Hilo Shore Excursion: Akaka Falls, Volcano, & Black Sand Beach

Amanda did an excellent job! She was prompt in picking us up at the airport, and very knowledgeable and answered any questions we had. Seeing the volcano erupting was a highlight for us. Everything we saw, which was a lot of different things, was very interesting. A hot lunch was provided, a taste of the local foods. It was good and gave us a chance to try different foods, which we like to do. Would definitely recommend this tour, Amanda made it an excellent experience!

Truly enjoyed this tour. Opportunity to see several places since we arrived via cruise ship. Totally appreciated the company’s commitment to pick up and drop off at the port as town was 2 miles away. Cam was a great guide as well since he was a native, he was full of knowledge about the island and the history. Thanks for an enjoyable day!!!!

Amanda was one of the BEST tour guides, her stories were very informative and interesting. The only thing that was a negative was we didn't get to the black sand beach due to the storm. We would highly recommend this tour to ANYONE heading to Hilo!!

This was our first time being in Hawaii and wanted to find an activity to do with friends. Amanda, our tour guide was AMAZING from the start. She greeted us with such kindness. During the drive to each activity she educated us on Hawaii’s detailed history. She took us to see plenty of hidden gems! SUCH a great experience, HIGHLY recommend this tour!!!

Amanda was a great guide! We saw the beautiful black sand beaches, volcanoes National Park with Kilauea erupting, two waterfalls with very short walks in each location. We would have loved some more hiking, but that was hard to fit in on such a busy itinerary. Highly recommend this tour for cruise ship travelers.

Excellent tour, our guide Amanda was terrific. Could not fault entire tour from meeting at port to return to ship, would recommend this tour to every one visiting Hilo.

Great way to see A LOT in one day .. all the main highlights of Hilo. Our tour operator was born & raised there so it was great to have that much knowledge leading us.

Amanda was good fun, knowledgeable and entertaining. The day was just perfect

Very good and informative tour! Highly recommend! Picked us up right at the cruise terminal. Guide was very good!

Amanda was an excellent tour guide! She was very knowledgeable about the island’s history. She was very accommodating and offered refreshments when needed. I highly recommend this trip!

We had an awesome morning/ afternoon with Steve, Amanda was great also! We went to places we would never have discovered without Steve. Large group and it went well, other guide was also great! And they even found my sunglasses and will ship them to me ! Love the customer service 👌

Amanda was very helpful driver and tour guide at the same time. Pick up was very convenient... Her tales about Hawaii still fresh on my mind.

This company is customer service oriented and did everything possible to accommodate circumstances beyond their control. The immigration control at the Hilo Port is not a smooth process. We had to wait over 2 hours to start our excursion, since several in our group were stuck on the ship waiting for their turn to get off the ship. Amanda did everything possible to try and coordinate a condensed excursion, with the time remaining. On top of this, the day had off and on rain, which made our trip to the Volcanos National Park less than desirable. I felt I received value for the trip we had. NCL should consider extending the amount of time in this port, to allow for the extremely long process to get everyone off of the ship. But this is no reflection on this company.

Amanda is the best person to guide you through this wonderful tour. The 7 hours we spent with Amanda was filling with everything you could image of plants, volcanoes, wildlife and 24 years of living in Hilo. If you want to have the best tour you will ever have request Amanda! The price paid is well worth it for a small group tour and Amanda made us feel we gained insight on our tour from her.

Amanda was awesome! Easy pickup from the cruise terminal. She brought my daughter a special treat for her birthday. We had a very full day. The tour gives plenty of time at all the stops. We even stopped by a black sand beach and walked around. It was a great day and highly recommended.

David is very good at showing the best of Hilo. He a local pro surfer and born and raised in Hilo. Preorder your lunch to get what you want.

This was a once in a lifetime experience. We were blessed to see the Volcano erupting. Akaka Falls was also beautiful. Enjoyed walking through Thurston Laba tube! Amazing day! Dave was great, honest and informative. Mahalo

Absolutely incredible! We got to see so much of the volcanoes, right up to the crater, we went through the lava tubes and a bunch of other photo stops! We saw rainbow falls, akaka falls, the statue, and a bunch of other places including the black sand beaches and everything in between! Our tour guide Holley was really knowledgeable, gave us plenty of time to see things, nothing felt rushed and it was so much fun! The lunch and snacks were great, they waited to pick us up at the port and then ensured we were back well before our ships departure time, everything was very organised, a truly exciting day and the best excursion I've done in a long time! Will definitely book more trips when visiting the big island in the future! Thank you for an incredible experience that really made our holiday!

We really had a great tour with Holley. She did her best to arrange our tour to avoid rain. Hilo weather just did cooperate though and it rained a lot at each of our stops around Hilo. Holley went out her way to make us comfortable and to make sure we had umbrellas at the rainy stops. The umbrellas made a big difference and more than once I was asked where we found the umbrellas. Other passengers from our cruise ship recognized us. (We are finishing a 54 day cruise with them.). We were so glad that we had this tour as opposed to the ones offered by the ship. There were five guests on our tour. We were very comfortable in the van. The falls were very nice especially Akaka falls. The part of the tour in Volcanos National Park was everything I could have hoped for (other an active eruption, but that just bad timing on our part). The time spent at each location easily met our needs and expectations. The weather was perfect in the park with excellent visibility. Holley is a knowledgeable and pleasant tour guide. We highly recommend this tour and Holley as your guide.

Great day exploring and learning about Hilo. What a gift to learn so much from Holly out tour guide.

Guide was awesome and we had a fantastic time

Dave are tour guide was great. Very knowledgeable and had fun stories. Amazing tour!

Our tour guide Dave Chappell was friendly and knowledgeable. They accommodated us very last minute because I entered the date incorrectly on a different tour. They go above and beyond on customer service. Both sets of falls were amazing and our entry fees were completely covered for the falls and the Volcano National Park. They also brought us sandwiches, snacks and drinks! We highly enjoyed our tour and recommend Aloha Aina to you!!

Beautiful sights, all day experience. The whole tour is well worth it. Our tour guide Dave was excellent and very knowledgeable. The volcano park was open and the lava tube was spectacular. The waterfalls were amazing. Our turkey sandwiches were really good too.

We had limited time while visiting the island on our cruise. This tour offered a comprehensive way to see the many sites. Our guide Dave did a great job accommodating everyone’s needs. There was a small mix up in the beginning about where our tour was supposed to be going, but it ended up better than we expected. We got to see some unexpected sites including black sand beach and ended our day with viewing sea turtles and a double rainbow. Highly recommend!

Great experience. Amanda was very knowledgeable and gave us a lot of information. It was a great day.

Customized trip allowing for weather.

Bryon was a terrific guide for our minibus of 14 people. He had an engaging manner and was able to answer our questions and provide intelligent and informative commentary. I highly recommend Aloha Aina tours.

We had a wonderful tour with Brian! He was absolutely the best tour guide bar none! So fun, friendly and personable! His knowledge of the island really made this tour special. Seeing all the sights were incredible! Highly recommend this tour and Brian!!

Landed from the cruise on a very rainy day but Amanda our guide brought the sunshine with her! Great way to see the big island in a day, especially the leisurely hike to the falls and the volcano lookouts. Easy pick up/drop off from the port, splendid lunch included.

The Akaka Falls, Rainbow Falls, Volcanoes National Park and Hilo Discovery tour is a must do if you want to get a complete experience of the volcano and Hilo in a short time. We made 4 stops around the crater in 2 hours. We also learned a lot about Hawai’i history, culture and geography traveling around the Hilo area. The included sandwich in our package was surprisingly delicious, tasty, and filling. Steven, our tour guide, entertained us with his humor and stories.

This was a great tour, everything we were looking forward to plus bonus of Black Sand Beach. Steve was a great guide, very knowledgeable about volcanoes and all the sites. His Hawaiian stories brought the sites to life. He also went out of his way to meet guest needs. We had a great time and would highly recommend.

Our tour guide was excellent! Very knowledgeable about the are! The volcanoes we saw were a new experience. She took very good care of us on our tour!

What an amazing time! Steven was very knowledgeable and personable. We had the best time and learned a lot. We will absolutely book again.

Steve made our first trip to Hilo a great experience. He was very friendly and knowledgeable. Thanks for the experience Steve! Until next time!

Our tour guide was excellent! She was super knowledgeable about the island. The volcano was very interesting and the waterfalls were beautiful! Definitely recommend this tour! First rate!

A great way to see key spots around the island while learning some fun history. We had sufficient time to spend at each stop, were provided sandwiches and juice to enjoy inside the van in between destinations. My husband enjoyed being able to sightsee instead of driving. Available restrooms at almost every spot was also a plus.

We had a great tour. Bryon is the best tour guide. He was very engaging and knowledgeable. I would highly recommend taking this tour.

Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park was absolutely incredible! From the unique lava rock formations and steaming craters to the diverse vegetation zones and the active volcano still smoking in the distance—it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience you won’t find anywhere else. Our guide was outstanding: super knowledgeable, had fascinating stories, and shared the rich geological and cultural history of the Big Island. The tour ran like clockwork—perfectly on schedule, thoughtfully planned, and included a delicious lunch. The national park entrance fee was covered in the price, and in just 3–4 hours we visited every major highlight, including the steam vents, craters, lava tubes, and a beautiful waterfall in the combined tour. Our trip also included a stop to Fissure 8, which was amazing to see in person. The van was spotless, spacious, and comfortable - no one was crammed inside :) This Volcanoes National Park tour is great for beginner hikers and/or kids; most of the stops feature short, easy, flat trails that lead to see the Volcano's awesome views. All trails had railing and are established. The Fissure 8 hike is more for beginner-to-intermediate hikers. It features loose gravel trails, short lengths (50-75 yds) of moderate inclines or declines, and a few areas with exposed edges (these exposed sections are optional and easy to avoid). The Fissure 8 trail is well-established and guided. It is on private land and having the guide is required. Responsible, younger children could probably manage the trail if supervised by parents, but asking the tour guides wouldn't hurt.

Really worth it experience, visited lot of places and had enough time on each. Steven was an amazing guide.

Steven was great! First off I was stressed because we were running late. Didn't realize our cruise ship was going to keep us on board longer. He reassured me he would wait, and he did. From volcano vents to waterfalls and an appearance by the nene birds, we learned a lot as we moved from place to place. The sandwiches were great and his personality outstanding, thank you so much for a great day!

Steve did a great job! Super knowledgeable and friendly. Such a wonderful man and tour guide. Mahalo Steve! God bless!!

Wonderful and relaxing tour! Learn about Hawaiian history/culture, and get to the cool attractions around Hilo at the same time. Favorite stop was the Volcano National Park, with all the lookouts within the park itself. Steve was a great tour guide, and was informative on places and the lifestyle of Hawaii. I would definitely recommend and book another tour with Aloha Aina.

We had the best time visiting the volcanoes, Akaka Falls, Hilo town, and the beautiful gardens. Every stop was breathtaking and full of history and charm. It’s something we’ll always remember! Guide Steve was great..TY for making our trip even more magical!

Punctual, friendly, driven safely, received lots of information, had enough time at the various locations, would gladly do it again Amanda