If you do ONE thing on your Hawaiian vacation, make it Oahu Private Tours. Seriously, we did more unbelievable things in our eight hours together than I did during the other eight days I was here.
I found OHP on Instagram, where I fell in love with their vibes. (If you haven't seen their 'gram, you should check it out, it's gorgeous and gives you a great idea of the types of experiences they offer). I had a day to kill on Oahu by myself and knew I wanted to "see the island," but wasn't really sure what that meant. I knew I didn't want to be one of 80 people on a giant tour bus, or even one of 12 people in a minibus, or heck, even one of 6 people in a van! I had one day and I wanted to do it my way.
I appreciated that the team was very communicative leading up to my trip (answered emails promptly, checked in a few days before with more details, etc). The night before, my guide (Jason) asked me if we could start a bit early, 7am. I said sure, and I'm really glad I trusted his suggestion - the early start helped us get to attractions before small parking lots filled or before beaches got crowded, so the whole day it was like every place we visited was on a private island we had all to ourselves.
Jason was friendly, easy going, and super fun. I was on the tour by myself, but there was never an awkward pause- it was like we were old friends from the moment he picked me up. He was incredibly flexible all day. For example, I hadn't had time for breakfast, so he took me to a cool local spot for coffee and hot malasadas (basically just extra crispy perfect donuts - mine was rolled in cinnamon sugar with filled with coconut cream). Over breakfast, we made a plan based on what I'd already done on the island and what I hoped to do, and set off for the North Shore.
Our first stop was cliff jumping. The beach was gorgeous: completely empty, with gold sand, black rocks, and light green water. Jason led to the spot and gave me instructions. It was scary, but awesome! He was also a spectacular photographer, capturing amazing portraits, action shots, and enviable Instagram pics.
We were going to head to a waterfall, but I was really enjoying floating in the water on the empty beach."You're lovin' the water? No problem, let's find more water!" And just like that, on a whim, our plans shifted.
We hit a gorgeous beach with shallow water, and got to enjoy the sand and sun. I splashed around, enjoyed the rays, and relaxed before the next adventure.
Next was snorkeling. Jason knew exactly how to get through the waves ("ready? we wait for this set to finish, then we go") and swim between the black and tan rocks out to the deep cove. It was full of fish and much less crowded than my last snorkeling destination.
Our last stop was a highlight: swimming with TURTLES! Probably the most memorable thing I've ever done. It was incredible, swimming alongside these graceful, giant creatures in their natural habitat.
Finally, the day ended with a stop at an AMAZING local taco stand.
The whole day was incredible. I hope you get to experience OHP, I can't recommend it highly enough! read more