Hilo Shore Excursion: Active Volcano Waterfall Black Sand Beach

We absolutely loved our Volcano, and Black Sand Beach tour. Josh with Mauka Makai Adventures made is really special. Josh was born and raised in Hilo, and his knowledge and great stories made this trip one to remember. Check them out at Maukama Kai Adventures Thanks again Josh and Jill! Mahalo! You guys rock!

Our group was large and we had our own bus and guide (12 of us). We did get up to the crater (National Park) park which had many trails closed due to past volcanic activity but I still recommend the trip to see the trails that were open. Our guide was very informative and walked with us several miles to see key features of the crater (steam and sulfur vents, crater etc). Thereafter we actually agreed to modify our trip because we had all by that time seen black sand already. Tour guide accommodated and added a visit to some of the more recent but inactive lava flows and fissures, specifically flows from fissure #8. Unbelievable to see it in person and will change your perspective forever. Highly recommended!!

This covered a lot in Hilo. We went to the Volcano National Park which was breathtaking. Then on to the Lava tubes which was unbelievable. Josh our guide made sure we had head lamps on as it is pitch black inside of these tubes. He made sure everyone was comfortable based on their physical limitations. We stopped at the Big Island Chocolate store which was delicious. Then onto the Black Sand beach which the size of the beach was a little disappointing but we did get to see 4 sea turtles on the rocks.

We had a great experience on this tour! Jill did a great job explaining in detail all of the points of interest. She is a Hilo native and so is very knowledgeable about the island. She planned out our stops so that we didn't stop at the sites at the same time with the big tour buses. There were only 9 people in our group which was the perfect size, especially when going through the lava tube. She provided delicious sandwiches for our lunch that we ate at an orchid greenhouse. She kept us moving at a comfortable pace so that we could see everything on the itinerary. And she got us back to our ship in plenty of time before the ship left.

Great trip. Jill was an excellent tour guide and gave us everything. Even found huge sea turtles on rocks at the black sand beach.

Great tour with a great guide, Josh was great, friendly and knowledgeable.

The best tour of Hilo's volcano, waterfall, black beach and going to the chocolate factory/store. Our tour guide Jill was absolutely fabulous. She took us to a couple extra places to see. She is the best tour guide!

This was totally worth the money! I haven't been to the Big Island in years so I decided to do a tour. Josh picked me up in a big comfy van right on time. There were only 2 other people in the group so we weren't crowded. He said they purposely keep the groups small. He took us out to see the sea turtles. I would never have found those on my own! Then we took off to Volcanoes National Park, stopping along the way to pick up the food we would have for lunch later. Josh is a great guy, very friendly and full of information. He is a local and injected a lot of personal insights into his tour. We got to see lava bubbling in the crater and he took us on little mini hikes to show us plants and natural wonders I would have missed had I gone on my own. We went and had a great lunch at an orchid farm and ended the day at Rainbow Falls. It was a really nice, laid back, unrushed day that was just long enough so I didn't get exhausted, especially since it was rainy. The best part was Josh. He's full of information and very knowledgeable and kind. He knows so much about the island and the wildlife. I highly recommend this tour. It's a small husband/wife company, so it's way better than a big bus tour because you're in a small group and they can cater to what you're interested in seeing or talking about. Next time I come back, I'm booking with them again to see things I missed on this trip.