After a self-guided drive and tour of the Haleakala volcano in Maui, I decided to let a professional do the drive from Kona to the Kilauea National Park. After reading many of the TRIP ADVISOR reviews (97% excellent), I felt confident this was the tour for my wife and I. It did not disappoint! I hate bus tours because it seems you spend half your day loading and unloading the 50+ passenger buses. Our 11 person tour allowed us to spend much longer times at each wonderful stop with no pressure. Our guide, Kevin Hasting, just said “Come back when you have seen enough.” Fantastic! In addition, Kevin had an encyclopedic knowledge of Hawaiian culture, lifestyle, history, geography, ecology, you name it. He was also an excellent storyteller between stops which made this tour a unique and personal adventure. Lastly, Kevin was so proficient at navigating the Eastern Coast, Hilo area and park that he was somehow able to adjust his routes and timing to avoid the many rain squalls and downpours common to this area. I cannot say enough about how great this tour is. Don’t drive yourself, you will miss so much. One piece of advice. Take some warm clothes with you as it gets cold at night at the high elevations. I carried a light windbreaker jacket, a hoodie, a knit cap and a pair of pullover slacks to put on at night. I ended up giving my hoodie to a fellow passenger to wear who was shivering. The tour does provide emergency blankets and jackets.
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Attended as: | Couples |
Activity Date: | 2017/11/14 |
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We really enjoyed our trip to Volcanoes National Park! We walked in a lava tube with headlamps on at night and the kids absolutely loved it. Then we saw lava from a viewing deck at the museum using binoculars and I will never forget that. We also felt the steam from several steam vents coming out of the ground, and we hiked through a rain forest down to the bottom of a crater and walked on an old lava flow. Very memorable visit! Our tour guide was very informative and made sure we got to see and do everything.
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Attended as: | Families with Young Children |
Activity Date: | 2017/10/23 |
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Deluxe is the word! As if the natural awesomeness of a live volcano,a national park and stars was not enough this trip also includes a tasty picnic lunch and a 5 star dining experience for dinner. Add to this an extremely knowledgeable guide who serenades you with ukulele, tells amazing Hawaiian myths, provides astronomical binoculars to improve photographs taken on your phones and cameras of a live volcano at night and leads a sing-along on the way home.
This was a long day but easily the best tour our family has ever taken. Booking via Veltra tours was easy, even from overseas.
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Attended as: | Families |
Activity Date: | 2017/09/06 |
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The guide was outstanding. He is a geologist with a lot of experience. He provide
a lot of information on the volcano as well as information about the the big island in general. He helped us take pictures as well as provided answers to questions we asked. This was a great tour.
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Attended as: | Couples |
Activity Date: | 2017/09/20 |
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The trip took too long time for nothing, visiting some stores which mean wasting time & money! also you can't see that much Lava in the morning!!! only the smoke! The guide was too knowledge but talking a lot which cause me headache! Since the tour started till finished he was talking no relaxing! after we finish the park he took us to the mall for 45 min!! It's totally wasting time, I prefer to go by car alone and see a lot of sight rather than this tour!!
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Attended as: | Friends |
Activity Date: | 2017/08/31 |
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This is an absolutely terrific tour and worth every penny. Our family has visited the Big Island many times but we learned so much from our energetic and knowledgable tour guide, Kevin. Absolutely adored the gorgeous candy facility stop on the way to the volcano. This store is beautiful and we ended up purchasing client gifts which were efficiently ordered and shipped back to the mainland. The dinner stop at the Kilauea Lodge was amazing. I ordered a Cosmopolitan cocktail which was presented just as chic and lovely as any found in a Five Star hotel bar. Good meal enjoyed in a cozy spot among new friends. Back to the night lava viewing at the volcano which was utterly amazing. The warm coats and flashlights provided by Veltra made the experience even more enjoyable.
Last but not least I must give kudlos to Kevin, our tour guide. This man has truly done his homework and is passionate about educating his guests about the gorgeous Island of Hawaii. Thank you, Kevin for making each and every one of us feel important.
GREAT TOUR!
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Attended as: | Families |
Activity Date: | 2017/09/20 |
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Tourguide was very kind for me.and interesting guide.
volcano house lunch is awesome located.meal was nice.I had special time .thank you
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Attended as: | Solo Travelers |
Activity Date: | 2017/07/06 |
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I cannot say enough good about our tour guide, Shannon. She was very knowledgeable and very passionate about Hawaii and the things she shared with us. She got so excited about Valcano National Park which made her group excited. She took care of every detail for everyone on the tour. I would go on any tour Shannon was leading.
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Attended as: | Couples |
Activity Date: | 2017/06/27 |
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We had a wonderful time. Our driver, Hugh, was great. He was very nice, friendly, informative and patient. We saw a lot of beautiful things and he watched the time for us. We were with a good group, too. He allowed the proper amount of time at each stop. Tha lunch that was included with our package was great. The view from our table was fantastic and so was the service. Hugh waited patiently with us for one of our passengers to find and retrieve her phone. It was a wonderful day and it exceeded our expectations. We were very happy we chose this tour and would highly recommend it.
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Attended as: | Families |
Activity Date: | 2017/05/30 |
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We had an awesome tour with Lee, passionate how Lee tells about the history of the vulcano. Private tours are much better then a group one in this case is my opinion. It's well worth spending money for a private VIP tour and Lee is the person for it, mahalo and aloha from the Netherlands
Aloha Lianne and Ron! It was an absolute pleasure to serve you both and we are truly happy that you enjoyed our tour and services. Mahalo from the Big Island and have a wonderful rest of your summer! Wild Orchid Tours
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Attended as: | Couples |
Activity Date: | 2017/05/19 |
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We had an exceptional time. Our tour guide was well versed on all the sites we visited. He interacted with our family and made the tour very informative as well as fun. Would definitely recommend.
Aloha Bill and family! Mahalo for your comment and review. We are a family business and therefore have a natural appreciation for other families, thank you for trusting our services. We are so pleased that your family had fun - it was simply a lovely pleasure to welcome you to the Big Island. All the very best, Mahalo nui loa
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Attended as: | Families with Young Children |
Activity Date: | 2017/05/23 |
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Nick and Misty did a great job interacting with the group and went out of their way to make sure everyone was comfortable with the tour and the information. Our day was 12 hours long and was very enjoyable from the time we were picked up at our hotel till late in the evening. The volcano lava viewing in the evening was amazing!
Aloha! Mahalo for joining us on our Deluxe Volcano Experience. We are delighted to hear that you had such a great day with Nick and Misty, and stayed comfortable throughout your 12 hours on tour. We love being able to show Halema'uma'u Crater both day and night to our guests, and are so happy to hear that you enjoyed the amazing lava viewing after dinner. Mahalo for your wonderful recommendation and we hope to see you on your next visit to the Big Island!
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Attended as: | Couples |
Activity Date: | 2017/02/24 |
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Loved the trip. Our driver Chris was very knowledgable and funny. Food was great and time allotted for each site was perfect. I would highly recommend this tour.
Aloha! Mahalo for joining us on our Deluxe Volcano Experience. We are delighted to hear that you had such a great day with Chris and enjoyed all of the sites and treats along the way. He really keeps the day moving at a fun pace, and loves sharing his abundance of knowledge! Mahalo for your wonderful recommendation and we hope to see you on your next visit to the Big Island!
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Attended as: | Solo Travelers |
Activity Date: | 2017/02/07 |
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I am always Leary of organized tours but this one was an exception. Our guide Nick was exceptional. He went out of his way to make sure we were comfortable, and well taken care of. He has done his homework and knows the history and the island well, showing us a lot of extra things along the way such as plants, historical notes etc. it was a long day but we enjoyed every minute and would recommend to anyone.
Aloha! Mahalo for joining us on our Deluxe Volcano Experience. We are so happy to hear that you had such an outstanding day with Nick and learned about some new things along the way! He is a wonderfully knowledgeable guide who genuinely loves sharing the day with our guests. Mahalo for your wonderful recommendation and we hope to see you on your next visit to the Big Island!
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Attended as: | Families |
Activity Date: | 2017/02/07 |
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Best guided tour by far. Very professional-able to anticipate your needs and provided things you didn't even know you needed. Chris- the owner, and our guide for the night- was fantastic. His enthusiasm was contagious. Great company, great tour. Do it!
Aloha! Mahalo for joining us on our Deluxe Volcano Experience. We are delighted to hear that you had such a fantastic time with Chris. He truly is such a passionate guide who always seems to have everything ready at just the right times throughout the day. Mahalo for your wonderful recommendation and we hope to see you on your next visit to the Big Island!
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Attended as: | Solo Travelers |
Activity Date: | 2017/02/07 |
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Lee was a fantastic guide. Would highly recommend him.
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Attended as: | Couples |
Activity Date: | 2017/01/24 |
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Our guide was very knowledgeable and attentive to detail. Viewing the volcano in the light and then at night was awesome. The restaurant was so cozy and had great food. Afterwards we hiked thru a fern forest to a lava tube. Amazing!
Aloha! Mahalo for joining us on our Deluxe Volcano Experience. We are so happy to hear that you had such a great day and enjoyed being able to see Halema'uma'u Crater both day and night. Mahalo for your recommendation and we hope to see you on your next visit to the Big Island!
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Attended as: | Families |
Activity Date: | 2016/12/14 |
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Although a little long in length, this tour was my favorite activity of our entire trip. We got to see a good portion of the island and its amazing landscape and learned a lot along the way. Our tour guide, Nick, was top notch. Even our two surly teens rated this one of their favorite activities, which says a lot!
Aloha! Mahalo for joining us on our Deluxe Volcano Experience. We are delighted to hear that your 'ohana had such a fabulous day with Nick! He truly is a top-notch guide with so much knowledge to share and genuinely loves doing so. To hear that our activity was your favorite excursion, while on vacation, is so humbling and a beautiful reminder of why we love touring! Mahalo for your wonderful recommendation and we hope to see you folks on your next visit to the Big Island!
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Attended as: | Families |
Activity Date: | 2016/12/26 |
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The day we six (6) friends took this tour was fantastic. Our guide, Nick, was super. He was attentive, interesting, and very funny. We covered a lot of ground and learned a lot about the big island. Had a great lunch and a fantastic dinner. Recommend this tour for sure.
Aloha! Mahalo for joining us on our Deluxe Volcano Experience! We are delighted to hear that you had such a fantastic day with Nick and enjoyed all of the sights and treats throughout the day. He is an amazing guide, with top notch hospitality, who genuinely loves sharing some of our favorite spots on tour. Mahalo for your recommendation and we hope to see you on your next visit to the Big Island!
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Attended as: | Friends |
Activity Date: | 2016/11/13 |
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The experience was awesome. I would recommend it to everyone. The tour operator was great and showed amazing forethought by providing water, wipes, jackets, and flashlights. Dinne at the lodge was delicious. In addition, our tour guide,Nick, was knowledgeable about the culture.
Aloha and Mahalo for joining us on our Deluxe Volcano Experience! We are delighted to hear that you had such a great day with Nick and enjoyed all of the sights, treats, and little extras throughout the day. Mahalo for your recommendation and we hope to see you on your next visit to the Big Island!
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Attended as: | Friends |
Activity Date: | 2016/11/01 |
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This tour is way better than group tours! The tour was confortable and we stoped at points where group tours wont stop, so we watched more things. Lee is an amazing person, his knowledge about the hawaiian culture and history is extremelly enriching, that guys in other tours took advantage and prefered listening to him than their tour guides.
We stop in every point of the Island such as waterfalls, rainforest, lava tunels, museum of the volcáno, craters, steam points, volcanic beaches, neiberhoods, and on every points and he told us enriching history of that part. We have some time for lunch at the volcano hotel, and he took us back to the airport on time.
In general we recommend this tour rather than groupal tours. Lee is a guy you can trust, dont hesitate in booking this vip private tour.
what a beautiful photograph of you two trouble-makers and Madame Pele....Mahalo nui for such a wonderful tour together.
thank you for your respect and love of the Hawaiian culture.
Blessings, Lee
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Attended as: | Couples |
Activity Date: | 2016/11/01 |
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Thoroughly enjoyable day - guide knew his area's content and history and imparted it very well - not too many crowds as Lee appeared to know the times to go to the specific areas - would highly recommended
Aloha Deb and ohana for sharing a beautiful journey together...
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Attended as: | Families |
Activity Date: | 2016/09/27 |
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This was by far the best tour we had done in Hawaii. Marcus the tour guide was top notch. Marcus knew so much about the area, the culture, plants, animals and was just a funny great person to be around. You ride in style in the plush Mercedes van. He took you to many different area's and we even got to see lava flowing, served lunch and to end the night a 5 star restaurant. Everything was included in your price of your tour. By far a MUST do while in Hawaii. You will not be disappointed in this tour or Marcus.
Aloha! Mahalo for joining us on our Deluxe Volcano Experience. We are delighted to hear that you had such a great day with Marcus! We agree, he truly is a top notch guide with so much knowledge about Hawai'i, and he knows how to keep the day fun for everyone. We are so happy to hear that you enjoyed all of the sights and treats throughout the day and even got to see that majestic lava. Mahalo for your recommendation and we hope to see you on your next visit to the Big Island!
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Attended as: | Friends |
Activity Date: | 2016/10/09 |
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Great tour with Jim Cary as guild very funny and knows his history of the town and events.
Aloha! Mahalo for joining us on our Deluxe Volcano Experience. We are so happy to hear that you had such a great day with Jim. He is a wonderfully knowledgeable guide with so much aloha, making sure our guests have the best time possible! Mahalo for your recommendation and we hope to see you on your next visit to the Big Island!
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Attended as: | Families |
Activity Date: | 2016/09/28 |
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This tour was absolutely awesome. Chris and Nick, our guides, were very knowledgeable and fun. They clearly pride themselves on what they do, which makes them stand out from the average. The meals were good, especially the beautiful dinner. We had the steak which was fantastic, and the service was perfect and so friendly. We saw beautiful sights all day, ending at the volcano which gave us a good show. Would do again in a heartbeat. Thanks guys!
Aloha! Mahalo for joining us on our Deluxe Volcano Experience. We are delighted to hear that you had such an awesome day with Nick and Chris. They're both so knowledgeable, offering top notch hospitality which allows our guests to just sit back, relax, and enjoy! We are so happy to hear that you enjoyed all of the sights and treats throughout the day, especially that incredible lava lake inside of Halema'uma'u Crater. Mahalo for your recommendation and we hope to see you on your next visit to the Big Island!
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Attended as: | Couples |
Activity Date: | 2016/09/11 |
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Jim Cary was our tour guide and he did a great job. He was extremely knowledgable of the Hawaiian and Polanisian culture which made the day that much better. The vehicle was not as comfortable as I expected a Mercedes to be, definitely the only downfall of the whole trip. All in all, a high 9/10
Aloha! Mahalo for joining us on our Deluxe Volcano Experience. We are delighted to hear that you had such a great day with Jim! He is a wonderful guide who loves to share his songs and stories of the islands. Mahalo for your recommendation and we hope to see you on your next visit to the Big Island!
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Attended as: | Couples |
Activity Date: | 2016/08/29 |
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Relaxing, simple but enough to know about the island and the driver was very courteous, informative.
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Attended as: | Solo Travelers |
Activity Date: | 2016/07/11 |
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We did not really know what to expect with this tour and was very pleased with our private VIP tour with Lee from Wild Orchid Tours. He showed us many hidden gems on the island, as well as gave us quite a lot of background info on Hawaiian culture. We came away well versed in the lore of Pele, the Volcano goddess and the history of Kīlauea's activity.
The visibility at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park was bad the day of our tour, but Lee came prepared with rain ponchos and walking sticks. We were thrilled he took us out to see the lava flow after sunset. We saw so much, the waterfalls don't seem worth mentioning.
The bonus is that Lee is fascinating himself. He's knows his Big Island, but that's just the beginning. After our tour, my friend and I almost wanted to extend our stay so we could take Lee and his wife, Renata, out to dinner.
Well worth the money. I highly recommend Wild Orchid Tours.
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Attended as: | Friends |
Activity Date: | 2016/07/17 |
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It was a great tour with a great guide. He loves his job, he know a lot of things on Hawaiian culture. It's a deluxe tour with a lot of attention! We will never forget that tour!
Aloha! Mahalo for joining us on our Deluxe Volcano Experience. We are delighted to hear that you had such a great day with Jim. He is a wonderfully knowledgeable guide who loves to share his songs and stories of Hawaii. His top notch hospitality allows for our guests to sit back, relax, and enjoy the day. It is our goal to ensure our guests have a day to remember forever and we are so happy to hear that we were able to do so with you folks. Mahalo for your recommendation and we hope to see you on your next visit to the Big Island!
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Attended as: | Families with Young Children |
Activity Date: | 2016/07/21 |
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This was an unforgettable day for the whole family, many thanks for Lee! Volcanos, waterfalls, rain forests in one day, it was the best decision of us to visit the Big Island.
Aloha folks...
We had such a beautiful day....so happy you found Madame Pele and Aloha!
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Attended as: | Families with Young Children |
Activity Date: | 2016/07/20 |
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Reply from activity provider
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Yes, The world Heritage site of the Hawai"i Volcanoes National Park is a complete treasure and never is the same. We experienced a beautiful day together and the Ohana will return through the beautiful website that the park maintains; 24/7
Mahalo Nui Loa for finding Wild Orchid Tours.