For a recent cruise stop to Hilo, Hawaii, we booked the Best of Big Island and Volcanoes National Park excursion through Vacations to Go. The destinations included Lili’uokalani Park and Gardens, Rainbow Falls, Mauna Loa Macadamia Factory, Orchid farm, Volcanoes National Park, and a black sand beach.
The tour company was timely and picked our group up at the cruise terminal in a 16-passenger tour bus. Our tour guide’s name was Dre’, a life-long resident of the Big Island. Dre’ was very friendly and knowledgeable about the area and throughout the tour, he provided great narration, and interesting information about the island and its history. The bus was air conditioned, clean, and Dre’ offered free bottled water, granola bars, and even a battery charger that one attendee needed for her camera.
Dre’s knowledge of the area, plants, and wildlife was extensive as we made our way to Rainbow Falls. There was a large festival taking place in the old part of town, which blocked traffic and cut-off the normal route to the falls. Dre’ was able to navigate a new route through the side-streets without losing much time.
At the Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Factory, we stopped at their visitor center and sampled several types of macadamia nuts. We also had the opportunity to have lunch and try the macadamia ice cream on their outdoor patio. After lunch, Dre’ took the group on a very informative and interactive tour of the on-site botanical garden.
Next was a nice stop at the Hilo Orchid Farm where we saw beautiful varieties of orchids and had time to take numerous photos.
The tour was scheduled to visit the Thurston Lava Tube near the Kilauea Volcano, which has been closed due to recent volcanic activity. Dre’s knowledge of the island allowed him to modify the tour and he took the group to a different lava tube on the way to Volcanoes National Park. When we got to the park, our tour started at the visitor’s center, where we viewed a video about the park and the recent devastating eruption. Dre’ used a scale model of the park and volcano to illustrate the magnitude of the latest eruption, and gave personal accounts of the event. From the visitor center, we drove to the edge of the caldera, where we took a short walk to the edge and viewed the massive crater, surrounded by steam seeping from the ground as a result of the seismic activity in the area. The weather had started to turn from fog to a light rain as we got the edge of the caldera, and Dre’ had rain ponchos for all who wanted one and even offered to lend out his own personal umbrella. We returned to the port after making a stop to view a group of sea turtles at one of the black sand beaches, where Dre’ showed the group a number of photos that he had taken during the last Kilauea eruption, and emailed them to those who requested them.
All in all, it was a very enjoyable tour with a truly great guide. Thanks Dre’ for making our first visit to Hilo a great one!