Huaka'i guide services showed me a part of Hawaii I normally wouldn't see. Going hiking is out of…read moremy element but you only live once right? I gave Kehau a call and worked out a hike with a group of friends that wouldn't be too rigorous but still challenging. With steady encouragement and the message "it will be worth it at the top" and on the way he filled me in with awesome history and an authentic hawaiian perspective which was informative. Once at the top of the ridge I was at a loss for words we were mesmerized, it was completely worth it. We ended up scheduling another hike before the trip was over. Highly recommend Huaka'i guide services for an awesome authentic Hawaiian adventure.

From the owner: We are a group of seasoned local guides, dedicated to perpetuating pono and aloha by sharing with…read moreour visitors a cultural and historical understanding on the people of Hawai'i and the place we call home. Experience the amazing and beautiful island of Hawai'i through Hawaiian culture and folklore. We provide a wide range of services guaranteed to show you the most iconic locations in the most authentic way. Whether you are looking for a easy breezy shuttle or an elaborate full day tour, our team at Huaka'i Guide Services has you covered.

Super fun, thoughtful crew; Nick, Avery and Myra!! Beautiful park and a great value. We learned…read moreabout some flora and fauna as well!

Hands down one of the best experiences we had on the Big Island. We got super lucky -- it ended up…read morebeing just me and my boyfriend on the tour, and it felt like a completely personalized adventure from start to finish. The entire team was unbelievably nice. Not just polite -- genuinely warm, fun, and so welcoming. They took the time to get to know us, made us laugh, hyped us up, and really made the whole experience memorable. You can tell they love what they do, and it shows in how they treat every guest. The ziplines were gorgeous, safe, and such a thrill, but the guides truly made it next level. It didn't feel rushed or routine at all. Instead, it felt like hanging out with friends who just happen to be amazing at their job. We loved it so much and would recommend this place in a heartbeat. If you're on the Big Island, this is absolutely a must-do.

Highly recommend!! we had so much fun getting to understand the national park and the different…read moreways a volcano erupts, the process and stories behind all of it was worth it. The go into so many details and you can feel the passion with which they explain things. Loved it

Chris the Lava Boy gave us a tour of a lifetime and we knocked off one of our bucket list items!!…read more Chris shared stories with us about his Hawaiian heritage and the local impact of Kilauea, while walking us to the gorgeous views of the Volcanic lava entrance into the ocean. Following checking out the ocean entry a few of us in our party continued our hike into the darkness to find the active lava fields. we felt safe the whole time and chris was well prepared with snacks , water , and flashlights. It Was an amazing experience to get close enough to the lava where you can feel the heat on your skin and hair! Chris took pictures for our group and was very flexible for any requests we had while viewing the lava fields. Chris also has prime access to the national park. So his private parking access cuts about 4 miles off of your round trip so you have more time to spend watching the lava! I strongly recommend taking the hike to the fields and if im back in the Big Island i will def go back to the fields (or further) with the Lava Boy! Thanks Chris!

My husband, 1yr old son, and I spent the day touring the big island with Savannah and Keola. We…read morewere greeted with leis and smiles! Really felt the "Aloha Spirit" with them. We were so grateful to find a tour that was kid friendly and they made it so easy with accommodating our son and potty/diaper changing stops. The van was very clean and comfortable with a tv screen that showed educational videos about where we were about to visit. Both Keola and Savannah would chime into the videos and tell different stories that connected with the video, felt very interactive. We had a blast and would 100% recommend!

From the owner: Exploring a new Island may lead to unneeded stress. Don't worry leave it to us your Hawaii Local…read moreConnection to take care of you like ohana (family). All of our tours are done Hawaiian local style full of ALOHA. Lots of fun and laughter will be shared during your tour. We will assure your safety is our #1 priority. Then let the fun times roll. These tours are suited for all ages and fitness levels. If weather is not ideal, we got you covered. We will provide umbrellas and alternat sites to visit if needed. We will provide snacks nonalcoholic drinks and lunches. You will also be driven around in a luxury mercerize sprinter van equipped with a large tv. We will be featuring rare Hawaii videos of Historic lava events, Hawaiian Legends of the lava/fire goddess Pele, Hula dancing and the connection to Pele, and much more options. You will be able to kick back and relax on "Hawaiian time" while we drive you around to visit some of Hawaii's most breath-taking sites. Let us take care of you and show you true Aloha. About Hawaii Local Connection Tours LLC Hawaii Local Connection tours is a 100% local, family-owned company, operating on the big island of Hawaii. Our tours specialize in a fully customizable authentic local island experience. We can take you almost anywhere you want to go on the island with a variety of epic scenic locations available to choose from, with native guides bilingual in Hawaiian-Pidgin and English. We are here to serve you as your Hawaii local connection.

Our 4:30am lava hike was one of the highlights of our trip to the Big Island. We met up at their…read moreoffice close to the Kalapana Gardens at 4am, checked in, signed some papers and got snacks and coffee (included in the tour). It is recommended that you wear long pants (but some did it in shorts) and requires that you have shoes that cover your toes (no water shoes or sandals). I did it in work out legging and sneakers and my boyfriend did it in jeans and hiking boots. We were both fine and neither of our shoes melted though at one point, his feet got really hot bc I made him stand by the lava for so long for a picture. Bring a good amount of water or your camelback and a hoodie bc it was cold in the morning. They provide you with good headlamps and flashlights since you are hiking in the dark. We were in a group of 12 or so and we loaded up in their nice van and drove out to start our hike. They take you as far as you can go on the road (where people would be otherwise renting bikes or walking) so it saves you some walking. From there, it's just up the lava you go. It was nice that the tour guide told us to take a look at the lava rocks and the texture which was glass like. Basically a warning to tell you don't slip and fall bc this stuff might hurt you. As we walked, it sounded like glass shards breaking under us and we walked towards orange glows up the mountain. Eventually we made it while it was still dark and it was crazy you could feel the heat as you got close to the lava. We spent an hour or so taking pictures of and with the lava and relocating to a few other areas with lava as it eventually got light. We hiked back down the same way and ended around 8:30am. Highly recommend this company as they do a good job making everyone feel safe and we completed the hike at a nice pace. They do not allow kids under 12 and it's probably not recommended for anyone over 50. There are parts where you might have to hop down or take a big step up or down and keep your balance. Our group did a good job and most were in their 20's and 30's and maybe one brave solo hiker in her 40's. Super worth it to wake up early and experience this in Hawaii!

The best thing I've done in Hawaii! We went out on their second day with the new (bigger) boat,…read morewhich provides a pretty smooth ride. We did the sunrise tour, which I would highly recommend. You get to the flow while it's still dark and can watch the sunrise out of the ocean which is another awesome aspect. Parts of the flow were breaking away while we were out there causing new patterns of flowing lava, it's just ever changing the entire time you're watching. A bonus was while on the way back, we came upon a pod of bottle nose dolphins and they swam along with us for awhile. No sooner we left those to continue to the dock, we came up on a pod of spinner dolphins. We absolutely recommend this and it is worth every single penny. Looking forward to doing this again next time we're on the island

We went whale watching & we saw whales! Capt Kiliko &…read moreMorgan were super chill & made the experience memorable. We were kindly greeted at the pier with a quick safety briefing. Our highlight was seeing two whale tails next to each other at the same time. Really enjoyed our trip with them.

Feb 2026 - Based on my experience, I urge you to consider not doing business with this company…read more They appear to value revenue over the safety and comfort of their customers. Due to hazardous weather conditions, the tour we were on should never have left the harbor. Not only were the ocean wave conditions reported by the coast guard to be clearly dangerous, the driving hard rain made the conditions completely unacceptable not only for safety reasons but for customer comfort. Despite my several attempts to point this out to the staff answering the phone one day prior to the tour as well as the captain of the boat prior to departure, they blocked my attempts to reschedule or refund the trip in spite of coast guard and national weather service small craft warnings, beach closures and other tour operators canceling their tours under the same conditions. After waves broke over the bow of this small craft, the captain aborted the tour and turned around. After an unusually leisurely return to the dock, I called and asked for a refund. Later we were told based on our return time, we had received the full tour and a refund would not be issued. After escalating our concern, a senior member of the company emailed us and said we would be issued a full refund. Over six weeks later they have still not issued us a refund. We had to file a dispute with our credit card company.

An amazing adventure/experience. This was my first jump (age 52) and also for my daughter (age 18)…read more The operation was safe, beautiful and exhilarating. I will go again with my other daughter when she turns 18.

Holy crap... I've been skydiving twice before here. Skydiving in Hawaii was the most unreal calming…read moreexperience I have ever endured in my lifetime. It was just pure calmness falling through the sky looking at all the beautiful land and water. Unreal experience, would absolutely do it again! They also make a cute little video for you to get after your experience. Highly recommend this place for the experience of a lifetime and for the kind staff they have! Thank you for an experience I'll never forget!

Seriously hands down the best tour group on the Big Island! They were super welcoming, very kind…read moreand helpful, knowledgeable, and accommodating of/to us. They made us feel extremely at ease and right at home (we were visiting from Oahu. We were able to get nearly everything on my itinerary done and it would not have been possible without them! They truly made our visit an unforgettable and meaningful experience.

We loved snorkeling in Kona. We saw so many beautiful fish, dolphins, manta rays and sea turtles!…read moreWe traveled from the east side of the island and it was so worth it. The drive through the volcanoes at sunrise was unforgettable. Also made some new friends on our boat who told us so many more low key spots to check out! Was an amazing day in Hawaii

What an amazing experience! From the start, Shawn helped create the perfect tour for us. We took…read morea few things from his various tours and made it into a custom experience that was beyond anything we could have expected. Shawn was a great communicator beginning to end. He answered all of our questions before (and during!) the tour and made us feel comfortable with everything. Our day began with Shawn picking us up at our hotel. We had no idea what to expect as this was our first time doing a private tour. The initial ride before our first stop was fairly long, but Shawn was able to use this time to give us a tour of the island and fill us in on the history of the island. You can tell how much Shawn loves what he does and how much he loves the island. Shawn has an incredible and impressive amount of knowledge about everything and anything Big Island, you can feel his passion for learning and his passion for sharing this knowledge throughout the tour. Our kids (9 and 13) were easily entertained and engaged by Shawn's knowledge and approach. This is by no means a tour just for families, it would be perfect for anyone, but Shawn effortlessly adapted the information for kids and adults. Spending an entire day with a stranger could be hard but Shawn is so friendly that we quickly felt like we were spending the day with a friend. During our tour we had to make some changes on the go and Shawn was able to adapt quickly and had some alternatives ready to go. Shawn really helped to make this tour feel special and personal. On top of all of this, Shawn had everything we needed-snacks, drinks, rain coats, and head lamps! He made it so easy to pack for this tour. We can't recommend Backroad Adventures enough. It has been a few days since we did our tour and we are still talking about it. Shawn definitely made Big Island memorable for us!

From the owner: At Big Island Backroad Adventures, we specialize in bringing Hawai'i to you through our private…read moreguided naturalist tours. Our private and all-inclusive tours allow you to personalize the way you explore Hawai'i. Don't be confined to a set schedule, or route, with a group of people that you don't know, we can create an amazing experience catered just to you. Let us do all the work and take you on a guided adventure that your remember for a lifetime.

Amazing experience! The best part is that we've got footage from all the great spots we went with…read moreKai. It is great to have a passionate and experienced person who genuinely takes an interest in you. Just tell Kai what your special diet requirements are and/or expectations like we did... he made a memorable experience happen beyond our imagination. Mahalo for the Hawaiian history lessons too!

Everyone dreams of having a once in a lifetime experience! When you book a tour with 808tourz, you…read moreget that and those dreams become a reality!!! I would consider myself an adventure seeker and with Kai (the tour guide) it's nothing short of an incredible adventure. It's the type of adventure you can't wait to tell all your friends about and can't wait to share your experience with everyone around you. These are among many other reasons that I have booked several times with Kai!! I have the most amazing time. Kai is so accommodating to everyone's needs and it's genuinely shown through his actions that he truly cares about the experience that you will have. Kai is also very thoughtful and willing to basically give you the shirt off his back if needed. I was on a tour with Kai and we were hiking, during the hike one of my flip flops broke and I was left with a broken slipper, so essentially left me barefoot. The terrain we were hiking through was rocky and uneven. It basically did not feel good on the feet... Kai without question handed me his flip flops and did the rest of the tour barefoot!! Talk about a super nice guy!! So if you have dreamed of chasing waterfalls, swimming/snorkeling with sea life, hiking up mountains, seeing lava, sunsets, sunrises, learning about everything hawaii has to offer and as an extra bonus having it documented, then book a tour with Kai!!!! I promise you will not regret it!! Aloha