Experience Oahu in a Way Most Never Will!! My fiancé and I had an incredible time letting Dan show us around Oahu! We started early (at 7am) and made our way from the North Shore around the east side of the island, along the south side and then back through Central Oahu. We stopped at MANY locations - some you would never know existed on your own or by sticking with the big bus tours! Dan not only showed us many of the hidden gems around the island, he also made sure that there were plenty of great photo opportunities and chances to take in breathtaking views. He is very knowledgeable (especially when it comes to movie locations!) - it's clear that he has invested the time to educate himself on Hawaiian history and culture. Our tour included a stop at the "secret" filming location of movie sequel that shall remain nameless (*hint* it involves a board game!), a breathtaking view at La'ie Point (where a scene from Forgetting Sarah Marshall was filmed), attempting to hike Crouching Lion, the trampoline in the ocean, indulging in the local Hawaiian favorites (Spam Musabi and manapua), pictures with a Chinaman's Hat, hungry koi and black swans at the Byodo-In Temple, being chased by T-Rex at the location where Jurassic Park was filmed (thanks to Dan's amazing photoshop skills), beautiful views at Pali Lookout, and perhaps THE MOST MEMORABLE moment of the tour was hiking Koko Crater (nearly dying was worth the view at the top!)!! I absolutely recommend Dan and Circle Island Tour in 24 to anyone visiting Oahu! It's a great chance to authentically experience the "real" Oahu. This tour is perfect for those wanting to sit back and relax without putting work into figuring out the island hotspots yourself! Dan wasn't just our tour guide, he was our personal chauffeur, Hawaiian historian, cheerleader (otherwise we wouldn't have made it to the top of Koko Crater!), and photographer all in one!! read more

My family and I joined Dan for an 8 hour tour. Let me begin by describing when I travel, I research for weeks about what I want to see/do. Hawaii is filled with too many tour options and I wanted to get out of the "tourist" spots and learn about the island. Dan was prompt to my inquiry because I worried our 7 year old would get too tired with a full day; luckily it didn't matter because it was definitely a reluctant goodbye at the end. Within minutes of meeting Dan, it was as if we were hanging out with a close friend. Our only request was to hike to a waterfall, which Dan took us to Manoa Falls. Between stops, not only was he informative about the island, he accommodated our LOST obsession by making quick stops by key settings of the show. Our tour included (and I know I will forget some because I feel like we went EVERYWHERE) spending time at Valley of the Temples, saw turtles at Laniakea Beach, sampled some macadamias at the nut farm, jumped off the point from Forgetting Sarah Marshall, watching Dan machete a coconut so we could drink coconut water on the beach, and shave ice! From an accommodation standpoint, Circle Island Tour in 24 is more than worth it just because it is so individualized; the perk is that Dan is so friendly and such a fun tour guide, you will gain a friend on the island. You will get to experience Oahu for what it has to offer along with getting individualized attention and insight throughout the day. The only downfall was that we planned this tour early on our vacation, which made our running joke for the rest of our trip, "wouldn't it be fun if Dan were here?" read more

With two senior citizens and a child in tow, I did not want to deal with the constraints of a bus tour. Choosing circle island 24 turned out to be the best decision. The day trip was definitely the highlight of our vacation. Dan was the perfect guide -- courteous, prompt, and a safe driver. His innate curiosity about everything translated into a wealth of knowledge about the island. He tailored the day to suit our needs and interests, eschewing tourist traps and opting for gorgeous scenic spots and geological wonders. We had an early start so had several places to ourselves. We learned about how to correctly pronounce the 'okina, the haunted histories of the Morgan corner and the battle at Nu'uanu. We admired chinaman's hat from the beach, got splashed at pipeline, and walked the rugged terrain at the La'ie point. (Who knew the hole in the wall was formed in one day?) We sampled mac nuts, delicious shrimp (and learned the story of a true homesteader), picked up farm-fresh veggies from the red barn farm stand, and took pictures by a field of ripe pineapples. The day went by very quickly, and only when looking at the pictures later did I realize how much we had packed in. As for cost, it's comparable to a standard bus tour for a family of four but a lot more fun. And mahalo for the photoshoped picture of us battling dinosaurs by Kualoa valley! read more

We had a fantastic day out with Dan from Circle Island Tour in 24. We ran into Dan whilst walking along Waikiki beach and were immediately drawn to his enthusiasm, knowledge of the island and his passion for giving us a personalized day out. On Dan's recommendation we started the day early with a 6.30am pick up. Dan was prompt and his Jeep was clean and presentable and he arrived prepared with drinks and snacks. We couldn't have asked for a better host for the day. Dan made us feel like he was one of our mates showing us around the island and we had an absolute blast. Highlights from our tour were being the only people in the Waimia Valley Waterfall. This was the highlight of my whole trip to Hawaii and it was the perfect way to start off our honeymoon. Dan even managed to get a picture of my husband and I kissing under the beautiful waterfall. We visited numerous look outs and were fortunate enough, thanks to Dan's local knowledge to visit the North Shore beaches when the waves were breaking at 40FT. This was incredible to watch. We visited the Macadamia factory, Hawaiian birthing stones, had lunch at the most amazing Shrimp truck and rang the bell at a beautiful Japanese temple. Overall our trip with Dan was incredible and I am so glad we saw the beautiful island of Oahu this way! Thanks Dan!! read more

This tour was great, 100% would do another tour with The Real Hawai'i. To begin our day, my wife and i did not have a solid list of things we wanted to see on our circle island tour from The Real Hawai'i. We gathered a couple ideas from other reviews but only really knew where we wanted to have lunch. Upon pick-up (our driver Dan was right on time), we discussed the places we had already been on our trip and at least one popular place we didn't care to see. The tour developed very organically, between each stop we discussed the types of locations we wanted to see and our driver always gave us options on what locations were coming up next. We were never rushed to get moving to the next stop. Our driver also made sure we got all the pictures we wanted, and took pictures of us upon request. The stops included popular view points and some not so busy, off the tourist track locations. Our driver shared a lot of history about each location as well as pointed out various movie filming locations. We were even fortunate to see a couple of sea turtles on the north shore. In summary we recommend this tour to anyone who wants to see more of Oahu but doesn't have access to a car. read more

We just got back from Hawaii and I'm still talking about our full day tour with Dan! We were there on business and didn't have a lot of time to explore Hawaii and Oahu, so we booked a full day tour and it far exceeded our expectations! Dan was awesome- knowledgeable about the area, history, and fun things to do and he completely customized our day to fit our needs. Since my friend and I drove up to the north shore two other days, Dan suggested focusing our time to the northeast/eastern part of the island and I'm so glad we did. We hiked to a waterfall, saw an incredible cliff where four sea turtles were just wading in the water below, ate fresh fish tacos on the most beautiful beach I've ever seen and learned so much along the way. We got to see a lot of Oahu but the day still felt relaxed, enjoyable, and memorable. If you want to see the Island of Oahu with a personal touch, don't look further than booking with Dan. He also does multi- day tours, sunrise to sunset tours and anything you can dream up really! I can't wait to take my husband back to Hawaii and we will definitely book another tour with Dan. Photos from our day are attached!! read more

We've traveled all over the world and love to take in the local culture & explore "off the beaten track" gems & Patrick totally delivered! Not only was he super friendly, chill and fun, but his knowledge of everything from history, fauna, best "hole in the wall" places to eat, culture, etc. was so informative & the best. (He even pointed out the Baskin & Robbins where Obama used to work)! Besides the beautiful beaches & drive he took us on, we love to eat the local food & Patrick brought us to Leonard's malasadas, Giovanni's garlic shrimp, Matsumoto Shaved Ice: YUM!! I'm still dreaming of how delicious those were. Plus he arranged our arrival times at the various food stops so that we were able to beat the lines from all the big tour buses. Now that's service you'll get from a smaller, more personal outfit like "The Real Hawaii" vs. big, impersonal tours. Once we got back to our hotel, Patrick texted us great photos of our day and also generously included tips of other local places to eat. Highly recommend this tour company and thanks Patrick for a great day together. Loved the chill, friendly vibe & personal nature of the tour. read more

My husband, two sons and I had a blast touring around the island with Dan. He's very laid-back, with a witty sense of humor, and he's super knowledgeable about the island of Oahu, as well as the rest of the islands. While driving us around in his awesome, clean, four-door Jeep Wrangler (room for five plus him), Dan gave us a lot of great suggestions about how we could spend the rest of our time on our vacation, and he helped us make the most of our tour by recommending the most essential spots to see for any visitor. He's very friendly and approachable. It was like riding around the island with a friend! We hit a lot of popular spots on the more "local" side of the island. He also took us to some places that are off the beaten path, where typical tour busses wouldn't go. I lived here for a few years in my pre- and early teens, and I still learned quite a bit about Hawaii through our interesting and fun conversations all along the way! If you like to hike, or even if you just want to see the sights, I highly recommend booking a tour with Circle Island Tour in 24. read more

Circle Island Tour allowed me to experience more than I could ever hope for during my brief stay in Hawaii. Dan goes the extra mile to get an understanding of the types of activities my general interests and then created a plan and provided me with the perfect day. We began the day watching the sunrise at Sandy Beach, we visited several scenic lookouts, a blowhole, saw a couple of sites from famous movies/tv shows, took me to an off the path adventure to hike to a waterfall. We visited an Ancient Hawaiian temple, a macadamia nut farm, the Botanic gardens...and had lunch. Dan did a great job explaining the area and providing me with history of the island. In fact, I am actually going to do some additional reading on Hawaiian history as he was a great "teacher" and I want to learn more. Most importantly, Dan is super friendly and went above and beyond to make sure that I had a wonderful day. The fact that we were not with a large group tour made the experience so much more enjoyable as we were able to accomplish more than a tour bus could ever do read more

Dan and his services are fantastic! He puts intricate detail into everything! His main goal is to make his customers happy at the same time as keeping them safe! Currently living on the Big Island as a travel RN, I visited Oahu for the first time. I had found Dan through blogs and decided to take a tour. Being a solo traveler, it is usually impossible to have a private tour, most companies would turn you away or make you join other tour groups, not Dan. He happily accepted and immediately asked my interests. On the day of our tour Dan had incorporated all of the things I had asked to do, and let me be honest in saying they were not easy! It was so great to have someone plan and drive me to amazing sites, some of which only locals know how to find. I felt very safe and had an amazing time! He had everything you would need during the tour. Dan was very knowledgeable about the island. I had an amazing time and plan on taking another tour when I take my friends and family to explore Oahu! read more

From start to finish Dan was the tour guide we'd been hoping for in Oahu. My boyfriend and I were pleased to learn it was a private tour as we jumped into Dan's Real Hawai'i jeep! We circled the island taking pictures at gorgeous lookouts, hearing about local history, culture, and even a ghost story or two. For lunch, we stopped at a shrimp food truck where the quick bite was satisfying and affordable. We finished out the day trying the famous shaved ice & ice cream! Loved exploring the island with Dan, really gave us that local feel we look for. His photography skills are also pretty impressive, don't forget to get your dinosaur pictures!! The only note I would mention is that when I booked this tour I was under the impression this would be a tour focused on ancient sites, not overall [ancient] Oahu history. The tour was great - just not all that focused on ancient history for those history buffs that might be looking for a different tour. read more

THE REAL HAWAI'I TOURS was an amazing way to see the island of O'ahu. Being a tour with just our family of 4. No strangers in our group, therefore no delays and we weren't rushed, we could chill and take our time when we needed to. We saw places we never would have known about if we didn't have Dan. I was a little apprehensive with the early start as my daughters and myself are not "morning" people, but this IS the best way to do it! We beat the crowds and traffic. Dan showed us the beautiful places and told us amazing stories like we were ohana. Things we would not have known had we just hired a car and drove around ourselves. We ate great food, had the best Shave Ice, (I'm sorry again Dan, I didn't have the ice cream in mine haha). Highly recommend The Real Hawai'i for a private custom tour. Seeing the turtles was a huge highlight for us! read more

First, The Real Hawaii was terrific in showing us Oahu when we'd visited last month. This was our first time experiencing this kind of tourism and didn't know what to expect. At the end of this trip, I couldn't stop thanking Dan at the Real Hawaii for making it so special. He brought us to locations with breathtaking views, and it worked hand to hand with his kind spirit. We were exploring the island and were lucky enough to witness seals napping on the beach and took our time enjoying that moment. This example shows how The Real Hawaii is different than your conventional tourist buses; you have time to soak up all these details and have a better appreciation of this island rather than being rushed. If you are visiting Hawaii for the very first time like me, add the extra value to this experience for an unforgettable trip! read more

We just recently returned from our vacation in Hawaii. While on the island of Oahu we did a two day private tour and it was awesome! Dan knew of some really great spots to take us to and show us some amazing things. it was nice that he knew so many different things to see and do and could suggest things that we interesting to us personally and make it a fun tour customized to our liking. There were so many things we saw and did that we would have never found on our own. We preferred to stay clear of most of the usual "tourist" items and chose to see the more unique things the island has to offer and it payed off in a big way. Dan did an excellent job at keeping us entertained and gaining a greater appreciation for this island, and we would recommend his guide services to anyone visiting this island. Thanks The Real Hawaii! read more

We did a tour with Dan on 10/20/16 and had a wonderful time getting to know the island! There were so many great attributes to this day but our favorite was that it was private and custom to our likes. Oahu has so many sites to see and Dan was able to gage what really interested us which allowed for an ultimate tour of the island! Dan is very knowledgeable on Hawaii's culture and while we saw a few touristy spots (by our request) he also showed us many spots off the beaten path and gave us a glimpse of Hawaii's true culture! (Ask to see the spinning cave!!) Dan was laid back, personable and provided us with the best custom tour we could have asked for! I would definitely recommend checking out his facebook page to see pics from his tours! Thank you for making our trip so memorable!! read more

The Real Hawai'i Tours is amazing! They give you an in depth tour of the island and cater to what you want to see. They are very flexible and will do anything to give you the best tour possible. We even went surfing on our tour which was the highlight of our trip! The tour guides take you to the very best places and focus on quality when it comes to the shave ice and shrimp trucks. Aioki's was the best shave ice we had on our 2 week vacation. Fumi's shrimp was very fresh as they don't cook from frozen (cough, cough Giovanni's) and use shrimp that comes from the shrimp ponds that are on location. I've recently took my second and third tours with the company and was just as pleased as the first time. I can't wait to get back to Oahu and take another tour with this awesome company! read more

I would highly recommendDan from The Real Hawaii Tours. We booked a full day with Dan and what an amazing tour it was. I was quite impressed with his love and interest of the island, the Hawaiian culture, its history and people. Dan took us to see amazing views, the Valley of the Temples to the Seven Brothers "shack" for a great hamburger to amazing Banyan trees to the Dole Pineapple Plantation and more. Dan is engaging, passionate, and knowledgeable. He continuously shared tidbits about each location, sharing some history, pointing out where some movies were filmed, etc. He knows where the best views are located. Simply amazing and what a way to celebrate our 3rd wedding anniversary. I would highly recommend Dan and The Real Hawaii Tours. We will book again. Thank you Dan read more

Dan and his son Ben took my son and me all around the island. Dan customized the trip to my son's interests and we spent a lot of time in nature looking for animals. We went to the poi factory for lunch, had some fantastic shave ice with all the extras like sweet red beans and a "cream splash"and stopped at a local fruit stand. It felt like a day of hanging out with friends, low key and not rushed. We had a great day and we highly recommend this tour. The Jeep was clean and comfortable. Dan is highly professional and a great, safe driver. It's really a shame not to take advantage of the opportunity to spend the day with locals who can show you the real O'ahu... hence the perfect name for this business, Real Hawaii! Check out Dan's YouTube videos too, they're great! read more

My wife and I were looking for a little adventure on Oahu and were lucky enough to stumble upon Dan handing out fliers. The first thing Dan did was ask us what we were interested in and then preceded to give us a wonderful day of snorkeling, site seeing and adventure. He offered suggestions and recommendations along the way but truly the schedule and activities were totally up to us. He was ready for anything and open to changes as the day developed, while always remaining a professional devoted to giving us a memorable experience. Dan had great stories and shared lots about the history and culture of the island. I would recommend Dan and Circle Island Tours to anyone interested experiencing the real island life of Oahu... truth is, I already have. read more