Hawaiʻi is one of the only places in the United States where tea is grown commercially, and the Big Island has three working farms that offer guided tours. None take walk-ins. All require advance reservations, and Mauna Kea Tea’s weekend slots book out weeks ahead.
The three farms differ more than their locations suggest: one pairs a full farm walk with a Japanese tea ceremony near Honokaʻa, another sits inside a native rainforest in Volcano Village. If you have a full afternoon, Mauna Kea Tea is the most established option; for a shorter visit near Hilo, Ancient Leaf Tea runs Tuesday and Saturday slots at 11:30 AM.
Table of contents
- Mauna Kea Tea (near Honokaʻa)
- Ancient Leaf Tea (Papaikou / Onomea Bay)
- Tea Hawaii (Volcano Village)
Table of Contents
- Mauna Kea Tea (near Honokaʻa)
- Ancient Leaf Tea (Papaikou / Onomea Bay)
- Tea Hawaii (Volcano Village)
Compare the Three Tea Farm Tours
The table covers the key logistics at a glance: price per person, duration, and when each farm runs tours. Click any farm name to jump to its full description and booking details. The map shows how the farms are distributed across the island.
Prices, details, and map locations below last verified June 2026.
| Name | Tour Length | Price* | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Tea Hawaii (Details ↓) | 1 hour | $25 | Volcano Village |
| 2Ancient Leaf Tea (Details ↓) | 1 hour | $49 | Papaikou (Onomea Bay) |
| 3Mauna Kea Tea (Details ↓) | 2.5 hours | $70/person (kids half price) | Near Honokaʻa |
| * Tea Hawaii pricing scales by group size: $80 for one person, down to $25 per person for four or more. Children 5 and under are free. | |||
Mauna Kea Tea
No pesticides have been used at Mauna Kea Tea since the plants went in the ground. The farm sits on Old Mamalahoa Highway north of Honokaʻa, in the wet, high-elevation zone where the soil and rainfall combine to make tea cultivation genuinely viable. It is the most established tea tour operation on the island, and the setup reflects that: structured, unhurried, and built around the growing environment rather than around the visitor experience.
The 2.5-hour tour walks the farm with a guide covering the soil composition, the insects, and the weeds that coexist in a working organic ecosystem. It is as much a farming education as a tasting. The session ends at the tea house with a Senchado-style Japanese tea ceremony, paired with light snacks alongside artisan green tea.
There is no wifi or cell service at the farm, so download your map before you leave the highway. The terrain is gravel, uneven, and sometimes steep. Not suitable for children 5 and under.
The Mauna Kea tea plantation. Image credit: Mauna Kea Tea
Tour Details and Booking
Price: $70 per adult (ages 13 and up), $35 per child (ages 6 to 12). Group bookings add a $50 fee.
Book through the Mauna Kea Tea website.
The farm tour ends with a Japanese tea ceremony and tasting. Photo credit: Mike Neenan
Getting to Mauna Kea Tea
Address: 46-3870 Old Mamalahoa Highway, Honokaʻa, HI 96727. A natural stop when visiting Waipiʻo Valley or driving the Hāmākua Coast.
Ancient Leaf Tea
Ancient Leaf Tea sits on the 4-Mile Scenic Drive in Papaikou, about 7 miles north of Hilo along the coast. The farm occupies the Onomea Bay area, where the road narrows through dense vegetation before dropping toward the water.
The one-hour walking tour covers pineapple fields and tea rows with a trained guide who narrates the farm’s tropical fruits, flowers, botanicals, and tea cultivation as you move through it. Photos are encouraged throughout. Every guest takes home a tea sachet (a $7 value, included in the tour price). For families, children ages 9 and under go at half price, and the walking pace is suited to younger legs.
Tours run on Tuesdays and Saturdays at 11:30 AM. Price: $49 per adult (ages 10 and up), $24 per child (ages 9 and under). Book through the Ancient Leaf Tea website.
Ancient Leaf Tea also runs a 2.5-hour tour with farm owner Susan, with multiple teas, multiple steeps, and seasonal food pairings. That option is aimed at people who already know they want to spend time with the tea rather than get an overview of the farm. Check their website for current availability and pricing.
Getting to Ancient Leaf Tea
Meet and park at the Ancient Leaf Tea farmstand on the 4-Mile Scenic Drive (also called the Onomea Scenic Drive), Papaikou, HI 96781. The farmstand sign marks the spot when the road narrows near the coast. Do not confuse this with the main highway: you need to turn off onto the scenic route.
Tea Hawaii
Tea Hawaii in Volcano Village is the only Big Island tea operation set inside a native rainforest rather than a cleared plantation. Eva Lee and Chiu Leong have integrated the tea gardens into the surrounding canopy using agroforestry methods: the plants grow alongside native trees rather than in open rows. Rain comes to this part of the island almost daily, and the ground stays muddy after any shower. Waterproof footwear is worth it here.
The tour, about one hour, walks through the gardens woven into the rainforest near the Kīlauea summit and ends with a tea tasting. The setting is unlike any other tea farm on the island: enclosed, shaded, with the kind of ambient dampness that makes the elevation obvious.
Pricing scales by group size: $80 for a solo visitor, $40 per person for two, $30 per person for three, and $25 per person for groups of four or more. Children 5 and under are free. Book at least one week in advance.
Contact: [email protected] or 808-967-7637. More detail at the Tea Hawaii website. Full refund for cancellations at least 24 hours before the tour.
Getting to Tea Hawaii
Tea Hawaii is in Volcano Village, near the entrance to Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. Contact them directly for the exact address when you book.
Buying Big Island Tea Without a Farm Tour
If a farm visit is not in the schedule, all three operators sell their tea directly. Mauna Kea Tea and Ancient Leaf Tea both ship, and Ancient Leaf Tea’s farmstand in Papaikou is open without a tour reservation if you are passing through on the 4-Mile Scenic Drive. Tea Hawaii sells at the farm and occasionally at local markets. For anyone who wants to try Hawaiian-grown tea before committing to a tour, ordering direct from the farm is a straightforward option, and it supports operations that are genuinely small-scale.
Note: Big Island Tea, located in Mountain View between Hilo and Volcano Village, no longer organizes farm tours. Their tea remains available for purchase at bigislandtea.com. Address: 18-2465 N Glenwood Rd, Mountain View, HI 96771.