LOST is my favorite TV show, and I always dreamed of going to Hawaii. This past April, my parents and I set sail from Sydney, Australia and ended our cruise in Honolulu. Naturally, since we left Sydney and ended up on "the Island," taking a LOST tour would be the perfect way to end our trip.
When planning the trip, the only day we could spare for a full day tour of the island was May 2. I quickly found KOS Tours online which seemed to have the strongest and longest history of giving LOST-centric island tours. They had several half-day options to choose from, but we wanted the full circle tour to see the most in the limited time we had. So I pushed the button without hesitation and we were booked. When we got there, it turned out to only be my parents and me with one other person, so a great small group experience if you want to avoid large tour groups.
Like many in other reviews, we had Greg Berquist as our guide. Greg was an extra several times on LOST, most notably appearing at Santa Rosa in scenes with Hurley. Some in other reviews had mixed feelings about Greg's opinions and theories about the show. Honestly, even though I didn't agree with everything he said, he argued his points well. It reminded me of how much I missed watching LOST when it first aired. Theorizing was fun back then and it's still fun to talk about the show now. So I truly appreciated the dialogue and thinking about the show differently than I was naturally inclined.
Greg made the day fun, often engaging us in conversation. He used his film experience at times to direct us in taking some quirky and memorable pictures. As we drove from place to place, he loved giving us trivia which in some ways gave me confidence in how well I knew the show. However, he did stump us several times. According to Greg, we were the only group ever in all the years he has run this tour that correctly named all ten Dharma stations from memory. So that's cool.
We visited so many places throughout the day, too many to list. But some notables were Sacred Hearts Academy (Eloise's church), Santa Rosa, the Byodo-In Temple, several key beaches from the show, the waterfall at Waimea, and Camp Erdman (the Dharma Barracks). Visiting the Dharma Barracks was the highlight of my day, walking around those famous cabins and taking pictures. What struck me the most is how it still looks just like the show, only with the buildings painted blue.
Greg brought us to Ted's Bakery for lunch which was a really nice stop and a much needed pause during the day. So, if you're considering this tour, don't worry about food. Whether you stop at Ted's Bakery or somewhere else, you'll have time to eat.
Do I recommend KOS Tours for a great LOST experience? Absolutely. We had a wonderful trip overall, but I think we really saved the best for last. We enjoyed our time chatting with Greg and seeing the sites where so many amazing scenes were shot for such a legendary show. This LOST fan was not disappointed. And if you ever take the LOST tour and I see you in another life, don't be surprised if I pull a Jack and say, "Now you're like me." Namaste! read more