Oahu's North Shore Self-Guided Audio Tour

Oahu, USA

8 to 10 hours (approx.)
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Overview

Oahu's North Shore stretches along a coastline of surf breaks, beach towns, and food trucks, and driving it without context means passing places without knowing the surf history or which stops are worth making. A self-guided audio tour provides GPS navigation and stories about Hawaiian history along the route, with offline access so it works in the area's cell-coverage gaps

Explore at a pace that suits you with a self-guided tour
Enjoy the freedom to explore independently and stop where and when you want
Audio narration means you can learn while keeping your eyes on the road
No need for data: The app works offline with just GPS

What's Included

Hours of audio narration with stories, travel tips and music
Audio narration that plays automatically as you drive
Turn-by-turn directions using GPS
Freedom to explore at your own pace
Tour highlights with activity and restaurant recommendations
Offline map (no wifi or data needed)
Tours NEVER expire
Take the tour when you want
Tour Start is Customizable

Air-conditioned vehicle
Private transportation
Lunch

Food and Drinks are EXCLUDED
Entrance fee - Moanalua Gardens entry

$5.00 per person
Entrance fee - Dole Plantation — Train, Maze and Garden pass

$25.00 per person

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting points

Select a meeting point

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Operating hours

05/21/2026 - 07/04/2027
Monday - Sunday : 12:00 AM - 11:30 PM

Itinerary

Leonard's Bakery

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Moanalua Gardens

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Green World Coffee Farm

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Dole Plantation

1 hour • Admission Ticket Not Included

Haleiwa

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

North Shore Soap Factory

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Matsumoto Shave Ice

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Laniakea Beach

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Waimea Bay

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Pu’u O Mahuka Heiau State Monument

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Shark's Cove

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Banzai Pipeline

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Sunset Beach

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Ted's Bakery

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Kawela Bay

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Famous Kahuku Shrimp

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Laie Hawaii Temple

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Lā‘ie Point

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Polynesian Cultural Center

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Kahana Bay (Pass By)

Kualoa Ranch

1 hour • Admission Ticket Not Included

Mokoli’i Island

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Byodo-in Temple

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Waikiki

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Most travelers can participate
The tour can only be done clockwise.
The tour has two starting points: Waikiki or Ko Olina.
The Dole Plantation closes at 5:30 p.m. There is an entrance fee to do the activities at the plantation, but you can visit the gift shop and cafe for free. Byodo-In only accept credit card and contactless payments.
Most of the food trucks in Kahuku are cash only.
North Shore Soap Factory has a guided tour that costs $20 per person. Call ahead to schedule.

Moanalua Gardens costs $5 for adults, $3 for children 6-12 and is free for children 5 and under.
Waves can get rough in winter (October-April). When in doubt ask a lifeguard.
Travelers must have a smartphone compatible with the Shaka Guide app.
The app must be downloaded and the tour redeemed before arrival.
Strong Wi-Fi or cellular data is required to download the tour in advance.
Location services (GPS) must be enabled on the device
Travelers are responsible for securing any required entrance passes, reservations, or permits before starting
This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate

Supplied by

Cancellation Policy

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

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Reviews

3.3

based on 9 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Needs work and updating, price was low enough for what we got.

Wayne_W, Feb 2026

1. Rather than adding informational commentary or local stories about the area you're visiting, they play music. I can play whatever music I want in my car. Use some local music to introduce a new chapter but don't play long stretches of music when you could be adding interesting stories and information. 2. The narrator cannot make up his mind which accent to use and jumps back and forth between what we figured were three different accents; why can't he just speak naturally! 3. The narrator does have a nice voice for audio but we could have done without all the jokes and what he thought were funny comments. Not everybody shares the same sense of humour. 4. Biggest disappointment is they said the tour could go clockwise or counter-clockwise but then gave no instructions as to how to use it counter-clockwise. We tried everything and couldn't reach the help desk while we were on the tour so we had to re-arrange our day and go clock-wise. 5. They need to update their information as to the open hours of various locations so you don't pull into a spot only to find it's closed at that time or that day. We did a Road to Hana tour years ago with another company and they were far more thorough, giving lots more location highlights and lots more local stories and information about the area.

Response from Host, Feb 2026

Aloha Wayne, Thank you for taking the time to share such detailed feedback. On the route direction, the Legendary North Shore Tour is designed to run clockwise only. If you were looking to travel counter-clockwise, that would be the Grand Circle Island Tour instead. That’s also why many travelers choose the Oʻahu bundle, it includes all six tours and allows you to switch routes depending on your plans. Regarding music, narration style, and humor, that balance is intentional but it won’t land the same for everyone. Your preference for more continuous local storytelling is noted. We’re always refining pacing and content. Hours and closures can change quickly on Oʻahu, but keeping that information current is important to us. We appreciate the thoughtful comparison and specifics. That helps. Mahalo for sharing your perspective 🤙

Excellent day exploring north shore!

julie_m, Nov 2025

Concise, helpful and full of options to stop and explore as much as we wanted! We had an incredible day exploring North Shore Oahu! Would definitely use again! Thanks Shaka!

Response from Host, Nov 2025

Mahalo! 🤙 We’re so glad you enjoyed exploring North Shore Oahu at your own pace. Can’t wait to guide you on your next adventure! 🌺

Confusing

Rebecca_C, Jul 2025

We started at Ko olina - The directions did not line up with the gentleman speaking on the self guide tour. We literally returned to the starting point 4 different times- to try to get on the right path. For example we never got on H2, when the tour said we would be on three lanes we were on two, when we exited number 3 for the botanical garden there wasn’t one- because we were not on the right freeway to begin with. The other drawback is the Ko Olina starting point isn’t the beginning of the tour and no where is that stated. It is a great idea - but unfortunately it just didn’t work for us.

Response from Host, Jul 2025

Thank you for your detailed feedback, and we're sorry to hear about the confusing experience you had with the Ko Olina start point and the directions not aligning. We understand how frustrating it must have been to circle back multiple times trying to find the right path. We appreciate you sharing these specific issues about freeway exits and unclear starting points — this helps us identify areas that need improvement. We'll be passing your comments to our content and tech teams to ensure clearer instructions and better navigation alignment in future updates. We truly want the app to enhance every journey, and we’re sorry it didn’t work out for you this time. Please email us your tour purchase receipt to assist you with a refund.

Awesome tour guide and GPS routing!

James_B, May 2025

Awesome Tour! With the GPS guided tours pointing out great spots along the way, it felt like we had our private tour guide with us! This is the best valued and in-depth tour

Response from Host, May 2025

Aloha! Thank you so much for your enthusiastic feedback. We’re thrilled our GPS-guided tour felt like having your own private guide and delivered excellent value and depth. Enjoy planning your next adventure, and we can’t wait to guide you again soon! Mahalo!

Not very user friendly....

Doug_S, Dec 2024

Not very user friendly. It would just stop giving directions and you end up getting lost. Ended up just using Google maps.

Response from Host, Dec 2024

Mahalo for providing your valuable feedback. We're sorry to hear you seem to have not enjoyed your Shaka Guide tour. Please reach out to us at aloha@shakaguide.com to provide us a more detailed briefing of your experience and email us a copy of your Play Store receipt so we can help you get a refund on your purchase

Read the small print

Charmeyne_W, Dec 2022

Wow - this really didn't read clearly to me and I paid for 5 "island tours" not realising they were audio tours and i couldve just got 1. Bit peeved tbh

Response from Host, Feb 2023

Aloha and we're sorry to hear there seems to be some confusion. Kindly email us at aloha@shakaguide.com so we can help you request for a refund from Viator/TripAdvisor for your booking.

Great for Solo Traveler!!

Debbie_G, Oct 2022

Mahalo for the best tour during my 9 day trip in Hawaii! The gps worked perfectly and I never missed any navigation instructions! The narration was not only informative, but also very funny! And, the music while driving had me doing a lil luau in my car! I did have my doubts when I was instructed to park, then walk across the road to see if I could spot turtles. I followed the path and there were the turtles swimming right by the shore! The host also gives the option of either stopping or continuing on your drive! The views were magnificent and will never forget how fun it was doing this drive!