On one tour, you drive a solo ATV through a mud pit and finish with a waterfall swim in a private pond. Another is a farm tour on the Kona side with Polynesian cultural stops. Six operators run Big Island ATV and UTV tours, priced from $119 to $380, on both the Hilo and Kona sides.
Two operators are on the Kona side; the four others are near Hilo, along the Hāmākua coast, in Mountain View, and in Kohala. On the solo ATVs, everyone who rides has to drive. The side-by-side UTVs carry passengers, so a group with kids or non-drivers can all ride together.
Table of contents
- Map + Comparison Table
- ATV tours (list + description)
- Best ATV tours for: value, adventures, families, waterfalls, and more.
- What happens on an ATV tour (+ what to bring)
Looking at other islands? See our separate guides to ATV tours on Oʻahu, ATV tours on Kauaʻi, and ATV tours on Maui.
Big Island ATV and UTV Tours: Map and Comparison
The six tours are spread across the island: two on the Kona side, two on the Hāmākua coast north of Hilo, one between Hilo and Volcano in Mountain View, and one in Kohala. Use the map if you are already based on one side, or to pair a tour with other plans nearby.
The table below lists each tour’s price, duration, and best-fit tags.
Prices, details, and map locations below last verified September 2026.
| Name | Duration | Starting price* | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Ohana Ranch (Details ↓) | 2 hours | From $119/person | Families, Farm experience |
| 2Hoʻomau Ranch (Details ↓) | 2 hours | $159/person | Conservation & Ecology |
| 3All About the Views (Details ↓) | 2.5 hours | From $175/vehicle (~$150/person) | Value |
| 4Aloha Adventure Farms (Details ↓) | 2 hours | $220/person | Families, Cultural experience |
| 5Umauma Deluxe ATV Tour + Waterfall swim (Details ↓) | 1.5 hours | From $229/vehicle ($175/person) | Adventure seekers, Waterfall Swim |
| 6Kohala UTV Adventure (Details ↓) | 2.5 hours | From $380/vehicle (~$190/person) | Scenery |
| * Prices shown are for self-drive options. Vehicle-priced tours are charged per vehicle regardless of group size. Per-person estimates based on 2 riders. | |||
ATV Tours on the Big Island
There are 6 companies offering ATV tours on the island of Hawaiʻi. We describe all these companies below:
- Umauma deluxe ATV tours (Hakalau)
- Aloha Adventure Farms (Hōlualoa, just south of Kailua Kona)
- All about the views (AATV) (Hamakua Coast)
- Ohana Ranch (Mountain view)
- Kohala UTV Adventure (Kohala)
- Hoʻomau Ranch (south Kona)
Umauma Deluxe ATV Tour + Waterfall swim (Hakalau / north of Hilo)
You come back wet and filthy from this one. The 5.5-mile course runs the private grounds of the former Umauma Botanical Gardens on the Hāmākua coast, built around a deep mud section called the Pit, with no way around it, and a 20-minute stop at a private waterfall and pond where you can swim. You ride individual ATVs, so everyone in the group drives. It is the most physically active tour on this list. Full details, current price, and booking are on the Umauma Deluxe ATV Waterfall and Swim tour page.
Umauma Deluxe ATV Waterfall and Swim Experience
Five and a half miles of private ATV trail on the Hamakua coast, muddy by design, with ocean views and a waterfall swim to finish. Good for mixed groups: the Side x Side UTVs seat up to four.
from:
$229
What is a suggested tour?Our suggested tours are hand-picked tours that receive consistent good reviews, give back to the community, and work hard to minimize their impact on the environment. Read more about these tours on our website.We have ridden this one. The Pit section is short but deep, and the waterfall stop is long enough to get in the water. Wear clothes you are willing to lose.
Aloha Adventure Farms (Hōlualoa, 15 minutes from Kailua-Kona)
If you’re staying on the Kona or Kohala side, this is the one ATV tour you can reach without crossing the island. Aloha Adventure Farms sits in Hōlualoa, about 15 minutes upslope from Kailua-Kona, on a working coffee farm. The route connects four Polynesian village stops with hands-on activities: poi (pounded taro) tasting in Hawaiʻi, blindfolded pineapple smashing and spear throwing in Fiji, drumming in Tonga, coconut cracking and fire-starting in Samoa. Guides are fluent in the traditions they demonstrate.
Polynesian Cultural ATV Tour at Aloha Adventure Farms
The only ATV tour on the Kona side of the island, 15 minutes from Kailua-Kona. Four Polynesian village stops with hands-on activities: poi tasting, spear throwing, coconut cracking. Kids from age 3 in a guide-driven UTV.
from:
$220
What is a suggested tour?Our suggested tours are hand-picked tours that receive consistent good reviews, give back to the community, and work hard to minimize their impact on the environment. Read more about these tours on our website.It runs both solo ATVs and guide-driven UTVs. Children as young as 3 ride in the guide-driven UTV, so families with mixed ages don’t have to split into separate vehicles. Expect roughly 30 to 45 minutes of riding across the two hours; most of the time goes to the cultural stops. Full itinerary, age and weight limits, youth pricing, and booking are on the Polynesian Cultural ATV Tour at our Aloha Adventure Farms page.
Ride an ATV or UTV through the forest above Hōlualoa, with stops for the cultures of Hawaiʻi, Fiji, Tonga, and Samoa at four island stations. Image credit: Aloha Adventure Farms.
All About the View (Hāmākua coast, near Waipiʻo Valley)
This is the gentlest ride on the list and the most educational. The 2.5-hour route crosses a full ahupuaʻa, a traditional land division running from the mountain to the ocean, on the working Waipiʻo on Horseback Ranch. Stops cover the 1906 Hāmākua ditch, fishponds stocked with Hāmākua sunfish, a rescued herd of Kona Nightingale donkeys, and groves where ʻio and pueo, the Hawaiian hawk and owl, still nest. Guides cover ranch history and current planting projects.
No mud pit, no speed. Ages 7 and up, all riders under 275 lbs. Everyone rides without driving, so older travelers and mixed-age groups can all come along. Full itinerary and booking are on the All About the View UTV Farm Tour page.
All About the View UTV Farm Tour near Waipiʻo Valley
The gentlest tour on the Big Island ATV list: a guide-led UTV ride across a working Hāmākua ranch with fruit sampling, tilapia ponds, and a cliff-top ocean stop. No mud pit, no speed.
from:
$175
What is a suggested tour?Our suggested tours are hand-picked tours that receive consistent good reviews, give back to the community, and work hard to minimize their impact on the environment. Read more about these tours on our website.The farm tour explores the grounds of the Waipiʻo on Horseback Ranch. From this ranch you can also explore Waipiʻo valley on horseback on a tour that also includes transport down into the valley. Read more about that horseback riding tour in Waipiʻo Valley.
A UTV drive across the working Waipiʻo on Horseback Ranch, with horses grazing above the coast.
Ohana Ranch (Mountain View, near Hilo)
The only tour on this list where you pick fruit off the plant and eat it. Ohana Ranch runs a 2-hour guided tour on a working farm in Mountain View, about 20 minutes southeast of Hilo. The trail passes active taro, Hawaiian coffee, and guava cultivation, and guides cover Hawaiian agricultural history and farming practice as you go. Both solo ATVs and side-by-side UTVs are available, and the UTVs take passengers from age 3.
It’s the cheapest tour here per person and the most agricultural in character. The tradeoff is that Mountain View is interior Puna: no ocean views, no valley-rim drama. It fits east-side itineraries, specifically a day split between Hilo and Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, and families with young kids. Full details and booking are on the Ohana Ranch ATV Farm Tour page.
Ohana Ranch ATV Farm Tour
ATV ride through a working Hawaiian farm in Mountain View, with fruit picking and cultural commentary on taro, coffee, and farming history. From $119 for 2 hours; no experience needed, ages 3 and up.
from:
$119
What is a suggested tour?Our suggested tours are hand-picked tours that receive consistent good reviews, give back to the community, and work hard to minimize their impact on the environment. Read more about these tours on our website.Kohala UTV Adventure
The Kohala UTV Adventure is a guided off-road tour along the rim of Pololū Valley, the northernmost of the seven Kohala coastal valleys. It runs at a leisurely pace through private land, with stops for Hawaiian history and long views down the valley and coast.
The ride is muddy but never extreme: no speeding, stunts, or rough terrain. Short walks and seasonal waterfall stops are included.
Read more about the Kohala UTV Adventure here.
Note: pricing is per vehicle, not per person. One vehicle holds one driver plus up to three passengers. Solo or two riders: $380. Three riders: $555 ($185 per person). Four riders: $705 ($176 per person). If you’re traveling with family or friends, book together.
Hoʻomau Ranch (Captain Cook / South Kona district)
Hoʻomau Ranch runs a 2-hour UTV tour through native dry forest on the South Kona coast, about 20 miles south of Kailua-Kona near Captain Cook. The focus is conservation and ecology: guides cover native species, land restoration, and the ranch’s history. Read more about this UTV tour on the Hoʻomau Ranch website.
The tour is $159 per person and runs about 2 hours, with daily departures. There’s no online booking: reserve by phone or email directly through the ranch.
Best ATV tour for value, mud, families, or scenery
We sort the six tours by what you want most: value, mud and adventure, a family outing, or scenery.
Q: What is the difference between an ATV and a UTV tour?
ATVs are individual quad bikes: each rider straddles their own vehicle and steers with handlebars. They require you to drive, and most operators set a minimum age or height for solo riders. UTVs (also called side-by-sides) seat two to four people next to each other in a cab with a steering wheel, seatbelts, and a roll cage. Passengers can ride along without driving, so young children, older travelers, and anyone who doesn’t want to be behind the wheel can still come.
On this list: Umauma runs ATVs only. Aloha Adventure Farms offers both. All About the View, Hoʻomau Ranch, and Kohala UTV Adventure use UTVs.
Q: Which ATV tours are on the Kona side?
Two. Aloha Adventure Farms is in Hōlualoa, about 15 minutes upslope from Kailua-Kona, and is the only ATV tour close to where most Kona and Kohala visitors stay. It runs both solo ATVs and guide-driven UTVs, with four Polynesian village stops along the route. Hoʻomau Ranch is further south near Captain Cook, about 20 miles down the coast, and focuses on native dry forest and conservation. Hoʻomau takes bookings by phone or email only, not online. Every other tour on this list is on the Hilo, Hāmākua, or Kohala side, a 90-minute-plus drive from Kona.
Q: Which Big Island UTV tour offers the best value?
All About the View is the best value for a group. It is a UTV priced per vehicle, so a full group splits the cost and passengers of any age ride along without driving. The route follows an ahupuaʻa track from mountain to ocean across a working ranch, with stops at fruit orchards, tilapia ponds, and grazing horses and cows. Guides focus on ranch history, and it takes kids 7 and up. If your group isn’t looking for mud and speed, this is the one.
Q: Which ATV tour is best for thrill-seekers who want to get muddy?
That’s the Umauma deluxe ATV tour. You ride ATVs through a section called “the Pit” (deep mud, no avoiding it), then finish with a swim at a waterfall. It’s the most physically active tour on this list. Come prepared to get dirty.
Q: Which Big Island ATV tour is best for families with young kids?
Aloha Adventure Farms is our top pick here for families. It runs both ATVs and UTVs, so you can choose based on your group. The route connects four Polynesian village stops: drumming in Tonga, spear-throwing in Fiji, poi tasting in Hawaiʻi, and coconut cracking in Samoa. Kids ride along from age 3, so mixed-age family groups can stay in one vehicle. It also sits closest to Kona.
Q: Which ATV tour includes a waterfall swim?
The Umauma deluxe ATV tour has a swim at a waterfall partway through and a section called “the Pit” where you drive through deep mud. You ride individual ATVs, so everyone in your group needs to drive. The course isn’t technical. You come back wet and dirty.
Q: Which Big Island ATV tour has the best scenery?
Kohala UTV Adventure runs along the rim of Pololū Valley across former Kohala Sugar Company land that’s otherwise off-limits. From the rim you look straight down into the valley and out along the coastline. Pricing is per vehicle (up to 4 guests), so the per-person cost works out to about $176 for a full group. Works for kids 5 and up.
Big Island ATV tours that have closed
Five operators that still show up in older guides and search results no longer run tours:
- ATV Outfitters in North Kohala (closed 2021),
- Ride the Rim on the Waipiʻo Valley rim (closed 2018),
- Kahua Ranch between Waimea and Hāwī,
- Paʻani Ranch in Mountain View near Hilo, and the
- KapohoKine Maunakea-trail RZR tour.
If a tour you found elsewhere is not in the comparison above, it has almost certainly stopped operating. The six active operators are the full current list.
What to expect on a Big Island ATV Tour
ATV tours take between 1.5 and 2.5 hours. At the start of the tour you will receive a safety briefing and a short crash course on how to drive an ATV. The drive itself is controlled and easy to do, even without previous experience. You usually need to be at least 16 to drive a solo ATV, and some operators ask for a valid driver’s license at check-in. Younger children can often ride along in a guide-driven UTV.
After the briefing, you head out on the route, following the guide and stopping at scenic points along the way. Some stops include snacks and a bit of Hawaiian history, and a few end at a waterfall where you can take a quick swim.
Check the weather forecast before you go. Afternoon rain is common where these tours run, so bring a rain layer.
What to bring on an ATV tour?
The tours themselves provide safety equipment such as helmets but you should make sure to bring the following items yourself:
- Closed-toe shoes (essential!)
- Long pants
- Sun glasses (to keep the mud out of your eyes)
- Sunscreen
- Bug spray
- Swimming gear (some tours include swimming at a waterfall!)
- A clean change of clothes for after the tour (you may get dirty and/or rained on)
What is an ATV?
An ATV (All Terrain Vehicle, wikipedia) is a small 4WD vehicle that handles like a motorcycle, but the extra wheels and weight give it more stability at slower speeds. ATVs are also called quads or quad bikes, and they handle difficult terrain well even for drivers with little to no experience.
The ATVs used on these tours are automatic four-wheelers, stable at low speed