Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Experience Departing from Oahu
Recommended by 94% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Honolulu, USA
- 12 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
Explore our promoted experiences
Overview
Get away from the Oahu buzz with this whirlwind volcano-chasing tour. After your short flight from Honolulu, arrive in Kona to meet your driver for a serious adventure: You’ll visit the historic town of Kona, set your eyes on the Mars-like Kilauea Iki Overlook, run your toes along black sand, and explore Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, an active volcanic landscape that’s creating the Big Island to this day.
- Inter-island flight to Kona International Airport and transport included
- See wild spots like Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
- Spend 8+ hours on the ground, for a full day chasing wild landscapes
- Your guide offers a deeper look into the area's nature, culture, and geology
What's Included
- Roundtrip airfare from Honolulu International Airport to Kona International Airport
- Hawaii Volcanos National Park Admission is Included
- Engaging narration from a local guide, sharing stories and insights throughout your tour
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- Transportation to the Honolulu Airport is not included
- GratuitiesIf you enjoy your tour tipping your guide in cash is always appreciated
- Meals
- Private Tour
Meeting and Pickup
Pickup point
- Thrifty Car Rental - Kona International AirportKona International Airport, 73-200 Kupipi St, Kailua-Kona, HI 96740, USA
Pickup details
Upon arrival to Kona International Airport meet at the lot behind Alaska Baggage claim B-2
Operating hours.8:00 am
Itinerary
1
Greenwell Farms
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
2
Manuka State Wayside Park
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
3
Punalu'u Bake Shop
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
4
Punalu'u Black Sand Beach
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
5
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
2 hours • Admission Ticket Free
Mauna Kea Access Road (Pass By)
Kohala Coast (Pass By)
Hilo (Pass By)
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Infant seats available
- Near public transportation
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Most travelers can participate
- Weather Variability - The weather can change quickly, especially at higher elevations. Bring layers, including a rain jacket, as it can get cool and wet
- Sturdy Footwear - Wear comfortable, closed-toe shoes suitable for walking on uneven and potentially sharp volcanic terrain. Flip-flops or sandals aren’t recommended
- Volcanic Hazards - The park is an active volcanic area, so be aware of potential hazards like volcanic gases, which can be harmful, especially for those with respiratory issues. Follow all safety guidelines and stay on marked trails
- Pack Essentials - Bring water, snacks, sunscreen, and a hat. There are limited services within the park, so it's important to be prepared
- Respect Sacred Sites - The park is home to many culturally significant sites for Native Hawaiians. Show respect by not disturbing or removing anything from these areas
- No or Limited Cell Service - Cell phone service is limited or nonexistent in many parts of the park, so plan accordingly and download maps or guides in advance
- Leave No Trace - Help preserve the park’s natural beauty by not leaving any trash behind. Follow the "Leave No Trace" principles to protect the environment
- All entry tickets to the attractions will be provided by your driver on the morning of your tour
- Meals are at your own expense
- We stop for lunch at Punaluʻu Bake Shop where you can enjoy a variety of lunch options including sourdough sandwiches, Kalbi beef, and Hawaiian plate lunches, all complemented by their fresh baked goods and local treats
- Bring cash for roadside stands, food trucks, and local shops—many are cash-only
- If you enjoy your tour tipping your guide in cash is always appreciated
- Car seats are available for children ages 4 years and under
- People with Respiratory Issues -The park can have high levels of volcanic gases, like sulfur dioxide, which can exacerbate conditions like asthma or other respiratory problems
- Those with Mobility Challenges: Many trails and viewpoints require walking on uneven, rocky terrain, which can be difficult for individuals with limited mobility or those who rely on wheelchairs or walkers
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 22 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Thomas_A
Henry was funny and knowledgeable. The beauty of the island would have made it worthwhile a trip. But Henry made it excellent. He answered many questions. He provided fun anecdotes about the places. He also share interesting history. This trip was amazing.
Reviews
4.8
based on 246 reviews
Kasha_H, Apr 2026
The trip was fun and informative. Though, one of the trip stops was closed (weather related damage), the tour guide more than made up for it, with a cool different stop. The guide was excellent and we had the best time!
Andrew_S, Mar 2026
Fantastic tour around the Big Island with Meland Aloha Sunshine Tours!!! Mel took us to several locations on the Big Island significant to the culture and history of the area. From Kona coffee to the black sand beaches all the way into Kilauea, Mel taught us what to look for, where to make the most of each stop and introduced us to America’s southern most bakery. Great narration and knowledge. Would recommend to anyone.
Teresa_R, Mar 2026
Kevin was an amazing tour guide. Laid back and fun, he gave us lots of information but wasn’t too overwhelming. Chips and water provided along the way. Overall excellent experience. Airport transfers went smoothly.
Rinku_B, Mar 2026
Saw volcanoes NP, black sand beaches and much of Kona and Hilo area. Our guide told us much about history and took us to coffee farm to taste the famous Kona coffee. We also got to taste macadamia chocolates.
Joe_L, Mar 2026
The company is too concerned with making every dollar of profit and doesnt make decisions that are best for the tour participants. We were shuttled around a flooded island without being able to see any o fthe main attractions advertised. The tour length was half of the advertised time. They had the information they needed to know things were closed and should have cancelled the tour in advance.
Patricia_S, Mar 2026
Great do it again in a heartbeat. Tour was well organized. Out tour guide Jim Carey went above and beyond to give us an awesome experience.
Glen_B, Feb 2026
Despite the rain, Mel made the experience engaging by sharing numerous facts and stories about the island. We visited many interesting sites and frequently stopped for explanations. The tour seamlessly integrated with our flights, which was very convenient. Since our group returned to the vehicle promptly, we were able to extend our tour and visit the Crater Road Tour, which was both awesome and informative!
Two suggestions:
1) We should have stopped at the “Volcanoes National Park” Welcome sign for photos. Mel encouraged us to ask for thing like this, but we forgot until after the tour. Our bad!
2) We should have done a roll call around the vehicle. We spent the entire day with people and didn’t even know their names...
Overall a very good and worthwhile day/tour/trip
Heather_F, Feb 2026
Our guide was excellent. Very knowledgeable and kept us all together. Loved it all, great day. 5 stars to our driver
Celonia_J, Jan 2026
It was excellent. Guide was knowledgeable and friendly. The volcano park is something not to be missed when visiting Hawaii.
Michael_N, Jan 2026
Very good tour guide, Henry, who brought us to many locations teaching us along the way! Boom, thank you Henry and crew!
Jennifer_Z, Dec 2025
I really liked this experience. It was a little stressful, having to take the two planes between islands, especially because our plane getting there was delayed and pick up at the airport could have been clearer by the baggage claim.
Having said that, Henry was an amazing tour guide. He was easy to listen to funny, and gave so much information about the island and culture and history of Hawaii. I really wish this guy would get himself a podcast because I would totally listen. We got to see many points of interest despite the airplane delay in overall it was a really magical day.
Darlene_H, Dec 2025
Great experience Mel our driver with alhoa sunshine tours was great gave us lots of history especially about the volcano and the srea
Chris_F, Dec 2025
Mel was a great tour guide and driver for our group. I highly recommend doing this tour. 10 stars and an extra star for being a Pittsburgh Steelers fan.
Peg_H, Dec 2025
Great tour. Saw several interesting sites. Learned a lot about the history of Hawaii would definitely do it again
Thomas_A, Nov 2025
Henry was funny and knowledgeable. The beauty of the island would have made it worthwhile a trip. But Henry made it excellent. He answered many questions. He provided fun anecdotes about the places. He also share interesting history. This trip was amazing.
Sylvia_A, Nov 2025
This was an excellent way to see some of the big island if you don't have several days to spend here. Our tour guide Mel was wonderful. He's extremely knowledgeable and was great at explaining everything to us. We learned so much and had a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Nicole_L, Nov 2025
Awesome experience! Tour size is perfect to get the whole experience and not feel rushed or miss out on hearing any of the information. Our tour guide Brandon was the best! Told great stories and informative historical nuggets, kept us involved and entertained while in the van.
Amanda_Z, Nov 2025
This is a great way to see the Big Island in a day! Henry was knowledgeable and engaging the entire time!
David_G, Nov 2025
Last minute idea to visit another island while in Hawaii. Great experience! Our guide Jim was terrific! Really enjoyed the day.
Jaisy_J, Nov 2025
Mel did an excellent job of teaching us so much about the island from the aboriginal perspective. And he also was flexible enough to change plans and let us see lava. Amazing and well planned trip!
Karen_H, Oct 2025
This was a full day experience. Since we were staying on Oahu we flew to the big island. The experience was “other worldly” and our guide, Mel, was amazing. He had so much knowledge about the area and volcanoes in general. We had opportunities for breaks and made a stop for lunch. We liked the idea that our group was small (10 total plus a toddler). Definitely a bucket list must do!
Harini_S, Oct 2025
Excellent tour!! Saw a lot and really enjoyed the national park. Lava tube and rain forest were really enjoyable
jami, Sep 2025
Mel, was an excellent tour guide. The tour was well planned, he was extremely informative. He was professional and it was amazing to learn about the history of this island from a local. The tour was from 8 am to about 530pm. We toured a Kona coffee farm, visited a black sand beach, went to the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii National Park, walked in and along lava tubes.
The tour company was also great with their communication leading up to the day of the tour.
ChristopherLee_J, Sep 2025
Henry sets the simple rules immediately so everyone knows what is expected. After that he is incredibly knowledgeable about pretty much everything. He knows flaura and fana, species and origination of almost everything. He enjoys engaging in conversation and fielding questions. Unfortunately, he cannot make the volcano errupt. But he share unbelievable pictures he has taken himself in person. Definitely a thoroughly enjoyable experience.
Natalie_L, Sep 2025
Mel was AMAZING! Truly felt like “Ohana” on this tour. Great information and stories… a truly unforgettable experience. Reflecting on this, we would not change a single thing about this tour. Awesome stops, lots of learning.. we want to go back!
Rachael_L, Sep 2025
We got to see turtles on the black sand beach. We got to walk where there was a lava flow and the bakery we stopped at had the best food. Im so happy I got to see the volcano and my partner was loving the steam vents. He gave himself a free facial. You do spend a lot of time in the vehicle, but I didn’t mind that. We got to see a lot in one day. The places we stopped were great and our tour guide was very nice and informative.
Carmen_C, Sep 2025
We learned a lot about the big island and laughed too. We missed the eruption of the volcano by 1 day but we still enjoy the tour very much
Brian_S, Aug 2025
My family spent most of our vacation based in Oahu with a few days in Maui. We wanted to be able to see the Big Island without the hassle of planning flights, repacking all of our suitcases, switching hotels and getting another rental car —— this day-trip tour was the perfect fit. Aloha Sunshine Tours did a great job of booking our flights promptly, communicating what to expect, where to meet, etc. I can’t think of anything that they could improve upon. Our tour guide Brandon was awesome. He was very friendly, knowledgeable, and humorous. He provided safety precautions, cultural insights and geological background. Our tour group was small; just my family of five and another family of four. This saved time on getting off the bus and boarding the bus at each stop. We never felt rushed throughout the tour. I do recommend bringing a light rain jacket or small umbrella as well as some bug spray (make sure under the 3oz TSA limit so you don’t have to check luggage). We had plenty of time to check in and go through security at Hilo airport. We were at Hilo around dinner time, but being a small airport, its food options were limited. The airport has just one vendor that sells hot dogs and other quick serve items. There are vending machines with snacks. Overall, I’d highly recommend this tour.
Kays_L, Aug 2025
The experience of visiting Big Island’s volcanoes was very interesting, especially knowing that the volcano is still active and being able to see it up close. We were a bit disappointed that there was no lava flow during our visit, as this happens on some weeks, but of course this is not the organizer’s fault.
What I would note, however, is that the excursion felt a bit too long in terms of driving. The distances are considerable, and we easily spent around 40% of the time in the van. It would have been better to include two or three additional stops to balance the day. Also, the guide dropped us off at the airport nearly three to three and a half hours before our flight, which felt unnecessarily early — I believe giving us an extra hour to explore would have improved the experience.
That said, our guide was very kind and friendly, which made the trip more pleasant overall.
LINDA_P, Aug 2025
Henry was our driver. Picked us up from the airport. He kept us on schedule and sometimes it was tight. We stopped and learned about coffee and Kona coffee. We saw sea turttles resting on black sand beach. We went on to the Islands lunch spot & bakery. We had 37 min here but other busses came in and the place was jam-packed. Igot sandwiches for my crew and saw the pastries. The line was long but I got in it. We had 2 more people to go until it was my turn but we needed to leave. If you get to this bake shop and there are 2 of you. Each get in a line or decide if you want to test the pastries or have lunch but there was not time to do both. I was completely heart broken I didn't get go try the best donuts, however Henry listed where I could go on Ohau to sample these.
We then meandered down a long highway while Henry provided us with so much knowledge of the island, horticulture, sea life facts, Captain Cook, & the different roasts of coffer. I have no idea how he could talk to us for the distance we drove. He was kind to my son Cam who was the youngest on the buss and got him talking and made him feel he was part of our journey as well. The volcano and steam holes were awesome, he gave us facts on everything. Best of all we saw an 87 ft waterfall and stopped at a phenomenal chocolate macadamia house. This was one of the best chocolates we have had. We were even able to get sugarfree for family that had diabetes. This is exceptional chocolate. Thanks you Henry for a great time. I hope when we come back our paths will cross again.
Ps thanks for sharing g you volcano pictures..The Pascales.
From $589.99
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
Compare Similar Experiences
Current
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Experience Departing from Oahu
246
12 hours
Free Cancellation
From
$589.99
Customers Who Bought This Tour Also Bought
Attractions in Honolulu, USA
- China Walls Tours & Tickets
- Ala Moana Beach Park Tours & Tickets
- Aloha Tower Marketplace Tours & Tickets
- Ala Moana Center Tours & Tickets
- Kuhio Beach Tours & Tickets
- Makapu‘u Point Lighthouse Trail Tours & Tickets
- Waikiki Beach Tours & Tickets
- Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum Tours & Tickets
- Eternity Beach Tours & Tickets