama’uma’u Crater, where sulfurous steam rises up from the pit and its lava lake far down below.
Learn about Kilauea’s past and, if current safety conditions permit, you’ll have the chance to seek out lava as it actively flows from the Earth.
The tour begins in downtown Hilo by historic Banyan Drive, where you’ll next travel to either a macadamia nut or tropical orchid farm. Upon entering Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, trek through the rainforest to the Thurston Lava Tube that was formed by a river of magma, and tour this well-lit tube to walk where magma once flowed. While the lava tube area is green and lush, the landscape is rockier up near the rim of Haleama’uma’u Crater, where sulfurous steam rises up from the pit and its lava lake far down below.
Learn about Kilauea’s past and, if current safety conditions permit, you’ll have the chance to seek out lava as it actively flows from the Earth.
Banyan Drive (Pass By)
1
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
2 hours • Admission Ticket Included
Chain of Craters Road (Pass By)
2
Kilauea Volcano
20 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
3
Steam Vents
20 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
4
Nahuku - Thurston Lava Tube
20 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
5
Akaka Falls State Park
20 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
Hilo (Pass By)
Lili'uokalani Gardens (Pass By)
6
Rainbow Falls
20 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Infants must sit on laps
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Most travelers can participate
- A light sweater may be needed at the volcano area and sturdy walking shoes are required
- Passengers with asthma and other respiratory problems should please consider other tour offerings to avoid potential health problems resulting from exposure to fumes
- As we cannot predict volcanic activity, features may vary daily depending on conditions. In an effort to make this an unforgettable experience, the tour operators will take you as close as possible to the volcanic activity
- Lava sightings not guaranteed
- Please contact the tour provider at minimum of 7 days prior to the tour date for ADA and all special requests.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 46 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.7
based on 416 reviews
Lisa_W, Nov 2025
While we had a very wet day…But Dexter shared a lot of information about the Island and made the trip enjoyable!
Ricardo_O, Jul 2025
We took the helicopter ride. Everyone from the ground crew to the pilot were very nice, professional, organized. The ride was almost one hour long and the views were amazing, things that you could not see from the ground, waterfalls, the vegetation, the cost lines, the craters. The weather helped, it was clear the views were crystal clear and then we had a brief drizzle and boom! the most amazing rainbows around the helicopter. Just unexpected and unforgettable. Then we continue the rest of the day on the ground in a small group in an A/C bus. Dexter was the pilot. He went the extra mile to make people feel comfortable, he’s knowledgeable, informative, funny. We went to see the impressive Kilauea caldera, a lava tube, the Akaka waterfall. Then, Dexter took us to a local candy/cookies store, I told myself I’m not buying anything there, when we got there I couldn’t resist and I ended buying a bunch of stuff, good by diet!!!
Doug_R, Mar 2025
As you go through the reviews, you will see many of the 5 star reviews have a tour guide named Dexter. Dexter was our tour guide and in my opinion THE GUY to give this tour. He's lived here all his life and know so many minute details about the places we visited, the history, and much of it because he experienced it! He is a great guy just to talk to during the stops, and our Hawaii vacation was greatly enhanced by being lucky enough to have him as our tour guide and get to know him.
One note to future tours - make sure to take cash for tips because you will not stop anyplace close to ATMs and these tour guides greatly appreciate tips.
Harry_a, Jan 2025
Our tour guide Dexter was excellent. Knowledgeable and Authentic. He took pictures, he helped us on and off the bus. He shared his love for the island, it's people and it's many treasures, with us like we were family. Witnessing yhe active eruption of the Volcano was a once in a lifetime experience.
The short hikes to see the lava tubes, and the beautiful waterfalls, were great, and writing our names in the black sand beach, if only for a few moments was a magical memory.
Qi_L, Jan 2025
Our driver Dexter is a nice, patient person. However, the tour did not meet our expectations. Despite being advertised as a Hawai’i Island Volcano Adventure Tour from Hilo with a schedule from 7:30am to 6:00pm, we were disappointed by several issues:
• We arrived at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park at 11:30am and were only allowed to stay for about 30 minutes
• When we requested to stay longer and explore, Dexter advised us to contact Polynesian Adventure
• The tour representatives were unhelpful, putting us on hold and being rude
• We were originally told we would be dropped back at the hotel at 4:30pm, which contradicted the tour description
• Dexter ultimately took us to Akaka Falls, which took over an hour
Despite these frustrations, we want to acknowledge that Dexter was an excellent guide who tried his best to make us happy. We believe Polynesian Adventure should improve their customer service and adhere more closely to their advertised tour description.
Response from Host, Feb 2025
Mahalo for leaving feedback - we are sorry to hear that your expectations weren't fully met.
Shruti_P, Dec 2024
The tour was supposed to be for 10 hours but we came back in 6 because everything was rushed. We would have liked to spend more time on volcanos or even see multiple volcanos.
Response from Host, Feb 2025
Thank you for the feedback, we have shared it with our management team for appropriate follow up. Mahalo!
Suzanna_C, Oct 2024
A great tour to see everything that Hilo has to offer in a day. From volcanoes to waterfalls, you also get to see Hilo with stops at some of its parks and beaches. You are constantly hopping in and out of the van. Great value…and a packed lunch with water is included. There was also stops to get coffee and snacks. Guide was also very knowledgeable.
Anita_H, Oct 2024
The driver/guide was great and sweet and helpful throughout the process. He provided additional information about volcanos even though there was no current active activity was great and helped us understand what we saw and didn't see. Even during long drives, he taught and talked with us all. Such a good guy and kind to all.
Deana_H, Oct 2024
Was an awesome tour of the Volcanos and Waterfalls. The knowledge of our tour guide Dexter made the adventure the best we have ever had. Highly recommend this company and you want to request Dexter. He really knows the area and enjoys passing on his knowledge to everyone
Anonymous, Sep 2024
The forest with magical and giant plants,the waterfalls made my day. I was hoping to
See. Active volcanos and lavas but unfortunately didn't happen
Kahlil_C, Sep 2024
Our group had a fantastic time with our guide Chester! We had some bad luck with the foggy weather and a surprise sulfur gas release that closed the crater road the night before, but Chester made sure to make up for it by showing us some extra spots around Hilo. Overall the volcano sites we saw were beautiful and the extra history about the island was much appreciated.
Luis_A, Sep 2024
The all tour was great, I enjoy the steam vents… the tour guide was very knowledgeable about the topics, provided a lot of information and willing to take your pics… I think his name was Baxter…
Bianca_V, Jul 2024
Dexter was amazing, so kind and knowledgeable. He went above and beyond. And the whole trip was amazing and the views were breath taking. Mahalo
christie_r, Jul 2024
If I could give this place more than five stars, I would! Do all the experiences was once in a lifetime opportunity, but Dexter who was our driver made it so much better. We love seeing the volcanoes, the waterfalls learning about all Hawaiian culture along the drive. We did some hiking, not really hard at all and we got to stop at things along the way like an old bakery, souvenir shop, etc. lots of Photo opportunities and Dexter will help you since we didn’t have a selfie sticks like a lot of the people did
I will say it definitely gets chilly. Bring a light jacket or even a sweater especially if you’re somebody that gets cold.
They give you water and a really good chicken wrap with chips and a cookie. I’m a very picky eater and this was delicious.
What’s best is it’s a very small group. We saw bigger tour buses, but ours was about eight people, and it was just right.
Dexter answered all of our questions and made it a very informative and fun tour
Sheets_F, Jul 2024
Our tour guide knew a lot about volcanoes, the Big Island, and the town of Hilo. He tended to repeat his information 3 or 4 times.
Highlights: walking on hardened lava at Punalu'u Beach; stopping at the most southern US city, & bakery, in Naalehu; visit the crater of Kilauea; walk on lava fields; & walk through lava tube
Matt_D, Jun 2024
Lucky to see Kileau active.
Dexter was a great guide and gave wonderful insights about the history of the island.
jeff_c, Apr 2024
We’re from Indiana and this tour was amazing our tour guide Dexter, made it a great experience. I tried adding photos but kept saying errors
Arielle_P, Mar 2024
Our tour guide was knowledgeable of the island and he was courteous. For instance, he didn't make us feel rushed and asked if we wanted to stop for food/drinks. There were many stops on this tour, which were cool. The lunch provided was good and much needed because I did a lot of walking on this tour.
Anthony_R, Mar 2024
Dexter was a warm and knowledgeable tour guide. The tour included a lot of Hawaii history which enhanced the tour. The time at each stop was sufficient to take in the beauty and appreciate each site.
Elizabeth_P, Jan 2024
Dexter our tour guide was wonderful! He was kind, knowledgeable, and a great person to spend the day with.
This is a great tour if you have just one day on the island because you truly get to see SOOOO much. There are a lot of stops, but it’s worth every penny!
Erik_S, Jan 2024
Highly recommend! Very comprehensive tour of all the major sites on the east side of the Big Island. Dexter was wonderful, thoughtful, caring, and very informative. We learned a lot while enjoying every stop. Thank you, Dexter!
Janel_M, Jan 2024
All of it! Excellent tour guide who gave history and personal stories. Good intro to Hilo and its sites
Sarah_W, Dec 2023
We were really looking forward to the “Big Island Active Volcano Adventure Tour.” Unfortunately, the only part of the tour title that was accurate was that it took place on the Big Island. There was nothing adventurous about the experience. Of the 9-10 hour day, less than 1.5 hours was spent outside of the bus at the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park… and that was in a few 20-minute segments. A more accurate title for this tour would have been “Many hours in a crowded bus learning about plants.” Even our box lunch was eaten on the bus while we were driving. Of course, several of the things we saw were very pretty, but you just can’t balance so much time on a bus with a few short stops to see nice things. Also, the bus window leaked and dripped on our heads and seats when it rained hard. On the upside, our guide was very nice and kept checking on us to see if we liked the places. I think he could tell we were not particularly enjoying the experience.
Response from Host, Jan 2024
Aloha and thank you for providing feedback on your tour experience. We are sorry to hear that your expectations weren't met and have shared your comments with our management team and appreciate you taking the time to post a review.
Lori_L, Dec 2023
We enjoyed our tour of the volcano and the Falls. Our guide took care of us and shared a lot of information.
Eva_V, Nov 2023
This was a very interesting trip and Dexter was very informative. I would recommend this trip plus the lunch was great
Kristal_C, Nov 2023
A lot less of the volcano than I thought you'd get to see. But Dexter was awesome. We made extra stops to drop ppl off at airport or different tours they had booked so that wasn't cool.
Barbara_S, Oct 2023
Seeing the crater and Akaka Falls were spectacular. For us the best part was the guide, Dexter, who was so kind and informative. And we were so lucky to have fantastic people on the tour bus. A lovely day!
Nadia_A, Oct 2023
We enjoyed the tour particularly at the Volcano National Park, however the tour was rushed in the morning to accommodate some people that had to be dropped off at the airport to catch a helicopter tour at 2:30. This required our tour to waste time going to the helicopter location and then recommencing the tour. The tour also had to finish early to drop off a person at the airport to catch a flight. The tour was supposed to finish at 6:00pm but instead it finished at 4:00pm. In total we lost 2.5 hours of the tour due to the driver having to drop off people in the middle of the tour !
Also for the price we paid we felt that the Volcano National Park segment was too rushed and would have liked more time at the Volcano sights.
We were very happy with Dexter the guide who provided a very informative and interesting tour.
Erendira_S, Oct 2023
The water falls were my favorite. I liked that I learned a little bit of history. The ride was very smooth. I went with my family and we all had fun!!
Gilda_K, Sep 2023
Was an amazing experience! My 13yr old daughter loved the Volcanoes and waterfalls we went to places that I never would have found on my own
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Volcano Adventure: Hilo Sightseeing w/ Optional Helicopter Tour
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