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Hilo Tours

Our most recommended Hilo Tours

Hilo: Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and Waterfalls Flight

1. Hilo: Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and Waterfalls Flight

Take a helicopter ride over ever-changing scenery at Volcano National Park with this tour from Hilo. Journey over black sand beaches where lava once flowed into the sea. Take off from Hilo and fly directly to Volcano National Park. See the caldera of the Kilauea volcano. Admire the Pu'uo'o' volcanic cone. Snap pictures of the massive volcanos Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa. Discover new lava fields that are forming and go over old lava fields. View how waterfalls create a deep blue pools amid jungle greenery.

Big Island: Volcanoes, Waterfalls, & Coffee Farm Day-Trip

2. Big Island: Volcanoes, Waterfalls, & Coffee Farm Day-Trip

The morning is filled with guided visits to some of the most majestic waterfalls on the Big Island. The views stop you in your tracks at the Waipio Valley lookout, where a dramatic backdrop of lush cliffs drops into the sparkling blue ocean. Continue riding along the Hamakua coast as more postcard-worthy views pass by your window before visiting Akaka Falls and the famous Rainbow Falls. Take a short walk through the rainforest for an up-close view and plenty of photo opportunities. In the afternoon, explore the wonders of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, including steam vents, the Halema’uma’u, and Kilauea Iki crater lookouts, and take a short hike along the crater rim trail.  From here, relax and take it all in at Punalu’u Beach, a great place to spot marine life from the black-sand shore. On the leisurely drive back around sunset, you’ll see views of South Point, the southernmost point of the United States, and Kealakekua Bay.  Finally, enjoy a visit to Kona Coffee Farm. Stroll through the orchards with your guide and learn about the harvesting and milling process while sampling a warm cup of Kona-grown coffee.

Hilo: Sea Turtle Lagoon and Black Sand Beach Snorkel

3. Hilo: Sea Turtle Lagoon and Black Sand Beach Snorkel

This is your opportunity to swim in a lagoon full of abundant sea life. Join your hosts on a fully guided and narrated beach snorkel tour along the pristine Hilo coastline. Make 2 snorkeling stops and also enjoy island snacks and juices. The volcanic beaches are renowned for their abundant sea turtle population, and the brackish water bays and lagoons are home to a wealth of sea life including octopus, eagle and manta rays, eels, corals, and tropical reef fish. Your experienced snorkel guide will teach you about the beautiful and lush surroundings, how the beaches and volcanic islands are made, and about the abundant marine world which lies below. Newcomers to snorkeling and children are welcome. Your trained guide will teach you the basics and be with you every step of the way to make sure you feel safe and comfortable. Children will be introduced to nature in a spectacular way.

From Kona and Waikoloa: Kilauea Volcano Discovery Tour

4. From Kona and Waikoloa: Kilauea Volcano Discovery Tour

Begin your adventure with a scenic drive over the stark and beautiful saddle road to set the stage for the day overlooking mesmerizing views including a stop to view the famous Rainbow Falls. If the Twilight option is selected, you will stay in the Park past sunset to view the eruption's glow. From there your first stop will be the Hawaii Volcanoes, National Park. Discover all the “must-see” spots within the Park including the dramatically changed Halemaumau Crater. After immersing yourself in the magnanimous history and culture of Volcanoes National Park and enjoying your picnic lunch, you will be driven to Hawaii Forest and Trail's private lava tube, Kauhi Cavern. Explore this unique cave with ceilings as high as 35 feet, expansive rooms, bright golden walls, and an “upside-down” forest of roots hanging from the cave ceiling. Upon returning to the surface from the lava tube exploration, enjoy a light afternoon snack with your fellow travelers and guide while reflecting on your in-depth volcano experience.

Big Island: Hilo Doors-Off Lava and Rainforest Adventure

5. Big Island: Hilo Doors-Off Lava and Rainforest Adventure

On this helicopter doors-off experience, you will see the best of the Big Island, with views only accessible by air. See giant waterfalls flowing down gorgeous cliffs and active glowing lava. For those wanting to see Hawaii from a bird's eye view, this tour will take you there. Jump aboard the Hughes 500 Helicopter doors-off and fly over one of the most active volcanoes in the world. Find out for yourself why this is the ”hottest helicopter ride on Earth.” After over 35 years of activity, Kīlauea Volcano has made its mark on the geological structure of the island. Witness otherworldly landscapes like the incredible 8-mile river of frozen lava from Fissure 8 to the Pacific Ocean, the newest black sand beaches, and enormous craters created by recent events. Along the way, view Mauna Loa’s vistas, the beauty of lush Puna rainforests, and mesmerizing Hilo waterfalls. With no windows to shoot through, there is no better way for you to share crystal clear photographs and videos of your experience. Many of these Hawaii waterfalls are accessible by air only so you will gain exclusive access to some of the largest waterfalls on the island. 

Hawaii: Volcanoes National Park E-Bike Rental & Audio Guide

6. Hawaii: Volcanoes National Park E-Bike Rental & Audio Guide

Experience the thrill of a lifetime: E-bike around the rim of an erupting volcano. Follow a GPS map tour using your smartphone. This day of unbeatable excitement begins at Bike Volcano Headquarter in Volcano Village (less than a mile from the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park) where there is secured parking, restrooms, a general store, and a restaurant. Here you will be fitted with an e-bike and helmet and given a safety lecture under the canopy staging area. The GPS system will then lead you on a voice turn-by-turn navigation from Volcano Village into National Park on a bike trail through a lush native Hawaiian Rainforest. Your first stop will be Waldron's Ledge where you will get your first panoramic view of Kilauea Volcanos Caldera and the active lava in Halemaumau Crater (volcano-dependent). Next, your ride continues a paved trail along the rim of the Caldera to the Steam Vents where you will feel the heat of the volcano and get another incredible view of the Kilauea Volcano's Caldera. Continue biking along the crater's edge, getting incredible vast views unseen by most visitors to the park. Stop at the Kilauea Overlook and the Summit of Kilauea. Adventure abounds as you head to the opposite side of the crater and bike through the lush Hawaiian rainforest to see the incredible Kilauea Iki Crater before taking a short hike through the Thurston Lava Tube. The journey continues down Devastation Trail and leads to the closest viewing point to see the active lava in the Summit Crater. Why walk when you can e-bike? You will end your journeying by biking back to Volcano Village where you will say "A hui hou", until we meet again.

Mauna Kea: Stellar Explorer Tour from Hilo

7. Mauna Kea: Stellar Explorer Tour from Hilo

Visit Rainbow Falls and the Kaumana Caves before heading to your stargazing location. Travel across Saddle Road between Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa, 2 of the tallest and biggest volcanoes on Earth. To complete your tour, your guide will take you to one of the preferred locations on Mauna Kea for nighttime stargazing. Observe the deep sky and planetary objects through a large aperture telescope, under one of the darkest and most pristine skies on planet Earth. Enjoy narration from expert astronomers, who have written articles for well-known magazines and worked at world-class observatories for decades. The telescopes are a true purist way to view the night sky. Their fast focal ratio enables you to see sprawling wide-field views of objects that are simply not possible with other telescopes.  Weather permitting and depending on what is visible in the current sky, you can observe galaxies, nebula, star clusters, planets, double star systems, the moon, and much more.

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The best day trips and excursions from Hilo are:

Mauna Kea

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Other Sightseeing Options in Hilo

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What people are saying about Hilo

Overall rating

4.7 / 5

based on 26 reviews

This was an amazing experience. I would have enjoyed more hiking. But the stops were all incredible and I loved everything we viewed. The steaming crater was amazing. The private lava tube was absolutely spectacular and a truly unique experience. I really enjoyed the fissures and the cinder cone. And the view from the cliffs at dinner was awe inspiring! Maddie was a great guide and took care of everything you could want on a full day tour. The food and snacks were delicious and dinner hot and a wonderful. I highly recommend this excursion!

It was fantastic, from start to finish. Our guide Maddie was excellent - clear, easy to understand and extremely interesting. She knew exactly how to get everywhere, took us to the least crowded places with great views, pointed out a lot of the wildlife along the way and told us all about it.... The van was comfortable, the food [lunch, dinner and snacks] very good and plentiful, great walks... I really can't say enough about the whole experience.

This was the best tour I did on my Hawaii trip. Jaclyn was an excellent guide. She was very knowledgeable and passionate about Hawaii. It was great circling around the island on this tour.

It’s a great trip and really worth it! We visited many unique sightseeing points that really showed the beauty of Mother Nature.

Loved it. Pilot was very professional made sure everyone could see the volcano and waterfalls