Lanai Island Guided 4x4 SUV Sightseeing Trekker Tour with Maui to Lanai Ferry
Overall Rating
4.70
Easy way to see Lana'i
Reviewed by: Beth H, 2023/11/28The early morning ferry was a smooth ride to the island. We were met by our guide, Russ, for the half day tour and along with another couple made our way into town to pick up a light breakfast at the local coffee spot. We stopped at Garden of the Gods which is like being on a whole different planet. The views were outstanding! The red dirt road out the GoG is rough and we were glad to have someone who was familiar with the area driving. We went on to see Shipwreck Beach. Again the dirt roads out to the beach were rough and even the Jeep tours from the Four Seasons were going at a snails pace while we manuvered our way around then. We parked in an area just shy of Shipwreck Beach where our guide's family had once had land, where some of the buildings still stand and walked the quiet beach strewn with old lava flows and had a good view of the wreck. Russ showed us how to tell if a coconut washed up on the beach was still good or waterlogged and even opened one up for us...it was a little old but still delicious. The drive through town was short and sweet...there's not a lot of town to see...and he dropped us off to explore the area. We, unfortunately didn't make it up to the Cat Sanctuary but we did hire a shuttle (he called and made the arrangements for pick up, $10/person) and went to Hulopoe Beach for the rest of the day. While at the beach I recommend following the beach to the east and checking out the many tidepools then walk just a short distance to see Sweetheart Rock. The walk back to the harbor is only about 10-15 minutes but get there early to get a good seat on the top deck. The ferry ride back was a little rougher compared to the morning. It was a great day and Lana'i, at least to me, is a must do because of the super chill vibe and aloha compared to any of the other islands.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2023/11/02 |
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More than Hoped For!
Reviewed by: Jay S., 2023/10/13Our trip to Lana’i was amazing!
It was an early morning to catch the first ferry of the day. Plenty of seating, plenty of room for our bags. We were off to Lana’i.
Greeted at the docks by our guide, Russ. He went above and beyond. We had bottled water and pastries waiting for us.
We hit shipwreck beach, Garden if the gods, and the Cat Sanctuary. Which is what I expected, but we also had great photo spots, local history and stories. Got to see the beautiful Lanai City. Tour even allowed us time to walk the city, have lunch, do a little shopping. Lastly we got dropped off at the beach, which was the icing on the cake. Beautiful, quiet, safe beach. Great snorkeling. Great tide pool to relax in.
I hate leaving a great review because the whole experience was so wonderful, I don’t want to spoil it. But, because of days like this one, I have so much love and respect for this island and its people. This day was my dream come true. I look forward to returning to the island of Lana’i.
Thank you is not enough. Blessings to this island and its people.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2023/10/11 |
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Peaceful day on Lana‘i Island
Reviewed by: Conny, 2023/09/30Our guide Russ showed us the Island of Lana‘i, gave us an overall impression and was telling interesting stories. There was always time for photos, time for questions and time for personal needs.
The afternoon we spent at the beach which was very peaceful.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2023/09/28 |
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Great sights with a helpful, cheerful guide.
Reviewed by: Jackie, 2022/12/11We had a wonderful time touring some popular sites on Lanai (Shipwreck Beach, Garden of Gods, Cat sanctuary). Many of the sites were off unpaved roads, so have a driving guide really saved a lot of work and planning. The tour group with Russ, Ray and Cory was very accommodating, making extra arrangements to make sure no one is left stranded, even when unplanned events arise. The hardest part was figuring out where to pick up the tickets that morning. For us it was a booth across the street from the Pioneer Inn, near a small lighthouse.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2022/11/17 |
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Highly recommend!!
Reviewed by: Mikki & Bradley, 2022/09/29Bruce and Kendra were amazing guides! We loved our Lana’i tour, we are so glad we did it. It was great learning about the history and seeing more of the island than just the city and beach. We’d highly recommend this tour and we have told everyone we have encountered about it!
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2022/09/27 |
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Worth it
Reviewed by: Squareone, 2022/09/25The tour is probably the best way to see Lana’i. Our tour guide was very personable; he provided snacks and water, and even had a packet of pictures of the sites we saw and then some that we could take home with us. He went above and beyond. I was surprised how many people take the ferry to Lana’i for the day but have no plan for what they are going to do once they get there. We gave a few of them a ride to the only town on the island, which cost us a little bit of time. Highly recommend taking the tour vs. renting a keep and doing it yourself, since many of the roads that contain key sites are not paved.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2022/09/20 |
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Life On Lana'i
Reviewed by: Karen & Joseph, 2022/08/20We were in capable hands with Joshua, our born-on-Lanai travel guide. His enthusiasm and pride in sharing with us his homeland on this historically fascinating island was infectious as it was a pleasure.
We were picked up promptly at the ferry dock and whisked away upcountry into the hart of the island. The small town of Lanai City was a historical treat as Joshua pointed out many informative funfacts and things only personal knowledge can regale and recount.
We had a terrific time and will likely do it again when we visit. We highly recommend this tour for a close personal look at one of the jewels of the island state.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2022/07/28 |
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Learning about Lana’i
Reviewed by: W Funk, 2022/06/18We were met at the harbor with plenty of aloha from our guide Joshua. He had an intimate knowledge of the island. From its long history to now, Joshua knew it all. He explained how the ecosystem has evolved through the years. We went to a great store and picked up some ono poke and a loaf of guava bread (cake) Joshua recommended. He dropped us off at an awesome snorkeling beach near the harbor. We spent the rest of our day on that beautiful beach snorkeling and enjoying our lunch. You’ve got to buy the guava bread! The ferry trip was easy and it was a perfect time to catch a nap. Well worth our time and hard earned money.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2022/06/16 |
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Lanai’I 4x4 SUV Tour
Reviewed by: Chin family, 2022/06/11Our family truly enjoyed this tour of Lanai’i. It was made even better as we had Josh as our tour guide and he did an amazing job as our host on this breathtaking island. He made us feel right at home and was always making sure we were fine and asked us for our input on what we wanted to do / see on the island! He drove us to some very special places and told us wonderful stories about the Hawaiian culture on Lanai’i as well as current information about the island and its current population. He also made a special stop at the cat Sanctuary and our daughters were absolutely thrilled about this! Thank you Josh for making this experience most enjoyable and memorable for our family!
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| Attended as: | Families |
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Grwart tour and tour guide on an island we’ve never been to before, Lanai !!!
Reviewed by: R. Aeschleman , 2022/05/30We boarded the ferry at the Lahaina main dock and took a very smooth 50 minute ride to the Lanai Harbor. We we greeted by our guide Josh. Josh was is an extremely passionate guide who explains current and past customs and cultures on this small but interesting island. He was very amenable to making stops in town to shop and to go to the world famous cat sanctuary for my wife! We had time to take in the beauty of the coastline as well as the mountain ranges. This guided tour is one of the best we’ve taken and Josh made all the difference. Thanks Josh!
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2022/05/27 |
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Great time!
Reviewed by: Krisi, 2022/05/29Joshua was our tour guide. He was very knowledgeable and fun to be with. He gave us tons of information and history. He answered all of our questions. He made the tour about us and showed us what we wanted to see. We loved it!!
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Activity Date: | 2022/05/26 |
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Do this!! It’s the best way to get around Maui.
Reviewed by: Tvedt, 2022/04/25Our driver was Josh. We was very knowledgeable about the island. He tailored our trip to what we wanted to do. Going to Lana’i with a guide is the best way to get around and to learn about the island. The tour of Lanai came with the round trip ticket from Maui. Totally recommend this trip!!
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2022/04/22 |
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1/2 day Lanai tour
Reviewed by: Sandi and Kevin Peck, 2022/02/15Bruce was our guide and was awesome. It was just my husband and me. He took us around the whole island and shared so much history and personal knowledge. It was an amazing day. He even brought us Bananas from the tree in his yard which were super sweet. We highly recommend this tour and Bruce.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2022/02/09 |
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Fantastic Tour - AMAZING Guide
Reviewed by: Kristi W, 2022/01/18Isaac was outstanding. He was super knowledgeable about the island and its history. I cant imagine a better way to tour the island.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2022/01/13 |
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A great day trip to a wonderful island paradise
Reviewed by: Scott H., 2022/01/08After years of annual vacations on Maui we finally planned a day-trip to Lanai. Out of respect for the native culture and not wanting to violate any sacred areas we decided to hire a local guide to show/drive us around. That was a great decision and great fun. We went all over the island hearing stories of the olden days and current events. If you are at all curious about how Maui (and other Hawaiian islands) looked and felt decades ago, than a trip to Lanai should be on your next itinerary. Like many other Maui adventures, you have get an early start as the first 45 minute Ferry run to the island leaves Lahaina at 6:30am. Enjoying sunrise on a boat in paradise can't be beat. We were greeted at the harbor by our tour guide, who has lived on the island for 20 years. He knew every inch, nook and cranny of the island. He told us about his growing up on the island, and stories old and new of life there.
After lunch in Lanai City we had time to shop in the few local shops and boutiques. Life is a much slower pace there, with way fewer cars and less people. We continued on our tour with a few more afternoon stops, ending at a beautiful beach a short walk to the harbor. We caught the last ferry back to Maui and enjoyed an evening ocean cruise back to Lahaina.
I would highly recommend a day trip and guided tour of Lanai. It's great fun and you never know who you might bump into on this unpretentious paradise island!
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2021/12/17 |
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Lanai Guided Tour
Reviewed by: Laurie, 2021/09/06Awesome tour with Bruce! He provided many interesting facts and information about the island. We saw areas of the island that we would have missed if we were on our own. He offered us the opportunity to spend extra time at the cat sanctuary with over 600 cats when we told him we liked cats, such an awesome place. I mentioned we hadn’t seen many turtles (honu) and he took us to a beach that had about 6 right along the shore. Though not guaranteed, we were able to see Maui, Molokai, Oahu, Big Island of Hawaii, Molokini and Kahoolawe from Lanai (per Bruce he’s only seen Oahu a few times from Lanai).
Definitely would recommend this tour!
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Activity Date: | 2021/08/31 |
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Our last island - check!
Reviewed by: G&J, 2019/12/11It was a great trip to see Lanai! The last Hawaiian island for us to visit. Very enjoyable and informative.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2019/10/31 |
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Highlight of my vacation to Maui!
Reviewed by: adennis300, 2019/11/13We took a half-day trip from Maui to Lanai on November 12, with a guided tour of Lanai. It was a fabulous, educational experience and the highlight of our 11-day trip to Maui. Our guide, Bruce, was exceptionally knowledgeable on the island's history. He made the trip so enjoyable and, with the small number of people on each tour, it was very interactive. The online booking process was so easy. We were able to pick the exact date we needed to fit in with our vacation plans. I would highly recommend this tour to everyone.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2019/11/12 |
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A Day on The Non-Pineapple Isle
Reviewed by: Marcia Darm, 2019/05/11For anyone who comes to Maui frequently an eventual day trip to Lana’i is a welcome diversion. The 45 minute ferry ride is relaxing with great cliff views approaching Manele Harbor. Our tour included a morning drive with high point and view stops and a tour of Lana’i City, a lunch/shopping break and another drive to cover some more points of interest. Lana’ Is a bit of a time warp with both an ancient history and a new future with its purchase by Oracle founder Larry Ellison. The best part was our tour guide, Bruce, who gave the day his all. Loved it! Take cash as it’s so tiny some places do not accept credit cards. We had a 5 year old in our group of 5 who did great. If you are curious take the whole tour. There is also one lovely beach you can walk to from the ferry if you just want to chill.
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Activity Date: | 2019/05/08 |
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Excellent guided tour of Lana'i
Reviewed by: John and Eva, 2019/04/07We have been coming to Maui for years but have never ventured off the island to visit Lana'i. First of all, Veltra allowed us to change the tour date from a Monday to a Thursday with no problem since we had a conflict come up. The ferry ride from Lahaina was easy and took about 45 minutes. The sea was very calm and although they recommend taking sea sickness pills, it wasn't necessary for this trip. Our tour guide Bruce, met us at the ferry dock on Lana'i. He drove us around in an air conditioned Suburban which was very comfortable. It was just the two of us so the tour was really personalized. We took the full day tour which really gives you a great impression of the island. The tour was about 2 1/2 hours in the morning, then an hour for lunch and 2 hours in the afternoon. Bruce, our guide has lived on Lana'i for 20 years and was very knowledgeable. He has seen the positive changes that have occurred on Lanai' since Larry Ellison bought the island five years ago and thoroughly explained the evolution of the island through the current day. We were then dropped off at the ferry dock for the 4:30 p.m. ferry back to Lanai--note, you need to book the return ferry when you schedule the tour and for the all day tour, the 4:30 p.m. ferry is the one to take.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2019/04/04 |
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What a trip !!
Reviewed by: Dave Sturdy, 2018/08/10Our guide Garret was excellent. A lovely local man And he eluded Aloha.
Great tour.
Mahalo and Aloha Garret.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2018/08/07 |
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Good education on the island
Reviewed by: Podre71, 2018/01/29Knowledgeable tour guide/driver who guided us over 80% of the unpaved red dirt roads and explained the economics of a unique area.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2018/01/22 |
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Thanks Bruce 5 Stars
Reviewed by: Pegg Ders, 2017/09/17We had a wonderful tour of Lania with Bruce. He's so knowledgeable about Lanai and we learned quite a bit about the island, it's history, beauty, hidden spots and what's happening there. We truly enjoyed the day and appreciated the beauty of the island!
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2017/09/11 |
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Lanai 4x4 tour
Reviewed by: Dave & Laurie, 2017/03/11Ferry ride included whale watching going and coming. The tour guide was excellent as a long time resident who knew every corner of lanai. Best way to spend a day. This was our first trip to this island.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2017/02/17 |
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very informative tour
Reviewed by: Bob & Grace, 2017/02/25We thoroughly enjoyed Bruce, his knowledge of the island was terrific. BTW, you can see Oahu from Molokai on a clear day.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2017/02/01 |
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Maui to Lanai Ferry - 4x4 Guided SUV Trekker Tour
Reviewed by: Kim and Gary, 2016/12/03My husband and I very much enjoyed the guided tour of Lanai. It's the best way to go. Our guide, Bruce, is very knowledgable about the Island and it's history (as he grew up on the island) and told us many, many interesting facts. He is very personable and accommodating. Best tour guide we've ever had. Highly recommend this tour for everyone.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2016/11/09 |
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Amazing tour of Lanai
Reviewed by: Dina, 2016/11/26I booked the full day tour based upon the reviews I read and I was not disappointed. Garrett was our guide and he was fantastic. My sister and I are very inquisitive and he was able to answer all of our questions and maintained a running commentary about the island and its history. Lanai is very different from the other Hawaiian islands that I've visited (Oahu, Maui, Kauai, the big island) and I'm glad I had the chance to tour Lanai.
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Activity Date: | 2016/11/23 |
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