We (Kamaaina visiting from Oahu) took the tour with Willam as our guide. He's extremely knowledgeable in volcanoes and lava, even though he said he's not a geologist. Also he knows a lot about Hawaiian culture and history. Do yourself a favor, book the full tour, not the short tour. You'll be taken further into the lava tubes, and end up crawling on your hands and knees (knee pads, gloves, helmets, and headlamps provided). We expected the tour to last two hours, and it ended up being about 3 hours and 15 minutes. Tour is great for all ages. Plan on an hour plus drive from Kona. Arrive early as there is a waiver to sign and to use the bathroom before heading into the cave. Wear long pants (avoid denim jeans as they're not comfortable crawling or climbing ladders in). I do not recommend wearing shorts. Wear good hiking boots as the lava rock is sharp and will tear up your sneakers. Bring bug spray, as there are mosquitoes topside where the parking and office is. We would take this tour again, and William said it can be altered for repeat guests. read more

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An update: soon after my previous review, first an employee and then the business owner called me to get more information, and they sounded like they understood the seriousness of the issue. They said they were going to take action to avoid anything like that happening again, and also that they were addressing the bathroom privacy issues. They sounded serious, and I'll trust that it will be a different experience in the future. Given that, I learned a lot and it's an unusually extensive cave network that provides for a cool bit of time despite the heat and an unusual activity during a trip. read more

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This tour was super fun! We did the two hour tour and it was super cool being able to crawl around in the lava tubes and learning all about lava and the volcanos. Highly recommend! Just wish they had some merchandise for purchase but the tour guide said they will be getting some soon so I guess I'll have to come back! read more

Kula Kai Caverns - Tours Near Me

I highly recommend coming here. This was the highlight of our whole trip to Kona. The guide was amazing and funny. It was cool going through the case and doing something we would never normally do. I highly recommend this place. read more

My daughter booked this tour for us and was told 1:00pm. We showed up at 12:45 and no one to be found. We call the number that we booked the tour through and the guy claimed he told her 11:00 or 12. I was sitting right by her when she made the reservation and the times that were put out were 12 or 1. He offered for us to take a tour the next day but he would charge us again. As much as we wanted to see the tour we were not going to pay for this again when it is 2 hours away. Maybe the person on the phone messed up with the verbiage of time but we both specifically said 1:00. Also they didn't send email confirmation or a receipt or even a text for confirmation in case if there was a mix up. That should be sent so both parties can visually see. Me being in the customer service field I send confirmations to all my clients in case if there is mix up on either end. read more

Very knowledgeable. Learned so much and had a wonderful experience. Highly suggest. Immersive and interesting. read more

Kula Kai Caverns - Running from the "lava" - Tours Near Me

Brian was a awesome guide, he is very knowledgeable and fun. He took his time and answered all our questions, he was very thoughtful of our feelings and made us feel very comfortable. If you visit the Big Island this is a must see ! Gary was very a accommodating with scheduling and was able to fit us in on short notice. read more

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Our family had a great time on the 2-hour tour! The guide was very friendly and knowledgeable and taught us a ton about lava flows. read more

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Do yourself a favor and book a tour at the Kula Kai Caverns! This was an incredibly unique experience and our group decided it was one of the top 3 favorite experiences while we were on the Big Island for a week. Our itinerary changed and we called a couple of days beforehand to book a tour and thank goodness they were able to accommodate. We opted for the 2-hour tour that had only a little bit of crawling compared to what we heard about the Crawl Tour, and glad we did! It was so interesting to learn about the volcanos in this way, along with learning about the ancient Hawaiians who once utilized the caves to travel from the bottom to the top of the mountains. Our guide Brian wasl amazing! He was incredibly knowledgeable, engaging, so funny, and really went above and beyond to ensure we had an amazing time. Ask for a tour with him if you get a chance! Thanks Brian!!! read more

Kula Kai Caverns - Photo op suggestion halfway through the tour thanks to the suggestion of our guide, Brian. - Tours Near Me

We did the 2 hour tour ( but it went for 4 hours!) . The first part is with the folks who booked the shorter tour, and then they leave half way and you get to go deeper into the lava tubes with the 2 hour tour. I would recommend the longer tour because you get to really go MUCH deeper into the caverns if you have time, but the short tour is fine if you want a shorter excursion. There were only 3 people on the longer tour ( all in our group) so it was like a private tour. The tour guide Moe was flexible and told us we he could tailor the tour to what we wanted ( we wanted to go deeper in the lava tube). Moe obviously LOVEs the lava tubes and shares all he can about the research that is being done there. He was very informative and went over and above with his time and expertise. If you want to do something less 'commercial' and more educational/cultural on the Big Island, check this tour out! It was more PBS and less Disney-like experience, but that was fine with me. Note: You must call and make reservations, this is on private property and not open to the general public . read more

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This was an amazing experience with so much information about Hawaii, volcanos, lava, and the terrain that you never felt a moment was wasted with unnecessary tidbits. Our Guide Mo is very passionate about this tour and had great answer for every question asked. Walking thru historic caves formed by the volcano eruptions, learning about the native tribes who used these places for water, shelter, and sanctuary was such an incredible added bit of information, that it left me wanting to learn more about the islands history. Do not hesitate for one moment if you are thinking about taking this tour (especially the longer 2 hour one). I will recommend this to anyone and everyone who visit is the island. read more

Kula Kai Caverns - Kula Kai Caverns. - Tours Near Me

This was an awesome experience. We lucked out with Brian as our guide! If you book with Gary, who was also awesome, ask for Brian. He taught us so much about what we were going to expect and see. He knew all about the differences in lava, the minerals in the cave, all the ins and outs inside the caverns. Caves everywhere! Crawling, walking, crawling, walking, bending over to avoid hitting our head...AWESOME! I was the slowest one, because I have bad neck/back arthritis, but Brian and the group were so patient. We felt safe, cuz I could imagine getting lost without him. We didn't feel rushed to enjoy all the scenery. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS TOUR!!! I didn't listen and walked in my crocs beach shoes because my tennis shoes would slide in the lava rock. My feet survived. I am sore today, but I was so glad I did this! Thank you Brian and Gary!!! read more

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Quick tip: there are some mosquitoes around the entrance to the lava tube and in the beginning part of the lava tube, so consider applying insect repellent beforehand. We did the Lighted Trail tour with Mark. He was very nice and very informative. It was cool to venture into the lava cave/lava tube. We picked this tour option because G is 6 months pregnant, so we didn't want an option with crawling through tight spaces or a high risk of falling or slipping on wet surfaces. The tour took a little over 1.5 hours. If you're in a time crunch, let your tour guide know because the owner Gary said he and Mark can both get chatty and talk a lot sometimes ;) We got to venture into the lava tube and learn about the history of the Big Island's volcanos and how lava tubes are formed. We even got to drink some of the naturally filtered cave water. There is a little outhouse restroom available with soap and water and paper towels for handwashing. It was pretty clean but just smelled a little funky because the toilet isn't the flushing type. read more

This is a must do! I have been using yelp to plan our trip and I am making sure to write reviews about things that others must do. This is one of them. (check out my other reviews too). Four of us did the lighted tour and two of us did that plus the crawl. Apparently the crawl is the least popular tour. It is absolutely amazing. You must be a bit nimble. Small and with good balance helps. You really do have to be able to crawl around and walk in a half bent position. But if you can do that it is magical (I am a 5' 6", 52 year old male that is 15 pound over weight and was fine). My 18 year old daughter loved it too. The tour took at total of 3 hours so make sure you have more time than they say. That is because you can ask lots of questions and the guides will tell you everything from info on the lava tubes to price of houses in the area. I would love to go back and to the two hour tour too. read more

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Amazing time! Do yourself a favor and book the two hour trek with Brian. We met Gary and was a super nice guy. Brian took us down for the 2 hour trek and it was the highlight of our trip. Amazing Hawaiian history that was great to know. read more

Kula Kai Caverns - Tours Near Me

This was a much better experience than the Thurston Lava Tube. As you can see from the photos, this lava tube is very colorful and interesting. Emanual was an excellent guide who is full of knowledge to share about the history of Hawaii, geology, ecology... and lava! This tour is well worth the drive; you will be glad you did it. Check out the pics... read more

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We traveled with Moe and he was a very friendly, funny, and knowledgable guide who gave us all the info on the history of the island, the lava tubes, and the neighborhood. We had a group of 6 doing the 1- hour tour. The lava tubes were super cool to see with the different types of cave food, and we got to try naturally purified water! Also, shoutout to Gary the office manager for helping us schedule the tour. He helped us find a spot in a busy day and was also very friendly. read more

We did the long tour with our kids (12 and 8) and it was great. Gary was super friendly on the phone, made the booking easy and answered all our questions. Our guide Brian had lots of great historical info and stories and we got some great pictures. read more

Kula Kai Caverns - Climbing - Tours Near Me

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Out of everything I did while I was in Hilo, visiting the Kula Kai caverns is on the top of my list. When you visit the Kula Kai cavern, you get a guided tour of the old lava tubes. We made a reservation for the two hour tour ahead of time so they gave us directions on how to find the place on the day of. It's a little tricky because you end up driving on private property. They give you the code to get through the gates. Before you leave, make sure you're wearing closed toed shoes and nice durable pants that you don't mind crawling around in. Jeans and sneakers should be fine. Anyway we pull up to the main office and check in with our tour guide. From there, he suits us up with helmets with a flashlight on top of it, gloves, a belt with water bottle, and knee pads. The tour starts right outside of the office and you walk into this huge cave with lights inside. You're walking for awhile and after a bit, our guide tells turns off the light to show us just how dark it is inside the cave. You can't see anything in front of you. Of course the light only goes so far because further up in the tour you're walking around with only the light of your headlamp. You're walking, crawling, exploring the lava tube and occasionally they'll point out the remains of an animal that had many years ago died in the lava. They recommend you not be claustrophobic when you're going through the cave but if you're not, it's one of the things you need to do while you're in Hilo! Our tour guide was super cool and told us a bunch of little things about lava and caves and things that grow inside of it. We had a ton of fun and would definitely recommend this to our friends! read more

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We were expecting a fun experience from the description on TripAdvisor, but this tour far exceeded our expectations -- it ended up being one of the favorite things we did on this trip to the Big Island! Kula Kai Caverns is one of the largest lava tube systems in the world. We booked the 2 hour tour and ended up spending about 3.5 hours with our amazing tour guide, Mo. Mo is very passionate about this cave system and his enthusiasm shows during the tour! For the first hour we walked on "paved" trails, where a wooden path is built on top of the lava rock. We were able to learn a lot of the basics of lava tubes and see a few different types of formations ("cave bacon" and "cave chocolate" were fun finds). We tried some water filtered through lava rock and climbed a ladder to get to a portion of the caves set up to look like active lava flow off in the distance. The real fun started in the second half of the tour. Those of us who were staying on the tour had been outfitted with kneepads, a helmet, and gloves. We left the "paved" portion of the caves and walked directly on top of the lava rock to explore the rest of the cave. Lava rock is sharp, so wear some old shoes with ankle support that you don't mind getting ripped up. Mo showed us around the caves, sharing more information as we walked. It was an amazing experience walking through the caves and learning about the unique ecosystem that exists inside of them. Near the end of the tour there is a 25 ft area in which you need to crawl to get through. The ceiling was about 3 feet tall in this area, so I would not recommend it for anyone with claustrophobia. Mo took a photo of each group crawling through the caves and then led us through an anthropological site near the exit where native Hawaiians once camped. After two hours, the cave exit is across the street from the entrance, so it works really well as a looped tour! It is hard to describe how cool this whole tour was. The size of the caves and the power of lava to create them was overwhelming. There were so many beautiful things to look at as well. I would highly recommend this tour for anyone interested in experiencing lava tubes. read more

Our family a party of 7 did the 45 min. tour at Kula Kai Caverns. I have never experienced lava tubes before and found the caves to be amazing and beautiful. Our guide was Gary, and he was very knowledgeable and fun, he really added to the experience. I would recommend this to everyone. I would love to go back and experience one of the longer tours. read more

What an amazing experience! Gary was an amazing guide! For all the adventures and opportunities presented to us on our get away vacation, this definitely made the top 5 list. Gary was such a source of information and care as our guide. He allowed us time to marvel at these lava tubes and educated up with much needed knowledge. Most importantly he took him time to get to know and understand us as individuals. He is a truly genuine individual who made our experience AMAZING. Now, the tubes themselves was also amazing in its own right. This is a must see. Even little kids would enjoy this Goonies like adventure. I definitely recommend the longer tour, because why not! The experience of turning off your headlamp and sitting in the complete darkness of lava caverns is priceless. Just do it! read more

Kula Kai Caverns - Selfie with the lighted tubes - Tours Near Me

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Instead of Volcanos National Park, decided to do something different. We found the Lava Tube tour and decide this would be unique. Mark (our guide) was educational, engaging and entertaining. How often do you get to walk into a Lava Tube? The visual experience was impressive and great pictures were taken. Consider doing the 2-hour Caver Tour, if you really want to explore the cave. read more

I second the earlier review: of all the guided tours we did in our trip (4) this was the most fun as far as information goes. Gary was our guide and he was smart informitave and fun. We got tutored on the geology, minerals, and history of the caves. We did the short tour, lasted 40ish minutes at a reasonable price. read more

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GARY IS DA BOMB TOUR GUIDE! Just full of knowledge and history and he has the most wicked sense of humor that never lets the tour get boring. This tour is inexpensive but BADASS. The pictures don't do it justice. And the fact that these caves are interconnected lava tubes is amazing! It was trippy imagining lava flowing through those caves! It doesn't get cold in there, so don't worry about bringing a jacket. It's wise to wear tennis shoes at least, but you'll be fine for the 1 hour tour in just slippahs (flip-flops). read more

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We did two tours with Kula Kai Caverns. We did the "The Crawl" tour 13 years ago and we loved it. Make sure you wear old shoes/clothes you don't mind getting messed up. We came back recently with our two kids (age 5 & 9) and did the "Lighted Trail Tour." Kids loved it and we learned a lot about the volcano rocks. It was an easy walk, good for all ages. The website said it's a 30 min tour but we were there for over an hour. $20/adults and $10/kids, 5 and under free. Great deal! read more

Compared to the other caving tours on the Big Island, this is by far the most vast (it just has not been around for long). Caver conventions come here if that tells you anything... Some of the other guests had been to other lave tube tours and said this one was both bigger an better. Gary was a great guide, and told us far more that just geology and clearly loves his work. We did the 30 min short lit tour but the longer ones sounded fascinating. Worth checking out,.. quite fascinating historically, geologically, and more. read more

This was one of the highlights of our trip!! Gary gave us a great tour!! We had a lot of fun and learned a lot about the caves and how it was formed. Gary was friendly and knowledgable. The caves are located on private property. There is an outhouse for guests. We were given hard hats, flash lights, water, and knee pads. I highly recommend a good pair of sneakers because the caves are rocky. Long pants and short sleeves shirts will work fine. It's cool in the cave. I can't describe how beautiful the caves are; our camera couldn't accurately capture it's beauty. This was definitely worth a visit. If you are adventurous, I highly recommend this! read more

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We heard the Thurston lava tubes were closed, but I think this ended up being a much better experience anyway! We did the 2 hour tour, but were told that it was more like 3 hours. It did not disappoint! It ended up being a 3-hour hike through a massive lava tube system down to 100 feet below - definitely a unique experience that was well worth the money. What really made it a great tour was our guide, Emmanuel. He was so friendly and funny, very knowledgeable, and genuinely interested in his job and in making sure we had a good experience. He held our interest for the full 3 hours and made sure we had plenty of time to ask questions, take pictures, etc. You'll be climbing under and over some rough terrain, so we're good shoes and long pants. Don't hesitate to book this tour - it's a great experience all around! read more

The two hour tour with Brian was amazing - we had such a great time and learned a lot about volcanoes, lava, lava tubes and more! The extended tour gives you an opportunity to crawl and scramble deep into the cave - unlike any cave tour I've ever done. My 15yo son loved it and talked about it for days after. Worth the time and the trip! And ps. Brian is a great guide - so friendly and fun! read more

Gary was an amazing tour guide!!! So informative and entertaining! Will definitely come back for a longer tour. He was so accommodating with our group and a slight change in plans. Love all the history and knowledge we learned. Please call for reservations, bring the proper clothes and plan on taking tons of pics! read more

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Our party of 12 did the lighted trail tour and it was great! Brian is super knowledgeable & helpful, and the lava tube is extremely interesting. The trail is uneven, but not too difficult. We had a couple people in our group who sometimes have some walking difficulties, and everyone was fine. read more

Gary, the tour guide, makes this one of the best things you can do on the big island. He is extremely informative and hilarious and will lead you through an extremely unique adventure through a privately owned lava cavern. Gary will even give you advice on the best places to eat around the island. There's another popular, unrelated tour on the island that we went on whose guides simply did not compare. I recommend "two hour tour," which isn't too physically demanding if you're accustomed to walking longer distances and spry enough to crawl on all fours (You will have the opportunity to crawl a couple dozen feet through a lava tube). read more

Our tour with Kula Kai Caverns was very special and a highlight of our vacation! I don't usually write reviews, but this was such a great outing that I thought it should have a user review. My husband and I are fairly adventurous, but our group included our 3 yr old son and my mom, so we opted for the 'lighted trail tour' - their shortest and easiest tour. I was a little worried that this might be on the boring side for me, while being too difficult for a toddler and my mom - but it turned out to be the opposite, engaging and exciting for us all! Our guide was excellent, clearly fascinated by lava tubes and extremely knowledgeable. He tailored the tour for us by making my son feel included, answering everyone's questions, and offering a little taste of 'off trail' exploration for those who wanted to try it. So, in conclusion, I highly recommend the Kula Kai lighted trail tour for mixed age groups staying on the Kona side of the island (it was close to a great fruit stand and there were several coffee plantations on the way with free tasting too :)). Also, we saw where some of the longer tours would continue on and it looked awesome, I'm sure those would be fun too! read more

An easy place to find, my boyfriend and I loved the Kula Kai Caverns. Gary, our guide, gave a very informative tour and knew a lot about the area. He also gave a lot of Hawaiian history which as a local of Maui, I was very pleased to hear. At first I was skeptical but I felt safe the entire time and loved going on the tour. This is a must see on the island, especially since a lot of Hawai'i Volcanoes is closed. 10/10 keep doing what you're doing Kula Kai. read more

Was visiting from San Diego. Did the short tour since we had no jeans on us. Gary was a FANTASTIC guide. I've done a handful of cave tours and Gary was by far and away the best. He had tons of non-stop interesting factoids, was great with kids, was funny, was engaging, and jus had an all-around awesome personality. The short tour had a great mix of medium sized halls. Didn't get to crawl in any of the smaller tubes or walk into any of the larger 30' ceilings, but it was still a great way to spend an hour. read more

AWESOME TOUR!!! One of the top things we did while on the Island. If you have been to Thurston Lava Tube, it's total weak sauce compared to this monster. We did the shorter walking tour and it was so worth it. Gary, our guide was a Certified Lava Tube Badass! There is also a lot of very cool repurposed art statues around the entrance. Well worth the money and time. Educational, Relaxing and Beautiful. read more

Kula Kai Caverns - Entrance to the Caves. - Tours Near Me

This was a highlight of our trip. We really enjoyed the short walking tour with Gary. Gary was so kind, appreciative, and knowledgeable. It was an amazing opportunity to explore the lava tube caves with guided expertise to educate us along the way. We learned so much and found this to be a must on our list. My husband can't wait to return for the crawling tour to explore more. I have such a great appreciation for the early Hawaiians that once traveled through the caves to gather water, barefoot over the jagged lava rock. It just amazes me to know these things about civilizations. We are so grateful for the couple that owns the property and for their many many hours of creating this path within the cave to give us this opportunity. Mahalo! read more

This was a great tour! Gary the tour guide was so fun and knowledgeable, and he was so accommodating when my husband and I first had to reschedule to the following weekend due to the "Hurricane" Ana, and then when we had to push our start time back an hour on the day of due to other circumstances. Luckily we were the only ones on the tour, which is why we could change it, but Gary was really nice about it. The 2 hour tour itself was really informative and packed with really amazing rock formations. We even got to crawl through a little stretch and also climbed up into an upper tube to explore "Indiana Jones"-style. For us locals, they have a kama'aina discount in the sense that you have to pay normal rates the first time you go, but you get a discount if you go back with first-timers. Looking forward to going back with our son when he is older. read more

Did the short tour and wish we had done the long one to see more! Very cool cave, great guide, and very educational.