Drive through Banyan Drive and the largest Edo-style ornamental garden outside of Japan. Liliʻuokalani Gardens is a peaceful park of towering banyan trees, ponds, bridges, and pagodas.
See the vibrant shops, public art, and colorful architecture of historic Downtown Hilo.
Rainbow Falls is named after the colorful rainbows that appear in the mists of its waters. Signs in the viewing area relate some interesting historical facts about the waterfall, as well as the legend of the “Battle of the Wailuku River”.
Explore Hawaii Volcanoes National Park starting at the visitor center and exhibit hall, followed by breathtaking views of Kilauea caldera and Kilauea Iki, the volcanic steam vents, and sulfur banks. Walk through the ancient Nāhuku (Thurston Lava Tube), a 600-foot cave created by underground lava flows. After exploring the park, enjoy lunch on us at a local restaurant with island-infused cuisine.
Discover a beautiful black sand beach on the Kau coast where green sea turtles come to rest.
Our driver/guides were local gentleman, born and raised in Hawaii, and shared their love of this island, their home. Their stories and history were fascinating and insightful. Lunch was provided at a local restaurant and it was delishious. Desmond and Anthony are kind and welcoming.
One of the best tours we have ever been on. Anthony and Desmond were the best guides. We spent a lot of time at volcano national Park and got a good look at the volcano and up close with some of the steam vents. We walked thru a lava tube. The black sand beach was pretty and we saw several sea turtles. Lunch was delightful at the Lava Rock Cafe where we were allowed to choose the dish of our choice from the menu. Rainbow falls was pretty and the Banyan tree was amazing. You can't go wrong with this tour
What a lovely tour. The tour guides are both friendly, knowledgeable and just try everything to give you the best experience. The tour guide loved lava even more than me and I knew that I choose the right tour. Mahalo again!
Best Guides, awesome Tour! Thank You Desmond and Anthony you were phenomental! Love from Germany!
Desmond and Anthony were the best guides. You can really tell they love all there is about the island and history and are so happy to share it with others.
Desmond and Anthony were fantastic hosts and guides. They have an absolute love for Hilo and Hawai’i and it shows through every stop. Also, the lunch offered is delicious.
Our tour was provided by Shaka Braddah tours and Desmond and team was fantastic. They were both so knowledgeable and funny – we felt like friends by the end of our tour. They also provided snacks and local delicacies throughout the day. We started the day with a slow drive pass Lili’uokalani Park and Gardens, before stopping at Rainbow Falls which were beautiful. We then proceeded to a black sand beach (we were due to visit Punalu’u Black Stand Beach, but that was inaccessible due to Hurricane Lala which had hit the island 2 weeks previously). However, this beach we went to did not disappoint and we saw a couple of green turtles chilling on the rocks! After a lovely lunch at a local restaurant, we then went to the Volcanoes National Park which was spectacular. Even though we did not see an eruption (it had erupted the week prior), it was certainly smoking a LOT and the views were fantastic. This was followed by a walk through Thurston Lava Tube which was completely different to anything we had experienced before. All in all a fantastic trip and would highly recommend it – FIVE STARS!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Can I give more stars? Desmond and Anthony were amazing. Saw and learned so much! Tour was well planned and free flowing enough to allow for exploring. They even gave us ideas of other spots to visit on other days of our trip.
Fabulous Epic Grand can’t say enough of the hospitality of Shaka Bradduhs! Our guides, Desmond and Anthony, were the real deal; locals with real life experience of the island that they willingly shared. Picked up on time and provided extras that just put the tour over the top. We didn’t feel rushed when we were exploring yet they kept everything moving at a good pace. Also checked off a few bird species from my life list!!! Mahalo!
I don’t say this lightly, but this was genuinely the best tour I’ve ever done. From the moment we met our guides, it was clear we were in the hands of people who truly love what they do. Their knowledge of the park’s geology, native flora, and Hawaiian cultural history was incredible, they didn’t just recite facts, they told stories that made the whole landscape come alive. The scenery alone is otherworldly, this isn’t a place, it’s another planet. But it was the passion and warmth of our guides that turned an already stunning experience into something unforgettable. Five stars isn’t enough! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts🙏🏼
It was a fantastic experience our guides were very nice and knowledgeable. I would recommend everyone to do it.
It was a great experience! Wear rain gear and comfortable shoes. Our tour guide was excellent. He was respectful and knowledgeable on the places we visited.
It was wonderful! The tour guides were super helpful, informative , and friendly! I highly recommend them!
It was an amazing experience!!! Anthony was an outstanding tour guide!!! He was very friendly and acommodating! He had a wealth of information to share and a great sense of humor! The lunch was very good and the tour is a reasonable price for what you get!! I would recommend it to my friends and family!
Best tour on the islands.. Anthony and Desmond have so much information but present it in a fun way that your day will fly by! You can tell they live what they do! Maholo and Shaka to the Shaka Braddahs!!
We absolutely loved this tour!! Not only did we get spectacular views of the volcano, but we were able to enter a lava tube and see Rainbow falls, and a black sand beach. Our tour with Desmond and ?(can’t remember driver’s name) was educational with pictures and much Hawaiian history. They had items that were passed around the boat that corresponded to what we were learning. We feel like we learned a lot! The small bus was comfortable and we were quite relieved we weren’t shoved on one of those huge tour buses. Lunch at the restaurant was quite good too.
Wonderful and informative experience with both of our guides. These two were the best from being fun, pleasant and courteous to really enhancing our experience with slides and history of the island. We loved the fresh fruit surprise at the end of our excursion in the cute baskets. I would highly recommend both of these fine gentleman on anyone’s trip while visiting Hilo. Mahalo for making this a fun filled day!
Desmond and Anthony are an incredible team! They made the entire tour fun, engaging, and truly unforgettable. It's clear how knowledgeable and passionate they are about Hawaii and its culture — their stories and insights added so much depth to the experience. I loved every moment of the tour and would highly recommend it to anyone visiting the big island. Mahalo for an amazing day! 🌺 ✨
Highly recommend this tour! I booked it three months in advance, and it was absolutely worth it. Both the driver and the guide were incredibly knowledgeable and warm-hearted. Throughout the trip, we learned so many interesting things and even got to touch and experience some rare items you normally wouldn’t see. Even though it rained on the day of the tour, we still had a wonderful experience in Hilo. It was so kind of them to provide umbrellas for everyone! The fruits, snacks, and lunch during the tour were all delicious, and I especially loved the photos they took for us. If you want to truly experience Hilo, you should definitely give this tour a try — it was honestly one of the best tours I’ve ever had!
We had the most amazing time, and learnt so much about Hawaii and its culture. Desmond and Anthony were both super helpful and friendly. It was super easy getting picked up from the port. We were able to see some amazing highlights of Hilo like Rainbow Falls, the National Volcano Park and we were lucky to see so many sea turtles on Punalu’u Black Sand Beach. This trip has been a real highlight and has left us wanting to come back to Big Island so we can better explore. Also the good at Lava Rocks was unreal. Would highly recommend booking your trip with theses guys.
This was the best tour I’ve ever had! Our guide was incredibly kind, funny, and made the whole experience unforgettable. I highly, highly recommend it!
Our guides Anthony and Ariel were superb! The entire day was a blast. Lots of information contained in the narrative and lots of fun the whole day long. They were the best guides of the trip. Love those guys!!!
This was a great experience! Both our drive and tour guide were extremely knowledgeable. They went out of their way to accommodate everyone and were very proud of their island. It was also amazing to get the local perspective and knowledge.
I’m so glad I booked the tour with Shaka Braddah tours. The tours guides were so great!! They shared so much history and always kept us entertained. Thy were so patient and answered all our questions, were patient with photos.. overall a great company to book your tour with! Thank you for making our trip memorable!!
We were presently surprised how great this tour was and how kind and knowledgeable Desmond and Anthony (tour guides) were. Our group were very friendly and compatible too. We toured a large portion of the island and a saw a wide variety of interesting and fun sights - Rainbow Waterfall, Thurston Lava tunnel, steam vents and a crater. Had lunch at Lava Rock Cafe. Anthony shared many photos on a large screen in the van teaching us about native birds/animals, Hawaiian words and passed around several native tools/weapons. We would highly recommend this tour and hope you can be fortunate enough to get Desmond and Anthony.
A great day, small group size we bet the rain The lava tube was really good and we got to see lots of turtles on the black beach which was an added bonus Lunch was really nice you ordered what you wanted and it was freshly cooked. Guides were very friendly and accommodating.
We had such an amazing day with Shaka Braddah Tours. From the very beginning, all communication before and during the tour was excellent, which made us feel well taken care of the whole time. Everything was smooth, enjoyable, and truly special. We are so grateful for the experience and would highly recommend them.
My request :「Our NCL cruise on Pride of America (reservation 64426062) starts only on 4/11/2026 and will be in Hilo only on 4/14/2026. My booking 1372413733/338017872 for 3/14/2026 was my honest mistake with the month and the date. Since 4/14/2026 tour is sold out, would you give me a full refund $370?」 The 3/14 tour provider Desman of Shaka Braddah was contacted by email & phone and responded promptly by phone to me and graciously agreed for a full refund which goes through Viator with no issue. Shaka Braddah is a responsible, honest and respectful tour provider!
THE BEST tour I have ever been on!! Guides Anthony and Desmond were amazing and super informative about the history of the island. Really got to see all that the island has to offer. Lunch was amazing and we even had a fruit bowl snack at the end which was an unexpected treat. Would definitely rebook and recommend to anyone!
Desmond and Mike were awesome, very friendly and always helping people on the tour. They rearranged the tour a little because the volcano was erupting and wanted to make sure we saw it before it quit. We had 2 different amazing viewpoints to watch it, then they changed it again due to traffic in the park. They arranged for us to eat at the lodge inside the park. Food was great, as was the view of volcano while eating. We then did some other sightseeing, took us to see the turtles, walked thru the lava tubes and had a few other surprises for us. Everything was as advertised and better. Everyone felt very safe with them. We would definitely take another tour with them if we get back to Hilo. Everyone mentioned what a great tour it was.
Spent quite a bit of time in the Van, but the 2 guides are friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. The weather did not cooperate but to be fair it is rainy on the Hilo side of the island. Wear good foot wear and bring a rain jacket. If you forget the guides have ponchos and umbrellas. The lava tube and rainbow falls were worth it. The crater was too except visibility wasn’t great. Restaurant food was good, the fruit excellent. All in all a pretty good tour. Albeit a bit long. But it was as advertised 6-7 hours.
Desmond and Anthony provided a very friendly and informative presentation while we were driving to the Lava Tube. They both were very knowledgeable about the culture and the environment of the island. Together they made our excursion enjoyable and worthwhile. They explained the formation of the Hawaiian Islands and the habitat and environment of all the islands. They kept track of how the Kīlauea Volcano was progressing during the day, And helped us find the best location to watch the lava flows. And the lunch was very good. The turtles at the black was the best culmination of a wonderful day on the Big Island. Desmond and Anthony are excellent tour guides and did a fantastic job welcoming us to Hawaii.
I enjoyed this tour so much. Both of our guides were so knowledgeable about the Island. We were shown slides while driving so I really felt like I learned allot of new things about the Island of Hawaii. The food was wonderful as well. I highly recommend this tour.
Absolutely loved this trip! Extremely well planned and executed from start to finish. Great sights, very knowledgeable, great demonstrations on bus trip, and very friendly hosts.
The tour itself was fantastic, but our tour guides REALLY elevated the experience and made it magical. The detail they put into making the history come to life was phenomenal. I HIGHLY recommend this tour and we will do it again ourselves when we return!
Such an amazing tour. Had the best time with the best tour guides. They were so knowledgeable and interesting and made it so much more enjoyable. Loved everything about it. Walked through a lava tube, saw a beautiful waterfall, had a great lunch and then spent some time at a black sand beach where we saw some turtles.
Anthony and Desmond took great care of us through this 360° experience in Hilo. It was our first time on Big Island and we have learnt so much today from our experienced, friendly and passionate guides. The tour started on time and it was very easy to find our guide at the cruise terminal. We visited Volcano national park with several stops to walk through a lava tube, see the Kilauea crater and the steam vents. We stopped for a very traditional Hawaiian lunch at Lava rock cafe, Volcano village and then proceeded to Punalu’u black sand beach, where we spotted lots of turtles. Here our guides gave us some fresh fruit which was super tasty! We then headed back to the drop off point on time. Throughout the ride, Anthony explained in detail about Hawaii’s history, traditions and geography/geology and showed us some traditional artifacts and even some shells. We had the best day!
Besides being driven by someone who knows the best routes, stops and places to park, you are presented with great Audio/Visual information between the different stops. As you ride, you learn about the island culture. Mine tour included a fabulous free meal and the physical sharing of many artifacts and objects that you learn about as you ride between stops. The travel time went fast and was as useful as the actual sites. Very friendly staff who were excited about sharing local culture.
This is an awesome tour lead by two great guys who know their stuff and are proud to share it, from big knowledge to anecdotes, from real artifacts presented/discussed between stops to treats along the way, Desmond and Anthony deliver all as promised and much more. I highly recomend it!
The tour guides on this trip were AMAZING! They were VERY knowlegable about the area and history. And we really felt the Aloha spirit.
Spent a great tour with Desmond and Anthony - customer focused, very knowledgeable about Hawaii but focused on meeting needs of guests. Changed itinerary to get us to an erupting volcano first - awesome. Saw a turtle on a black beach and had a great lunch at a local restaurant (Lava Rock Cafe). Plus snacks of fresh fruit and local chocolate covered macadamia nuts. Loved it - van ride was long but well worth it!
Hands down the best tour! Anthony and Desmond are a great team. Anthony’s knowledge of Hawaiian history and Desmond’s knowledge of all things outdoors….we’re so glad we didn’t attempt to do these sites on our own, it would not have been the same experience. The lava tube was amazing! The volcano site was spectacular, and the waterfall was beautiful! Plus we got to see turtles at the black sand beach. This is a must- do-tour for your next visit to Hawaii.
Anthony and Desmond were so kind and informative!! We were treated like Ohana and learned/experienced so much!!
Everything was wonderful! Exceptional guide and driver!
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