I loved everything about this tour and our tour guide Daniel was amazing. He was so knowledgeable…read moreabout the cloud forest and able to point out different species of trees and the overall history of the called forest along our tour. This place is definitely up in the clouds and gets really cold. There are a variety of tours that are offered and I ended up taking a hike and a sound bath. The hike was about a mile long and it looped around the cloud forest, so there's no way you can get lost. They are still actively working to plant trees and they have volunteer opportunities on the weekends for locals which I think it's a great option. This is such a peaceful and amazing way to learn about the history of the island along with ways to protect the trees and other plants that are being planted there. In addition to the hiking, there is also birdwatching and there's also a sound bath that is offered. I ended up doing the sound bath and it was just absolutely amazing, and it was really amazing right after the hike. I highly recommend both of these activities and to try to do them back to back. Both are such a relax and experience and it's also helping to reclaim the natural Kona world from deforestation.

What an amazing experience. The surroundings, the sounds from the birds, the sound bath, the mini…read moremeditation, all of it. Nadara Rose really elevated Sound Bath experiences for me. While I've experienced a few sound baths in my life, the location of this one was amazing. I did a private group of 13 and Kona Cloud was extremely accommodating. Every single one of us left feeling refreshed as well as excited to talk about it with eachother throughout the whole day. Nadara Rose made it very special for me as I was celebrating my bachelorette squad! Will 100% be coming back here for another sound bath experience when I visit big island!

The ranch is open from 10am to 2pm with their hours clearly listed by the parking lot…read more It's a quaint little museum that records how the Parker family contributed, and continues to give back, to the Big Island community. The gift shop has a range of clothing, books and other information pertaining to the cowboys. It was fun to learn about how Hawaii came to grow to what it is today. Apparently they have fun events with plenty of vendors frequenting the ranch on weekends and holidays.

Parker Ranch is such a nice gem in Waimea (Kamuela) and full of history; in fact, they have been…read morefeaturing on Scenic Hawaii Channel (now Experience Hawaii). As of Summer 2024, they only offer self-guided tours at 10:00 AM, 11:00 AM, and 1:00 PM on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays. But if you are able to make it out to Parker Ranch, it is so worth it. There are a couple houses that you can go into (including the main one which you check-in with the staff), and then select parts of the grounds, and you might even see the cattle and horses along the way.

On our recent visit to the Big Island, coffee was at the top of our list. We looked through tourist…read moreguides and travel blogs to find 1 or 2 since our time was limited on Kona. My friend found Monarch and off we went. It's located in an area with quite a few other coffee plantations. It was quite a trek to find it. But when we did, it was worth the trip. Upon entering the plantation you drive through coffee trees and emerge into a clearing with a circular driveway and a main building. As soon as we parked, we were greeted by Abby. She asked where we were from and we told her Northern California. She asked where in NorCal and we told her Sacramento. It turns out they're also from the area (specifically Woodland.) What a small world! Abby showed us around their tasting room and retail area. It was very small, but very cozy. She told us a bit about the plantation and how they came to be on the Big Island. She told us about the coffees available for tasting and the beans in their retail shop. Another gentleman, Greg, stopped by to tell us more about the plantation and it's operations. Since we didn't have the time to do the complete tour, he gave us an explanation of coffee from tree to cup. I'm not very knowledgeable about coffee, but my friend is and he was a fountain of information. The farm was so homey and cozy. It was like I was invited to a friend's home and enjoyed a leisurely chat on their patio. I highly recommend a tour of Monarch coffee plantation. You will get award winning coffee and an unforgettable experience.

THEY DONT DO RETAIL OR TOURS ANYMORE…read more I love monarch. But their coffee online, support them however you want but don't drive, text or call them. They are closed to the public Again, love them but don't go here thinking you're going to be able to buy coffee or do a tour. Their website goes into more detail.

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.

Mauna Kea summit trip was amazing. Definitely worth it. Our guide, Aaron was very humbly…read moreknowledgeable and you can tell he really enjoyed the star gazing. He made our group time together feel like ohana. The equipment was top notch.

Great quality and value! We rented snorkel equipment and a…read morecooler for our trip and it was definitely worth it. Danny was great and made for easy pick up and drop off!

My sister had made a reservation online and I was going to pick it up, I had the confirmation email…read moreshe had forwarded me. she called the shop ahead of time and asked them if I could pick it up, they said "yeah it's no problem". I got to the shop and told them I had a reservation, they said "oh we don't do reservations or hold anything, give me your name I'll set you up". I was confused, because why even have the option online if it won't be honored in the store? So I pushed back and told them that my sister had already done it online. One of the men said "it would take longer to look the number up than to just do it this way so just give him your last name". I was still taken aback and hesitant because this wasn't the plan I had agreed to and the other man said "what you don't know your last name?" Had it not been for the fact that the kids we were with had been really excited to have boogie boards, I would have walked out. The men were rude, condescending, and I felt bullied into making the reservation. If there was an actual reason for why they do it the way they do, that would have been helpful to know instead of them just talking over me and demanding my information. Also the explanation of "it would take longer to look up your reservation number" honestly just communicates laziness to me. So there IS some sort of reservation database you COULD pull it up from, you just don't want to do it? Again, if there's a legitimate reason for that, maybe explain that instead of treating customers like they're dumb and then maybe don't have it as an option. Super unnecessart

I say LDT a few years ago! Fabulous performance and great latin beats. I honestly had no idea they…read morewere based on the Big Island! Don't miss their performances, Loved them! They get the audience moving!

Leche De Tigre performed during the cocktail hour for our wedding at Puakea Ranch on the Big Island…read moreand it was absolutely fantastic. They are really great, laid back and so much fun. I really wanted people to dance right after the ceremony, and you bet so many did. Thank you so much!

Caught the last tour of the day on 9/2/26. Even after having run through several tours, our tour…read moreguide was a delight. She engaged with a multi-national (and multi-generational, and multi-linguistic) group with energy and humor and we had a blast listening to her. I learned quite a bit! I admit that sampling hot coffee on a 90-degree day under direct sun was perhaps not ideal, but I'd never had a chance to try peaberry coffee and I'm glad I did. The tours run every half hour and take about 45 minutes or so. They travel down, and then up, a modest incline. Since the farm is on the west of the island, tours later in the day will experience more direct sun. It was very hot and very humid, but there are shady stops in the first part of the tour. Sunscreen, a hat, breathable clothing, and plenty of water will see you through it. I might consider going back once they've repaired the bridge washed out by the March 2026 floods. The coffee itself is pricey, as you might expect, but it's the real deal.

An Amazing Kona Coffee Experience…read more Greenwell Farms was one of the highlights of our Big Island trip! This is a coffee farm and tour experience, so just to clarify, they do not serve food here. The experience is focused on learning about how Kona coffee is grown and processed, touring the farm, and sampling their coffees. Our tour was about an hour, and we had such an amazing time. Our guide was a woman whose name I believe was Leilani (possibly Lenny or Lee), and she was absolutely adorable -- especially walking around in her cowboy boots! She was knowledgeable, friendly, and made the whole experience really enjoyable. I would absolutely recommend her to anyone who visits. Because of a major storm in May, the farm had suffered significant damage, including losing a bridge, so we received a modified tour. Even with the changes, we learned so much about the coffee-growing and production process, and it was fascinating to see everything firsthand. Hearing about the damage they experienced also gave us an even greater appreciation for the farm and what they've been working through. The tour is outdoors and seems appropriate for a wide range of ages. We happened to have a cloudy morning, so the weather was perfect for walking around the farm without getting too hot. Parking was easy and available right on site. A little tip: Wear comfortable sneakers and make sure you have good balance. There are some areas of the farm with gentle inclines and declines, so it's not completely flat. Since the bridge was out, there was also less walking than there normally would be. And of course, the coffee sampling was such a fun part of the experience! If you're visiting the Big Island and want to learn more about authentic Kona coffee rather than just buying a bag at a store, I highly recommend putting Greenwell Farms on your itinerary. We're so glad we went. It was educational, relaxed, beautiful, and genuinely fun -- and our guide made it that much more memorable. Mahalo to the Greenwell Farms team for such a wonderful experience!

I've eaten at the Hilo location a couple of years ago, and wanted to see what the Kona taproom is…read morelike. It's out of the way, closer to the Costco than downtown. Parking can be a bit tight. Their lot only has space for 3-4 cars, so expect street parking. The venue itself is nicely laid out, spacious, with lots of wood and pretty design features. Plenty of tables, bar tops, and bar seating. There's also a side room with merch. The drinks on offer don't include their okoleha'o yet, but there's a very nice variety. My friend and I both had hard seltzers, which are always refreshing and delicious without being too sweet. The smash burgers and shoe string fries are so good, and the service is outstanding! I'm glad we stopped in!

Fantastic beer Staff is excellent as well…read more Didn't try the food but worth finding for the beer alone

One of the best meals I've had all week. Delicious food, well thought out ingredients and flavors…read more BBQ here is tasty! Service was impeccable. Can't wait to come back.

Super cool spot Kinda hard to find…read more But worth the adventure Chili was fantastic Atmosphere is very casual

An awesome and fun experience. Thanks especially to Tammy (sp) and Decker. Professional and down to…read moreearth at the same time. We always felt safe.

An incredible day! The zip line we did was a new course just recently opened with beautiful views…read moreand waterfalls. Our guide Dane was so nice and helpful. He told us all about ancient Hawaiian history on the way there. He also pointed out landmarks and areas of interest while we traveled to the zip line office and then to the zip line. We zipped through the trees with help from Dane and Davyn. We then drove to private secluded lands for a picnic lunch with an incredible view. We hiked to the private waterfall and took a swim. It was cool and refreshing. We hiked back and all fell asleep on the way back in the van. It was a great way to spend the day. We would do it again and highly recommend this tour.