Big Island Day Tours from Oahu
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Highlights
- Round-trip interisland airfare
- Guided tour of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
- See Kilauea Caldera, steam vents, recent lava flows
- Explore the Thurston Lava Tube
Description
The Hawaiian island chain was born of fire, but it has been at least 35,000 years since there has been an eruption on the island of Oahu. As the Pacific plate drifts west , the hotspot that creates the volcanic activity is now under the eastern end of the Hawaiian chain. All the recent volcanic activity has been on the Big Island of Hawaii. If you want to see an ACTIVE volcano in person ... steaming craters, recent flows, and maybe even a glipse of some red hot lava ... you need to visit the Big Island!
For guests staying on Oahu, we offer one-day tours to fly from Honolulu Airport to the Big Island, with a tour vehicle, guide and park admission included once you arrive. The day starts early; participants are on their own to get to and from the Honolulu Airport and the morning flights are typically around 5:30am-6:30am. The return flight is typically in the early evening. There are two different versions of this tour offered by two different companies.
One-day interisland tours involving airfare are charged at the time the reservation is made, and there are no refunds for canceled / missed tour dates. Due to airline flight rules there are no changes or cancellations allowed once your date is confirmed. We recommend that you purchase travel insurance to cover the cost of a nonrefundable tour in the event of an unexpected change in your travel plans.
Packages
ALOHA SUNSHINE TOURS - ONE DAY BIG ISLAND WITH KILAUEA VOLCANO
Take a journey to the youngest Hawaiian Island and witness firsthand the amazing power of Hawaii's fiery goddess of fire, Madame Pele. Learn the ancient legends about just how these magnificent islands formed … and see for yourself the amazing landscapes formed by flowing lava.
Your morning begins with self-checkin at the Honolulu Airport. Following your flight to the Big Island, your tour guide and 20 passenger motorcoach will pick you up at the Kona Airport. This tour is not just a Kilauea Volcano tour ... it is a journey from Kona all the way around the southern tip of the Big Island, with an evening return flight from the Hilo Airport! You will see extensive volcanic landscapes of the Big Island, including historically-recent lava flows from THREE different volcanos! You will drive through idyllic seaside downtown of Kona, pass through coffee farm territory, and further south to the massive lava flows from Mauna Loa. You'll cross the famous 1950 flow that set a record ... once the eruption started high on the slopes of Mauna Loa a massive river of lava surged all the way down the mountain and into the ocean in just 3.5 hours!
About halfway through the drive to Kilauea you will stop for a break at Punalu'u Beach Park, one of the most beautiful and exotic BLACK sand beaches in the world! It is common to see honu ... the Hawaiian gree sea turtles ... hauled out of the ocean and laying in the warm jet black sand. Also enjoy a stop at the Punalu'u Sweet Bread Bakery.
Next stop is Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, home of Kilauea Caldera, the world's most ACTIVE volcano. Park admission is included, and see the Kilauea Visitor Center, Halemaumau Crater overlook, Kilauea Iki Overlook, and walk through and explore the Thurston Lava Tube (Nahuku). If time permits, a stop is often made at Rainbow Falls on the Outskirts of Hilo, followed by your dropoff at the Hilo Airport for your flight back to Oahu.
Schedule: This tour is typically offered daily. Exact flight times are provided after your reservation is confirmed.
Check In Location: Honolulu International Airport Interisland Terminal.
Included: Airfare, guide, motorcoach tour around the southern half of the Big Island, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park admission, water,juice, sodas, and snacks. A no-host lunch stop is made at a local restaurant where food is available for purchase.
Reservations: Advanced reservations required ... tours involving interisland airfare are charged at the time your reservation is confirmed.
Minimum Notice for Cancellations / Changes: Tours involving interisland airfare are non-cancellable, non-changeable, and non-refundable. We recommend that you purchase travel insurance to cover the cost in the event you have an unepected change in your vacation plans.
Aloha Sunshine Tours - Big Island from Oahu Rate (AST33O)
$549.00 per Adult, $549.00 per Child (2-11), Infants under 2 FREE (plus 4.712% Hawaii sales tax)
POLYNESIAN ADVENTURES - OAHU TO BIG ISLAND VOLCANO WITH WATERFALLS
Discover the source of Hawaii Island's creation at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park! Start your incredible day with self-checkin at the Interisland Terminal at Honolulu International Airport. Round-trip airfare to/from Hilo is included with this tour! After arriving at Hilo Airport, your guide and tour vehicle will pick you up for your day of volcanic sights and exploration of the Big Island's wonders!
Explore cascading waterfalls, craters, and the city of Hilo which was inundated by a tsunami in 1960. Bear witness to the 2018 eruption that drastically altered the island's landscape. Peer into the depths of Halemaumau Crater which has remarkably doubled in size and watch steam clouds form as ground water seeps onto hot volcanic rock at the famous Steam Vents.
Gaze at sweeping coastal views at Kealakomo Overlook where older lava flows entered the ocean. Drive down scenic Chain of Craters Road., and explore Nahuku ... also known as Thursdon Lava Tube. Marvel at not one by two spectacular waterfalls – Rainbow Falls just outside of Hilo town, and Akaka Falls - a towering 442 foot tall waterfall accessible by walking a short verdant jungle trail from the parking lot. Your day concludes with an evening flight from Hilo back to Honolulu.
Schedule: This tour is typically offered Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Exact flight times are provided after your reservation is confirmed.
Check In Location: Honolulu International Airport Interisland Terminal.
Included: Airfare, guide, motorcoach tour, admission to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. A "to-go" lunch is included with the price of the tour.
Reservations: Advanced reservations required ... tours involving interisland airfare are charged at the time your reservation is confirmed.
Minimum Notice for Cancellations / Changes: Tours involving interisland airfare are non-cancellable, non-changeable, and non-refundable. We recommend that you purchase travel insurance to cover the cost in the event you have an unepected change in your vacation plans.
Polynesian Adventures - Oahu to Big Island Volcano Tour Rate (POLYH2_HNL)
$550.00 per Adult, $522.00 per Child (2-11), Infants under 2 FREE (plus 4.712% Hawaii sales tax)
Kevin's Activity Tips:
If you have never seen an active volcano up close and personal, a day trip to the Big Island is a MUST for your Oahu vacation! You'll not only SEE the volcano, you'll hear it, smell it, and feel the heat eminating from the ground in places. Even if there is a pause in the eruption on the day of your visit, hissing and steaming cracks are easy to find at the "Steam Banks" area inside the park.
The two tour companies featured here have completely different approaches ... both of them showcase Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and Kilauea Volcano, but the distance that is covered during these two tours is very different. Aloha Sunsine Tours has you fly into KONA on tha western side of the island, so it is more of a "Half Circle Island" tour with Hawaii Volcanoes National Park the highlight of the day, with stops at various locations in the summit area of the Kilaeua Caldera. Polynesian Adventures has guests fly in and out of Hilo, which is closer to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. You spend more time in the park with them, and they include TWO waterfalls as well. Because they have more time in the park, they also go down "Chain of Craters Road", and area that Aloha Sunshine Tours does not have time to visit because of the longer drive from Kona.
If Aloha Sunshine Tours spends more time driving and less time at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, what are the advantages of going with THEIR tour? Well, for one you get to see more than just Kilauea Volcano ... you land at the Kona Airport which was built on a lava flow from Hualalai Volcano. Hualalai looms over the resorts and condos of the Kona area and if it erupts again in our lifetime, it will be BIG news. You will also drive through impressive, massive lava flows that poured from the summit of Mauna Loa volcano. As you round the southern tip of the Big Island you'll visit Punalu'u black sand beach, which has what I think is the most jet black sand of any volcanic beach anywhere. With green palm trees inland, and the blue Pacific Ocean offshore, the black sand is framed by tropical beauty.
But ... if you don't want to spend as much time driving around, and if waterfalls are your thing ... you'll be happier on the Polynesian Adventures tour. Akaka Falls is a state park, and the 442 foot tall falls is a GEM of a natural attraction.
In reality, unless you are planning months ahead of time (which we recommend), the decision which tour to do may come down to taking the tour that happens to be available on the date you are wanting to go. The Polyynesian Adventures tour is only offered three days a week, so it sells out quicker than the Aloha Sunshine Tour.
Finally, one thing to keep in mind about one day tours that include airfare; Due to airline rules these tours are FINAL once they are booked. There are no cancellations, changes, passenger substitutions, or refund of any kind once a tour has been finalized. Because airfare is involved, these tours must be prepaid and are charged at the time that your reservation is confirmed. We do recommend that you consider purchasing travel insurance that would reimburse you for this tour cost in the event that your vacation plans were suddenly changes due to unforseen circumstances.