Hawaii

SOUTH ISLAND EPIC COASTAL JOURNEY

DurationDuration 8-12 hrs
DirectionTour Directions 2
tour Tour Stops 37
$19.99

Description

Take a journey through the southern half of Big Island. Drive across barren lava fields that are wedged between two active volcanoes: Mauna Loa and Kilauea. As you travel you’ll come across a black sand beach and local coffee and macadamia nut farms. Take an optional side trip -- don't worry, we'll guide you -- to Ka Lae (South Point) for cliff jumping and a hike to a green sand beach. End the day at Mauna Kea, the tallest mountain in Hawaii, for stargazing.

Here are just a few of the fun things you can do on the tour!

•⁠ Drink local coffee at Kau Coffee Farm
•⁠ Visit a black sand beach
•⁠ Stargaze atop Mauna Kea
•⁠ Visit an ancient historic site
•⁠ Get malasadas and sweet bread at Punalu'u Bakery

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
Recommended Start Time: 8:00 a.m.
Tour Starting Point(s): Kona, Waikoloa and Hilo
Direction: Clockwise or Counterclockwise

For even more fun, combine this tour with our Volcanoes National Park Tour!

All Shaka Guide tours come with customer support and a satisfaction guarantee. Tours never expire.

Tour Stops

Preview Audio

Tour Welcome Mauna Kea from Waikoloa
Magic Sands Beach
Saddle road intro
HISTORY OF KA LAE

Tour Route

Important Travel Info

Safety & Etiquette
Budgeting, Fees & Reservations
Time & Schedule
Suggested Packing List

In Hawaiian, the word malama means “to take care” and the word aina means “land.” When you’re in Hawaii, we ask that you practice this and pick up your trash; respect the marine life, plants, and animals; and avoid spots that are unsafe. Hawaii’s natural resources are precious, it’s up to all of us to help preserve these resources for generations by respecting the aina when you visit.

  • $20 per person: Lunch and a local snack
  • $20 per person: Big Island Bees guided tour (you can also just visit the shop for a free honey tasting)
  • $30 per car: Volcanoes National Park entrance (credit preferred)

We recommend starting the tour before 9:00 a.m. We know it’s early, but there are a lot of fun activities to get to and you’ll need to start early to make it to them all.

  • Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut visitor center has recently reopened. It's open daily from 9am- 4pm
  • Pana'ewa Rainforest Zoo is open daily from 10 am-3 pm
  • The Painted Church has free admission but donations are welcome. It's open Tuesday-Thursday from 9:30 am-3:30 pm

    This tour is LONG - it takes around 8-16 hours to see everything. You’ll need more time if you’re going to beach hop or do multiple hikes! If you wanted to do EVERYTHING on the tour - the Kona Coast, South Point, Volcanoes, and Mauna Kea - we recommend you plan to spend about 10 hours on the tour. But don’t worry if you don’t get to it all in one day. The tour never expires! Just come back another day.

    • Layers and a jacket, temperatures vary drastically across the island (pack especially if you plan to visit Mauna Kea)
    • Sneakers
    • Hiking Clothes
    • Water Bottle
    • Bug Spray
    • Towel
    • Bathing Suit (for Cliff Jumping/ beach hopping)
    • Sandals
    • Sunscreen
    • Sun Glasses and/or Hat
    • Snacks
    • Cash
    • Car Charger *Very Important*
    • Phone Mount

    Tour FAQs

    This tour takes across the entire island from Hilo on the eastern coast to Kona in the west. One of the best things about this tour  you can start it from either side of the island depending on your travel plans. The tour travels in a loop, ending where you began, but you can also break it up into multiple days, or combine it with our Volcanoes National Park and Kona Big Kahuna Tours. 


    Here are some of the popular spots you can explore on the tour! 


    • Kealakekua Bay
    • Kuamoo Battlefield
    • Ka Lae (South Point)
    • Papakolea Beach (Green Sand Beach) 
    • Kau Coffee Farm
    • Punalu’u Bakery 
    • Punalu’u Black Sand Beach
    • Volcanoes National Park (optional side trip, download our Volcanoes National Park tour) 
    • Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Farm
    • Mauna Kea Visitor Center

    There’s an optional detour to South Point, where you can cliff jump at the southernmost tip of the United States.


    For help planning your day check our South Island Epic Coastal Journey suggested itinerary and here's everything you need to know before you go!

    Here’s our packing list for this tour. It may seem a little long, but remember, what you bring depends on the activities you choose to do for the day.

    • Layers and a jacket, temperatures vary drastically across the island (pack especially if you plan to visit Mauna Kea)
    • Sneakers
    • Hiking Clothes
    • Water Bottle
    • Bug Spray
    • Towel
    • Bathing Suit (for Cliff Jumping/ beach hopping)
    • Sandals
    • Sunscreen
    • Sun Glasses and/or Hat
    • Snacks
    • Cash
    • Car Charger *Very Important*
    • Phone Mount

    How much you spend truly depends on what you do along the tour route. Here's a breakdown of some costs: 

    • $20.00 per person: Lunch and a local snack
    • $20.00/adults per person: Big Island Bees guided tour (you can also just visit the shop for a free honey tasting)
    • $30.00 per car: Volcanoes National Park entrance (credit preferred)

    Yes! Feel free to join the tour along the route. Just make sure that you follow the numbers in chronological order from where you are starting from.  If you don’t begin at one of the tour starting points you’ll miss a few stories, but you’ll still have a great experience. 

    Yes! This is one of the few tours that you can do both clockwise and counterclockwise around the island  it truly depends on what works best with your schedule and travel plans. This tour has three starting points: Kona, Waikoloa and Hilo. All directions are the same tour so pick the one that’s best for you!

    It depends. If you’re looking to cliff jump at the southernmost tip of the United States or hike to the green sand beach then we recommend you make the detour. The detour itself takes about an hour, but plan to spend more time if you're going to cliff jump or hike. The hike is five miles round trip and takes about 3 hours. If not, you might want to skip it and save that time for other activities along the route.

    

    Do you have other questions that we didn’t list here? 

    Feel free to message us through the in-app chat box, Facebook Messenger, our emailor give us a call at 1-888-250-2261. We will be glad to help and answer your questions as soon as possible!


    Mahalo,

    Shaka Guide

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