This is easily one of the best things we did on the Big Island. Luckily we saw a couple of You Tube videos that told us to bring a good flash light. We went by WalMart and picked up a decent power Flash light. Don't think you can do this with you cell phone light. The caves are not modified with railings and walkways and colorful lights. This is raw spelunking. At first it feels a little creepy but once you get in and start exploring the anxiety of being underground goes away. The floor is uneven and jagged. Don't come in flip flops. Bri g some sturdy sneakers or hiking boots. Water is constantly dripping from the roof but none of that matters cause you are so enthralled by the experience. You go through giant tubes carved out by lava you also enter giant cavernous rooms formed by the intense molten flow. Breathtaking is the best way to describe it. I wouldn't recommend little kids under eight. It is very hard to traverse some of these rocks. But go! Please go. You will thank me. Definitely Recommended. read more

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When we went it was on and off raining. The stairs are quite steep- down to the two caves. One on the right and one on the left. If you have trouble with balance etc. you should consider waiting in the car as the caves were wet and slippery. Was just accross the street from the parking lot. We were there for about 1/2 an hour. And it's FREE! I enjoyed seeing what the lava had created. We went to the volcano after this. Recommend flashlights and at least one head lamp. Phone lights are just too little! read more

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Very cool experience to walk through 2 caves. Bring a flashlight / headlamp. Your phone flashlight won't be as strong but can work if you have no options. Ideal shoes would be hiking boots but gym shoes will work. There are steep steps going down and then uneven rocks until the cave. The cave is uneven as well. Parking: maybe room for 10 cars, so parking could be difficult. When we went around 1pm on a Saturday, we didn't have a problem. Park and walk across the street to enter. Bathrooms: I did see some. Didn't use them though. read more

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WOW!!!!!! Extremely cool experience!! You can walk as far as you want/can through the pitch black caves. Bring flashlights or phone with you, don't wear flip flops but is doable lol watch your head too. I suggest getting far back and turning all lights off for a few minutes read more

It's a nice place to visit. Be sure to bring lights, closed toe shoes, a light jacket, and pants. The stairs are quite steep. The rock can be very slippery. If you have mobility issues, this is not the place for you. There is a lot of uneven surfaces here. Tge lava tubes are damp with condensation dripping from the ceiling. Parking is limited with no one to watch your car so don't keep any valuables in the car. read more

Kaumana Caves - One of the caves - Parks Near Me

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Really cool unique experience exploring a cave by ourselves! Bring headlamps! Free parking and free entry, even if you only go for a bit, it's worth checking out. read more

Close to downtown Hilo. Bring a flashlight and wear good hiking shoes. Parking is across the road from the entrance to the cave. Challenging but doable hike through the cave. read more

Cool (literary) and fun experience and it's free! I brought a strong flashlight which was helpful, but I also wished I had my headlamp, as the ground of the cave is very uneven and have sharp edges (volcanic rocks and lava) so I wanted both hands free as exploring deeper into the cave. There are 2 caves, and both are pretty interesting. Do wear good shoes covering your toes. read more

Kaumana Caves - Only about 10 meters in the cave, looking back toward the opening of the cave - Parks Near Me

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I randomly found this particular set of lava tubes about eight years ago as I was leaving rainbow Falls, and went back to check it out! I fell in love with these lav tubes. At that time I had mini LED flashlights and actually went a good mile in the tubes and I went so far deep that the water stopped dripping and then I swear I could hear my own heartbeat out of my chest since I'm claustrophobic! This particular time I did not do that! Lol we went about 30 feet in until the only light emulating was the giant entrance from the outside of the cave, but we only had our cell phone flashlight. Lol, This particular and my son's Friend has a size 13 shoe and he was afraid of getting his feet stuck in between some of the boulders of the rocks. Lol nevertheless he was amazed even as an 18-year-old and wish he had experienced this with his family when they were here two months ago! So I was excited to show him a new part of Hilo and this island!! I would also like to say for the random mainlanders that came through before me and carve their names into the lava tubes. That's incredibly disrespectful to this island, the Hawaiian culture and Pele herself!! This island is magical and defacing any property let alone mother earth is horrible! read more

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This is a very cool, free activity for the adventurous. To get the most out of this experience being a flashlight and sturdy shoes. This would have been more obvious had I done my research and read the reviews of others. Maybe better luck next time. read more

Definitely bring a real flashlight, the flashlight on your iPhone will not help you at all. The terrain is rocky and it's easy to get your foot caught in between rocks if you are not looking where you're going. You do not need a jacket, it's warm and humid in the cave. There are 2 sides to the cave, the left is short, the right side is longer. You can go all the way to the back of the right cave. Bring study shoes because it is wet in the cave and can get slippery. read more

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Amazingly dark, but so definitely worth the walk and crawl to get through! Wear closed toe, sturdy shoes, bring light, and be careful. read more

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Great stop along the short route between Waimea and Hilo. Love traveling Saddleback Road when I want to take the straighter route to the other side of the island. Kaumana Caves is a nice diversion from the quick ride. Be sure to visit Kaumana Caves prepared. You will want good soled covered shoes. A flaslight; better yet a headband flashlight to leave your hands free for exploring! read more

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Thanks for my fellow yelpers providing such helpful instructions from Parking to Which cave to pick and what to bring - you ROCK! Speaking of rocks, visiting a volcano tube is just a right of passage when you are on Big Island! This was such an easy stop for us and the kids loved the small brief adventure of it. You could definitely go deeper into the caves, but we just stayed where the natural light was, plus it gets a little wonky when it's crowded with people. Plan to wait a bit if there is a lot of foot traffic since you need to take turns accessing the opening of the cave and the stairwell. DO bring a headlamp, DO bring comfortable non-slip shoes, DO wear a hat for the wetness drips from the tube cieling & Hand Sanitizer! read more

Layman's caves is a good place to go spelunking but there are no improvements at all so you need long pants, gloves and good shoes. If you stumble in the dark the hardened and jagged lava floors and walls can cut into your flesh quite easily. Oh and don't forget your spare batteries for your flashlights--I think if your light died once you got way in there you could die instead of getting out because you cannot see your hand in front of your face and it is easy in the dark to get turned around. Anyway, come prepared so you do not get hurt! read more

To be honest, I can't fairly rate the caves because the signs scared me from going inside. I was wearing flip flops and a tank top versus the recommendation for hard hat, flashlight, and hard toes shoes. But the outside of the caves look cool and ominous! read more

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Oh wow, I looked at things to do in big island and found someone mentioned the caves. We decided to drive to the Kaumana caves since it was close to our hotel today. Wow, such as great experience. There were several parking spots across the street from the cave entrance. Would definitely recommend to be careful crossing the street because based on the curvature of the street, cars can be hard to spot and a few cars were driving pretty fast. There is a restroom next to the entrance and a small pavilion with a little bench. Going down the steps, on either side there located the caves. The caves is rocky and dark, so need to wear good shoes and need some type of flashlight. We wear our hiking shoes and uses our phone flashlights, which helps somewhat. Inside the cave is dark even at 11 am. It was a great experience to see this caves. Oh wow, I looked at things to do in big island and found someone mentioned the caves. We decided to drive to the Kaumana caves since it was close to our hotel today. Wow, such as great experience. There were several parking spots across the street from the cave entrance. Would definitely recommend to be careful crossing the street because based on the curvature of the street, cars can be hard to spot and a few cars were driving pretty fast. There is a restroom next to the entrance and a small pavilion with a little bench. Going down the steps, on either side there located the caves. The caves is rocky and dark, so need to wear good shoes and need some type of flashlight. We wear our hiking shoes and uses our phone flashlights, which helps somewhat. Inside the cave is dark even at 11 am. It was a great experience to see this caves. read more

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Such a unique experience! Make sure you take a flashlight/headlamp because without it, you'll be in complete darkness. Wear shoes with traction because you'll be climbing over lava rocks and walking on slippery and uneven ground during parts of this journey. At some points, you'll have to crawl/duck to get through low clearance areas. I couldn't find any info at the entrance on the length of the caves or if there was an exit. Once you decend down the very steep steps, you can go to the left or right. We chose the left and explored about half of the cave not knowing if there was an exit. However, after we headed towards the parking lot, we saw others exit the end of the cave from the street side. Parking is available across the street and along the rode. Totally worth a visit during your drive exploring Hilo. read more

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If you're cruising through Hilo, these Caves are worth a stop. Parking was across the street and you have to traverse down some stairs and into the Cave. I thought it was super cool to walk through the lave tube and enjoy the dankness of a cave. Recommend not wearing flip flops. read more

Kaumana Caves - Parks Near Me

Kaumana Caves is an absolute must if you are headed to Hilo. This was our first stop, and we didn't know what to expect. We parked in the lot across the street, and the entrance is just steps away. There are stairs leading down to the caves, and then it splits into two sections. One cave even has a waterfall if you're willing to climb a bit. Make sure to bring a flashlight and watch your step because the rocks can be slippery. This ended up being our favorite stop of the day! read more

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Make sure you bring strong flashlights or headlamps if you want to explore the caves!! We came just to check out the entrance and with only our phone lights we were not able to go more than a few yards into the cave. There is free parking across the street, and access to the caves is easy via a staircase. Even without going very far into the caves it was still cool and it looks beautiful looking out from inside the cave. read more

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Great Adventure! The view was so wow. It was a little wet, but still an exhilarating adventure. read more

Kaumana Caves - The view was wow - Parks Near Me

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The Nahuku (Thurston lava tube) was closed during our visit to the island and I was pretty bummed. I was determined to explore a lava tube during my trip and Kaumana Caves came through. My friends and I came out here in the afternoon. Parked across the street and ran over to the metal ladder entrance (the road you cross can be kinda busy). I put on bug repellent just in case a mosquito came at me all sideways. We went to the right side of the tubes and we spend a good 45 minutes inside. I didn't know that it was the longer tube, apparently the left side is shorter with more head room The right tube is quite long, dark and dampen but the air is nice, cool and refreshing. Most people hung out near the entrance of the cave but very few ventured inside. I highly recommend good shoes with a grip and a head lamp. It's pitch black and wet in some areas. You want to be able to have your hands free so you can grip or use the rock as support when you're going down. My friend had a head lamp and I didn't. I mainly used the light on my phone, so of course, only one of my hands were free. I wore long pants because it's best to have a extra layer between your skin and the lava rock if you fall or slip. I had to test a bunch of rocks to ensure it was sturdy as I was stepping, because there were quite a few rocky rocks. The head room did decrease quite a bit further into the tube and I hit my head a few times on the lava rock. Some areas you really had to crouch down. It wasn't the safest experience and I don't recommend bringing your lil' youngsters in. It was quite the unique adventure that's for sure. Check out The Kaumana Caves...if you dare. read more

Parking is across from the caves and it it on a hairpin turn. BE CAREFUL. Stairs down to the cave are narrow and steep. BE CAREFUL. It's a cave. In Hilo. It rains a lot. It's nature.... BE CAREFUL. Honestly it's common sense, know yours and your childrens capabilities as you prepares through the cave. While it may not seem difficult remember that it's a cave, and it gets slippery when wet, and there is some loose rocks, and it could honestly flood if rain it heavy enough. We didn't make it far bc some of our kids got scared. But I hear there was a waterfall at the end. Headlamps are beneficial as it allows light and frees up your hands. read more

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If you're looking for an adventure, a true adventure where you can climb, squeeze, hike, and be fully immersed in your experience you have to come to Kaumana Caves. Location and Entrance - Inconspicuous Located just a few miles away from downtown Hilo this cave is one of the most talked about places to visit when on the Big Island. You go uphill between a few neighborhoods (which is a pleasant visual drive) and the entrance is a simple sign on the right side of the road. Across the street from the cave entrance is a small parking lot. Here you can park and get read to go down a natural wonder (some would call them perhaps...a cave of wonders). Also, before heading in you can go to the bathroom located just a few yards away from the steep staircase leading down to the caves. Side note: I love how Hawaii has bathrooms near every site of adventure. Trails, caves, beaches; all have a bathroom somewhere near by. Supplies - Bring these! Before you go in you should know that head caves require some supplies to give you a great experience. Must haves: headlamp or flashlight, good grip shoes Should have: towel, water, rain jacket or poncho Don't use: phone flashlight, water shoes You will want a headlamp with a strong amount of lumens because it is your only source of light in these caves. Holding a flashlight is fine but that means you have one hand occupied which can make it difficult sometimes when you're trying to climb or traverse the tunnels. You definitely don't want your phone as your only source of light because it doesn't have enough power to see any further than a foot in front of you. You also want to use either hiking shoes or good grip shoes because you'll be going over lots of sharp, rocky terrain. Since these are former lava tubes lots of volcanic rock is everywhere. If you make the mistake of wearing water shoes like me you will feel every pointy, sharp rock in each step. It's an experience but probably not one you want. It is a cave so it does drip from the ceiling from the constant rain hitting this side of the island. It's not enough where you will need a rain jacket but if it is raining the day you go you should bring one just in case. The steps down to the cave entrances are very steep. There is a handrail on both sides so use them if you have vertigo. Afterwards, you can either choose left or right for your caves. The one on the left is a shorter one with a small hole at the end that lets in light from above while the one on the right is a much larger cavernous space. Inside the path can get from large enough to drive a semi through to a small as you'll have to squeeze in to keep going. If you're afraid of the dark this might be difficult for you but if you love adventure this is a must go place. Take pictures at the entrance of the cave but once you go in enjoy the quiet, disconnect from reality and a deep dive into the heart of the island. read more

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This was a last minute stop to visit on our drive from Kona to Hilo and so happy we took this slight detour! tl;dr Great spot to explore lava tubes (better than Thurston Lava Tube in the Volcano National Park) as long as you have your own light source. There's parking across the street from the entrance. Make sure to be careful when crossing the road as their is a blind road bend. Restrooms are available. There are steep stairs to the entrance where you can go either left or right. We explored both. Make sure to have shoes with good grip as the rocks are slippery and you'll notice a significant dip in the temperature. It gets dark after about 10 meters, but if you have a headlight/flashlight, you can explore for as long as you want. It's both magical and bit anxiety provoking especially if you get a bit claustrophobic as you have really no visibility outside your light source. read more

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Great lava tube adventure if you want a "raw" experience, there is no paved walkway, you are literally walking on Pahoehoe and A'a, very very difficult if you don't have good covered shoes and highly suggest LONG pants and shirt, in case you fall and get "ouchy". We went on a day that it was damp and wet, read the reviews but forgot to wear long pants, as we entered you can tell its very unstable walking conditions, many many tourist was going in and with or without proper attire, shoes or flashlights, we had our headlights but even with that it was very uneven terrain. We decided to go in but didn't venture far as we realized the ground was very unstable and you were climbing up and down. My husband wanted to venture further and did till we saw him "oops" disappear, he fell, that was it we hiked out and left. Next time we will have our hiking boots, long pants, long sleeves and a backpack with "just in case" supplies. Luckily when we were in the parking lot a family offered band aid and we started taking and they are experienced hikers and went as far as they could till they got to the double lava tubes, now that I want to see one day. But for now, I'll admire everyones pictures. So glad there are tourist that understand our aina and the meaning of "aloha" they were offering us locals assistance (got to love this family). read more

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AMAZING experience! Definitely a moderate skilled hike that requires some good closed toed shoes and a flashlight. Unfortunately our party did not come prepared and did not bring an actual flashlight, we noticed that people came with headlights which was a great decision as you want your hands free to balance and brace yourself during the hike. Although phone flashlights could get you through the hike its not ideal. Upon arrival there are steep stairs to get down to the cave. The hike consists mostly of jagged rocks and some flat stretches. There are small drops of water falling throughout the hike which creates that extra special cave experience. After around a 10 to 15 walk into the cave the cave height drops to around 3.5 ft so you have to crawl for some portions. read more

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Had a great time exploring these caves! There are two entrances that you can use on either side, and the caves stretches on for miles. We spent about an hour and a half exploring them, but still were not close to the end. Definitely be careful though and remember to bring a flashlight! Some rocks were wet, making them quite slippery. It also gets extremely narrow at some portions. read more

Kaumana Caves - Parks Near Me

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This is a 5+ attraction. I do not recommend this cave for small children, babies, old or out of shape people... The rocks are craggy and uneven and make it difficult and slow for littles... I would say a minimum of 6 years old to explore the mouth of the caves. We weren't sure if we were going to stop by this place on our way to the waterfalls but it definitely was worth it. We actually enjoyed the caves more than the waterfalls. It was also nice not having to pay and be able to explore on our own. It seems like most things these days are blocked off or cost $50 a person. We love to explore and experience new things. So this was right up our alley! Make sure to bring some tennis shoes or boots and maybe a long sleeve shirt & pants. Oh and of course a flashlight or at minimum your phone flashlight. We only spent a hour explaining both caves in total. I heard it takes over 2 hours with no kids to explore the caves. Grab a flashlight and go explore read more

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I'm always looking to do stuff that are budget friendly when on vacay. I mean think about it ( you spend a good amount of $$$ on hotel and food) Well the Kumana Caves offers free parking, free admission and restrooms available next to the entrance. This is a Self guided tour. Do not come here without a flashlight. As you descend it gets darker. You need good sturdy, closed-toe shoes and watch your head at all times. As for the lava tube itself, it's very cool. There's a little bit of graffiti and etchings, but it's mostly near the entrance and it doesn't detract from the experience too much. I am sure there are better tubes to explore on Hawai'i for the avid explorers, geologists, and volcanologists out there, especially some of the private tours, but this is FREE well-maintained, and very convenient to Hilo. For most people, that makes it a must-do! read more

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Cool caves always get a 5-star from me, especially if they are open during COVID-19 where the rest of the world shuts down. Parking is free and it's across the street from the caves, in a residential area but far from homes. Look both ways crossing the winding road as cars come whipping through. Lots of chickens in the parking lot looking for hand-outs, beware the panhandling chickens. Bathroom was clean and operational with plenty of toilet paper. Picnic pavilion was open for a nice picnic after spelunkering. Steps leading down the cave is steep but both hand rails on either side were welcoming. Plant lover's paradise with all sorts of flora growing about: large exotic monstera, about five different types of Philodendron growing wildly that you'd see on Instagram, and small pretty purple violet-like flowers. I'm sure if I spent more time there I would have uncovered a dozen more plants worth mentioning. Amazingly, no mosquitos bit us. We didn't venture into the caves, which were on either side (left or right, both lead into caves) as we didn't have flash lights and I was in my post-op shoe after suffering a toe fracture. Return factor - a solid yes, and next time I'm taking more photos of the plants. read more

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Free admission lava tubes! We went to the one on the left, and it was pretty cool. Make sure to bring a headlamp and wear hiking shoes as it's dark and rough terrain. read more

Kaumana Caves - Where it got a bit too rough to walk :) - Parks Near Me

Probably my favorite stop off in this area. The parking lot is across the street and it is usually filled up. It is quite rainy on this part of the island so the narrow stairs going down can get slippery. You definitely need to bring a flashlight. The flashlight on your phone will not cut it. There are two caves to explore. One isn't as deep as the other. There's a lot of uneven rocks inside but they're definitely both worth exploring! It can get spooky at times but it definitely was a highlight of my trip. read more

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What an experience! Definitely a spot to hike when in Hilo. As you go down the steep stairs you have a choice to explore two "caves". The right dead ends after approx 30 yards so it's great to take kids and explore the different types of lava flow. Large and cavernous.. Choose the left cave and adventure awaits but don't venture through without a flashlight!!! Or you will definitely spend your vacation with a rolled ankle (not fun). It's pitch black in there and a phone light is not good enough. Be persistent and hike/boulder 300 meters until you exit into a fern grove forest... you can choose to backtrack via the cave or take the above land trail back to the parking lot. If I had to do again I'd backtrack... you decide. read more

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The left cave has a higher ceiling The right has a lower ceiling and the further you go on the right.. has a more rough terrain. I'd advise shoes. Bug spray Buy a flashlight.. don't come without one. Phone lights will only work within 5 ft in front of you. There is a gentleman who sells flashlights across the street from the caves. Buy from him. Support locals read more

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I'm claustrophobic and don't like horror movies...and I was alone...made no sense for me to explore caves for the first time ever. But if you somehow muster up the courage like I did, exploring the caves was fun and exciting! All I had were hiking boots, a cheap Walmart flashlight, and zero experience. Fortunately there other tourists around to keep me company, otherwise I would not have ventured so deeply! Hard to describe in words...but wandering in the cold darkness is a thrill and adrenaline rush! Give it try...and watch your head. And its FREE! read more

This was our first stop on our day spent exploring Hilo. The caves are really pretty from the outside. There are two different caves/lava tubes. You can actually walk in and explore them if you bring a head lamp. We left ours in the car and didn't plan to spend a lot of time here, so we didn't go very far in. Located right by the town of Hilo, this is worth at least a quick stop to check out. read more

Kaumana Caves - Parks Near Me

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There are two caves at the site. There are small stairs part way down, then you're walking on rocks. Be sure to wear shoes. It can get slippery when it's wet. It's pitch black. Bring regular flashlights. The ones of the cell phones aren't strong enough. It wasn't my thing and there wasn't much to see. There's free parking across the street, about seven or eight stalls. Be careful when you're crossing the street. It's right by a turn and I saw cars speeding by. read more

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It's October 2023 and unfortunately the caves are closed due to a partial collapse. Bummer since I even bought a flashlight etc to be better prepared for this hike. read more

Kaumana Caves - Access is closed. - Parks Near Me