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Seeing Hawai’i in a Day with the Big Island Grand Circle Island Tour

Robin

My kids wanted to see a volcano. I wanted to see all the waterfalls. My husband wanted to tour a coffee farm. None of us wanted the drive the hours you needed to see all the sights around the island. That is where Wasabi Tours and Get Your Guide came to the rescue. The Big Island Grand Circle Tour picked us up from our resort, took us to all the best spots on the big island, feed us lunch and delicious snacks, and had us home in time for dinner. While we went from sight to sight, we were entertained by our guide, Kona Chris, and listened to stories and history, or just napped in the smooth ride. The Big Island Grand Circle Island tour was the way to see Hawai’i. Check out why our family loved the experience.

*Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links that allows me to earn a small commission at no cost to you. I only link to products I would or have used myself and all opinions expressed here are my own. You can read the full disclaimer here.

Why We Booked the Tour

When I told people I was going to Hawaii (the big island) everyone told me I had to go to the Hawaii Volcano National Park. I had to see Rainbow Falls. I had to go to the Black Sands Beach. I had to see all the natural wonders of the island. That all sounded great, then I looked on Google Maps and panicked. Kona was almost two hours from the National Park. From the entrance. Rainbow Falls was on the other side of the island. Black Sands beach was over an hour away. The only thing close by was coffee farms. I love road trips, but only when we have time to stop. I do not love long drives when we are trying to have a relaxing vacation. And my husband and I do not have a great history of doing long days on the road and… peacefully driving together. If we were going to do it, it was going to be several long days out of our short trip to Kona. But then, while search tours on Get Your Guide, I found a tour that took us everywhere in a day, and we did not have to do any of the driving. Sold!

About Wasabi Tours

Wasabi Tours is a locally owned and operated company on the big island. They offer small-group tours in their spacious, comfortable Mercedes vans, accommodating a maximum of thirteen people. They have fantastic tour guides that are super knowledgeable about the island, good drivers, and know all the best spots. We were lucky enough to have Kona Chris, who made every minute of the tour entertaining.

About The Big Island Grand Circle Island Tour

The Big Island Grand Circle Island Tour is exactly as it claims to be. Starting in Kona, it goes all around the island, stopping at key spots for you to view the many amazing sights of Hawai’i.

We were picked up at our resort, with, honestly, most of our group. We went to one other resort, and then we were off on the tour.

Bay Island Kona Coffee Farm – Here, Kona Chris gave us a tour around the farm, showing us the plants, the coffee beans, the processing, and even where they lay them out on the sun to dry. Then we were taken up to the store, where we could taste the different coffees they had. He also tipped us off to the fact that the store sold homemade macadamia nut banana bread that was his favorite on the island. With that recommendation we had to try it, and guess what, it was the best banana bread I’ve had in my life.

Punalu’u Black Sand Beach – You have to visit a black sand beach in Hawai’i, and this is where we stopped. The sand is actually pulverized lava rock, and you can pick it up and watch it easily fall from your hands. It is not a swimming beach, but it is a beautiful view. Sea Turtles came up to sun on this beach and we got to see one up close (or as close as they allow you to go). Normally you might have lunch here, but Kona Chris encouraged us to delay lunch and go straight to the Hawai’i Volcanos National Park for good reason. We were all handed raincoats and headed to the park.

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Hawaiʻi Volcanos National Park – Talk about luck. The volcano had been active lately and we happened to book the tour on a day the volcano was actively erupting. Kona Chris had been watching the live cam in the morning and knew we would want to see. We hightailed it to the park and our first stop was the Wahinekapu overlook. Here we saw the steam baths and learned about them, but that was not why we were there. We followed the path of visitors heading to the look out where we saw it. It was about two miles away, but you could see the volcano actively spewing lava into the air. As I zoomed in on my phone lens, I could see the lava flying up in sprays of red. It was raining all around us, but that did not seem to stop the angry light show in front of us. My kids had been terrified to visiting an active volcano, but in its presence, they were just as awestruck as the rest of us. And felt safe when Kona Chris told them exactly how far away it was.

Lunch – After this, we actually left the park to find a covered spot for lunch. Normally, on these tours, lunch is a sandwich with some chips, and I never expect much. But this was different. We were given bento boxes with teriyaki chicken, purple yams, fish, and rice as well as a selection of Hawaiian Juices or water. It was fantastic.

Thurston Lava Tubes – After having a filling lunch, it was back to exploring and we headed back into the park to check out the Thurston Lava Tubes. These tubes were formed over 500 years ago by a river of lava that was over 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit. We go some time to walk down and explore the tubes and walk through them. We had tubed down irrigation canals carved out of volcanic rock on Kauai, but those had been hand-carved. I was surprised to see how alike the walls were, with its sharp jagged edges. Most of the time, the tube was tall and wide, but there were a few areas where it narrowed and my oldest and husband had to duck. My daughter found it a little dark and scary. It was a short enough walk and soon we were back to the parking lot and loaded up for our next stop.

Big Island Candies – Next, we had a drive as we headed to the Hilo side of the island. During the drive Kona Chris told the exciting story of Captain James Cook but to be honest, I did not hear any of it because I ended up sleeping the entire ride. I woke up when the door opened, and we were ushered out and into Big Island Candies. In here we were handed samples of their Hawaiian shortbread cookies and Kona coffee. That woke me up. We shopped around and bought some sweet treats to give us energy for the rest of the day.

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Rainbow Falls – Caffeinated and sugared up, our next stop was Rainbow Falls Lookout. Here we came in and saw the two falls that are over eighty feet tall. Then we went up the hill to check out the largest Banyan tree on the island of Hawai’i. The kids all enjoyed walking around it and looking for branches that looked like vines on which they could swing.

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Akaka Falls – Next on the waterfall tour was the Akaka Falls. These had a short ½ mile hike down to the viewpoint, but from there, you could see the falls plunge over 440 feet into what seemed like an abyss. We looked at the lush greens and the dark pool of water below. Surrounded by jungle, it felt like we were in Jurassic Park, waiting for a dinosaur to come out.

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Waipi’o Valley Lookout – The final stop was one of the most auspicious of the day. This was the lookout point overseeing the Waipi’o Valley, the ceremonial graveyard of Kamehameha the Great and other warriors. Only Hawaiian residents are allowed to hike down to this area. Tourists can only see it form the overlook. We were able to see the cliffs and the beach, and the beautiful valley. But more so we could feel the aura of the place. You could feel the energy of so many great warriors before it. As we were there, we watched some fog roll in, deciding it was time to give them some privacy and closing out our day on this tour.

From here, we drove about an hour and a half back to Kona, where Kona Chris dropped us off at the resorts where we started. Closing out a long, but full and fantastic day.

Why I Like the Tour

This tour is perfect for all those who want to see the natural wonders, but do not want to worry about researching the right spots, hiking long distances, or driving all the way there on their own. We were driving to all the best spots, given just enough time at each location, and got to see all the highlights in one day. Not only did we not have to do the driving, but we were given so much incredible information by our driver in-between each stop. There was never a moment I was bored. Yes, I slept, but that was because I was tired, not bored. My kids were enraptured by the story. On this tour I learned about how Hawaiian pizza came to be (and how it is not really Hawaiian), how coffee was made, how the tribes fought and united, and even the pricing differences in Hilo vs Kona due to the different items brought into different ports. But the best part was our guide, who knew when to change things up to give us an incredible experience. When someone asks our favorite part of our trip to Hawai’i we all say the same thing: Seeing a live volcano erupting. That was worth it all.

Who This Tour is For

This tour is great for families. They require you to be at least four years of age, but provide car seats if you need them. All the hikes are easy, even for the littlest of legs. The only place where it might be an issue is if you have mobility issues. There are quite a few stairs and paths that are uneven. If you’re bringing along the grandparents, consider if they are up for short walks and hikes, or if they are okay staying in the van when that is required.

Tips

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How to Book

We booked our tour through Get Your Guide. However, you can also book directly through Wasabi Tours Hawaii.

I am going to be honest; this tour was pricy and a bit of a splurge for us. It was more than I initially wanted to spend. But looking back, we realized we never would’ve done this full day on our own, and we never would have stopped at half the places this tour did. We got to relax in between stops instead of having to navigate maps, wrong turns, and other stresses of driving yourself. We were fed a fantastic lunch on a trip where honestly; our food selection was hit or miss. And we learned so much more than we would have on our own. Kona Chris made this trip for us. It was one of my favorite guided tours I have ever booked. In the end, I would spend the money again. Not only that, but I would also highly encourage families who are visiting Hawai’i to book this trip. Your life is stressful enough. Take out the stress of visiting these places on your own and let Wasabi Tours and Kona Chris take you instead.

Edited by: SKS

* Starred Photos taken by Atma Photography

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