Small-Group Big Island Tour: Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and Kona Coffee Farm

This Kona volcano tour begins at your hotel in either Kona or Waikoloa, where you board a comfortable, air-conditioned vehicle for the journey to Kilauea volcano. 

Along the way, stop at the 'coffee belt' in the cool uplands above Kona, and enjoy a cup of Kona coffee on a plantation right where it’s grown. Enjoy a light snack in the cool mountain air, and, if you’d like to pick up some coffee for home or gifts to bring back from Hawaii, buying the coffee straight from the source is a great way to help local farmers. 

The tour continues around the south end of the island, where you next stop at Punalu’u Beach Park for a walk down the black-sand beach. This scenic spot on the southeastern shore is known for its Hawaiian green sea turtles, which occasionally haul out and sun on the sands or bask in the shade of a palm. 

Upon reaching Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, follow your guide on a short hike through a cavernous, naturally formed lava tube, which is created by the swelling and eventual cooling of an underground river of lava. When you approach the rim of Halema’uma’u Crater, you can see the steam as it rises from the Earth and the hiss of volcanic gas, and as the sunlight slowly fades into night, the crater emits an orange glow from the lava lake deep down inside. Since the temperature toward the volcano’s summit can be a bit chilly at night, enjoy a warm dinner of tasty soup that’s served with bread and then dessert. 

Throughout this Kona volcano tour, every traveler has use of an iPad for reading more info about the sights, as well as scouring photos and videos or playing games in the car. 

Finally, at the end of the fascinating Big Island adventure, return to your Kona or Waikoloa hotel.