Loved our tours!! Edmond was a great host. He was informed, knowledgeable and fun! We did the Volcano Nat'l Park tour in Hilo and had such a great experience that we booked another tour, Kona Coffee and Chocolate, the following day ( with Edmund of course). It was amazing how many things we were able to see in two days!!! We did not feel rushed and loved the size of the tour. Edmund added a lot of personal touches by giving us hints and suggestions before we left the tour bus. He didn't just drop us off, he gave us great tips on what to look for once we got off the tour bus!! We would book again with C Big Island Tours in a heartbeat! Thanks for making our vacation amazing! The Karens .. Rhode Island read more

If you want to see and do anything on the Big Island of Hawaii, these are the people to call. We having been coming to the Big Island for the last 12 years. I have always wanted to see the Green Sand and Black Sand Beaches. Yesterday, Joe and Luz, picked us up at our hotel and drove us in a luxury 4X4 to the southern end of the island to visit these beaches. The ride was smooth and comfortable. Joe was very knowledgeable about the island. The beaches were a delightful surprise. There were giant turtles basking in the sun on the Black Sand Beach. The Green Sand beach glistened like green diamonds. It was truly a spectacular day! We are going to call them next week for a lava tour. They have a boat tour and land tour. Anything you want to do (and do it right) should be with this wonderful family owned company! read more

We took a last minute trip to the big island and with limited planning prior to landing on Hawaii. We were pleasantly surprised by how many activities we were able to signup mostly thanks to The CBigIsland crews! Especially Oleathia, who was extremely helpful in helping us navigating through our ever changing schedule. We missed our flight from Maui and missed our scheduled tour to climb the Mauna Kea summit and star gazing activity. All other tours were fully booked and we were so bumped that we will miss climbing the tallest mountain in the world! Thanks to Oleathia and her magics, she moved a few things around and created two extra spot for us! Then our tour guide, Edmond, was so awesome! He was funny, knowledgable, and willing to go the extra miles to help! read more

This was by far the best tour I have ever been on. me and my wife had so much fun. A big shout out goes to Edmund who willingly took us on the tour on Thanksgiving day when he had the choice of staying home with his family. Thank you so much for your time and stories that you shared. It was memorable and an experience of a lifetime. read more

The guides were awesome! Buddha was our board guide. He waded us through the water and decided where to prop us. He actually mentioned how he was going to wait in a specific spot due to a high manta food population. For about 5 minutes we had no mantas. Buddha encouraged us to be patient and wait. 5 minutes later we had plenty of mantas in on our own personal show. He was smart and tactical in where he positioned our board so we would see some cool mantas. Our other crew members were attentive and laid back. All very helpful. But, C big island has some communication issues. We were emailed at registration to meet on one end of the harbor. Then, the day of, we're called by a woman to meet at the opposite and both times in front of a bathroom. Everyone got the same call to change locations, the day of. The issue was that Buddha and his crew were sitting on their truck about 50 yards away on the back side of the restrooms. We had to call C Big Island twice to figure out what we need to be looking for and where they are. Buddha was under the impression we knew to look for a red truck. C big island seemed to be under the impression that Buddha and them knew were where we were. Yet they didn't. So communication was lacking. But the experience was amazing. read more

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9/14/16 We had been to the Big Island on two previous occasions but the lava wasn't flowing. This trip was primarily to see the lava. We had contemplated hiking or taking the rental bikes out to the lava but decided to take a boat instead. Upon seeing the people on the shore trying to photograph the lava we made the right decision. We did some research prior and it seemed like the C Big Island Lava Boat tour sounded like the best way to go. You never know what you are really getting but it appeared they offered smaller groups and at least from the pictures it appeared to be a first class organization. Boy was it a great choice. I know we couldn't have done better. The crew was extremely competent, knowledge and enjoyable. We went with Kanoa and Kainoa or as one of the other customers who had trouble with Hawaiian names ,much like we do, called them K1 and K2. The Lava was fantastic. We were so close we could feel the heat. My wife got all the pictures she could take and in the end we just sat and watched. You can see the lava for less but you get what you pay for and in this case even more. We couldn't have been more pleased. read more

C Big Island - Close enough - Tours Near Me - Hawaii, Hawaii

Really great to be picked up and dropped off for the stargazing tour. Daisy was one of the best tour guides I've ever had - she was fun, knowledgeable, and kept our interest the whole trip. I only give it a 4, because the tour did not provide much food - we were only provided soup packs and hot chocolate. You would think with the cost of the tour that the tour company could throw in some substantial food. Luckily the visitor center has some sandwiches, but getting a sandwich then takes away time from stargazing. But overall I was pleased with the tour, and again Daisy was the best part. General advice: if the moon is full (or close to), your stargazing at the visitor center is just OK (the moon provides a lot of light pollution). Just keep that timing in mind when you are planning your activities for the island. read more

Edmond picked us up at our hotel in Hilo in a beautiful Ford Expedition and transported us to and from our Mauna Kea adventure in style. He was super knowledgeable and friendly. He is also a professional driver and we always felt safe and secure. The next time we visit the Big Island we are definitely going to book another tour with him. He is awesome. read more

Worst tour experience I have ever had in my life. Not only was the vehicle uncomfortable (packed in the back like cattle with sweaty stranger), you also are forced to listen to the driver Edmond's satanic laugh about dead animals on the road. The driver insulted other tour companies constantly with false info. At the end, he demanded a tip! It is no wonder they are not listed as an authorized tour group for the summit and stargazing. Biggest waste of hundreds of dollars. read more

We recently booked the sunrise Lava Boat Tour...it was fantastic! The crew was courteous and friendly despite the early morning departure. Additionally, as a you may have heard, there have been some issues with the USCG and tours to the lava flow. Not to worry! The crew was always concerned about safety and we never doubted their intentions. As a result we were privileged to witness one of nature's great events and it was the highlight of our visit! read more

Hi I am Eva Hart and I went on a tour with C Big Island on August 30th in Hilo, HI. We were sold on the tour while getting off of the Pride of America and I want everyone to know how disappointing and horrible the experience has been so that you can avoid wasting a day on the beautiful island the way I did. First off we were made big promises that were not delivered on. I get that a salesman has to sell so they use tactics but at the cost of ruining someones only day on the Big Island is just not fair. We were told by a man that C Big Island tours prides themselves on giving freedom to their customers and allowing them to explore and have time and not be rushed from place to place. The truth was the exact opposite. We would barely arrive at a stop and have time to take a picture or two and we were told to get back in the bus. Then we were taken places we didn't care for (not just me and my husband but the other group members who were very open about their disappointment as well). We stopped at the library and a statue and for far longer than we should have but when we were places we wanted to be we were constantly rushed. We went to the twin waterfalls and barely had time to go up to the top of the walkway to see them before we were asked to get back in the bus when none of us on the bus were ready to leave. The driver would say "Ok we have 15 min here be back to the bus at 1:20" then at 1:17 we were trying to take a picture by a tree and he said "we need to hurry guys you need to get back in the bus" so we weren't even given the promised 15 min. Not to mention that the driver was absolutely rude the entire day. Second, we were promised before agreeing to come on the tour that we would be done by 3 pm because we had plans with a friend who lives locally to meet at 3:30. I don't think the bus driver was made aware of this promise because he was shocked when we told him this. We were already on the bus so it was too late to turn back but he said the tour always goes till 430 so we were blatantly lied by the previous man to make a sale. This brings me to the most concerning part of this experience. We asked if we could pay by credit card and the first man said it'd be better to pay with cash because we don't have to pay taxes on it but we didn't have cash and prefer to make all purchases with card so he said that was fine. But then the bus driver said the same thing hours later while bringing up the fact that we hadn't paid yet. We again said we'd like to pay with a card (which should be possible if this were a legit transaction) we said we didn't mind paying taxes because I don't really believe in tax evasion. But even after this the bus driver brought us to a hotel asked us to get out and led us to an ATM. He had refused to just let us pay with a card. It got us thinking there's a reason and I'm sure these two men pocketed that cash and didn't even record that we were on the tour (once again...tax evasion). So we were rushed at every stop and weren't able to have a good time whatsoever and spent most of our time in Hilo on a bus (not at all how we were told this excursion would be). Then we were forced to get cash out of an ATM against our will and completely missed our meeting with our friend whom we haven't seen in 3 years because we had to get back to the ship. This honestly ruined our entire time on the Big Island and due to the hurricane we missed our port in Kona. I brought this to the attention of C Big Island and instead of apologizing and finding a way to make it right instead they told us it didn't sound like their business and we must have been scammed by a company pretending to be them since they had no record of us being there (which they would not because we only purchased after a group didn't show up and the man sold us when we got off the ship then paid in cash). But even so this is concerning as well so I asked if I could see pictures of their drivers to see if I could identify mine. They refused and said that I need to just go through all of our pictures and see if there was a picture of the van (which we looked and there wasn't). We also have the names of a family of five that was on there that we made friends with on the cruise and I asked them to check if they had checked in that family and they would not check. The family said they purchased this excursion from a legitimate source so I'm confused on how they think we were scammed. But even if we were why would they not be sorry and more concerned that some people are out there with C Big Island posters, business cards and papers within the bus that we signed. I asked for a call from a manager over 5 days ago and they have been ignoring me and are not help in finding the "scammers" but honestly I think it is them who are the scammers. I'll be reporting them to the IRS and hopefully they will be held accountable for taking cash from customers and not paying the taxes on those transactions. Worst company I have ever dealt with and read more

This is a small boat with 6 passenger seats. I love the intimacy of the excursion and we got really close to the lava and steam! The crew is very friendly and knowledgeable! We felt safe even on the rough waters. read more

Loved it, and Edmond was a great host; very informed and had taken steps to educate himself on culture, history, wildlife and industry. We did Hilo Volcano Nat'l Park. Don't miss the Orchid maze and lava tube tour. Would book this over the cruise sponsored ones all day, just for the personal touch, size of tour, etc, and Edmond made it great! read more

First of all, our captain and tour guide were very friendly, knowledgeable about the coastline and history of this particular area, and skillfully handled the boat. The boat is intimate with a total of 6 padded, comfortable seats that are on swivels, so that you can easily point yourself in the direction that you want to look. The boat easily handled the 3-5 ft swells we experienced on our trip, and we did not get wet at all from any ocean spray (although, we did get wet in the rain that was at the boat ramp--but it's Hawaii, so the rain wasn't any problem for us). The front of the boat has a cabin and large windshield plus a small roof over the captain, and this deflected any spray from the boat going through the waves. The captain also guided the boat very well through the waves to minimize roughness and water spray. We took the dawn patrol tour (first trip of the day), and we highly recommend this trip, despite having to get up and drive to the launch ramp and arrive well before dawn. It takes nearly an hour to get from the ramp to the lava viewing area (the coastline is covered in darkness, so not much to see except the stars above), and the pre-dawn/dawn lighting with the lava and rising steam is spectacular! Be aware that every trip will be different, as conditions are dynamic and changing all the time. On our trip, there wasn't a lot of lava flowing on the surface, but there was one visible stream flow about 2 ft wide glowing bright orange and flowing into the ocean, with 2 or three other streams coming out just above the ocean and emerging and hiding in the steam plume as the winds blew the steam around, giving and taking away peeks at the various lava streams. The scene is beautiful! There are floating lava rocks that sometimes have little orange glows that gradually cool and then sink into the sea, lava occasionally spatters into the air in small clouds of black or glowing orange blobs--we could have stayed there all day to watch the show! You are so close to the lava and even closer to the steam plume that sometimes you can feel the heat and humidity rising from the ocean. You can't get closer without being a volcanologist! We spent about 30 minutes at the lava before initially heading back. As we started to head back to the ramp, a double rainbow appeared, along with a new break-out of lava from higher up the cliff-side. Much to our surprise and delight, the captain turned the boat around so we could go back for another 10 minutes to watch the new breakout ooze its way closer to the ocean! On the return trip, the guide told us about the past lava flows and changes to the landscape, pointing out lava tubes, local beaches, and historical places along the way. This is a much more intimate and easy-to-see trip than the larger (49 person) boat. The only caution is knowing your level of comfort being on a smaller boat out on the ocean (Dramamine for those of you who get motion sick, although you'll be so enamored by the lava that you probably won't think about ) read more

It was an amazing experience at the big island! We got so close to the lava! It was crazy! We even felt the bubbles under the boat! My husband and I are very thankful to the captain who waited on us to eat there all the way from kona!! read more

We had a very informative tour with Bob as our guide and we enjoyed every minute of it.

I recommend C Big Island Lava boat tours to everyone. Fantastic! Kanoa was wonderful, friendly. The tour is so informative and close up. Only 6 people on the boat so everyone gets a great view the lava and not feel cramped. Was once in a lifetime tour. Highly recommended. read more

We took a fabulous excursion from Kona around the Big Island of Hawaii. The excursion was called "Kona Less Traveled" which was scheduled through ShoreTrips, phone numbers 414-964-2100 or 888-355-0220. There were just 5 of us in a small van, unlike other tours we took on other Hawaiian islands with 50 people in a full size bus, meaning 10 minutes for everyone to exit the bus and 10 minutes to get back on the bus at each stop. We made 8 great stops where we saw lots of waterfalls, state parks, yerks along the mountainsides, a cookie factory and a coconut stand. We also drove through the town of Hilo where coincidentally our ship was unable to stop the previous day because of high winds. Our driver, Bob, did a fantastic job of narrating the whole 6.5 hour trip and got us back to our ship in plenty of time. Thanks, Bob, for the fantastic tour!!! read more

Excellent tour up to the summit of Mauna Kea for sunset and stargazing. Magnificent scenery, made even more enjoyable by our great tour guide, Daisy. Her encyclopedic knowledge of the area was matched by her fun, friendly personality and driving skills, which were tested by the less-than-ideal conditions. Highly recommend this company for their professionalism; ask for Daisy if possible- she's the greatest! read more

This was the best thing we did while visiting the island of Hawaii! Kanoa was such an excellent captain and guide! He got us 50 yards or less from the hot magma lava flowing into the ocean! Totally exciting! The boat ride was fun, a bit rough because the ocean is turbulent in the afternoon, but Kanoa was so able and narrated about towns that have been consumed by the lava flow, that you could see from the boat. He also pursued and placed our boat into the midst of a pod of spinner dolphins that he heard were in the area. So that was a treat! When we saw a whale breach not too far away, he turned the boat that way and gave chase. He really was very knowledgeable and informed us about the history of the flows. Also, his beautiful daughter made sure to get several photos of each of us with the lava flow in the background. Soooo glad we didn't miss this awesome experience!! read more

What an amazing experience! This lava boat tour was among the three best vacation experiences ever and we are very experienced vacationers. Captain Kanoa and his first mate were very friendly and knowledgeable. They were great at positioning us for great views and pics. Having our own individual captains chairs made the trip more comfortable. Highly recommend this tour operator!! read more

This was one of me and my husband's favorite (if not our most favorite) activities that we did on the Big Island. We found C Big Island Tours after contacting a few of the more expensive/larger tour companies. C Big Island fit us in within a few days and I am so glad that we did the tour with them instead of the other companies. First, Edmond was incredibly knowledgeable, friendly, and funny. He made the tour extra special. Also, our tour was in a luxury SUV with only 3 people! It felt like a private tour and the SUV was much more comfortable than the large vans I saw the other companies driving (which probably would have given me car sickness). Lastly, the tour is a must do! This was the most beautiful, spectacular sunset I have had the pleasure of seeing and the stargazing - seeing the stars in their utmost glory - is an experience my husband and I will never forget. Thank you Big C Tours, Edmond, and Mauna Kea for the unforgettable experience! read more

Wanted to see the lava flowing into the ocean. While searching for tour companies, I accidentally saw C Big Island listed and read the reviews. Though their price for a lava boat tour is a little more than other companies; I decided to try them. Their boat holds only 6 passengers that sit in nice chairs that swivel. There were 6 in my family, so perfect for us. Saw some of the other companies use boats that hold 30 or more people. Capt. Kanoa and his first mate, Kainoa were fantastic. The ride was a little rough, but that was pre-warned so we knew to expect it. My grandchildren, age 13 and 16, got a little motion sickness, but Kainoa took great care of them. Highly recommend this tour and hope you are lucky to get Capt. Kanoa and his first mate, Kainoa. They give good directions on how to get to the meeting area, but allow enough time as it is a little tricky when not familiar with the area. Also, if can, use GPS. read more