A Circle Island Tour + National Park visit experience by Wasabi Tours. Back to all Big Island tours.
Tour Summary: Guides check eruption status the morning of your trip and reorder the route to improve your chances of seeing active lava. One small-group loop covers Kona coffee, Punaluʻu turtles, two waterfalls, and Volcanoes National Park.
he Waipiʻo Valley lookout, a short stop on the loop with views into the valley tied to King Kamehameha. Image credit: Wasabi Tours 
ʻAkaka Falls drops 442 feet, reached by a short rainforest walk from the parking area. Image credit: Wasabi Tours Rainbow Falls in Hilo, the second and smaller of the two waterfalls on the tour at around 80 feet. Image credit: Wasabi Tours The Halemaʻumaʻu crater lookout in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, where active lava sometimes appears. Image credit: Wasabi Tours The Thurston Lava Tube, a short walk through a lava-formed cave. Interior lighting can be out after storms. Image credit: Wasabi Tours The Kīlauea Iki lookout over a crater floor that was a lava lake in 1959. Image credit: Wasabi Tours Groundwater hits hot rock at the steam vents, one of the quick walking stops inside the park. Image credit: Wasabi Tours Punaluʻu Black Sand Beach, where green sea turtles often haul out onto the sand. Image credit: Wasabi Tours A working Kona coffee farm stop: harvesting and milling explained, with a tasting at the end. Image credit: Wasabi Tours
4 Tour Highlights:
- Guides track live eruption status the morning of your tour and reorder the route to improve your odds of seeing active lava
- Continuous local history and culture commentary on the long drives
- One loop covers a Kona coffee farm, Punaluʻu Black Sand Beach with sea turtles, two waterfalls, and Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park
- Small group capped at 13, so the day stays a van rather than a coach
Important: Wear comfortable clothing in layers as temperatures vary from warm to cool. Covered walking shoes are required.
Tour Information:
| Price: | Adult | Youth |
|---|---|---|
| (excluding taxes & fees) | $249 | $239 |
Tour Provider: Wasabi Tours
Activity: Circle Island Tour + National Park visit
Tour start time: between 8:00 AM and 11:00 AM (depending on pickup location)
Duration: 11 hours
Location: Circle Island
Pick-up available? Yes! Pick up is possible from all resorts and hotels in Keauhou, Kona, Waikoloa, and Kohala area between 8 and 11 am. Get in touch for possible Kona airport pickup.
Included: Picnic or bento lunch (teriyaki chicken, fish, vegetables, and steamed rice with assorted juices, snacks and bottled water).. All national park entrance and admission fees. Jackets and rain gear (when needed).
Cancellations: Minimum 24 hours notice for groups of 1-5, 48 hours notice for groups of 6 or more, and 72 hour notice for private groups to receive a full refund
Read more about this tour
Guides on this tour check the live eruption status the morning of your trip and reorder the day, scheduling Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park for the time with the best odds of seeing active lava. One reviewer’s group left the park about an hour and a half before the eruption stopped. Nobody can guarantee you’ll see lava.
Reviewers mention the guides’ commentary more than any single stop. The drive between sites is long, and the guides fill it with continuous commentary on local history and culture. The narration runs the whole 11 hours day.
The loop has six stops. A Kona coffee farm with a tour and tasting. Punaluʻu Black Sand Beach, where green sea turtles haul out onto the sand. About two hours inside Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park: crater lookouts, steam vents, and the Thurston Lava Tube. Rainbow Falls at around 80 feet. ʻAkaka Falls at 442 feet, reached by a short rainforest walk. The Waipiʻo Valley lookout. Guides reorder the stops around eruption activity.
What’s included
The price covers most of the logistics. Round-trip hotel pickup from Kona, Keauhou, Waikoloa, and the Kohala resorts. All park entrance and admission fees. A picnic or bento lunch, snacks, bottled water, and assorted juices through the day. Guides bring jackets and rain gear when rain or cold is likely, as it often is on the Hilo and Volcano side. Reviewers single out the steady supply of food and the frequent bathroom breaks on the eleven-hour day.
Total walking across the whole day runs about 1.5 miles, all of it light and easy, and the tour takes guests ages 5 and up. Groups cap at 13 in one van.
The eleven-hour day and what to plan for
Reviewers who worried about the length say the day felt full but not rushed. On a short stay, this one day covers the coast, the falls, the coffee farm, and the volcano, stops that would otherwise take two or three days of driving.
The road to ʻAkaka and over to the Volcano side is winding, with a lot of side-to-side movement, so bring motion-sickness medication if you need it. The lights inside the Thurston Lava Tube can fail after storms or power outages, so the tube may be dark on your day.
You are paying for a guide who reads eruption updates and weather that morning and picks the stop order for your group. The stops are the same for everyone. Visit the park in the wrong order and you can miss the lava by an hour.
[Video] A look at Big Island Grand Circle Island Tour
About Wasabi Tours
Wasabi Tours is a locally owned and operated company specialize in guided small group tours on the Big Island. Their multilingual guides (speaking English, Chinese, and Spanish) are all park ranger trained with years of experience guiding fully narrated tours on the island. They have a wealth of knowledge about the history, cultures, geography, wildlife and botany of Hawaii.
Wasabi Tours has been in business since 2006 and strives to create tours that allow guests to not only discover highlights of the island, but also to explore off the beaten paths. They receive consistent stellar reviews both for the content of their tours and for their professional and knowledgeable tour guides, and we are confident you will be in capable hands with them.
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