Elite Volcano Hike

Summary: This was a great way to experience Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and some other sites. Our guide Henry was knowledgeable and a lot of fun.

Summary: The crater hike and hilo waterfalls tour was an amazing experience, our guide Tory was friendly, knowledgable, and energetic. Her insights and knowledge took the tour from a spectacular view, to an unforgettable experience. The crater hike took us through the Kilauea crater and presented an opportunity to see and learn about the local fauna and flora as well as the geological history of the area. The hilo waterfalls were spectacular to behold.

Summary: We did the volcano tour with Eric and it was hands down the best tour! We got to see Kīlauea erupting and it was exciting! Eric was a lot of fun, knew a lot of “useless information” and made the experience worth it! If you ever get the chance to team up with him, do it!!

Summary: Our guide, Roxy, was so knowledgeable and enthusiastic! We were fascinated with the volcanoes and as we learned more we kept saying…”oh…look at this rock!”…..”ooohhh…this one is better..look!” Seriously, Roxy gives you her enthusiasm and energy and before long you are caught up in it! We loved every aspect of the tour. Take your time and immerse yourself in this amazing environment. The experience was very professional and safe. The Ford Transit van was comfortable and easy to enter and exit. The food was good; picnic sandwiches and salads (you have a wide variety to choose from) and dinner at Lava Rocks Cafe was really, really good. We especially enjoyed walking out the old road to the viewing location for the active crater. We could see so much better than from the upper road! Awesome! Roxy was knowledgeable about all aspects of the environment: geology, birds, plants, and the entire ecosystem. She paced our experience well.

Summary: We were met at the port of Hilo from our cruise ship, The Pride of America by Victor. There were only 8 in our group, so it was very easy to interact with all of them and Victor. We left the port and our first stop was Rainbow Falls, just out of town. Hilo had eleven inches of rain the night before, which meant the falls were very beautiful and created the rainbow effect, as the name suggests. After this, we set off for the 45 minute journey up to Kilauea. On the way Victor kept us entertained with many interesting facts about the big island of Hawaii and its volcanos. We arrived at the visitor centre and then prepared for our hike. Victor checked that we all felt we were up to the physical challenge and ensured we had adequate water and rain jackets (didn’t need them). The hike is 3.5/4 miles around the crater rim and then down in to the crater, so there is a steep descent and ascent, which will be challenging for some, but fortunately not a problem for our group. The views from the top are spectacular and it feels unworldly on the surface of the crater, walking on fresh volcanic lava. The volcano stopped erupting in September 2024, but there are still many active steam vents, which you get close enough to, to feel the heat. Not sure if I am disappointed I missed this or not, but there was a 4.8 magnitude earthquake there just a few hours before we arrived! All in all, a great day out visiting one of the world’s most famous volcanoes, the day made more enjoyable but the excellent guide, Victor. Thanks again and would definitely recommend.

Summary: When i landed the volcano and saw amazing views and plants, it was really worthy to hike here!!! very nice guide and very great experience ever!

Summary: The hike around the volcano was awesome! Kyle did a great job telling us so many interesting facts about the island. The entire tour was very interesting and enjoyable. I would recommend this tour for anyone wanting a unique experience. The waterfalls was really neat even if it was raining.

Summary: We did the hike during the recent eruption of Kīlauea. The hike down to the crater was as described and required a reasonable level of physical fitness, due to the 500 ft of descent and then, after a walk across the crater, climb back to the start point. One of the people on the tour was having some difficulty on the climb, but our guides Andre and Victor were fantastic. They were extremely knowledgeable and kept everyone entertained, while making sure that noone was left behind. Following the hike and lunch, we went to the view point, from which we could see the eruption. We were about a mile away, but could feel the heat from the volcano on the front of our legs, while our backs were warmed by the sun. Victor lent us binoculars for a better view and we were told why a closer encounter would not have been a good idea. We were also taken to the steam vents, where we could safely feel some of the heat from underground.

Summary: Marcus was our guide and we enjoyed the tour with him. **It is 4000ft up, so take a light sweater/jacket - even in the summer. It was around 85 when we left the cruise port for this adventure and was down to 64 when we entered the park to start the hike. The wind made it feel cooler. I ended up spending $50 on a sweatshirt at the visitor center that I prob didn't need after all but was initially freezing when we got out of the van. I did warm up on the hike and took it off but just note to take a light jacket. The volcano park is nice, lots of cool things to see. The volcano hiking was fun and interesting, the area is really neat. Loved walking down on the lava beds and lower floor areas of the volcano. It was steaming but no red flowing lava when we were there but was some the week prior.

Summary: Nate is the best. He went out of his way to give us extra time, knowledge, and experiences. Legend!!