Best Big Island of Hawaii Shore Excursions: Our Top 6

1.Hilo Shore Excursion: Volcanoes National Park & Black Sand Beach

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 2,338 reviews · 6 hours (approx.) · from $159Our pick

Review of Hilo’s six-hour volcano shore excursion, with Kilauea, lava tubes, black sand beaches, macadamia nuts, and practical tips.

“Our driver and tour guide Hannibal was outstanding and both educated us as well as entertained us. He was super helpful and patient. Highlights included terrific views of an active volcano and a fascinating walkthrough of a lava tube.”

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2.Hilo Shore Excursion: Volcano Safari Lava Caves & Black Sand

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 363 reviews · 6 hours (approx.) · from $154

Review of Hilo’s six-hour volcano safari with lava caves, black sand beaches, lava fields, local guides, port pickup, and practical tips.

“The guide was informative and knowledgeable and was accommodating to the whole group by adding extra stops that we were all interested in. Highly recommend!”

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3.Hilo Cruise Ship Excursion: Volcanoes National Park Rainbow Falls

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 130 reviews · 4 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $154

Review of Roberts Hawaii’s Hilo shore excursion to Rainbow Falls and Volcanoes National Park, with practical tips on price, timing, stops, and value.

“We took this tour with a small group and visited Rainbow Falls and Volcanoes National Park. It was informative, impressive and at a good pace. I’d recommend this tour.”

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4.Hawaii Volcano National Park Shore Excursion

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 117 reviews · 7 to 8 hours (approx.) · from $168Top rated

Review of a Hilo shore excursion to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, with waterfalls, lava tubes, macadamia nuts, beaches, and local insight.

“Don was passionate about his job and took us to places that other tours did not go to. He was very knowledgeable about all the plants and trees etc. however, the tour was a little too long for us and we were really not interested in the real estate listings he pointed out extensively, and I was disappointed that we didn’t see the volcanic flat rock that the astronauts trained on. But on the whole, it was a good day.”

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5.Hilo Shore Excursion: Visit Volcano, Waterfall, Beach with Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 80 reviews · 6 to 7 hours (approx.) · from $189

Review of Hilo’s volcano, waterfall, lava tube, and black sand beach tour, with lunch, local fruit, small groups, and cruise pickup.

“This was a great combination of activities: waterfall, lava tube, black sand beach, and seeing Kilauea. Our guides, Desmond and Anthony were exceptionally attentive and knowledgeable and made for a fun day!”

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6.Kona Shore Excursion: Wild Dolphin Reefs Snorkel and Sea Caves

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 73 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $149Best value

Review of Kona’s 3-hour dolphin and reef snorkel shore excursion, with Captain Cook, sea caves, lunch, pricing, tips, and honest drawbacks.

“A great experience of snorkeling, whale and dolphin watching. Great job of showing us more than just going to a snorkeling site and taking us back. Excellent explanations of what we were seeing and the significance of lava tubes and caves in Hawaiian culture and history. Sign up for the experience rather than with the cruise line to save money.”

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