The ranch is open from 10am to 2pm with their hours clearly listed by the parking lot…read more It's a quaint little museum that records how the Parker family contributed, and continues to give back, to the Big Island community. The gift shop has a range of clothing, books and other information pertaining to the cowboys. It was fun to learn about how Hawaii came to grow to what it is today. Apparently they have fun events with plenty of vendors frequenting the ranch on weekends and holidays.

Parker Ranch is such a nice gem in Waimea (Kamuela) and full of history; in fact, they have been…read morefeaturing on Scenic Hawaii Channel (now Experience Hawaii). As of Summer 2024, they only offer self-guided tours at 10:00 AM, 11:00 AM, and 1:00 PM on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays. But if you are able to make it out to Parker Ranch, it is so worth it. There are a couple houses that you can go into (including the main one which you check-in with the staff), and then select parts of the grounds, and you might even see the cattle and horses along the way.

Super nice and friendly people. Lots of samples. Very educational. Bought chocolate bars…read moreshipped home , Very convenient.

I highly recommend this as one of the best chocolate tours!…read moreWe took the two hour tour with our family - it was a nice small group of six in total. Mike was not only an expert in all things chocolate, but he is easy to understand, he takes time to teach you and answer any questions and he has a great personality! It was pouring down rain the day we went, yet the tour was still a great success. We started out at the farm and then concluded down at the shop. You get to taste fresh cacao, nibs, cacao tea and kakao brew - of course at the shop are the full chocolate bars. Mike clearly loves what he does and enjoys sharing that love with his customers. The only down side is that after listening to Mike you will be ruined forever on eating any other general retail chocolate. So long Hershey and friends!

We did the Big Island Bees tour - 100% your time and the drive. Our guide/beekeeper grew up on…read moreher family Bee farm in the mainland. She was extremely knowledgeable about beekeeping. She shared her knowledge regarding be keeping, hive management, and the lifecycle of bees. She identified drones, workers, and the queen. She also explained Big Island Bee's rotates their bee hives into three unique environments which provide distinctive flavors of honey. and the process used for honey is extraction for sale. Big Island Bee's honey is 100% pure honey. (No attatives, it was interesting to learn that some producers of honey add corn syrup an and other adjectives) And she provided information regarding the year-round, honey production that is available in Hawaii, including the fact that big Island bees rotates their hives into three unique environments which provide distinctive flavors of honey. The honey tasting offered a great sampling of the honeys produce by the bees by the and good people at Big Island Bees. This is a great activity for everyone of all ages.

The cutest local honey producer! The honey tasting was lovely and the staff were really…read moreinformative. The flavor of this honey is out of this world, if I lived on the big island I would buy up so much of their honey! Lots of cute little gift items and gift sets. The vanilla ice cream was very sweet with good flavor. The bees in a hive at the very end of the store were something interesting to look at. Great stop great product reasonably priced, other stores on the island sell this product but at a marked up price, here you are going right to the source! Super cute and charming honey production facility.

"Experience" the parts of Hawaii that few will ever get to…read more I wanted to give my scuba diving wife an unforgettable birthday present on the island. Booking with Hawai'i Island Private Charters didn't disappoint! We signed up for a two-tank all-day excursion to the northern part of the Big Island coast. As we boarded the boat, the captain explained that whatever activity you book with him--scuba diving, deep-sea fishing, whale watching, snorkeling, or a night manta ray excursion--quickly becomes secondary to the "experience" of the luxury of the boat and the breathtaking scenery. He was absolutely right! You quickly glide up the coast, taking in the last remnants of civilization and feeling like a king. By the time you reach your first dive on the edge of the wild lands, you almost don't want to get up, but the dives were worth it. The boat drops you off at location with various secret dive sites that the captain knows well. You drift along underwater, marveling at the diverse sea creatures. On our dives, we spotted sharks, nudibranchs, Spanish dancers, lobsters, hawkfish, and more. After a safety stop, the group resurfaces, and the boat that has been following you is right there to pick you up. But the real magic happens during the long surface interval after the dive. The boat moves up a coastline that rivals any in the Hawaiian islands, including Maui and Kauai. You'll be stunned by the stunning cliffs, beaches, caves, palm trees, valleys, and peaks that come one after another. The best part is that you can see them all in a culturally sensitive way--from a boat off in the water, without ever needing to hike on land that you are not suppose to, trudging through and destroying ancient Hawaiian ground. However, the excitement doesn't there. During the boat ride up the coast, we witnessed many whales breaching, spouting, and tail slapping (it was the right time of year). When we turned around to speed back for our second dive, we were greeted by bottlenose and spinner dolphins surfing our wake. We managed to get some close-up pictures of both without even trying! Our second dive was perhaps even better than the first. Afterward, we enjoyed a delicious meal, snacks, and drinks on the ride back to the dock. We were once again kings and queens, content with the fact that our cameras were full of pictures to capture this unforgettable "experience". Whatever activities you choose to book with Hawai'i Island Private Charters, you'll have an amazing time and return with wonderful memories. It will be a highlight of your trip to Hawaii and well worth it.

I cannot say enough wonderful things about Wilson and the Mauna Kea Summit & Stars excursion…read more Wilson was incredibly well spoken and knowledgeable and I learned so much! He did all of this while navigating steep roads (not all paved) and feeding us amazing chicken stew, cookies, and hot cocoa. This was a truly memorable and magical trip and the weather was just perfect! Everything was well organized and I cannot recommend them enough

We went on an almost 100% full (flower) moon. It was special to see the terminator line on the…read moreCelestron telescope - it had such great definition! The color of Mauna Kea with the moon shining on it was so magical all around us. There were some clouds that cleared pretty well by the end of our star gazing. We were the last ones up there so it got dark enough to see more than you'd expect with the moon. Jeff, our awesome tour guide, used a laser pointer to help us see the constellations we usually can't back at home. The images on the digital telescope like nebulas, the moon & star clusters were an amazing addition to have as keepsakes. My husband and I felt he made the tour a great balance of learning and fun. He had the group feeling like family before we even left from the pickup lot. Things to consider: I do recommend following the moons cycles booking this tour/your trip if this is especially important for you to see as many stars as possible. The sunset and views of the observatory's make it awesome anyways :) I struggled with altitude sickness around 12,000 ft. Jeff had made sure to let us know beforehand if we experienced any issues to speak up. I was hesitant as I know it would mean turning the whole tour around, but some tingling turned to dizziness and then a brief fainting. He immediately stopped the bus and helped ground me and make sure I was completely okay & coherent before letting me know our options for the tour. We made it up to the top with 2 more (included in tour) stops and I felt better with each one having more time to acclimate :) Thank you Jeff!! You handled this so professionally and I appreciate your check-ins for the rest of the trip. It's cold even with parka and gloves. It's so worth packing warm shoes and layers. The bus had ac and heat so that was great! Do it if you can! Awe-inspiring! Such an unreal environment that makes you wonder about so many things. Just take the precautions seriously, move slow and breathe deep.

The Big Island tour was excellent! Our guide, Chris, provided a lot of history, which was awesome…read more Learned a lot from Chris! The island is beautiful and seeing the Kilauea volcano was a high light. Chris' driving was good and lunch provided hit the spot.

Mia was our driver. It was so great doing an all day tour with someone who lives on the island…read more Mia was able to point out so many places that would not be on a scripted tour. Great value for the price.

The Kona Cloud Forest Sanctuary has a truly special history as a multi-generational reforestation…read moreproject, and that profound energy is palpable the moment you step into its lush, misty trails. At a transitional point in my life after some major changes, I discovered their Forest Bathing (Shinrin-Yoku) experience. As a first-timer, I was blown away--it felt deeply spiritual and cleansing, with guided invitations to slow down, breathe in the cool forest air, listen to the birds and rustling leaves, and connect mindfully with the ancient trees and vibrant ecosystem. I highly recommend this for anyone seeking personal growth, healing, or simply a reset amid life's junctors. Our guide, Bri, was exceptional--knowledgeable, intuitive, and truly essential to unlocking the full magic of the experience. Request her if you can! For visitors to Hawai'i, don't miss this hidden gem on the uplands of the Big Island. It's a serene contrast to the beaches, showcasing the island's diverse, restorative natural side. As a lucky Holualoa resident, I'm excited to explore more offerings, especially the Sound Bath Meditation Journey, tree-planting volunteer opportunities, and Bri's new Exploring Within: A Music & Movement Journey in Nature. p.s. make sure you use their natural mosquito spray before heading out!

I loved everything about this tour and our tour guide Daniel was amazing. He was so knowledgeable…read moreabout the cloud forest and able to point out different species of trees and the overall history of the called forest along our tour. This place is definitely up in the clouds and gets really cold. There are a variety of tours that are offered and I ended up taking a hike and a sound bath. The hike was about a mile long and it looped around the cloud forest, so there's no way you can get lost. They are still actively working to plant trees and they have volunteer opportunities on the weekends for locals which I think it's a great option. This is such a peaceful and amazing way to learn about the history of the island along with ways to protect the trees and other plants that are being planted there. In addition to the hiking, there is also birdwatching and there's also a sound bath that is offered. I ended up doing the sound bath and it was just absolutely amazing, and it was really amazing right after the hike. I highly recommend both of these activities and to try to do them back to back. Both are such a relax and experience and it's also helping to reclaim the natural Kona world from deforestation.

What an amazing experience. We booked a tour to see the lava fields and enjoy a snorkeling…read moreadventure and it was a full day of adventure. Keep in mind there is no snorkeling on this excursion and the area around the Hilton is not safe or appropriate for snorkeling. I am writing the review solely on the lava field excursion part. My wife was very dissapointed that there was no snorkeling as we purchased new snorkeling equipment. Roxy was our tour guide and was probably the most knowledgeable and professional tour guide we have ever had the pleasure of experiencing. Roxy was knowledgeable in the history of volcanoes on Hilo and elsewhere, horticulture, bird species, animals, Hawaiian culture, tourist attractions, history of the Hawaiian Islands, tribes and Capt. Cook, beaches, teachings, burial practices and so much more. Roxy told stories of the early days in Hawaii and how it evolved. Also as a noted her driving and safety practices were impeccable. If you are planning to come to Hilo you must make it a point to reach out to Roxy. We spent approximately 8 hours on the tour and it was so enriching although the lack of snorkeling was a dissapointment . Highly recommended Mahalo

This company did not disappoint! Mac was a phenomenal guide--extremely knowledgeable, professional,…read morecourteous, and accommodating. He didn't just share information about the places we visited; he brought them to life and made the entire experience memorable. I highly recommend this company, and if you can, be sure to ask for Mac.

What a great experience!! This was a last minute decision to do this tour because a recommendation…read morefrom another tourist we met and I am so glad we did it! Our tour guide was so knowledgeable and friendly! The views were spectacular and such great information on this tour! You can't reach this area in your own car so the only way to get there is through tour company. If you don't go on a tour you only get to see the lookout of the valley. It is such a fun experience going down the steep road and beautiful view of the coastline, wild horses coming up to the van, driving through streams, and even getting out of the van to dip our toes in the water. If you want to see beautiful landscape and learn about the land take this tour!

All the stars - Our guide, Seanry was rad. We really enjoyed learning about the Waipio lands and…read moreall it's history. You walk away from this tour feeling more connected to the lands and culture. Thank you for continuing to offer these tours, the best thing we can do is educate tourist and create more respect and awareness of all the amazing history here in Hawaii.

We had a great day out searching for Whales! The staff was great with communication and answering…read morequestions before the trip.

We had a wonderful time with Tyler and Captain Alan. Really nice, down to earth people. We got…read moretwo swims at lovely coves and a spin To Kona. Highly recommended. A memorable day.