This review is for the Twilight Volcanoes and Stargazing Tour, with tour guide Drew…read more My partner and I had never been to the Big Island before, so we chose a tour that would essentially bring us around the island and visit some of the major "must-see" locations. We also happen to love astronomy, which made the stargazing tour an easy choice for us. It was also extremely important that we selected an experience that offered *small* tour groups and was locally owned and operated. Drew was an absolutely fantastic and entertaining host. His enthusiasm and knowledge shines through the way he spoke non-stop from the moment he picks you up. On this tour, we visited Bay View Coffee Farm, Punalu'u Bake Shop, Punalu'u Black Sand Beach, Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, and stargazed near Mauna Kea. This was a LONG tour, but was filled with so much fun that time flew by. Although we missed Kīlauea's most recent fountaining episode (51) by a few days, Drew still made time for us to catch the lava glow which was super cool and a highlight of the tour. Our weather was not super favorable with thick, overcast skies; and my partner and I actually gave up on our hopes of stargazing. But Drew is so observant of the weather that when a window to view the night sky opened up, he did so. He provided thick coats to those that needed them and spent some time pointing out different stars and constellations. By this time in the evening, it was really cold and we didn't mind our limited stargazing time. We truly enjoyed our experience, as well as Drew's expertise and respect in regards to Hawai'i's culture and history. We highly recommend that you take a Wasabi Tour early in your trip (like first day if you can), and then you can tailor the rest of your Big Island afterward.

Our family of 6 decided to tour the big island in Hawai'i also called Hawai'i. After checking out…read moresome touring companies we decided on Wasabi Tours. We did a 2 day package encompassing the islands most beautiful waterfalls, nature reserves, botanical gardens, volcanoes, beaches coffee farms on old town Hilo. On our first day with Jason our driver and guide picked us up on time and with a smile. He shared his knowledge along the way wearing a microphone in the van so everyone could hear comfortably. At the attractions he was with us giving us history of all the waterfalls. Whiles driving he told us about the sites inbetween. At lunch time he provided us a delicious meal from a local restaurant. Day 2 with our driver Derek was in another new van that was also comfortable and roomy. Derek took us to a working coffee plantation to see, smell and walk through the farm. At Kīlauea volcano national park where we got to see upclose and personal the caldera in all its majesty. All the time telling the history and recent activity of the volcano. We saw and walked on a beautiful black sand beach with segregated sea turtle nesting area where we saw a turtle swimming ashore and resting at waters edge before digging a hole in the black sand to lay her eggs in preparation for the next generation of turtle, we walked down and into a 30 meter lava tube and got to visualize the path of a whole lotta molten rock traveling through centuries before. Culminating the day's trip by stopping on a mountain top in almost complete darkness, the moon was in a waxing crescent and producing very little nighttime light. We bundled up to stay warm in the 50 degree Fahrenheit temperature to stargaze. It was refreshing in the cold air, outside the van huddled in a group while Derek pointed out, planets, stars, constellations and galaxies as we stood in awe of the majesty above us. Wasabi Tours, Jason and Derek were on-time, safe, informative and most of all fun to spend our time with. I highly recommend taking a Wasabi tour to REALLY see the big island. Thank you all!

Very friendly, video they showed us was so informative explaining the entire growth harvest and…read morefinal delicious products Staff greeting us couldn't have been sweeter, just like their chocolates

We had a great tour with Bob, the owner. It was interesting to hear the process from pod to…read morefinished product. The tour is less than an hour which I imagine is to give you time to purchase.

I booked this tour for my husband birthday and he loved it…read more First of all, the location is amazing with incredible view of the ocean! The whole property is just stunning! It was a wonderful experience where they showed you the whole process of making coffee from picking the coffee bean and ready for sale. Also got to try all different kinds of coffee, which was the best part! There is also a gift shop where of course had to buy coffee. The tour guide Ben was very knowledgeable and friendly and just awesome!

We enjoyed the tour and Cooper was an outstanding guide, especially for a last minute fill-in. He…read moreknew the land and all the growing, harvesting, processing and roasting processes inside and out (promote him?). You could tell they run a tight farm by hiring the right people and keeping the property and all the equipment well-maintained. I must admit, I'm not the biggest fan of Kona coffee from what I tried at Heavenly and at other local spots, but for what it is, Heavenly makes a good product. I wish they would have let me take a to-go cup of coffee after the tour, especially after paying for two tickets + $70 of bagged coffee, but they unfortunately limited me to the little sample cups with no lids. That's the only thing keeping this from being a 5-star review.

We had a great time on the Hawaii Forest & Trail Secret Waterfalls of Kona Excursion! Our guide,…read moreMark, was incredible--he kept everyone talking and he was genuinely interested in hearing everyone's travel stories. He was very knowledgeable and provided us with a wealth of fascinating information about the island. After a comfortable van ride, we hiked a beautiful trail that led us to a series of truly stunning, pristine waterfalls. We were treated to a delicious lunch from a local deli, and we loved that it was served in eco-friendly, completely reusable containers. On the way back, we made a perfect final stop at a local macadamia nut store. It was a fantastic experience from start to finish, and we recommend it!

We went on an almost 100% full (flower) moon. It was special to see the terminator line on the…read moreCelestron telescope - it had such great definition! The color of Mauna Kea with the moon shining on it was so magical all around us. There were some clouds that cleared pretty well by the end of our star gazing. We were the last ones up there so it got dark enough to see more than you'd expect with the moon. Jeff, our awesome tour guide, used a laser pointer to help us see the constellations we usually can't back at home. The images on the digital telescope like nebulas, the moon & star clusters were an amazing addition to have as keepsakes. My husband and I felt he made the tour a great balance of learning and fun. He had the group feeling like family before we even left from the pickup lot. Things to consider: I do recommend following the moons cycles booking this tour/your trip if this is especially important for you to see as many stars as possible. The sunset and views of the observatory's make it awesome anyways :) I struggled with altitude sickness around 12,000 ft. Jeff had made sure to let us know beforehand if we experienced any issues to speak up. I was hesitant as I know it would mean turning the whole tour around, but some tingling turned to dizziness and then a brief fainting. He immediately stopped the bus and helped ground me and make sure I was completely okay & coherent before letting me know our options for the tour. We made it up to the top with 2 more (included in tour) stops and I felt better with each one having more time to acclimate :) Thank you Jeff!! You handled this so professionally and I appreciate your check-ins for the rest of the trip. It's cold even with parka and gloves. It's so worth packing warm shoes and layers. The bus had ac and heat so that was great! Do it if you can! Awe-inspiring! Such an unreal environment that makes you wonder about so many things. Just take the precautions seriously, move slow and breathe deep.

Please be sure to check hours and Info on website before going. We arrived too late for a tour but…read morewere able to check out the grounds and shop. Volunteers in the shop are very informative and helpful. We learned so much just from the information in the shop. It's a beautiful location, but a long drive to get there. Be patient and drive safe.

We did the Big Island Bees tour - 100% your time and the drive. Our guide/beekeeper grew up on…read moreher family Bee farm in the mainland. She was extremely knowledgeable about beekeeping. She shared her knowledge regarding be keeping, hive management, and the lifecycle of bees. She identified drones, workers, and the queen. She also explained Big Island Bee's rotates their bee hives into three unique environments which provide distinctive flavors of honey. and the process used for honey is extraction for sale. Big Island Bee's honey is 100% pure honey. (No attatives, it was interesting to learn that some producers of honey add corn syrup an and other adjectives) And she provided information regarding the year-round, honey production that is available in Hawaii, including the fact that big Island bees rotates their hives into three unique environments which provide distinctive flavors of honey. The honey tasting offered a great sampling of the honeys produce by the bees by the and good people at Big Island Bees. This is a great activity for everyone of all ages.

I went with Kailua Kona Senior group. It was nice experienced. It was my first time ever in…read moreSubmarines. I recommend this adventure.

My friend recommended this trip as it was the highlight of her Hawaii cruise. I was so happy to…read morehave been able to book this excursion as not many sights were available on Christmas day. This is right on the cruise terminal port and quite easy to walk to. The check in area is in a hotel called Courtyard King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel. I would recommend to check in early as 15 minutes before your tour departs, they guide you to the water shuttle. Once you get on the water shuttle, it takes you to the submarine. You need to be able to climb a ladder to get into the submarine. The space is a little on the tight side and there are no backs to the seats so work on your abs before the trip! The air inside was cool and constantly recirculating so it did not feel stuffy. Everyone gets their own porthole to look into the ocean and there are fish identification cards in front of you. The submarine can get to 100 ft pretty quickly and I was surprised that my ears did not get plugged up. We saw lots of fish that day. Some get really close to the submarine. We even saw a school of fish! My only disappointment is color. At those depths, everything has a blue tinge so sometimes it was hard to identify the fish. The operators and tour guides were so nice and informative. This was one of the best tours I've had on this trip. Thanks again for a great excursion!

The whole experience was fantastic. My wife was very hesitant because of clothing optional but when…read moreshe got on the boat she felt more at ease. Captain Chuck and his crew made everyone feel comfortable and at ease. Yes my wife removed her clothes and I was shocked. Snorkeling & scenery was outstanding. We will be planning another trip again. Mark & Renee

OMG! What an AMAZING memory that I now have of the Big Island of Hawaii. First, Chuck and Gloria…read morewere the perfect hosts. Everything felt very casual, friendly and safe. Second, you can sense their love for the island and its eco-systems. (As an example, they would never throw an anchor onto the coral reefs, but insist on using an existing mooring buoy.) Third, they never assume that you are an expert snorkeler or swimmer. (They are always checking in to make sure you are comfortable and safe.) Fourth, Holy Cow!!!!! It was SO much fun to "skinny dip" in the ocean! (There is something kind of primal about it that is hard to describe here.) Fifth, there were SO many fish and the coral reef we stopped at was lovely! I am not kidding when I say I say at least 3 dozen different species of fish. Sixth, Our group was awesome. Some of the coolest people from around the world! I made some new friends! My Hawaiian vacation would not have been the same, had I not been able to "swim nekid with the fishes"!

Excellent experience! 10/10…read more Highly recommended! Bring layers! It gets pretty cold. Jackets are supplied but that may not be enough with the wind.

Read great reviews about this tour company and decided to try it for myself. I did have a great…read moreexperience with them. You would receive email reminders about the tour. I also received a call the day before the tour and the lady answered all my questions. Addison was our guide. Our pick up point was Kona Crossroads Shopping Center. After this, we picked up the rest of the group at Queens' Marketplace. All in all, there were 14 people in the Mercedes Sprinter van (excluding Addison). The van was clean and customized with an area at one side that served as a mini overhead bin. We went to Mauna Kea Visitor Information Station. At its grounds, there was an opportunity to hike a little and see silversword plants (I did not see them though or maybe just did not know how to identify them). We had our early dinner there at about 4-4:30pm which was included in the tour. The veggie lasagna and brownie were good. Since this was about 9200 feet above sea level, I noticed that I easily got short of breath and lightheaded (which is not unexpected). The company provided warm Arctic style hooded parkas and one-time use gloves that kept us warm. We then proceeded to the observatories. A segment of the road up the observatories was not paved and it can be a little bumpy. By the time we got up the summit, the sun was indeed about to set. My lightheadedness and headache improved a little and I was able to enjoy the majestic view of the colorful sky and the clouds. A couple in our tour got engaged at the summit! After the sunset, we went to a lower elevation where we had the stargazing. We had warm beverage (choice of coffee, cocoa, apple cider) that was perfect for the very cold temperature. Learned about stars, planets, and had some astronomy review! Addison oriented us and showed us the stars. Using a Celestron telescope, we saw a few celestial bodies including binary stars, ring nebula (though it was very small to me), Saturn, and our moon. My acute mountain sickness was not too bad (and it got better with the descent) and I still enjoyed the experience. Bring your water bottle and don't forget to hydrate up there.