I admit, Facebook's targeting marketing worked on me and I booked this tour after seeing this place repeatedly popping up on my feed. Boy, I wasn't disappointed! It was a lovely tour. We happened to book on a perfect mostly sunny day in Hilo (a rare event!). It is a long way on a gravel road, it feels like it goes on forever. But the place is totally worth it. We had a private tour with Jessica, who was a fabulous guide. She was very easy going and laughed when my 8 yr old son took off at a run around the cacao groves. Sometimes kids just gotta run, and this was an idyllic place to do it. We learned so much about the chocolate making process and my whole family enjoyed tasting the various kinds. My kids (8 and 12) both really enjoyed the tour, which actually surprised me. They are usually tough to entertain. We bought plenty of chocolate to eat and take home as souvenirs. And the view from the gift shop was STUNNING! Panoramic views of Hilo bay. Of course, we were super lucky with the weather, normally it's cloudy and rainy. Also, be sure to check out the garden in the sunken lava tube next to the visitor center. So beautiful! read more

See all

Amazing tour! An intimate experience from tree to tasting. We walked through groves of caco trees to the warehouses where the beans are dried and roasted with a knowledgeable guide, Jessica. We were a group of six including two teenagers and grandparents. Everyone enjoyed the experience. They took all of the necessary precautions so that we all felt comfortable and safe. The last few miles of the drive to the start of the tour added to the adventure :) read more

Jeremy gave us a great tour with lots of detail. We learned about chocolate growing, chocolate making, palm oil, and plans for the farm. We really liked their chocolate. We had dark chocolate fans that even enjoyed the milk chocolate and milk chocolate fans that liked the dark. We hope to return when they have hikes to their beautiful waterfalls. Road to the farm was a bit bumpy. read more

This tour was top notch. After cruising through the health considerations we jumped on a covered golf cart to tour the huge farm. Derick was incredibly knowledgeable and charming. He took us from tree to chocolate with all 5 senses engaged. My kids said that they thought it would be boring but they loved it. The only problem is I am sure we didn't buy enough chocolate. read more

Wonderful experience for adults and kids in the group. The drive up to the farm is very scenic. Our tour guide Lexi was lovely. She was very patient and knowledgeable and answered all our questions. She even kept the kids entertained and engaged with facts and jokes. The samples were delicious! Highly recommend. read more

The private tour is amazing. Out of all of the things we did on the Big Island, which included staying and playing at the Hilton Waikoloa Resort/Kings Land, Snorkeling at the Captain Cook Monument, Snorkeling and seeing Manta Rays, visiting Akaka Falls and the Volcano Park, this was our most enjoyable activity. My boys, ages 8 and 10 simply loved the education and information, being able to see first-hand the cacao pods and tasting everything from seed to final product. Everyone who works there is super nice and our tour guide was really enthusiastic. There is also a bonus sunken garden that is like paradise within paradise with some ducks and silky chickens you can feed. read more

See all

This is a fantastic tour for anyone in the area. Really enjoyed the tour! Derek was an excellent guide and really helped explain the entire production process. I appreciated his expertise and learned so much! Thanks to everyone for a great experience! Best of luck on the farm this year and to come! Mahalo nui! read more

Coffee tours are common in Hawaii, but chocolate?? We had to go and we are so glad we did. A gorgeous view above Hilo and some of the absolutely most delicious chocolate you could imagine. Friendly, laid back staff on a massive farm unlike anything else on the Big Island. Worth the trip and the experience for one of the few places you can grow cacao in the world! read more

Wonderful chocolate adventure. Beautiful area of Hilo. Felt very safe. Temp check, masks, hand sanitizer & social distancing. The staff was friendly & informative. Love supporting a local business. Our tour guide, Jeremy (I think) was great. Nice, knowledgeable & great with our kids. Even let the littles pick Cacau fruit. Samples were amazing. Never had chocolate so fresh. I'm going to buy yours for Christmas presents. read more

We really enjoyed the tour at Lavaloha! Our guides were very knowledgeable and answered all our questions. It was raining when we went but they took us on their covered mini bus which kept us dry to show us the farm. Highly recommend all chocolate lovers to check out Lavaloha! read more

We had guests from California visiting. This was a great tour and very informative. The tasting was good. We will be back for more. Thank you so much for all your hard work and a fun time. read more

See all

As we rode through the beautiful fields, making numerous stops along the way, we learned all about the process of making chocolate from tree pod to the edible product that we all know and love. Left with a great appreciation of all the numerous steps that it takes to make chocolate. Lots of samples to taste in the store. All the personnel were very friendly & knowledgeable, including Tiare in the store, Jessica who was our driver/tour guide & the guys working the machinery. We were surprised to learn that surrounding the cacao beans is a fleshy pulp that can yield a tropical-like sweet-tart juice. read more

This was a fabulous tour that was a highlight of our trip! It was perfectly paced with the right amount of information (not too much) for our group that included folks from 16 months - 60+. Their "bus" made it so that everyone could attend - making it accessible for seniors. I liked that we could get out to see the cacao pods and have a spot to sample chocolate. The visit to their private waterfall was a bonus. Loved the guides! (Tour was $30/15% off for 5+ groups) read more

First time to visit...amazing! The views from their location are breathtaking! The chocolate so good! Enjoyed the chili pepper chocolate the most and the 70% dark chocolate is amazing!!! Didn't have time to do the tour, that'll be on the next trip for sure!!! read more

Drama was an amazing guide for our tour! The whole farm is beautiful and the chocolate was delicious.

I have been to the Big Island 4 times now as my son is studying at UH Hilo and each time I try to do/see something new. Took my teenage daughter and was hoping it would be fun (how can you go wrong with chocolate?) but I was blown away. The farm is so beautiful and peaceful with spectacular views. Our guide Jessica was so knowledgeable and taught us so many things about growing cacao, it is literally is a seed to bar tour and you learn, see and taste all of the steps in the process. Everything is COVID safe, and the chocolate is some of the best I have ever had. Super interesting experience & highly recommend! read more

Our family learned so much about the history of the island's geography and the agricultural science behind chocolate production. It was so much fun, too! I've never tasted white chocolate that I liked before this tour. I highly recommend this facility! read more

Booked the Farm to Table Chocolate tour. It was just 2 of us, and we ended up with a private tour of a working farm. Got to pick the cocoa pod, and taste fresh cocoa nectar from the seed pod. Jeremy was our tour guide and he told us lots of tidbits of info about the island that he grew up on. His Grandparents were also farmers on this land, so his roots are deep here. He knows the local flora and fauna like the back of his hand. This tour was truly a highlight of our trip. The farm is all about conservation and caring for the land. When you go, check out their butterfly tent. Super cool and the kids will love it. read more

What an amazing tour, we learn so much about cocoa and chocolate from Jess. Thank you Jess for educating us and for all the tasting. Thank you Lavaloha. Must go to tour when in Hilo. read more

Took this tour as a last minute thing to do before we left the Big Island and was not disappointed! The view from the farm is amazing of Hilo & the bay. Derek our tour guide was amazing we learned so much on our tour & he answered all our questions. I learned a lot more about the process of how chocolate is made. The gift shop is very nice. We aren't coffee drinkers so this chocolate farm was a great choice for an activity. You should make the time for this tour for sure! read more

We took our 2 and 5 year old kids with us on the tour, and everyone had a great time! It was a perfect activity during our Hilo visit, and we were lucky that we stumbled upon it on Yelp the day before when we were looking for family-friendly activities in the area. Jessica was an amazing guide - she was great with kids but also super knowledgeable with all of our Q&A. We appreciated the option of riding in the open air tram, as our kids could not handle the walk. Beautiful grounds and view, and we learned a lot from the informative and thorough tour. The chocolate was delicious as well! The kids' favorite part was playing with the farm's piglet, Mr. Nibs, who was absolutely delightful. We felt very welcomed and it was an experience we'll remember for a long time. read more

We truly enjoyed our cacao farm tour of Lavaloha. It really is a hidden gem of Hilo. Our guides, Justine and Jayton, were extremely knowledgeable and passionate about their jobs. Due to COVID, tours groups are limited to family units or single groups which resulted in a very personal tour. The tour is an educational and tasty introduction into the world of chocolate. Don't forget to stop in the gift shop to pick up some decadent chocolate. Highly recommend! read more

Was told about this cacao farm from a friend and decided to take a drive up. The quick drive from hilo is beautiful with views of the mountains and ocean. The visitors center has free samples of all the chocolate made right there on the farm! The tour was my favorite part. Derek was very knowledgeable and even picked cacao for us to taste!! I also heard they encourage families to bring lunch and just hang out on the lanai and enjoy the views! Great for kids. Definitely worth making this stop a priority when going to Hilo. read more

We were here for the chocolate tour. It was a wonderful experience for son and us. Very accommodating staff. The farm itself is really beautiful and scenic. The chocolate tour was a real pleasure with tastings all the way while taking a tour across the farm. After the tastings you have the opportunity to hang around the shop and the farm lava tube garden and stream. Really worth the time. We would highly recommend it for adults and children alike. Notes- Easier to plan if you are staying near Hilo. An important thing for us - had a really clean restroom in the cottage. read more

We had a wonderful time at Lavaloha! Jayton was our tour guide and it was clear that he is not only knowledgable about cacao farming, but also very passionate and loves his job! It was a little rainy out so we rode the mini bus, which my kids thought was great. My kids all loved the tour (ages 8-15). We left the tour feeling very welcomed and educated. Besides, who can complain about a tour that smells like chocolate?! Would definitely recommend read more

This was an interesting and educational tour. Can ride the minibus or do a walking tour depending on the group. Great way to see the new agriculture evolving from the old. read more

One of the drawbacks of living on an island for 20+ years is that it can be hard to find something new, enjoyable and informative to do. Our tour of Lavaloha on Mother's Day exceeded expectations in all categories with the considerable added benefit of being delicious. The entire experience is a celebration of the natural wonders of Hawaii and the amazing potential of land in the care of those with deep knowledge and respect for it. Plus serious gourmet chocolate. Weth Whether you're here for a short visit or here to stay, plan a day around a visit. read more

We had a wonderful time at Lavaloha! The grounds are absolutely gorgeous with amazing views. It was well worth the drive from Kona. Our kids really enjoyed tasting the cocoa and different chocolates at the end. I look forward to coming back and hopefully they'll have more things as our tour guide, Jeremy said they want to open a farm to table restaurant. Thanks Facebook for the weird stalking you did to make this location pop up for us to try. read more

My husband and I took my granddaughter for the chocolate tour and we all really enjoyed it. We learned so much about the cacao plant and so much more about this special place. There is much more than chocolate up there. Friendly and knowledgeable tour guide and staff. We will definitely visit again! read more

If you love chocolate, appreciate farming and gardening, living off land, you will be amazed by this place. The property is huge with majestic views, lots of fruit trees, coffee, cacao trees, lychee trees, etc. Our guide Derrick is an awesome dude with deep knowledge of Hawaii farming and land use, and will show you the process of making chocolate starting from cutting fruit from the tree and you get to taste it at every stage of the process. I am obsessed with dark chocolate, so I felt like a kid in a candy store. What a unique and unforgettable experience. read more

The chocolates are really good and the tour was very cool. Jeremy showed the whole process of how chocolate is made, from picking the Cacao fruit to adding color streaks to make the chocolate look like lava. I've never tasted a Cacao fruit and they are very delicious. We enjoyed the tour and the chocolates. read more

excellent farm tour of growing the cacao bean, processing and final delicious product. Learned so much, history and origins of cacao and the growth if the industry in Hawaii. The different types of pods, and why. We toured the whole process, and tasted along the way. read more

We had a great time at the farm today and learned so much about cacao and processing it from tree to table. Our guide Jess was fantastic and clearly loves her job. She was so knowledgeable and eager to share her knowledge! I would definitely recommend this tour to anybody looking for a casual learning experience. read more

Beautiful grounds, and really pleasant tour. Jessica was our guide, and she was both informative and friendly. I was delighted to be able to bring off island guests, but I didn't feel like it was a cheesy tourist attraction. Also, the chocolate itself is absolutely delicious. Be sure to try a few of the samples after your tour is done, you'll no doubt want to buy a few kinds to take home! read more

The chocolate tour was wonderful! Friendly staff, delicious confections, and a great gift shop with local crafts and foods. High recommend if you're in Hilo! read more

Hi- Four of us went to Lavaloha for a tour. The tour guide, Jayton, was on a scale of 1 to 5 a 10. He was just outstanding and Lavaloha is lucky to have such an outstanding representative. The only negative there was that two of the people making their reservation made it for one week later than they intended. The staff at Lavola let them take the tour when they arrived but levied a financial penalty against them for accommodating them. Really, no one else was there and all four were clearly together, so that seemed really unnecessary even though on line they warn you that if you change your appointment time, they'll accomodate you but penalize you. So, that added a sour taste to the experience. read more

It's a lovely farm with a spectacular view of Hilo. The tour was lead by Derek who was both knowledgeable and personable. Enjoyed trying the Cacao fruit as well as other fruits on the farm. Not to mention finishing the tour with the delicious chocolates. read more

I wasn't completely sure about taking this tour but it was a great experience. Our tour guide, Derek, was fun and informative. There is nothing better than being guided by someone who is passionate about the work that they do. We learned so much about this process and the chocolate was INCREDIBLE!!!! Thank you for a wonderful experience!! read more

Our guide Justine was awesome!! Very beautiful area and orchard. Excellent description of the chocolate making process. Went with my husband and 15 year old daughter. We all loved it, especially the chocolate samples:). read more

Awesome place and knowledgeable/fun tour guide. I learned a lot about cacao farming and it's challenges in Hawaii- the product they are able to produce is amazing. I recommend the white chocolate w/cacao nibs and the sea salt milk chocolate. The biggest compliment I can give is that I usually don't like chocolate that much! read more