Big Island/Volcano Excursion

[Barbara Dugan]

We are gearing up for our first trip to Aulani in June. We have never been to Hawaii before and my 14 year really wants to see the volcanoes/black sands/lava tubes. Has anyone ever done the Excursion offered thru Pleasant Activities that is a full day trip to Volcanoes National Park? Or used another company? This is definitely a must do for us!

 

[alohamom]

I have not done the specific excursion you are talking about but I think I recall someone over on the DVC Trip Reports thread having done it, might have been a year or two ago. Many years ago, my DH and I did a helicopter tour over the volcano while we were already on Big Island and I must say, it was an incredible sight. The color of the lava was constantly changing from hues of red to orange to yellow to white. The lava was flowing from a tube straight into the ocean and it was just amazing.

 

[wdrl]

We haven't done any tours offered by Pleasant Activities so I can't comment on that company. However, in January we spent five days on the Big Island and took a tour offered by Kailani Tours Hawaii to Volcanoes National Park and a couple other sites. It was a truly excellent excursion. I'm not sure I can post the web address or phone number for the company, but a Google search should find it for you. They offer several specific tours, but they can also tailor a tour to suit your needs and interest.

 

[lizard1]

I have not been to Hawaii yet, but was researching a tour to the Big Island as well. I found that it would be cheaper for us to book our own flight and then the tour separately. The flights and a tour we were looking at were about $100 cheaper per person if I booked them versus booking the package. Even a private tour would have been cheaper for us than taking the package tour. Of course the packages provided transportation to/from the airport, but we are not in need of that. We ended up deciding to take a flight over and then just rent a car for the day and then take a helicopter tour along with it.