Not all Big Island ATV tours are the same. One runs through a working ranch with fruit orchards and tilapia ponds. Another focuses on old-growth native forest. One ends with a waterfall swim. The terrain, the vehicle type, and what you actually do on the tour vary more than the listings suggest.
This guide covers all five operators currently running on the island, with a comparison table, location map, and a “best for” breakdown to help you decide quickly.
Table of contents
- Best ATV tours for: value, adventures, families, waterfalls, and more.
- Map + Comparison Table
- ATV tours (list + description)
- What happens on an ATV tour (+ what to bring)
Table of Contents
- Best ATV tours for: value, adventures, families, waterfalls, and more.
- Map + Comparison Table
- ATV tours (list + description)
- What happens on an ATV tour (+ what to bring)
Best ATV Tours for:
Before we start, here are our recommendations for ATV tours on the Big Island for value, people wanting to get muddy (adventure), families, and scenery.
ATVs are individual quad bikes: each rider straddles their own vehicle and steers with handlebars. They require you to actively 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, which makes UTVs the more accessible option for young children, older travelers, or anyone who doesn’t want to be behind the wheel.
On this list: Umauma runs ATVs only. Aloha Adventure Farms offers both. All About the View, Ho’omau Ranch, and Kohala UTV Adventure use UTVs.
All about the views is the cheapest option on this list, so passengers of any age can 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 animals including horses, cows, and donkeys. Guides lean educational. Reviews from families with kids 7 and up are consistently positive. If your group isn’t looking for mud and speed, this is the one.
That’s the Umauma deluxe ATV tour. The route runs ATVs through a section called “the Pit” (deep mud, no avoiding it) and ends with a swim at a waterfall. It’s the most physically active tour on this list and the one most reviews describe as flat-out fun. Come prepared to get dirty.
Aloha Adventures Farms gets the most family praise on this list. It offers 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 a fire knife show in Samoa. Reviews mention groups spanning four generations, with kids as young as 5 along for the ride. It also sits closest to Kona. Ratings hold near-perfect across nearly 200 Google reviews.
The Umauma deluxe ATV tour is built around two things: 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. Experienced riders note the course isn’t technical, but that’s not the draw. You come back wet and dirty. Solid 4.6/5 across roughly 188 reviews.
Kohala UTV Adventure runs along the rim of Pololū Valley across former Kohala Sugar Company land that’s otherwise off-limits. The views are the main event: the valley drop, the coastline, and the scale of the landscape. Pricing is per vehicle (up to 4 guests), so the per-person cost works out to around $95 for a full group. Works for kids 5 and up.
Big Island ATV and UTV Tours: Map and Comparison
The five tours on this page are spread across three parts of the island: one near Kona, two along the Hāmākua and Kohala coasts, and one above Hilo. The map helps if you’re already based somewhere or want to combine a tour with other plans on that side.
The table below pulls price, duration, vehicle type, and best-fit tags into one place.
Prices and map locations below last verified April 2026.
| Name | Duration | Price | Best For | ATV or UTV? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Hoʻomau Ranch | 2 hours | $159 | Conservation & Ecology | UTV |
| 2All About the Views | 2.5 hours | $175 | Value | UTV |
| 3Aloha Adventure Farms | 2 hours | $220 | Families, Cultural experience | ATV and UTV |
| 4Umauma Deluxe ATV Tour + Waterfall swim | 1.5 hours | $229 | Adventure seekers, Waterfall Swim | ATV |
| 5Kohala UTV Adventure | 2.5 hours | $380 | Scenery | UTV |
ATV Tours on the Big Island
There are 5 companies offering ATV tours on the island of Hawaiʻi. We describe all these companies below:
- Umauma deluxe ATV tours (Hakalau)
- Aloha Adventure Farms (south Kona)
- All about the views (AATV) (Hamakua Coast)
- Kohala UTV Adventure (Kohala)
- Hoʻomau Ranch (south Kona)
1: Umauma Deluxe ATV Tour + Waterfall swim (Hakalau / north of Hilo)
With a 5.5 mile drive over the private grounds of the former Umauma Botanical Gardens this is one of the shorter ATV tours, but it makes up for distance with a 45 minute stop at a private waterfall and pond where you can take a dip, and the guarantee to get muddy driving around in “the Pit”.
Umauma ATV Waterfall and Swim Experience
ATV tour over 5.5 miles of off-road trail, with incredible ocean views and a swim at the private waterfall. Complementary lessons + solo and multi-passenger vehicles available, making this a great family activity.
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.2: Aloha Adventure Farms (Captain Cook / South Kona district)
The closest ATV tour to Kailua-Kona, about 15 minutes up the mountain in Holualoa. The route connects four Polynesian village stops: poi tasting in Hawaiʻi, spear throwing and pineapple smashing in Fiji, drumming in Tonga, and coconut cracking in Samoa. Guides are Polynesian and the cultural content is substantive, not just a quick photo stop with a signboard.
Families with young kids can book a guide-driven UTV rather than solo ATVs, which accepts children as young as 3. It’s the only operator on the Kona side of the island offering both options.
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.
Explore the lush jungle of Holualoa on an ATV or UTV while experiencing cultures from Hawaii, Fiji, Tonga, and Samoa through 4 stops at figurative islands. Image credit: Aloha Adventure Farms.
3: All About the View (Hamakua coast, close to Waipiʻo Valley)
A 2.5 hour tour exploring a working livestock ranch and farm operation with great views of the enchanting Hamakua coast.
Good to know: this is less an adrenaline-filled ATV tour and more a farm tour that uses an UTV to take you through a traditional land division (Ahupuaʻa) that stretches from the mountain to the ocean and is home to native flora and fauna.
Explore Hawaii’s Rich Cultural Landscape on a UTV Farm Tour
A scenic UTV + Farm tour that takes you from fertile gardens and a working livestock ranch to sweeping grasslands, oceanfront, and tree canopies
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.
The All About the View UTV tour takes you on a scenic drive of a working Ranch that includes horses.
4: Kohala UTV adventure
The Kohala UTV Adventure is a guided off-road tour along the rim of Pololū Valley, the northernmost of Kohala’s seven iconic valleys. It’s a leisurely, educational ride through private land, blending natural beauty with Hawaiian history.
This tour is a good fit for families and groups looking for a scenic and muddy (but not extreme) experience — no speeding, stunts, or rough terrain. Short walks and seasonal waterfall stops are included.
Read more about the Kohala UTV Adventure here.
5: Hoʻomau Ranch (Captain Cook / South Kona district)
A 2-hour tour that explores the native forests on the Hoʻomau Ranch. This is a great way to explore the nature on this side of the island. Read more about this UTV tour on the Hoʻomau Ranch website.
Note that the Hoʻomau Ranch currently does not offer direct online bookings, and that reservations are required via call/text/email.
Tours that are (temporarily) suspended
- KapohoKine (Hilo, currently not available)
1: KapohoKine (MaunaKea trails RZR / Hamakua coast)
Almost 6 miles of trails on the lush Hamakua coast take you past waterfalls, muddy mountains and views of Maunakea, Mauna Loa, Kilauea and the Pu’u O’o vent. Note that for this tour you need to be 18 to operate the ATV. The tour lasts approximately 3.25 hours with 1 hour and 45 minutes of driving time.
Important: This tour is currently unavailable and may have been permanently suspended
Getting muddy in your ATV is half the fun :D. Image credit: KapohoKine Adventures
Tours that have closed down
- ATV Outfitters (Kohala, closed)
- Ride the Rim (Kohala, closed)
- Kahua Ranch (Kohala, closed)
- Paʻani Ranch (Hilo, closed)
1: ATV Outfitters (North Kohala)
Unfortunately ATV Outfitters ceased operations as of early 2021. We will update this space if anything gets known about a possible restart of their tours.
ATV Outfitters was a family-owned business that operated in Halaula on the northern Kohala coast, between Hawi and Pololu Valley. Their tours took you through old rainforests and a macadamia nut farm to breathtaking ocean views and a secluded waterfall.
2: Ride the Rim (Kohala, Waipiʻo Valley)
Ride the Rim has the unique advantage of location: their tours skirt the rim of Waipi’o Valley which allows for amazing views into the valley. Most of the tour takes you through eucalyptus forests and there is a stop at a small secluded waterfall where you can swim if conditions are right.
ATV tours can bring you to spectacular scenic points. The Ride The Rim tour, for example, lets you see Waipi’o Valley from several places around the valley rim
3: Kahua Ranch (Kohala, halfway between Waimea and Hawi)
ATV rides are not organized anymore on the Kahua Ranch.
The Kahua Ranch is a large privately owned cattle ranch. They organize ATV tours of their 8,500 acre property that includes lush, cool Hawaiian ranch lands and some spectacular views.
4: Paʻani Ranch (Mountain View, close to Hilo)
The ATV Tours on the Paʻani Ranch take you through their 220-acre ranch. This part of the island is not as scenic as the Kohala coast but it has the convenience of being close to Hilo. There is unfortunately no visit to a waterfall included in this tour, but there are plenty of waterfalls to be found nearby.
ATV tours on other Hawaiian islands
You can join an ATV tour on any of the other main Hawaiian islands.
ATV tours on Oʻahu
There are 3 different ATV tours on Oʻahu. The most spectacular ones are organized on the scenic Kualoa Ranch, but the Gunstock Ranch and Coral Crater adventure park also offer good options. Read more about those in our guide to ATV tours on Oʻahu.
ATV tours on Kauaʻi
Kauaʻi features two ATV tours that can be considered to be the “full package” and include beach walks, waterfall visits, and touring through the only tunnel on Kauaʻi! Of course, you also get to explore many miles of dirt roads on private lands by ATV.
Read more about all options in our guide to ATV tours on Kauaʻi.
ATV tours on Maui
Like Kauaʻi, Maui also has 2 ATV tours: Maui Mountain Activities and Maui Off-Road Adventures. We compare their tour offerings in our complete guide to ATV tours on Maui.
What happens on an ATV Tour?
ATV tours take between 1.5 and 3.5 hours. At the start of the tour you will receive a safety briefing and a short crash course (pun intended) on how to drive an ATV. The drive itself is controlled and easy to do, even without previous experience. To drive an ATV you need to be at least 16 years old, children can often be brought along with the tour in ATV buggies.
After the introduction the real tour will start. You will follow the tour guide in your ATV and stop at several scenic points along the way. During some of these stops you will be provided with snacks, get an explanation about relevant Hawaiian history, and sometimes it is even possible to take a quick swim at a waterfall.
Make also sure to check the weather forecast. Afternoon rains are common where the ATV tours take place and it is always better to be prepared!
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 more it stability at slower speeds. ATVs are also know as a ‘quad’ or a ‘quad bike’ and are very well suited to navigate difficult terrains for drivers with little to no experience.
ATVs (All Terrain Vehicles) come in many forms and shapes. The ones used for ATV tours are stable, automatic and have 4 wheels