We went on the Ahiu guided lava tour about a month ago during a trip to the big island. We knew…read morethat the active lava areas were not visible from the volcano national park. so we wanted to get up close and personal with the lava. From what we could tell, this was the best, and it didn't disappoint. They take care of all the arrangements on the phone and when you show up they have a backpack, light, snacks, water, gloves, and poncho ready for you. The tour starts at 2 pm, but it's a little drive out to the start of the hike. The guides will help you find a walking stick to help you keep your balance. Now, the hike itself is totally insane, and not for the faint of heart. It's about 3 hours of hiking through the rainforest, where there is ankle deep mud, fallen trees, puddles, and a lot of up/down and switchbacks. I've got to be honest with you, this is a pretty hard hike and not for the faint of heart. We were somewhat ill-prepared, as we only had regular sneakers. I'd definitely recommend real hiking boots. Then it's about another mile on the cooled lava fields to get to an area where the lava is actively coming out. All in all, you arrive at the lava around or just after dusk. The lava itself is one of the most amazing experiences of my life. It is so hot, that once you get within about 10 feet it starts to scorch your face and arms. You can stick your walking stick in the actively flowing lava, and the tip immediately catches on fire! Amazing, just to dip a stick in liquid rock and watch as it cools to a solid. The guide themselves are totally legit. We had 2 guides for a group of about 13, with one leading the way and another bringing up the rear. We spent a fair amount of time talking to one of the guides, Tomas, a native Hawaiian who is pretty much an all around badass. When he isn't guiding tours, hunting boar, surfing, or other stuff with the company, he does mixed martial arts training and fighting. At the time of our tour, he was still undefeated. Big ups to Tomas. The worst part is the hike out. Because you're starting at about 8 pm, and it's another 4 hours of hiking, you don't get back until midnight or so. I can safely say that it was one of the most exhausting experiences I've ever had. Well worth it though. Overall, Ahiu provided us with one of the more amazing moments in my life. I'll always remember it, and I don't say that in many reviews on Yelp. Definitely do it, but bring hiking boots!

The experience of this was truly once in a life time. The front office however is jacked up. First…read morethey called us on the wrong day and said we were late. We had to email them the reservation they sent us in the first place. Then they told us the hike was about 2 hours when it was more than double that one way. I was totally fine with that, but just be honest about it. I would like to give them less stars just for the way the front office handled the whole thing. The tour was a long hike through a rainy jungle. Then you come up to the lava fields and hike to the spot where the current flows are coming up out of the ground. This tour was an absolute must and I was extremely happy that I did it. We were definitely worn out in the end, but it was all worth it. The guides were extremely friendly and polite. You could ask for anything better. I would have given this five stars if it were not for the front office.

Really enjoyed our snorkel trip with C Big Island. The crew was so nice and accomodating and…read moreshared all kinds of neat information. We saw so many fish we had never seen before. The boat ride was enjoyable and they picked us up and had us back all plenty of time for our cruise schedule. Definitely recommend!

Hannibal was our guide and he was fantastic! He narrated non-stop with info and personal stories…read moreand we loved it! We thought the time at the visitor's center was way too short and we didn't get to see everything (not Hannibal's fault). The description about the excursion for the sandwiches at lunch, along with Hannibal's telling us about them, told us that they were the best sandwiches on the island and big enough to share. In actuality, it was $20 for a sandwich, chips and water and it was one of the worst sandwiches I've eaten! White bread, with cheap ham and slathered with mustard and mayo. It was all there was to eat and very disappointing. Aside from lunch, it was a wonderful excursion and Hannibal was wonderful!

Went above and beyond to make sure friends were taken care of during the tsunami warning. He could…read morehave told them, "Not my problem" as another establishment did, but he didn't. Mike called a friend that could give them a safe place to stay as they navigated through this unexpected disaster

Karen was great. Our tour was on the smaller side so it was like a private tour. She was so…read morehelpful and even though I have done this tour with other companies I learned a lot. Mahalo!

We chose Makaio Tours because it seemed like a good length tour that covers a lot of the popular…read moretourist destinations around Hilo, and boy, did Justin deliver! He was prompt, great at planning, and exceptionally personable and professional throughout the entire trip. It is clear that he has a wealth of knowledge regarding the islands of Hawaii and regaled us with tons of interesting fun facts. I would recommend this tour to anyone looking for a great comprehensive and interactive adventure around the Big Island. Justin, thanks for being our host for the day! We have learned a lot from this Hawaii Volcanos, Waterfalls, Beaches, and Hilo tour. We would highly recommend Makaio Tours

It was extremely hard to find decent reviews for this place. So, I am going to write a review that…read moreI would've liked to see: This tour was provided by Polynesian Adventure Tours (land tour) and Paradise Helicopter. My boyfriend and I bought the Oahu to Hilo Volcano w/airfare and land tour and helicopter ride. The guy who picked us up was 20 min late. They called us two days before to confirm our attendance and asked us to wait in front of hotel between 4:45-5AM. Pickup after arrival was smooth. Our tour guide was Captain Rob. Great guide! The itinerary says "breakfast buffet". The menu was terrible so make sure you eat before boarding. The Hawaii Volcano National Park was awesome. After touring around ourselves, the driver drove us around to see everything. The hikes were fun. However, we went on a rainy day and it was extremely slippery. The trail to the steam vents were nice! However, if you enjoy hiking, go head and hike down to Halema'uma'u Crater. I wished I knew this beforehand but the driver did take us the crater with a better view. Lunch was at the macadamia farm. The options were Burgers and hotdogs. PACK YOUR OWN LUNCH. The helicopter tour was beyond amazing, so I won't spoil it for you here. They do a safety briefing and you hop on. It's breathtaking! Bring a raincoat, good walking shoes, and sandals (black sand beach). Had there been better communication about the food options, I would've given it 5 stars. No one likes to be hungry.

Let me start by saying the booking process was painless and easy, even when we had to change the…read moredate within the month prior. We had a party of six and booked two flights. The helicopter will only hold three passengers. Luka, the owner and pilot was both professional and friendly. He was engaging before, during and after the flight. You have an option for a doors on or doors off tour, one of only two companies that offers this. Flying with the doors off is the best way to experience the feel of the lava flows and the best for photography. Additionally, I chartered the flight for an hour, which provided additional flexibility to fly at lower altitudes and allowed for better photos. Luka did great maneuvering the helicopter so both sides had a great view. We saw the volcanoes/lava flows and the waterfalls. I HIGHLY recommend HVHT and Luka as a MUST DO on your visit to the Big Island. Thank you Luka for helping to make this a memorable vacation!

Take a scenic drive to an amazing working cacao farm where you can learn all about the art of…read moregrowing cacao. Chocolate lovers of all kinds will appreciate this event. Serene setting, knowledgeable hostess (host) We were greeted by the "security "dog named Darwin and knew this was the adventure for us. Travel with curiosity, be ready to have a Chocolate experience.

My family planned a trip to Hawaii a bit of of nowhere. Honestly, I was happy to just tag along and…read moredo whatever except I insisted I MUST visit a cacao farm. As the area where cacao can grow is incredibly small, I knew this might be my only chance, and I am nothing if not a dedicated chocolate fanatic. I also love gardening and growing my own food, so suffice to say this was right up my alley. I had previously tried (and adored) Manoa Chocolate, so I had to check if they offer a farm tour and happily, they do! I roped my mom and two sisters into the adventure, and we booked the Farm Tour and Hawaiian Craft Chocolate Tasting. There is also a shorter experience with just the tasting, but I was so glad we did the full tour. From the first moment we arrived I knew it would be magical. We got there a bit early in a huge van as some of my family was dropping us off to go on their own adventures. Wrenn was so welcoming to everyone and suggested those not staying take a little walk and explore the farm, even suggesting they take some star fruit to go! And then the tasting area! It is a large open space with a bar and tables around the edges, thankfully covered for shade, but the view of the farm and then out to the ocean was absolutely swoon worthy. We each had our own spot set up with plates, glasses, napkin, notepad and pen for notes, and tasting information. You can tell they know what they are doing as they've thought of anything you could possibly need. We started out with a tasting of about half the bars. Wrenn and Jude were kind and patient and really helped us learn how to find the different notes in the different varieties. It was such fun conversing with my family and the other guests, comparing the flavors we each discovered. We then did a little mini tour of the farm and learned how cacao trees grow, seeing them from sapling to full grown, and leaning of many different varieties, even some that are grown more for their fresh pulp than for the actual cacao beans. Speaking of which, we got to try some of that pulp! Ah! It was a true dream come true as this is not something you can just grab at the grocery store, and it was very yummy and tropical. Not only that, but once we got back to the tasting area for the second round, we got to try cacao juice (also tropical and delicious!). We also learned how cacao is processed and met loads of cacao-crazy geckos. We then tried the remainder of the chocolate as well as two different (and wonderful) teas. At the end we were welcome to ask for a second tasting of any chocolate bars we particularly loved and shop the goodies they have available. Besides the chocolate bars and tea, there was vanilla, honey, soap, jam, and maybe a couple other goodies. Truly, this was an experience like no other and one of the highlights of my trip to Hawaii. If you are even remotely a fan of chocolate or interested in farming, it is not to be missed.

We took a tour to Okinawa with Tours by Charlie in 2013. It was a fairly small (14?) and friendly…read moregroup, and we had a great time. Saw most of the important sites in Okinawa, including several museums and memorials, Shuri Castle, Naha city, Churaumi aquarium(!), the Higa awamori brewery and the Orion brewery! We even got to see the Shuri Castle parade. The shoppers had time to do their thing too. Akemi, our guide, is from Okinawa and was really friendly, helpful, and made it really great for us. She booked us into the Deigo Hotel in Okinawa City for our stay and we loved the wonderful food and convenient furo on the top floor. What a comfortable place. We highly recommend them. http://www.toursbycharlie.com/

Well this was the adventure that the entire family would enjoy. It was easier to ride around than…read moredrive. It was a great experience. I would suggest you get there exactly at 10 to get an early start. Happy trails

This was such an awesome experience! Gwendolyn was so accommodating and patient with my family of…read more6 and took time to make sure we all were comfortable with the e-bikes. We did a self-guided tour and its was incredible to be able to see the volcano sights at our own pace. So scenic and refreshing. Definitely recommend! And highly recommend this business for their excellent customer service! Thank you for the beautiful core memories made!