There isn't anything more to say that Dave G. hasn't covered. So I will break my learnings down in bullet points: *Fascinating history of Hawaii and why Waipio Valley went from the Valley of the Kings with a population of 3,000 to the sparsely populated land where only 50-75 Hawaiians reside today. *If you have back problems or are prone to back problems and pinched nerves, you may want to skip this tour. It's bumpy, the road down the valley is steep enough to make an atheist start getting religious. *Spray lots of OFF on your exposed body parts. There are many, many critters all too eager to feast on fresh blood, haole and otherwise. So either wear long pants or douse yourself in OFF. *It's windy at the lookout so dress in layers, light jacket or windbreaker will do. *Bathroom outside the Neptune Garden/Last Chance store is clean but bring your own toilet seat cover. *Minor detail but the website lists the meeting point address as 48-5300 Kuikuihaele Road, Honokaa, HI. We entered it in our GPS and couldn't find it because it's actually 48-5300 Kukuihaele Road, Honokaa, HI. Bonus points if you can spot the error. *Mules are smarter than horses and can pull heavier loads. Being called an ass, not so bad. *Taro is hard to grow and harvest. Appreciate your poi and taro chips for they are lovingly grown by earnest Hawaiians, one of whom is our tour guide Li'a. *Tip Bob and Li'a. These two guides are doing their part to keep the old Hawaiian spirit and culture alive so help these brah's out. *The tour lasts about 1 1/2 hours and the drive from either side of the island can take 1-2 hours one way. Grab some malasadas from Tex Drive-In on your way into the valley and stop by Jolene's for local food and Hamakua Fudge for dessert to end your day. *Lastly, show respect and pay reverence to the old Hawaii that you won't see in these Disneyfied resorts or urbanized enclaves of Hilo Hatties and ABC stores. read more

The other one-star reviews are spot-on. We spent more time in the dirty, stinky van, and waiting for the dirty stinky band, than we did in the wagon. The van's transmission warning light was on, my seat belt wouldn't latch, and three of the four tires were beat up and bald. For your own safety, please pick a different company. I'm sad to have to give a negative review and try to give people the benefit of the doubt when at all possible, but putting guest safety at risk like this is never acceptable. read more

Fun, beautiful and more exciting than I had hoped. Our guide , Bob, was informative and competent. I felt very safe on some winding roads. Loved every second of this special trip. read more

Waipio Valley Wagon Tours - Waipio Valley Wagon Tour - Tours Near Me

That's one very steep road getting into the Waipio Valley and more importantly a very very steep road getting out of the valley. Your choices are this - You can hike it yourself; you can attempt to drive it if you have a 4 wheel drive and nerves of steel; or you can take a tour and let a professional handle it while you relax taking in all the views. One of the more unique tours is the Waipio Valley Wagon Tour. Once you get to the bottom of the valley, you ride on a quaint mule drawn wagon, going across streams, getting nice views of waterfalls, wild horses, and tasting native fruit. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/waipio-valley-wagon-tours-honokaa#NxuJfTiKL6LFMa9B_D0wpw This tour takes about an hour and a half. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable and grew up living in the Valley. His family has lived there for many generations and he had wonderful stories to tell of the region. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/waipio-valley-wagon-tours-honokaa#DGEIwiL3J8L-kLBH_T-hkw He was constantly pointing out various plants and flowers. He picked several different fruit to try that were native to the valley that I hadn't seen before. Life in the valley is beautiful but not luxurious, since getting in and out is so difficult. Although our guide has ran the steep climb out in 11 minutes. That's pretty impressive since Lance Armstrong cycled out in 9 and half minutes. The Waipio Valley is the Hawaii you imagine. When some people visit the Big Island they get disappointed when they see all the black lava rock and barren land scape on the Kona side of the Island. But Waipio is a beautiful green valley surrounded by cliffs going straight into the sea. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/waipio-valley-wagon-tours-honokaa#Qsjq4bkXGXa9KQ1NCh3tnw One of the tallest waterfalls in Hawaii is here Hiilawe Falls (1,450 feet) and although you don't get too close to it, you'll still get nice views of it while on the Wagon Tour. A lot of the Valley is private land, so taking a tour gets more access to the valley than you can get on foot. Somehow riding in the mule drawn wagon made the valley seem more real. Most homes here don't have power, phone, or cable TV, so cars just don't feel right. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/waipio-valley-wagon-tours-honokaa#5CdXZeaqU6BPz8EuAVW1qA We got to spend a few moments petting some horses and our hard working mules before heading back out of the valley. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/waipio-valley-wagon-tours-honokaa#Q4pMQtYDctiMt-QW7Io0xQ Lots of people go to the Waipio Valley Overlook, but it seems not too many actually go into the valley. Waipio Valley Wagon Tours offers 3 tours a day. They are closed on Sunday. Make sure you bring mosquito repellent. Oh and don't be afraid to tip your guide people. We were the only ones out of the 8 of us that gave our excellent guide a Mahalo. read more

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If you go to the Big Island, I strongly recommend you see the Waipio Valley. It truly is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. And to see it properly, you have to go with Waipio Valley Shuttle Tours. One of those experiences that deserves 10 stars. Our guide was great: so knowledgeable, funny, and genuine in the pride of his home. He knew every plant, every story, every last thing about this amazing and gorgeous place. Don't skip this!! read more

We loved loved this tour! Book quickly bc the tour books fast due to weight restrictions for the mules. We booked the 2:30, but was told it was sold out, then by the time I called (an hour later) for the 12:30 that was sold out too. Thankfully our weights allowed for us to join the 2:30 tour after all. If your coming from Kona it's about a 2 hour drive. About an hour from the Kohala resorts... They run the tours rain or shine (unless it's a major downpour). It was drizzly on our trip but it was still great! It's one of only 3 tours that tour the valley floor. All others only do the rim, which is beautiful as well. The tour runs exactly as described on their website. The stable keeper, who gave us the tour was great! On the 4x4 van ride down (as in a 25% grade!) it was BEAUTIFUL and the scenery was amazing. She gave us a detailed history of Waipio Valley and the area. She has lived in the valley for 15 years and worked in the valley for 20! Once we arrived the stables we were greeted by their horses and the mules were hooked up and ready to go. There are beautiful waterfalls directly above the stables, these made for great photo ops. The valley and surrounding area are lush and wet soooo BRING BUG SPRAY. (Mosquitos love me and I was prized with 4 big welts for my souvenir despite continuous spraying.) We loaded the covered wagon and distributed our weight as directed. Each seat has handles and you'll need them to hold on during the bumpy ride. Our 4 year old did fine, but if your kiddo isn't a good listener and decides to stand up or move around, they will fall. We toured the valley floor, crossed water ways 4 times and saw more waterfalls and beautiful views and were introduced to all of the flora in the area as well as many wild horses! So cool! We returned back to the stables, fed the horses there and travelled back out of the valley in the van, and back to our car at the Last Chance store. We would return for the tour again if we had friends or family in town and wanted to take them. I highly recommend the tour for anyone that would like to see the Waipio Valley up close and personal. Active folks love to hike down and hike in the valley which is an awesome way to see the valley but if you're with small kiddos or if you don't have 4 hours minimum to commit, this is a lovely and unique way to see the valley and learn some history. A hui hou! read more

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The landscape is beautiful and not to be missed, but I wouldn't use this company to visit the valley again. The woman who takes the reservation over the phone is incredibly rude. I was definitely made to feel stupid. I was willing to give this a pass until I saw how the guide treats his mules. Firstly, you descend into the valley in an old rickety 4-wheel drive van. The mule-driven portion is only a short distance. The guide whipped the mules and smacked them with a PVC pipe when they weren't moving fast enough. It made me sad, especially since they were so cute. Again, wouldn't use this company solely because of the animal mistreatment. read more

My sister recommended we visit Waipio Valley and try the mule wagon tour because it is the only real option for exploring with little kids so we booked a tour on a Tuesday morning. I was actually naive about the road into the valley and thought the mule ride would be the entire trip I didn't realize about the van portion. When I read other reviews about the van being old and the road being scary I was very nervous. Turned out my nervousness was for nothing. Sure the van isn't brand new and the road is definitely steep, but Bob, the tour guide, knows what he's doing. At no point did I feel unsafe and the van was perfectly comfortable for our family. Once on the valley floor, Bob took about ten minutes to get the mules and the wagon but it gave my kids a chance to look around and burn off a bit of steam. The wagon ride was fun, my one suggestion would be to increase the wagon exploration time/length a little bit more if possible, although I realize this is limited by the roads in the valley. After the wagon portion we waited another ten minutes for Bob to get the van which gave my kids a chance to splash in the stream which they enjoyed. Overall, this is a fun, safe way for families to experience the valley. There is not a snowball's chance in hell I would ever drive down to the valley floor myself with kids in tow and they are too little to horseback ride so Bob's relaxed, low-key tour was a way for us to spend a fun morning appreciating the beauty of a truly amazing place. Thank you, Bob! read more

Do not do the wagon tour. Bob the older gentleman who took us on the tour was late picking us up, wasn't very loud during the tour, seemed mean to the mules, and in general just seems he just needs to retire. The van had broken glass in the window seal and had over 200,000 miles on it and I didn't think it was going to make it up the hill. We had taken our jeep down the same trail the wagon took thinking they took a different path but didn't. We enjoyed the jeep ride more than the wagon ride. Besides visiting with the horses and the stable it still wasn't worth $200 for the 4 of us paying the local rate visiting from Oahu. If i would have paid full price we would gave really been pissed. read more

All these 5-star reviewers I am not sure if you have any experience talking to the staff there. The staff on the phone, is RIDICULOUSLY RUDE about any inquiries and asks. We first try to book the tour online and made the phone call as well, since it is just 2 days before our target trip date. Someone told us all tour has been sold out (Somehow as expected during Xmax) but we still submit the requests. They sent us the email asking us to make a phone call to reconfirm the availability. We made phone call twice, before the time they mentioned in email, no one responded, neither did I get the call back. So I was thinking the reservation was not successful. On the date they made the phone call to us the YELL at me asking why we are not showing up. At first we asked if we could have another time slot at that day and the female staff said yes and she will rearrange it. We drove immediately to catch the schedule. 20 Minutes later, she called back and YELLING at us again saying no tour is replaced but we will be charged. I tried to explain the situation and told here the fact that we never get any callback but this women is just hanging off the phone with saying 'byebye' in a sarcasm way. I really don't understand how their business can be running in such an unprofessional way. NEVER NEVER NEVER EVER want to deal with these people again, ruined the whole day on Big island somehow and lost my money. read more

Definitely recommend to check this out if you happen to be around northern region of big island. First you meet up at Neptune Garden/Last Chance store to check in. Bob our tour guide would drive us in his truck to Waipio Valley Outlook area and then down into its valley area. Very steep and bumpy road. It was muddy and has many potholes. Spectacular view all along the way going down. Once we reached the bottom of the valley, we then transfer to mule wagon for a more in depth tour. Super fun for everyone (kids and adults), crazy bumpy ride especially when crossing 2 rivers. Bob is very knowledgeable in explaining to us about the history and plants in this valley. We saw a lot of beautiful wild horses down in the valley. read more

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We enjoyed our wagon tour with Bob and his mules. Interesting to learn another aspect of the island, and much easier than hiking down and back in the humidity! read more

Thelma was very rude on the phone when i was inquiring about available dates. I don't want to deal with crappy customer service no matter how exciting this tour will be. She talked in a very condescending and impatient tone while I'm explaining myself. She shouldn't be handling calls and inquiries at all. I live in Oahu and island hop to experience the outdoor adventure in other islands and her attitude makes you wonder if most of the Big Island tourist customer service reps will be as rude as her. Talking to her definitely made this Big Island trip a little sour. read more

This was quite a find! We wanted to see this area and could not have asked for a better guide. Tony is a native and really knows his stuff. He ia also funny and charming. The ride down was filled with stories and knowledge of the area and its plantlife. Sometimes, it felt like we were on the Jungle Cruise at Disney - only for real! LOL. He went out of his way to introduce us to various local fruits and veggies (including tastings). It was a fabulous way to see the valley - I wouldn't have done it on foot!!! read more

The tour itself was a nice experience. Our guide was a very sweet man who gave a good tour. It was alittle bumpy but to be expected. The reason I only gave 3 stars is because the lady I booked the tour with was very rude! The truth is that if there was another wagon tour available I would have booked with someone else. Every time I talked with her she was rude. Luckily, she didn't give the tour. read more

I am not even sure if all 5star reviews here are talking about the same tour I took - but I don't think there would be too many mule wagon tours with a phone receptionist Thelma ( I can see how she can sound rude- i think she's gotten a lot better than what some of the reviewers experienced though!) so I assume it is. The tour starts at the top of the valley. You are picked up by a van that goes down the steep hill, and you transfer to a mule drawn wagon at the bottom of the valley. The wagon follows the south rim of the valley toward west, look at the waterfall in distance and turn back. Pros of this tour: it does go down into the valley and you don't have to walk up and down. The tour guide is knowledgable about the history and ethnobotany of the valley. Mules are cute. Cons of this tour: Half of the 90 min tour is waiting on the roadside - for the van to show up late, transfer between the van and wagon. Your mobility is limited by the size of the large van and wagon, it cannot go close to the taro fields, the beach or waterfall. You do see mules get whipped. If you want to hear what the guide has to say in the van when you descend to the valley, sit in the front... I was at the very back seat and could not hear a thing. The van windows are not operable so don't expect to take perfect pictures from it. While you are waiting on the roadside, stay positive and try finding something interesting around you without wandering off. Also, depending on the season and timing, waterfall could be dry and you might see the road lined with construction - the experience could be underwhelming and the tour cannot do anything about it. If you are with elderly or small kids this might be perfect. If I were to redo the valley visit, I would try to find a tour that gets me up and down the valley with a van and let you walk with a guide at the bottom. If there is no such thing I would just hike up and down by myself. read more

We loved, loved, loved our valley tour. Going down the valley in our guides capable hands was a joy made the trip easy and painless. Great history from a local who has family living in the valley. A step back in time to the pure real Hawaii a do not miss on the big island!!! read more

Great tour and only good way to see the valley. Bob is O/O and there's no middle man. No frills, just old fashioned wagon ride. Take bug spray read more

Please, please, please do not book this tour!! Our tour time was 12:30, we were told to meet at the Last Chance General store at 12:15. We were there, the tour host did not show up until 12:35. We took a dirty van to the bottom of the Waipio Valley with one 30 second stop to take a picture. We got to the bottom and Bob (the tour operator) dropped us off on the side of the muddy road and told us he'd be back in 15 minutes with the Mule drawn wagon. 25 minutes later he came back, told us that he had to switch out one of the Mules because of a foot injury, and he would be back shortly. After standing on the side of the road for another 30 minutes, Bob came back with the wagon. We figured that he would be giving us a really nice tour, as we'd been standing around entertaining ourselves for almost an hour. Instead, he seemed to have a difficult time with the mules, constantly yelling at them and his assistant. We got a 10 minute short tour while Bob mostly yelled at the mules and pointed out the occasional MonkeyPod tree. When we turned around after just a few minutes and maybe a quarter mile, my husband and I thought it was a joke! The tour ended and we were taken back to the country store where we started. I was too flabbergasted to even say anything at that moment. I immediately emailed and requested a partial refund, but have had no response from the tour operator. The only star on this review is because the Waipio valley is beautiful, even through dirty van windows. read more

What an awe-inspiring experience! My guide Douglas knew every nook and cranny of the valley--plants, animals, and people! His enthusiasm, love, and pride in Waipio radiated. Go! Just go! You'll be so glad you did! read more

I am SO glad I used Waipi'o Valley Shuttle to take me through Waipi'o Valley! I heard how beautiful it was and I didn't feel comfortable driving through water, rough terrain and roads (and we didn't have a 4WD anyways!). Our tour guide was named Douglas and he was great! He mentioned that he once lived in Waipi'o Valley and now lives close by so he really knows everyone there and a lot about it. However, the biggest reason I'm glad I went with a tour guide is because I got to learn the MEANING behind Waipi'o Valley. Sure, the scenery is stunningly beautiful, but if you don't know the meaning and history behind it then you simply cannot appreciate it the way it should be appreciated. I recommend this tour to others, definitely. Also, another reason I'm glad I took the shuttle is because the tour shuttle has permission from the locals to drive through their land. It is privately owned, so when tourists try to drive in their 4WD rentals into their property for a "nice picture," the owners get really unhappy about it. We witnessed two tourists get "warned" by locals that they are on private-owned property, and they left pretty quickly. I'm glad I got to at least feel welcomed into Waipi'o Valley! read more

Bob meets you at the Last Chance store outside of Honokaa and drives you down to the Valley of the Kings (Waipi'o) in his 4 wheel drive van. It's bumpy because of the road- not Bob's fault. At the bottom you transfer to a mule drawn wagon which appears to hold about 8 average size adults. Bob then takes you on a half hour tour of some of the back of the Valley. The views are lovely and Bob provides some narration and is happy to answer questions. Then, he loads you back into the van and drives back up the very steep road to the store. I felt we got our money's worth- not more nor less. It was a good but basic introduction to a Valley I've always wanted to see. It would have been nice to have spent a little more time down there given the long drive and the considerable effort to get to the bottom. But, for $60, Bob's tour was just fine. read more

We just came back from the Big Island and felt compelled to write a review about Waipio Valley and our tour guide Douglas. Not only was the valley truly amazing, even one of a kind, but the tour by Douglas really made it spectacular. He knew every plant, every waterfall, and every story about the valley. The van ride worked really well even though we had two kids ages 4 and 6. We were worried they would not sit still for the trip but Douglas did a great job at stopping, getting out, and giving hands on demonstrations. The wild horses peaking their heads in the van was one of the big hits with the kids (ok, even with the adults)! I would HIGHLY recommend you make the time to go to Waipio if you are on the Big Island and there is no better way to do it than a tour with Douglas! read more

You gotta take this tour and having someone else drive you is the only way to go to the valley. Tony is a great guide, knows the area from personal experience. Tony was very concerned about teaching us about the flora and features of the area. Ask him for his recommendation for Malasadas. read more

I went on the tour to Waipo Valley this morning and am writing to express my and my traveling companions' disappointment at the experience. We were charged over $175 for three people and were told to be at the pickup point 15 minutes early. We arrived earlier than that for the first tour of the day and noticed twenty minutes after the 10:30 start time three other clients arriving, we were at that time inquiring from the tenants who live behind the pickup office if there was something we didn't understand about the agreed meeting time or place as the driver or any attendant was not present.. When the driver arrived there was no explanation as to his whereabouts until we were almost down to the Waipo overlook. There was no explanation as to what to expect on the tour. I was expecting a wagon down to the valley floor and went back to the website to see if I was somehow mistaken in my supposition but there was no indication there about the filthy van we were transported in. Even if I was unclear or unrealistic about what was going to happen, shouldn't it be made clear at the beginning of the experience? The only personal interaction was the one question, "Where are you from?" with no follow up at any time during the entire journey. There was a Japanese couple with very limited English skills that appeared to be even more confused at what was transpiring than we were, which I thought was strange since there is a button on the website for Japanese language users. One would think there would be some allowance for them but we detected none. The commentary was dry and delivered in a monotone with no invitation for interaction. Even if there was something other than a 100% chance of mosquito infestation,shouldn't there be some heads up?; we were distressed to see a small child unable to concentrate as she and her parents spent virtually the whole time on the valley floor trying to protect her from their stinging. We noted the Tips Appreciated signage on the wagon and were baffled at how anyone would consider tipping under such conditions much less recommending Waipo Valley Wagon Tours to anyone else. I was traveling with a person of Hawaiian heritage who grew up on the islands and she expressed that this company is an embarrassment to the Hawaiian tourist industry. read more

Very Nice Tour. Absolutely beautiful! I would recommend people who are scared of drop offs and heights sit near the wall. The picture opportunities are awesome. The mules were very well behaved, strong and do not make you feel scared at all. The mules, dog, and tour guide are pros and have the trail down packed and make the tour very serene. I would recommend some bug spray as the flies and mosquitos can be thick down I'm the valley. read more

My friends and I were really looking forward to this wagon tour based on the Yelp recommendations. We feel like the best rating we can honestly give this tour is two stars and that is being generous. Our guide, Bob, was unlike any of the other guides mentioned in previous Yelp reviews. Bob was utterly disinterested in our visit to the valley and equally disinterested in our position as his customers/guests. Honestly he seemed distracted and running the whole program by himself. We arrived 15 minutes early as directed. Bob arrived 30 minutes late for check-in and starting the tour, but that's no big deal. However, the tour was not equal to it's potential and certainly not equal to the fee. On the plus side, we were provided with safe transport in and out of the valley and that was much better than tackling that road on foot. On the down side, the tour was rushed, void of excitement and energy, only sprinkled with bits of historic information (much of this info we previously had read at the Waipio Lookout) and overpriced. All six of us were disappointed with this tour. Our advice, confirm who will be your tour guide before booking. read more