Reviewed by: Sand under foot
The Grand Circle Island tour is a great way to have a compact adventure all in one day. It was full of beautiful scenic views of cliffsides, beaches, cooled lava formations, waterfalls, volanic crater, and so much more. You experience a hike through a rainforest with some inclines at times, volcanic steam vents that feel like you're in a sauna, turtle viewing at Black Sand beach, cliffsides overlooking crashing waves, a coffee harvesting & processing walkthrough, a lava tube cave, and much more. Some hikes can be a bit challenging if you have mobility problems but our tour guide Brent is so accommodating and on the HNP Kilauea hike, you can ride along with him to the top of the viewing area if you're not able to do the short walk. Additionally, Brent is not just a tour guide, he will transport you to another time. He wove an amazing storytelling of Native Hawaiin history into the scenic mountains, beaches, historical battleground sites, trees, buildings, fantastical stories, and rich cultural backdrop. I walked away with a deep appreciation for how the Hawaiian island and culture came to be. This was an amazing way to experience the island!
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Packages: | Grand Circle Island & Volcanoes National Park |
Attended as: | Couples |
Posted on: | 2024/10/06 |
Activity Date: | 2024/10/04 |
Reviewed by: Kara
Your in the bus for a long rides but the sights are all beautiful!
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Packages: | Twilight Volcano & Stargazing Tour |
Attended as: | Couples |
Posted on: | 2024/09/18 |
Activity Date: | 2024/09/12 |
Reviewed by: Kara
A really well planned day, we really wanted to stargaze so was super happy we got the day tour + the evening
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Packages: | Twilight Volcano & Stargazing Tour |
Attended as: | Couples |
Posted on: | 2024/09/18 |
Activity Date: | 2024/09/07 |
Reviewed by: Kara
Really easy way to get to see so many fabulous spots around the Big Island without needing to drive and look at directions all day!!
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Packages: | Grand Circle Island & Volcanoes National Park |
Attended as: | Friends |
Posted on: | 2024/09/16 |
Activity Date: | 2024/07/21 |
Reviewed by: Kara
This day may be long, but you get to see all the island and find spots you want to go back and see more! The stargazing was unreal!!
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Packages: | Twilight Volcano & Stargazing Tour |
Attended as: | Couples |
Posted on: | 2024/07/21 |
Activity Date: | 2024/06/26 |
Reviewed by: Sharda
We thoroughly enjoyed the Grand Circle Island Tour. We had the opportunity to visit so many different parts of the island and experience the true beauty of the Big Island. The tour was well planned and Neil was an amazing host!
I definitely recommend that all visitors try this tour at least once!
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Packages: | Grand Circle Island & Volcanoes National Park |
Attended as: | Families |
Posted on: | 2024/06/29 |
Activity Date: | 2024/06/05 |
Reviewed by: Sarah & Scott
Great experience. Our tour guide Grant is top notch. His knowledge on the everything the big island and particularly the volcanoes was impressive and he makes it so much fun. Highly recommend if never have explored the big island before.
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Packages: | Standard Tour |
Attended as: | Couples |
Posted on: | 2024/05/26 |
Activity Date: | 2024/05/24 |
Reviewed by: Kara
I felt like I got to see all the best spots of Big Island on this 1 day tour!
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Packages: | Grand Circle Island & Volcanoes National Park |
Attended as: | Friends |
Posted on: | 2024/01/28 |
Activity Date: | 2023/10/24 |
Reviewed by: Eder
This is one of the best tour I had, the driver always take care of you even if you Re late lol.
But it was an amazing experience you can meet new people and have a great time, I would do it again when I come back to kona!
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Packages: | Deluxe Volcano Tour |
Attended as: | Solo Travelers |
Posted on: | 2024/01/09 |
Activity Date: | 2024/01/07 |
Reviewed by: Sue
We really enjoyed this tour. It is a long one so be prepared. But they keep you hydrated and fed. I loved the black sand beach, and the sea turtles and the stop along the shore the most. But all of the events were really fun. They packed so much into one day. it was a great tour and we had a lot of fun. The picnic, the stop at the bakery, and the dinner, you were all excellent quality as well.
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Packages: | Twilight Volcano & Stargazing Tour |
Attended as: | Families |
Posted on: | 2024/01/06 |
Activity Date: | 2024/01/04 |
Reviewed by: Leah
Took this tour 6 years ago and had the most amazing experience. So I had to do it again. This tour offers the best of Big Island because you get to see Akaka Falls and Rainbow Falls. We saw lots of turtles at black sand beach and an actual rainbow at Rainbow Falls! Our guide Brent was very informative and helpful.
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Packages: | Grand Circle Island & Volcanoes National Park |
Attended as: | Solo Travelers |
Posted on: | 2023/12/24 |
Activity Date: | 2023/12/23 |
Reviewed by: Firelight
It was a great days long adventures around the island. I would highly recommend it!
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Packages: | Deluxe Volcano Tour |
Attended as: | Couples |
Posted on: | 2023/12/16 |
Activity Date: | 2023/11/26 |
Reviewed by: Mpy14
The tour was very well organized and very well planned. I felt I saw so much and learned a lot about the culture and history of the island. Jim was full of interesting information and made the trip memorable Fun group.
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Packages: | Standard Tour |
Attended as: | Solo Travelers |
Posted on: | 2023/11/21 |
Activity Date: | 2023/11/19 |
Reviewed by: Brittany B-M
The perfect experience for first time visiting Kona! Loved the Coffee farm, black sand beach, and stargazing the most on this full-day excursion!
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Packages: | Standard Tour |
Attended as: | Couples |
Posted on: | 2023/11/05 |
Activity Date: | 2023/10/19 |
Reviewed by: Tracy
This tour was the highlight of my families trip. The tour was amazing and our guide was knowledgeable and friendly. He was happy to answer all of my children's questions.
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Packages: | Deluxe Volcano Tour |
Attended as: | Families |
Posted on: | 2023/10/29 |
Activity Date: | 2023/10/02 |
Reviewed by: Richard Robertson
MUST DO!
This was a great tour - really educational and fun. Be prepared for rain, you are in the rainforest and it rains a lot. Our guide came prepared with umbrellas and rain jackets, flashlights for the lava tube, water and snacks.
Andre, our tour guide was amazing, experienced and incredibly knowlegable of the volcanoes, land, plants and trees, Hawaiian culture, plus more, and the history of all mentioned. He made sure we were always entertained during the approx. 8 hour trip.
Would recommend shorts, closed toed shoes (sneakers fine) suntan lotion, somewhat water repellant light jacket (in case your tour does not provide).
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Packages: | Evening Volcano Explorer |
Attended as: | Friends |
Posted on: | 2023/09/27 |
Activity Date: | 2023/09/20 |
Reviewed by: Kara
You hit it all and you do not need to drive and miss views along the way!
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Packages: | Grand Circle Island & Volcanoes National Park |
Attended as: | Families |
Posted on: | 2023/09/18 |
Activity Date: | 2023/08/02 |
Reviewed by: Barbara
We had a lot of fun on the tour Ridge was amazing and gave us a lot of good local history and knowledge. If he didn't know the answer to a question he found it out for us. We'd highly recommend this tour to anybody looking for a great day on the island.
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Packages: | Standard Tour |
Attended as: | Couples |
Posted on: | 2023/09/18 |
Activity Date: | 2023/09/05 |
Reviewed by: Mob_cali_breaks (IG)
Incredible tour but our Tour guide, Anson really brought the island and the tour to life. Honestly enjoyed the tour to the max but we would pay to just hang out with Anson again. Lol. I'm sure all the guides are great and extremely courteous.
All the jokes we made he would rebuttal and be involved all while still maintaining his poise and professionalism. It's the little things guys and this tour has it all. Thank you From the bottom of our hearts.
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Packages: | Standard Tour |
Attended as: | Couples |
Posted on: | 2023/09/09 |
Activity Date: | 2023/09/08 |
Reviewed by: Justin
Good tour! Aaron was our guide and he did a perfect job! I only wish the volcano was erupting so we could see more activity. The meals were good, the views were good and we learned a lot.
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Packages: | Standard Tour |
Attended as: | Couples |
Posted on: | 2023/09/04 |
Activity Date: | 2023/09/02 |
Reviewed by: Sandrine
My partner and I went on this tour with Aaron. He was a fantastic tour guide, with lots of interesting tidbits about the history of the island and plenty of jokes. He also offered to take plenty of photos of us at all the stops. A huge thank you to him for remaining so cheerful and helpful after such a long day. If it was a long day for us, I can't imagine how long it was for him.
The tour was exactly what's stated in the description. We chose to do the tour in part because we weren't certain how to navigate Volcano National Park, and the tour offered highlights of the Park. After the tour though, I wish we had had more time on the island so we could explore Volcano National Park ourselves. Two hours wasn't nearly enough. If you're lucky (we unfortunately weren't), there will be lava at the Park. But don't worry, the volcanoes on Hawaii won't kill you, but bad tour guide jokes will (thank you for that one Aaron!).
Another highlight was Punalu'u Bake Shop. Try the pineapple malasadas: you won't regret it! I was initally hesitant because I'm not a fan of pineapple not in its raw form/juice, but the pineapple malasada was the best of those we ordered. I wish we got more. The passionfruit (lilikoi) and apple ones were also delicious.
After the bakery, we went to Punalu'u Black Sand Beach. It's absolutely lovely and a nice chance to see the endangered Hawaiian sea turtles up close. It's also very picturesque. Just don't get too close to the waves or you'll get very wet.
We finished the tour with stargazing.
Overall, I highly recommend this tour for anyone who wants a quick, yet interesting and surprisingly thorough, tour of the southern part of the Big Island. If/when we go back, we would book with Wasabi Tours again.
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Packages: | Standard Tour |
Attended as: | Couples |
Posted on: | 2023/08/27 |
Activity Date: | 2023/08/01 |
Reviewed by: Diana P.
This was a long tour, about 13 hours, and it was so informative and fun! Our guide Aaron was very safe, smart, and informative during our tour. We had a great time at the coffee plantation, black sands beach, a famous bakery, and at the volcano national park. Dinner was good and so was lunch they provided. We had a great and unforgettable time.
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Packages: | Standard Tour |
Attended as: | Families with Young Children |
Posted on: | 2023/08/26 |
Activity Date: | 2023/08/17 |
Reviewed by: Megan
I definitely recommend taking this tour. It’s very well paced so that you’re never stressed out or rushed, but never bored either. I loved learning Hawaiian history and fork lore expertly told by my tour guide Uncle Jim. I would request him if you can. The stops are great and it’s a really nice day trip. Hope you can do this and have fun!
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Packages: | Deluxe Volcano Tour |
Attended as: | Solo Travelers |
Posted on: | 2023/08/22 |
Activity Date: | 2023/07/24 |
Reviewed by: Kara
So much goodies in 1 day- we loved the Kona coffe and cannot stop thinking about it!
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Packages: | Grand Circle Island & Volcanoes National Park |
Attended as: | Couples |
Posted on: | 2023/08/13 |
Activity Date: | 2023/06/19 |
Reviewed by: Kara
Amazing experience! Lots of the island wrapped up in a day you can't go wrong.
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Packages: | Grand Circle Island & Volcanoes National Park |
Attended as: | Families |
Posted on: | 2023/07/31 |
Activity Date: | 2023/06/09 |
Reviewed by: André
We loved this tour! P.J., our Tour guide, loves his job, and that was obvious in his knowledge and enthusiasm. Comfortable shuttle. Great service. Good food. Great sights!
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Packages: | Deluxe Volcano Tour |
Attended as: | Families |
Posted on: | 2023/07/21 |
Activity Date: | 2023/07/19 |
Reviewed by: M & A
We booked this tour based on these reviews, it seems that these reviews were spot on. Our tour started when Tod picked us up on time and whisked us off to our island adventure. He was very knowledgeable and went out of his way to explain Hawaiian culture and pointed out things in our drive that were informative.
The stargazing portion of our tour was an incredibly unique and awe-inspiring experience. Tod was a knowledgeable guide and took us to a dark and remote location in Mauna Kea, perfect for stargazing. With the use of his personal high-quality telescope, binoculars and a powerful laser pointer, we were able to see constellations, planets, and even faint nebulae. Tod also shared interesting facts and stories about the night sky, making the experience both informative and enjoyable.
Tod even made the experience memorable by playing The Planets by Gustav Holst, its those little details, that made this tour the highlight of our Big Island Vacation.
Overall, this tour is a must-do for anyone who wants to see the stars in all their glory accompanied by our an amazing guide Tod.
Make sure to request him on your next stargazing adventure.
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Packages: | Standard Tour |
Attended as: | Couples |
Posted on: | 2023/06/20 |
Activity Date: | 2023/05/13 |
Reviewed by: Sherri
Tour was excellent, Aaron was a great host. Very informed, engaging. Had fun all along the way. We had plenty of time at all the stops to experience and enjoy. Made our 1st trip here an experience to remember. We are telling everyone if they come to the Island they need to take this tour.
In addition when we 1st booked, we were told that our location was around 90 minutes from the tour pickup. We chose to go ahead but very much appreciated the help and advice. Excellent service all around.
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Packages: | Standard Tour |
Attended as: | Couples |
Posted on: | 2023/05/21 |
Activity Date: | 2023/04/27 |
Reviewed by: Susan & Dave
This was a great way to see a lot in one day. The ride was very comfortable, our driver was extremely knowledgeable and engaging and we saw and learned so much!
Aloha Susan and Dave,
Thank you so much for your kind words! It is a lot to see in one day for sure. We pride ourselves on having engaging guides with knowledge of all things Big Island. We're glad you enjoyed your tour and hope your time on the Big Island was enjoyable!
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Packages: | Deluxe Volcano Tour |
Attended as: | Couples |
Posted on: | 2023/04/17 |
Activity Date: | 2023/04/13 |
Reviewed by: Kara
From local coffee to black sand beaches to wineries to lava flows to lava tunnels to a charming sunset, this tour is a entire day filled with memories. The guides were knowledgeable and so kind and accommodating, which we appreciate :)
Aloha Kara,
Thank you so much for the kind review! Thanks for acknowledging the guide, they are your captain for the day and we are so proud of the ones we have. We hope you enjoyed your time on the Big Island!
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Packages: | Standard Tour |
Attended as: | Couples |
Posted on: | 2023/04/10 |
Activity Date: | 2023/03/13 |
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Aloha, Barbara!
Thank you for sharing your positive experience! Ridge is indeed a fantastic guide, always eager to provide local history and insights. We're thrilled to hear you had a lot of fun and enjoyed the tour. Your recommendation means a lot to us, and we hope to welcome you back for another great day on the island in the future! Mahalo again!