We’ll begin our tour in Hilo Town. Although this town may be small, there’s plenty to see and do.
Our tour begins at the King Kamehameha Statue in Hilo. Learn the fascinating backstory of this 14-foot bronze sculpture of Hawaii's first king and how it ended up in Hilo.
Coconut Island is a small beach park in Hilo accessed by a small bridge. This island is also called Moku Ola, which means 'healing island' or 'island of life', and it used to be the home of an ancient temple that was dedicated to healing. Legend has it that swimming around the island three times would heal any ailments or ill feelings.
Liliuokalani Gardens is one of the gems of Hilo Town. This park is known as the biggest edo-style garden outside of Japan! In this serene park you’ll find majestic red bridges over Koi ponds, statues, and pagodas, along with stone lanterns lining the pathways.
Located just a short drive from Downtown Hilo is Rainbow Falls. On sunny days, rainbows appear amid the 80-foot falls, making for some pretty magical views. The broad waterfall - nearly 100 feet in diameter - plunges over a natural lava cave into the river below.
A few minutes down the road, you’ll find Boiling Pots, a chain of overflowing waterfalls that looks like boiling pots of water after it rains.
Kaumana Caves is a massive cave part of a 25-mile-long lava tube created by the Mauna Loa lava flow of 1880. The public part of the cave stretches about 2 miles and quickly goes pitch black as soon as you enter.
Pull over in front of the Hilo Public Library, and take a look at the Naha Stone on the grass outside. In ancient times the Naha Stone was believed to have spiritual powers and that whoever could move or overturn this 5,000-pound rock would then be granted the power to unite the islands. Legend has it that at the age of 30, Kamehameha successfully overturned the stone. He later united the islands of Hawai'i and became its first king.
Onomea Trail is an easy hike that runs along a breathtaking section of coastline with 180-degree views of Onomea Bay. The trail to the bay is short, less than a mile roundtrip, but it’s worth it for the photo opportunities alone! You can also take the fork in the trail to explore Onomea stream where it opens to the ocean.
Stroll through a manicured garden with over 2,500 plant species, then we recommend a visit the nearby Hawai'i Tropical Botanical Garden. The garden protects the unique and endangered plants of the rainforests and features miles of trails under a canopy of trees. The place is magical!
Arguably one of the most famous waterfalls on the Big Island, you can take a half-mile stroll on a paved path through a lush rainforest filled with wild orchids, bamboo groves, and draping ferns to get a glimpse of this iconic natural wonder.
Ready for another waterfall? Follow the signs for the Umauma Experience and take their self-guided driving tour to see this stunning three-tier waterfall. Stop by the visitor center first to register and grab a map. Then enjoy a scenic drive through a beautiful tropical garden before heading to the spectacular Umauma Falls viewpoint.
When you take this tour, we’ll tell you all about the history of sugarcane in Hawai'i. This industry once flourished on the islands, and railways were a key mode of transportation for this vital export. This museum celebrates the history of the Hamakua Coast and the railroads that connected this Big Island’s sugarcane industry to the rest of Hawai'i and the world.
In 1946, there was a devastating tsunami in this area that killed over 150 people. Many of them were school children. During the tour, you’ll hear the story of this tragic day and learn about a few brave survivors.
Waipi'o Valley is one of the most beautiful and storied valleys in Hawai'i. According to legends, the gods lived in Waipi'o in ancient days. The sacred valley was also the royal center for many ancient rulers on the Big Island and was the boyhood home of Kamehameha the Great.
Well, do we have a treat for you! On our way out of Honoka'a, we’ll guide you to TEX Drive In -- a local spot with hearty plate lunches that will keep you fueled and ready to go for the rest of your journey.
Waimea Town is an artsy farm town known for its quaint bed and breakfasts and cowboy history. Waimea also has lots of amazing restaurants, a theatre, art exhibits, and historic ranches.
The name of this park is Ulu La’au which means "circle of trees" in Hawaiian. It’s a great place for a stroll or a picnic to relax next to a flowing stream.
This quaint plantation-style shopping center features several unique stores including: The Gallery of Great Things, a collection of Hawaiian, Polynesian and Asian art; Waimea Coffee Company; and Waimea General Store, offering local gift items and island-inspired souvenirs.
Take a step back in time to the days of the Hawaiian cowboy! Learn about the history of the paniolo and learn why they are such an important part of Hawai'i ranching history. The museum is free and open to the public. Visit their website for details.
The Anna Ranch is a national historic site that harks back to the Big Island’s plantation days. The white, wooden walls contain a lot of stories; it’s been in the same ranching family for five generations and was home to Anna Lindsey Perry-Fiske, aka the first lady of ranching.
Here you’ll find two historic houses built in the 1800s. The houses serve as the Parker Ranch headquarters. Explore the grounds and historic homes on one of their self-guided tours. It's a great way to experience what life was like on this iconic ranch throughout the years.
Book a horseback riding adventure at Kahua Ranch Na'alapa Stables and experience the spectacular panoramic views of Waimea's rolling hills. Led by experienced paniolos. Visit their website for details.
After Waimea Town, you’ll embark on your drive across Saddle Road, officially named the Daniel K. Inouye Highway. This is the main thoroughfare on the Big Island that connects Kona in the west with Hilo in the east. Along this 50-minute drive, we'll keep you entertained with more history, geology, and music. We'll also share the inspiring story of the highway's namesake--Daniel K. Inouye.
The summit of Mount Everest is higher above sea level than the summit of any other mountain, but Mauna Kea is the tallest when measured from its base on the ocean floor to its summit. Astronomers from around the world explore the universe from its peak, and Hawaiians have many ancient spiritual connections to this special site. For visitors, it is one of the clearest places on the planet for viewing the night sky and offers a rare opportunity to experience the polar tundra in Hawai'i.
After our visit to Mauna Kea, we'll guide you back to Hilo. If you are staying in Hilo, we recommend checking out the highlights in the app for recommendations of other places to see here in Hilo Town.
Take the whole family to one of the clearest places on the planet for viewing the night sky!
This was a great addition to our already planned drive of the north coast. The guide took us to places that we would have missed navigating ourselves. There was also lots of great information shared throughout the entire drive about the areas we traveled. We definitely recommend this guided tour if you want to travel the north coast.
What a great tour. Able to do at our own pace, doing the things we wanted to do the way we wanted to do them. All the great scenic views and learned so much history and meaning along the way! Absolutely the best! By far the best tour we have ever done and the price is incedible. Narator was perfect. Highly recommend!
We expected more from the app, our friends raved about it. We downloaded the app as we were leaving Kona for Hilo. When it finally downloaded, we were on Saddle Rd. We git very little info about the area, a little blurb about military base. It did get us to Hilo, then informed us our tour was complete. We were on the outskirts of Hilo, that's it. No tour of Hilo, no nothing. We ended up using Google maps. Our friends got a whole tour of Hilo, we got nothing except, your tour is complete. I contacted Shaka tour and was told I would receive a refund after I sent them a copy of the receipt. I have done so twice. I have never heard from Shaka. I can not recommend thus company. They do not stand behind the product.
Despite some tech issues on our part (though not so clear in instructions), we finally figured out how to use the audio tour accurately & see some major & off-the-beaten-path Hawai’i sites.
This was a great time! I have done many of these tours and they do save alot of money if you are willing to drive yourself. The car ride is entertaining with stories and directions. They are easy to follow and give all the info for each stop. Download the app. You will also find more on there.
By far the most useful tool for exploring the big island on your own (without a tour group). There were so many sights to see and suggested spots that we never would have known about, and it seems to be timed well so that you end up in Hilo by early evening. The narration that explained what you were looking at was great, and we loved the mood music. Tip: Leave early. We started out from Kona at 9:30. We were done with Hilo by 6, and decided to have dinner there. But that meant driving back to Kona on dark, twisty mountain roads at night. Nerve wracking. If I were to do it again I’d listen to the apps recommendation and start by 8-8:30, finish with Hilo at 5. Pack a picnic dinner or get some kind of take out in Hilo, then continue on to Mauna Kea (which we had to skip.)
Took our time and it was great hearing the history of the island. Lots cheaper than excursions. I would recommend this download.
This was a fun audio tour. Very interesting history guide! I would recommend this to anyone who's driving around on the island.
Great Way to see Big Island, HI - however, no tour info for southern island (e.g., Volcanoes NP). Loved the narrations for the northern end of island. Very good deal for the $$!
We definitely went to some incredibly beautiful places on the north shore that we wouldn’t have found on our own, so the tour was definitely worth the $20. I found navigating the audio somewhat difficult, even after I got the hang of it. He often repeated himself. There were so many stops on the tour that we couldn’t possibly do them all! A great idea but needs some work!
We purchased the entire Big Island Shaka tour bundle and took most of the tours. Loved the history between stops and the fact that you could just bypass a stop if not interested. You could also just pick up the tour mid point at anytime. Excellent way to see the island and learn the history.
Me and my 3 girlfriends had purchased this package due to our interest in exploring the island. We had rented a wrangler and were prepared to do alot of driving in more remote areas. We were in for a pleasant surprise. We found the tour to be so informative and helpful. Food stops were mentioned, bathrooms, local favourite resturants and tons of good suggestions. This tour had about 157 stops so it was jam packed with all the essentials you needed to visit some of the sites on big island. The tour guides voice was very friendly and easy to listen to. There were many times in which we were the only tourist in the area because some of the sites were very very remote. We learned so much about the cultural aspects of the hawaiian culture. One thing that I thought would be more helpful for the app is when prompted to either make a left or a right for visiting a destination site. It would of been great if a yes or no button was availible for you to click on so that you would be automatically rerouted. At times when we had wanted to make a left or right in time, we went the other way. So we did do a few turn arounds. Besides that, this is a trip I would reccomend to everyone. Mahalo :)
Excellent tour and we saw things, places we likely would have missed. Also let us stay covid safe with guided tour
We actucally purchased the tour to Hilo- but it is all similar. It was a good investment. Four of us took off early in the morning. The tour took us past many interesting things off the beaten path. We saw a huge lava cave that you could enter, ancient fisheries, great eating spots, coffee planttions, the list goes on. Along the way, the narrator tells ancient tales of the area. It was a good day.
We took 3 1/2 of the 5 tours on the Big Island. Many tours limit your time so you can see all the sights they want you to see. This tour allowed us to see great sights but to linger a few hours at some locations and skip others. Well worth the money if you like more flexibility in your tour. We did miss a few turns but looking at the map included in the app we were able to get back on track.
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