As you begin your tour, you’ll travel south along the Kona coast and absorb the breathtaking views of lush vegetation and coastline. Listen to your guide describe the cultural history of the area as well as the local flora and fauna. Arrive at an authentic Kona coffee farm where you’ll enjoy a delicious continental breakfast, tour the farm, and sample flavorful Kona coffee.
Punalu‘u Bakery
One of the prettiest black sand beaches in all of the Hawaiian Islands. The jet-black volcanic glass sand here was formed from the rapid cooling of basaltic lava hitting the ocean water then shattering into tiny fragments. Enjoy the relaxing feeling of black sand under your toes while listening to the wind move through the palms and across the water. Your guide will keep a look out for green sea turtles and endangered hawksbill sea turtles that frequent the beach.
A UNESCO World Heritage Site and an International Biosphere Reserve, this iconic park encompasses the summit of two of the world’s most active volcanoes and extends from sea level up to the summit of Mauna Loa at 13,677 feet. It’s home to critically endangered wildlife and some of the most unique geological, biological and cultural landscapes on earth. Your tour will explore the main attractions in the park including: the Thurston Lava Tube, Chain of Craters Road, and a nature walk along the Halema‘uma‘u Crater for unique views of the current eruption and the natural steam vents in the area. You’ll enjoy a picnic lunch in the beauty of the park before embarking on your next leg of this incredible adventure.
From the park venture down to Hilo where you’ll visit the picturesque Rainbow Falls and Akaka Falls State Park. Both waterfalls are a sight to behold. Beautiful falls combined with lush vegetation make these stops photo worthy and truly breathtaking.
ravel this 50 mile stretch of breathtaking coastline with its hidden waterfalls, tropical rainforest and lush green valleys. Described as one of the most beautiful locations in the state it’s well worth the scenic drive. Stop at Laupahoehoe Point Beach Park and take in the surrounding views as well as the culturally rich history of the area.
Arrive at Waipio Valley in the late afternoon. Enjoy the incredible views as your guide explains the rich history of the area.
Enjoy the sunset views of Waimea as you travel through Paniolo (Hawaiian cowboy) country and take in this historic area with its rolling, green pastures home to cattle, cowboys and one of the largest cattle ranches in the United States; Parker Ranch.
Take a guided walk through Akaka Falls State Park, your naturalist tell you all about the rich botanical life found throughout the park. Akaka Falls, which cascades 442-feet down a vertical cliff face carpeted in vibrant green, is truly an incredible site to behold on a waterfall tour of Big Island Hawaii.
Everything was wonderful! The people who organize these trips are amazing—so friendly, helpful, and professional. I had a fantastic experience and highly recommend these trips to everyone! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The tour gave us a perfect taste of the entire island. Lisa was our guide and a wealth of information. We experienced sea turtles, black beach, volcano, lava tubes, beautiful water falls, a great picnic and a wonderful dinner. The transportation was very clean and on time at designated pick up. A very full day but so glad we had booked the excursion.
My wife, two daughters, and I did the Big Island Full Circle Tour, and it was amazing! Lisa was our tour guide, and she took excellent care of us throughout the day. She is extremely knowledgeable about the island — from its wildlife and diverse plant life to its unique microclimates and rich history. We experienced an immersive tour that truly captured the essence of the Big Island. As promised, Lisa picked us up from our resort and took us to all the major highlights, including a local coffee farm, a black sand beach, several waterfalls, an active volcano, and much more. Throughout the tour, Lisa was incredibly hospitable, kept us comfortable, and made sure we had everything we needed. She also customized the itinerary to match our interests, allowing us plenty of time to focus on what mattered most to us. We also had the chance to sample local foods, including a stop at Punaluʻu Bake Shop for some delicious malasadas. To top it all off, while we enjoyed dinner at an amazing farm-to-table restaurant, Lisa gave us great recommendations based on what we asked her for other things to do during our stay on the Big Island. I highly recommend this tour to anyone looking for a complete, personalized experience of the Big Island.
Had an awesome day! Our guide Lisa was fun, very knowledgeable and adjusted things as needed. My son is in a wheelchair and they made sure he was able to see and participate in everything. Hands down the best tour we have experienced!! Highly recommend Backroads Adventures!!
This is one of the best tours I have ever been on. It's an all day, all encompassing private tour with numerous stops and includes lunch and dinner. Shawn, our guide / tour owner is absolutely amazing. He is so knowledgeable and has every detail planned. We started the day at Greenwell Farms sampling varieties of Kona coffee (yummy!). We picked up lunch and fresh donuts at a local place called "Punalu'u". We saw black sand beaches and large sea turtles sunning themselves. We saw waterfalls and also went through a lava tube. We visited Volcano National Park where we witnessed sulphur smoke (known as VOG) from where the volcano had been active as recently as 5AM that morning. In between stops, Shawn share with us the rich history of the island and its people. We concluded the day at a high-end restaurant called FORC (farm, ocean, ranch, chef). The meal was deliciously prepared by chef Hess. We were delighted to end the day at such a fine restaurant. Shawn said he would. only take us to a restaurant where he frequents. From there, Shawn dropped us back at our resort where he had picked us up 12 hours earlier. It was a full day, but worth every minute. Thank you Shawn for making our day so amazing,
This tour was the highlight of our trip. Shawn was an amazing guide and you can tell that he put a lot of time an thought into planning this tour. We were traveling with a group of six people and all enjoyed the tour.
This tour was more than amazing and absolutely a must do. Our guide Shawn was awesome. He told us so much about the Island of Kona and each of the many attractions we stopped at. Everything we did was done at our pace and not rushed through so that we could enjoy and take in everything we were seeing. Would definitely recommend this tour.
There's nothing else to say besides this trip was absolutely breathtaking. Shawn has created the perfect itinerary to hit the highlights of the big island. Shawn's personality and knowledge of the island helped to create the perfect trip!
Aloha, Shawn: The day with you was wonderful. Somehow you managed to share with us many beautiful sights , sounds and tastes of Hawaii. I’m still processing it all Mahalo for spending so much time and energy with us. It was a great day learning about your island and getting to know you. Sally
Aloha - We had an amazing time with Shawn. The communication before, during and after the day was what you would expect from a top tour company. He picked us up from our property and his car was comfortable for the 6 of us. He was very friendly and knowledgeable of the island. We went on the 12+ hr full Island tour and this was beyond amazing. Shawn stopped to point out great places for photos and things to see far and away from the other tours and tourists. Starting with the Kona Coffee farm (we love coffee Kona Coffee and we got some amazing blends that we took home with us), to the Bakery, Black Sand Beach, Volcano National Park and so much more. Shawn accommodated us above and beyond what we would expect as he adapted to all of the unique personalities we had to offer on this September day. We ate lunch that was picked up from the bakery and then off to some Waterfalls. The second to last stop was to the Waipio Valley just in time for sunset - unbelievable views! We were then treated to a great dinner above all expectations and then delivered back to our property safely. The All Inclusive Big Island Circle Tour exceeded our expectations and delivered what we had hoped. Big Island Backroad Adventures is a must for what ever you would like to experience on the Big Island. - Mahalo Nui Loa Shawn
What an amazing way to see the island! Our group of 5 had an amazing time. First time on the big island and would highly recommend Shawn as a tour guide. His knowledge about the island is TOP KNOTCH! Could not have asked for a better guide. Wonderful unforgettable trip! Highly Recommend!
What a great trip! My mother and I did the big island circle tour with Shawn. He was very knowledgeable and professional. The day flowed really well…all the stops were great and the food spots he took us to were excellent! I would highly recommend this tour with Shawn!
Shawn was such a knowledgeable and great guide. He is very thorough and thinks through every detail in order to make your experience comfortable and amazing! My daughter and I thoroughly enjoyed Highly recommend!
10/10! Shawn was amazing!!! We learned all about the island and felt like we got to see it all! Meals were delicious and Shawn was prepared for everything. We kept a good pace and got to see so much of the island. He took pictures, gave us tips for dining and was great with our kids. We learned so much and enjoyed the waterfalls, sunset, black sand beach, Volcanos national park and more. This would our favorite tour of the island and if it is your first time to Hawaii I could not recommend this tour more!
Shawn was an incredible guide who listened to what we wanted and provided so much information about the sights and experiences we had. The vehicle was super comfortable, and the time we spent driving was never boring thanks to the good conversation and the beautiful views. We would absolutely recommend this experience, and I’m sure the other tours they offer are just as awesome!
I reserved 2 days tour with Shawn, 1 day to Volcano National Park, and another day to Mauna Kea. From the beginning approach, Shawn is a very detailed person to explain and arranges the schedule flexibly, which makes me feel relieved even just through the email. During the trip, Shawn well-organized everything and cared for my elder parents. Shawn is very erudite and willing to share knowledge with each other, and I can sense that how much he loves the island and his job. The volcano and lava geology are one of a kind in the world, through Shawn's guide, undoubtedly lets our tour has depth in Big Island. We had a wonderful and fruitful tour with Shawn, and we can't wait to visit Big Island again! Mahalo Shawn :)
We did the Full Circle Big Island Tour with my family of 2 adults and 2 young kids (5 and 4). Everyone loved it! This was a perfect way to see the island in one amazing day! From the start, Shawn was very communicative about the general itinerary, while allowing us to customize both before and during the trip. He sent us menus for potential restaurants for both lunch and dinner, and checked in the day before the tour began. We had two young kids with us - they're curious and generally attentive but a day on a tour bus would be taxing for any kid (and many grown-ups!). The private tour was perfect for us. Shawn plied us with snacks and drinks throughout the day, and we had ample opportunities to stop, whether to rest, stretch our legs, use the facilities, or just to take an unscheduled gaze at the many spectacles the island provides! We spent a little less time at the Coffee plantation (which was very cool! We're just not big coffee people - 20-30 minutes was plenty there), but took our time at various other places. We stopped at a black sand beach where we saw tons of turtles (!), had amazing pastries at the Punalu'u Bake Shop, grabbed lunch in Volcano and ate by Kilauea (which we got to see erupting!). We got to do a hike through lava tubes, then a few more stops before going to Akaka Falls for another hike to a waterfall! Kids loved this! We also stopped at the Waipi'o Valley Outlook before heading to dinner in Waimea. It was lovely learning about the island and Hawaiian history, but also having an extremely friendly and thoughtful guide made the day easy and fun. Dinner with Shawn was a nice ending to the day, the kids (and adults) had such a blast through and through. Mahalo Shawn, we look forward to seeing you next time we're on the Big Island!
It was an amazing experience and it is in great part to our guide Shawn. Would recommend 100%!! Views were incredible, our guide was very flexible with anything related to our trip, and they got everything covered for us (food, jackets, good attitude, funny stories, etc.) One of the best adventures of my life!!
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