Hawaii Volcanoes National Park And Hilo Highlights Small Group Tour

Jill was our guide and she was awesome! So informative about Volcanoes and so many other things. I would definitely recommend this tour.

Be prepared for all kinds of weather, even in Hawaii. Be prepared for disappointment at site you cannot see!

This was a very informative tour. The tour guide had great information about the island. He kept us entertained and spent a perfect amount of time at each stop.

Jill was an awesome guide!! Very knowledgeable, accommodating, and a real pleasure! On time, and great pickup at the port.

We had a wonderful time with Jill as our driver and tour guide!! I am so glad we went with the small group, definitely worth it!! First of all, I appreciated the contact they had with me before the tour even started. They were right there at the port to pick us up. Jill shared a lot of information about what we were seeing and some very helpful advice. She even provided some water and Hawaiian chips. We like to support local businesses as well.

Excellent guide. Very knowledgeable. Would highly recommend. Van was comfortable and cool. Minimal walking

Guide Josh did a good job talking about the culture, island life and the sites on the tour. We would have preferred a shorter tour, but understand that the traffic on Hilo is challenging.

Totally amazing and totally worth it. Guide was sooooo knowledgeable and awesome! Loved the candy stop too.

Our guide was excellent giving us a great tour with lots of information. We throughly enjoyed it and would definitely would recommend this tour!

It was a truly unforgettable experience. My tour guide was amazing. She was so enthusiastic and knowledgable and really wanted to share the history of the Ireland with us. It seemed like it was more than a job to her. She was very happy to share her knowledge. it was a totally unforgettable day. Thank you very much again signed Alex from Ireland and the pick up and drop off to the airport really was making my trip even stressfree.

During our Big Island vacation, we intentionally stayed on the Hilo side for a few days, to make sure we did a tour of the Volcano National Park. Our travel agent recommended using Viator, so that's where we started. We like the idea of a smaller group, so that's the one we chose. Turned out that Mauka Makai Adventures was our tour provider, and Jill was our tour guide. We couldn't have been luckier. Their van is newer, and very comfortable. And I can't imagine anyone any more knowledgeable than Jill. She literally grew up on the side of the volcano (in the little village of Volcano), and she knew everything about the volcano and it's history. She was constantly telling us stories about the area, which was awesome. She also knew the answer to every question anyone in the group asked. I can't say enough positive things about Jill, and strongly recommend anyone considering a volcano national park tour, to specifically request Mauka Makai. We didn't meet Jill's husband Josh, but I did speak to him twice. I'll be he's as good as Jill. And this is the only tour they do now, so they are really focused on doing the volcano tour right. Great experience.

During our Big Island vacation, we intentionally stayed on the Hilo side for a few days, to make sure we did a tour of the Volcano National Park. Our travel agent recommended using Viator, so that's where we started. We like the idea of a smaller group, so that's the one we chose. Turned out that Mauka Makai Adventures was our tour provider, and Jill was our tour guide. We couldn't have been luckier. Their van is newer, and very comfortable. And I can't imagine anyone any more knowledgeable than Jill. She literally grew up on the side of the volcano (in the little village of Volcano), and she knew everything about the volcano and it's history. She was constantly telling us stories about the area, which was awesome. She also knew the answer to every question anyone in the group asked. I can't say enough positive things about Jill, and strongly recommend anyone considering a volcano national park tour, to specifically request Mauka Makai. We didn't meet Jill's husband Josh, but I did speak to him twice. I'll be he's as good as Jill. And this is the only tour they do now, so they are really focused on doing the volcano tour right. Great experience.

While we were disappointed that Kilauea was not fountaining, our guide, Jill, was very knowledgeable about the previous eruptions and lava flows in the park as well as the flora and fauna. My husband and I were the only guests as the other group who had reservations cancelled at the last minute but this company didn’t cancel on us. So we basically had a private tour!

Josh was our driver. Funny, respectful, he had a tons of knoledge about everything: the island, volcanos, past eruptions, culture, best places, people/ turists/ we learn & laugh with him...Highly recomend this tour & his company.

The tour had great stops! The legends and stories and history were all so interesting. We really enjoyed this one!

We had the best day on our tour to see the volcano. It was run by a small family business and highly well organised, fun and informative. The other stops of the rainbow falls, candy shop and botanical gardens were also great stops. The guide was also kind enough to go out of her way to drop us at a different end spot. Highly recommend.

Jill was a great guide for Rainbow Galls, National Volcano Park, a walk through a lava tube and much more!

Jill was the most informative, pleasant and knowledgeable tour guide I could have asked for! What an amazing experience. As someone who has been to Big Island many many times and seen these places all at least once already, having Jill's insights and stories made everything feel brand new and exciting again. 10/10 stars, Jill you were amazing. Thank you for your time and dedication.

Was such an informative tour as we got to see some of the highlights of the local area. Of course, nothing beats seeing the active volcano that day and its fountaining - so that was brilliant timing! Knowledge on local customs and the history of the island and towns was amazing. Would recommend to everyone.

We had an excellent and very informative day going to Rainbow Fall, Volcano National Park, walking through a lava tube, visiting the Queen’s garden , trying local chips, and enjoying local sweet cookies and chocolate. Fun 5 hour trip in AC van with small group. Couldn’t have been any better. Thank you Jill!

Unique experience to see the big island and the most incredible active volcano. Jill, a Hilo native, loves it and knows all!

We started our tour with Josh, our driver, from the port of Hilo. We were very lucky to have a view to an eruption on our tour. Our driver, Josh, knew the volcano was erupting that morning and changed our route to get there as early as possible before the heavy traffic caused long delays. We arrived quickly with no delays and were amazed to see nature at work, an experienced we will never forget. Josh was a great tour guide with a depth of knowledge that was above and beyond our tour, friendly and professional. We really enjoyed our trip and would highly recommend this trip and Mauka Makai Adventures Declan & Bernie Walsh Ireland

Extremely nice guide Jill! Very patient and knowledgeable and helpful. Volcanoes are beautiful. Strongly Recommend to everyone

Josh was a great host. We were so privileged to see the volcano fountain. The rest of the tour was great, but nothing can top the eruption.

You will learn so much about the cycles and effects of active volcanoes from your guide who has lived on the island all her life. She also shares her vast knowledge about the lush vegetation, domestic and wild animals. Her vehicle for the small group tour was comfortable and exactly what we expected. We all agreed this was one of the best excursions!

We enjoyed the volcano National Park. Our tour guide was informative but spoke a little too fast for us. The tour bus was very comfortable and had plenty of leg room. the falls were lovely even though they were Brien due to all the rain.

Josh made this trip a success. He has a lifetime of experience with the island and loves to share his experiences of living around an active volcano

We just did a small group tour of volcano, national Park, and other sites in Hilo Josh was a wonderful tour guide in gave us explanations of the volcanoes and how they form. He also went to rainbow Falls, a beautiful garden and a candy factory, where the most delicious chocolates were made by hand and sold This was one of the best tours we took on the Hawaiian islands. I would definitely recommend if you’re going to Hilo

This was a great tour! Our guide, Josh, was very knowledgeable and told lots of stories along the way.

We had a great time, it’s a must do. Not too much walking but just enough to feel adventurous. Our guide was great! Her passion for the island was contagious.

Kīlauea wasn’t erupting but it was still cool! Very nice Japanese Garden, Lava Tube was cool. Lava Field was interesting! We saw a Rainbow at Rainbow Falls! Good Tour!

The tour wS great. Very iinteresting and nformative. Jill was our tour guide and she did a great job. Very knowlegable and pleasant to spend time with!

Josh was a great tour guide for the day. He is knowledgeable, engaging, and funny! Loved all the stops in Volcanoes National Park- saw amazing sights and didn't have to worry about parking-Josh handled everything! Would do it again!

It was great! Jill was very knowledgeable and friendly! The volcano, waterfall, lava tube and gardens were all amazing!

Our guide Jill made this tour perfect with a combination of great stories and historical knowledge, not to mention a little chocolate.

Our tour guide was amazing, very knowledgeable and on time. I would recommend the tour to anyone Great weather.

Jill was a fantastic tour guide. She was so helpful, had lots to share about growing up around volcanoes. We had plenty of time at each stop and learned so much from her. It was a great way to see the highlights, especially since we had only 2 days in Hilo. Thank you!

We had a wonderful day on our small group tour to Volcanoes National Park. Jill is an experienced tour guide; very knowledgeable, accommodating, and entertaining. At a stop on the Chain of Craters Road, we saw pumice and strands of Pele's hair from the recent eruption of Kilauea. The tour covers a lot and is very well-paced.

It was a great experience. We enjoyed Jill's personal stories about living on an island with an active volcano!

We had a great experience with Jill from Mauka Makai Adventers on the Hilo and Volcano Tour. Jill was very informative and shared many great personal stories about living on the island. We would definitely recommend this tour.

Jill is really a kind and experienced tour leader!! I missed my flight from Honululu to Hilo, and notified her in advance, and she was able to alternate the route and came back to pick me up at the airport after bringing others to the first stop. I really appreciate it!

It was a positive experience. Josh was a very knowledgeable guide. The vehicle was nice. I would recommend.

Great guide friendly, and knowledgeable! Had a great day so many beautiful things and very interesting

Jill was a fabulous story teller. Very knowledgeable. She provided as much information as I wanted, tailored my trip to adjust to my interests.

Josh was an amazing tour guide! He was very knowledgeable and had so many great stories to tell. The number of stops was perfect, really enjoyed walking on the lava fields.

Tour guide Julie did a great job of showing us the key sites and telling us about the islanders experience of living alongside active volcanoes.

Josh, our driver, was very proud of his "born and raised" Big Island heritage. The Hilo area is very working-class and not touristy at all. After brief stops at the local waterfront park and Rainbow Falls, we made our way to Kilauea. At our first overlook, we experienced steam vents and saw, at a distance, evidence of a recent eruption, with silvery cooling lava flowing down the edge of the crater. We went to the Lodge for souvenirs and bathrooms only to find everyone rushing outside to the porch to photograph an active flow of bright orange lava! Although it was some distance away, the charcoal smell and some heat from the flow inundated us. We then visited a Lava Tube, a cave formed by a previous flow through a deep ravine. One unexpected highlight was a walk across a lava field with oha'i Lehman trees sprouting in the cracks in the lava. We ended our day with a stop at a candy factory. A great experience!

Wonderful tour of Volcano National Park with a very knowledgeable tour guide. Everything about this tour was top notch, from the understanding personnel that realized we would all be late getting off the ship due to customs to the tour guide Jill putting us all at ease that she had everything covered. Ride in a very nice van, small group, stops at all the interesting sites in the park including the creator, rim walk (if you wanted too which we did, Volcano house visitor center, plenty of bathroom breaks, chocolate factory cookies and candy and beautiful gardens.

This was my 2nd tour with Josh, and he was just as entertaining and informative as the 1st time. I got to see some different points of interest and had a very enjoyable day. Would highly recommend this tour.