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Volcanoes, Lava Tubes, and Petroglyphs (Private Tour)

Volcanoes, Lava Tubes, and Petroglyphs (Private Tour)

Overview

Book an unforgettable private tour that will take you into the heart of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. From all the main highlights within the park to the lesser seen areas, your tour will go far beyond any experience with the bigger companies.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site and an International Biosphere Reserve, this iconic park is a must see while in Hawaii. Experience two of the world’s most active volcanoes, critically endangered wildlife and some of the most unique geological, biological and cultural landscapes on earth.

Your exceptional naturalist will provide guided interpretation during your entire tour experience.

Upon booking your tour, one of our guides will contact you to discuss custom options we have available for your tour. Whether you’d like to spend more time star gazing, enjoy more time at our private waterfall location, or enjoy an extended guided hike, we’re here to make this experience memorable and most importantly – ALL ABOUT YOU!

City: Big Island of Hawaii

Sun 08 Jun

Other dates

You can choose the date already on the booking website

Starting at $2195.00

Make a reservation

Sun 08 Jun

Starting at $2195.00

Make a reservation

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What's Included

Private transportation

Soda/Pop

Fully guided naturalist tour with educational materials and commentary

Lunch

Snacks

Dinner

Air-conditioned vehicle

Additional Info

Wheelchair accessible
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Service animals allowed
Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness

What To Expect

Punalu'u Bake Shop

As you begin your tour, you’ll travel south along the Kona coast and absorb the breathtaking views of lush vegetation and coastline. Listen to your guide describe the cultural history of the area as well as the local flora and fauna. Arrive at the southernmost bakery in the United States. World renown for their sweet breads, malasadas (Portuguese fried dough aka “donut”) and other delicious treats. Enjoy a complementary coffee or tea and choose a malasada before heading on to explore the most beautiful black sand beach on the island.

Punalu'u Black Sand beach

One of the prettiest black sand beaches in all of the Hawaiian Islands. The jet-black volcanic glass sand here was formed from the rapid cooling of basaltic lava hitting the ocean water then shattering into tiny fragments. Enjoy the relaxing feeling of black sand under your toes while listening to the wind move through the palms and across the water. Your guide will keep a look out for green sea turtles and endangered hawksbill sea turtles that frequent the beach.

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

This iconic park encompasses the summit of two of the world’s most active volcanoes and extends from sea level up to the summit of Mauna Loa at 13,677 feet. It’s home to critically endangered wildlife and some of the most unique geological, biological and cultural landscapes on earth. You’ll spend the majority of your tour here in the park taking in all the natural wonders. Your tour will explore the main attractions in the park including: the Thurston Lava Tube, Chain of Craters Road, Pu‘ulao Petroglyph field and many other lesser known locations within the park. Enjoy a guided 2-3 mile hike and marvel at the incredible views of the current eruption inside Halema‘uma‘u Crater during the day and “the glow” at night.

Volcano

Enjoy a three-course dining experience sourced with local ingredients and Hawaiian infused cuisine at a top of the line Kilauea Lodge just outside Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Depart Volcano and head back to your place of lodging feeling happy, full and filled with exciting new memories.

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Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Traveler Photos

Reviews (6)

Flavio B

Jun 2023

Some things are sublime and on this tour of the waterfalls and volcano parks you will understand that. It brings together nature, knowledge, beauty, amazement and reflection. End the day with an excellent dinner in a wonderful environment. Getting to know a volcano up close was fantastic. Highlight for the guide, Shaw ( Big Island Backroad Adventures Tours), who with tranquility and knowledge provided unforgettable moments for my family. Thanks e congratuletions for job.

Response from Host

Jun 2023

Aloha Flavio, Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us! Even though our primary languages were different, your family’s big smiles throughout the day were a universal language! I am very glad you all had a wonderful and unforgettable day. We strive to provide the best possible experience for our guests and even though you wrote very nice comments, I noticed that you gave us just four stars. If there was something that I could done to make your tour better, please let me know! Thank you again for coming out with us and also sharing your experience. Mahalo, Shawn

U600VOnickm

Apr 2023

Shawn was an amazing guide and super easy to work with. I boneheadedly made a mistake in booking and reached out to Shawn who immediately worked with me to correct the error and book on the right day. He worked with us to modify the tour to our specific requirements (drop off at the airport at a specific time), adding some more time at the black sands beach as our kids wanted to see the turtles. The time in the Volcanoes National Park was amazing. Shawn knows the ins and outs of the park and found some great off-the-beaten-path spots that really showed off the unique characteristics of lava. Highly recommend for any families looking to explore the Big Island.

Response from Host

Apr 2023

Aloha Nick! Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with me and the kind words! I had a great time with your family, showing you all the wonderful sights of the Big Island and Volcanoes National Park. I really enjoy knowing that there are some stops on our adventure where the kids can just be kids. Seeing their excitement and curiosity really makes my job even more wonderful. I was glad to be able to accommodate your family’s last day here and look forward to our next adventure together! Mahalo, Shawn

RoadsideCollective

Oct 2022

We cannot say enough wonderful things about Big Island Backroad Adventures Tours! As first time visitors to the big island, taking the private volcano tour with Shawn turned out to be the perfect way to fully enjoy the day and make sure we got to experience what was most special for us. Having Shawn as our personal guide allowed us the opportunity to spend as much time as we wanted at each place of interest and also allowed us a level of personalization you just can’t get with group tours. As the day progressed Shawn was able to easily tweak our itinerary to make sure we got the most out of the experience. It was the coolest choose your own adventure we ever had! You can tell Shawn loves his job and loves the island. He was so knowledgeable and just an awesome guy for us to hang out with for the day. He was attentive from the moment we initially booked with him to the time we got dropped off, getting our input and feedback throughout to make sure it was meaningful. The transportation accommodations for the entire day were as comfortable as one can get, and not a detail was overlooked with all snacks, drinks and meals covered. Shawn brought all the equipment and outerwear we would have never considered bringing which allowed us to be prepared and comfortable at all times whether it be warm jackets for higher elevations to lighting equipment for our evening exploration. After enjoying our tour and day with Shawn we felt so much more connected to the island and also had some amazing new memories. Do not hesitate to book with Big Island Backroad Adventures Tours!

Response from Host

Nov 2022

Aloha Allie! Thanks for taking the time to share you experience with us! It’s awesome to hear that you had a great time on our adventure! I really enjoyed our day together too! The best part of my job is seeing your excitement and enthusiasm, it makes for a wonderful day for me as well! A lot of guests don’t realize how diverse the island is, from the scenery to different climate zone, so we always prepare for whatever the day might bring us. The way we have structured our tours makes it really nice to be able to adapt to our guests interests as the day progresses versus being on a set schedule. Thanks again for taking the time to share your experience with us and I’ll look forward to our next adventure together! Mahalo, Shawn