I broke my leg on 04/06/18 when I took the "Sunset Lava Hike" which was a distance of over 13 miles and nearly 8 hours. I broke my fibula on a fall I took at about mile 10. I was required to hobble for 3 miles/ 2 hours on a broken bone. Chris was our guide and offered zero first aid or concern for my situation. When we returned, Fabienne was unaware that I had even been injured. Neither she or Chris offered any first aid or advice as to where I could seek medical attention. I knew that this hike would be strenuous, but the longest estimate I could find for how long this hike would be was 6.5 miles. It was at least 13 miles. That's a half marathon. I booked the tour and was told I would be contacted three days before to confirm the start time. I heard from Fabienne less than 24 hours before, and that was the first time a distance of 8 miles was mentioned. I said 8 miles was at my top limit of ability. No mention was made that there was the potential for longer. When we arrived at the starting point for the hike, flashing road signs said "3.5 miles to lava". A group of 6 of us (another couple, a father and his 10 year old son ) started at 3:50pm. Sunset was at 6:36pm. As 6pm passed, we had already traveled nearly 5 miles. When questioned how much longer until we would find lava, Chris answered defensively. He stated that we were traveling a longer distance because it was a less steep incline, which while true, he refused to tell us how much more distance this was was adding. He said we'd find lava "In another 15 to 20, no more than 25, minutes ". We found lava at 7:05: an hour after Chris' estimate and well after sunset. We stayed for about 20 minutes and then agreed we were exhausted and wanted to head back. We estimate we had already hiked 7 miles. We left the lava around 7:30. At about 9:40, around mile 10, I fell and (unknown to me at the time) broke my left fibula. I was in a tremendous amount of pain, but tried to put on a brave face and say "I hope it's only sprained". My husband asked Chris "Do you know first aid"? Chris, standing 15-20 feet away, in the dark, did not approach me or examine my foot in anyway and replied "Yeah, I know first aid, but she doesn't need it. If she was really hurt, she'd be having a bigger reaction". Fortunately, my husband had an ankle wrap and we tended my food as best as we could. I was unable to put weight on my ankle at all. I tried hobbling with my husband supporting me on my left side, but it was excruciating. Another member of our group, Hung (the father of the 10 year old) came to my assistance without being asked. With his and my husband's aid, I hobbled the last 3 miles. Chris never once called back to see how I was doing or offered any moral support or guidance. About 1 mile before reaching the road, I misstepped with my bad food into a fissure in the lava field. I cried out in pain and was stuck. I managed to slip my foot out of my shoe, and pried it out of the crack. Chris came back to check on us and said "Yeah, you really have to be careful where you put your feet". At this point, my husband lost it, raising his voice to Chris. "Great advice. 'Watch where we put our feet'. Got it. You have one job. Get us to the road!" Chris replied "Man, nobody has ever yelled at me before". We arrived back on the road at about 11:40 pm: 7 hours and 50 minutes after setting out. Fabienne came out to meet us, all smiles, asking if it had been awesome. When we informed her of my injury, her response was a simple "Oh bummer, but did you at least get there before sunset?" When we told her no, she said, "Oh man, I'm going to have to start these hikes earlier". That's it. No care or concern or even awareness that I had been injured two hours earlier. When we started the hike we had made a note that my husband's fit bit registered 8500 steps. When we finished, it read 42,332 for a total of nearly 34,000 steps. This hike is dangerous. There is no way to not make it so. I accepted that before I booked the trip. What I take enormous issue with is the lack of forthrightness about how long this hike could potentially be. I was leery of an 8 mile hike, but was up for it. If I had been told "But it could be over 10-12 miles" (let alone over 13 miles) I would not have done it. We signed no liability waivers. Chris, as a guide, offered no leadership skills. His defensiveness and lack of answers when questioned fostered no confidence. His complete disregard for my injury and unwillingness to perform first aid (let alone actually examine me) is negligent bordering on criminal. The injury occurred on April 6th. I returned to L.A. on April 9th and saw a doctor on April 10th who confirmed I had broken my tibula. I have had my leg in a cast for nearly 5 week, am facing another 3 in a walking boot, and will require physical therapy after that. read more

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Our tour guide took us (family of four) at the last second on Thanksgiving day. The group was probably 16ish, led by two guides. Our kids were younger, and she ended up staying with just the four of us all night. The lava is always changing, so there was concern (on our part) that we might walk away without seeing lava, but you can tell she wouldn't let us leave without seeing lava, so we kept trekking until we got to some good flows. Once we got there, we didn't feel rushed at all, and she helped us take tons of pictures. Long hike back, in the dark, but that's where the provided headlamps came in handy. Small operation that obviously focuses on the customer's experience...would highly recommend if you're looking to cross this off your bucket list. read more

Volcano Hiking Tours - Got to see what we came for. - Tours Near Me - Pahoa, Hawaii

We had tried to go our own and we couldn't find any flowing lava, plus the ocean entry was also inactive. We were left disappointed as this was definitely a bucket list item. We then started searching for tour companies that guaranteed flowing lava, and we ran into volcano hiking tours. We were able to book instantly through the website and had a tour the very next day. Fabienne was our guide and she was very friendly. She also knew quite a bit about volcanology as well as culture and history. She knew where the best flows were and knew how to take the best photos of us and the lava. Thanks to her we were able to get within 1 foot of flowing lava and have amazing pictures to show for it. As an added bonus, she also shared her knowledge of the night sky with us. In short, we had a free star gazing lesson with our lava tour. What more could we have asked for? read more

Had a great experience with Fabienne as our tour guide. She knew exactly where to go in order to find the lava and was very helpful throughout the journey. She not only made the hike fun but also always kept safety as the #1 priority. I will definitely be recommending to others. read more

Volcano Hiking Tours - Your lava experience doesn't get any closer than this! - Tours Near Me - Pahoa, Hawaii

It was our first trip to Hawaii, everybody we knew that went to Hawaii told us that it's not going to be like we imagined to ourselves like we see on but we still called a couple companies and like we expected they told us that it's too dangerous to get too close to lava or to swim in the waterfalls but it was our main attractions that we wanted to do so we kept trying until we called Fabianne , she promised us that we will get couple feet away from lava and we will swim in the waterfalls otherwise we will not pay for our tour and we thought it too good to be true and she didn't disappoint, pictures better than words so don't hesitate and call her she was awesome thank you))))) read more

Volcano Hiking Tours - Tours Near Me - Pahoa, Hawaii

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The floor is lava!! Book the Sunset Lava Hike if you want to hike to hot flowing lava. It is a hard hike but worth it.Fabienne is enthusiastic and knowledgeable about hiking the lava as well as culture. Christopher was helpful and conscious of our safety. The lava flows are always changing. Be prepared to hike a long time--our hike was 4 miles each way in and out, with about an hour at the flow. A great experience if you are moderately physically fit. Pack and be prepared for changes in weather. Running leggings are ideal, quick-drying shirt and a rainproof layer are advised. Wear hiking boots or trail shoes. Bring a bright headlamp for the return trip in the dark. Pack gloves to protect your hands from cuts if you have to touch hardened lava--it leaves little shards of glass in your fingers. If you have middle-aged vision like me, wear contacts or single-vision glasses if you use them--not progressives or bifocals. Bring more water than you think you'll need--2 liters at least. Bring food with. Consider bringing a respectful offering for Pele. read more

Volcano Hiking Tours - We are sitting 6 feet from the lava flow. So warm and toasty on a rainy evening! - Tours Near Me - Pahoa, Hawaii

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It was unforgivable tour. Fabienne fully explained how it's gonna be and provided us with lights and raincoats, there was a really heavy rain so when we came to the place by car we had to walk 1h more, it's really good Fabienne asked warn everyone that it's gonna rain cats and dogs with thunder, and she said if someone doesn't want to go they will get money back and can stay either in the car or in her house for time the group has a tour. At the end of the day we saw lava, made a lot of pictures, she even made some for everyone and no one wanted to come back so cool it was, we came back by the sunrise. Fabienne thank you lot that's truly somethink very big part of our nature. read more

Volcano Hiking Tours - Tours Near Me - Pahoa, Hawaii

Fabienne is awesome. Highly recommend this tour company. We had a great time. You won't be disappointed. read more

Volcano Hiking Tours - Tours Near Me - Pahoa, Hawaii

Wow! We saw the pics online and felt wed miss a great opportunity if we didn't see lava up close. Faience is personable and very upbeat. You really do get that close to the lava! One thing we really wanted was a hike/tour that did not have to take all day like most other more expensive tours. We started a lil after 3 and finished by nine! Well worth it!! read more

Volcano Hiking Tours - Tours Near Me - Pahoa, Hawaii

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We did the sunset lava hike with Volcano Hiking Tours and it was the best part of our Hawaii trip. Fabienne and Christopher were both friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful guides. Fabienne and Christopher safely guided us to an area where lava was flowing just a few meters away from  us. They then guided us to where lava was entering into the ocean. We began the tour by 4:00 Pm and ended by 10:00. PM. We hiked about 6.5 miles round trip over lava rocks, and they helped us feel reassured and safe on the way back in the dark. All in all, we highly recommend this sunset lava hike tour with Fabienne and Christopher. read more

Fabienne & Zeke are both amazing, talented guides and photographers. We spent the day with them and explored the Volcano National Park. We learned a lot and had a blast! They know how to adapt the tour depending on your hiking skills and interest. They drive you everywhere you want to go and ask you what you want to see, there's so much to do! Zeke sometimes stayed in the car and picked us up at the end of a hike so we didn't have to walk back. We highly recommend them!! Also, Fabienne is fluent in French which was very helpful as two of us didn't speak English fluently. read more

What a tour!! Fabienne and Christopher took us within a few meters of the lava. This sacred hot stuff was coming out of the earth forming rivers and providing us with an unforgettable experience. We felt supported and safe at all times. A few days before we tried to find the lava on our own but we didn't, so i recommend taking a tour with Fabienne. She is fun and her extended knowledge in volcanology makes it even more worth it. read more

Unbelievably close views of the lava were had on this hiking tour. My group had an amazing experience that will not soon be forgotten. Our guide Fabianne was kind, friendly and knowledgeable. I highly recommend Volcano Hiking Tours. read more

Okay where should I start !!! It was just awesome a must do for anyone in Hilo one of the most amazing and gracious guide/host that I have ever interacted with in my life !! .... you won't regret choosing volcano hiking tours !! read more

Had a blast! Ive never been so damn close to a volcanic lava eruptions!!! More than just a volcano tour, we did camping in Kona, a full moon party, fire dancing, i mean....this was the best vacation ever! Our tour guide, Fabienne was so damn fun! Love her! Book a trip!!! read more

You can't beat Fabienne and Christopher as guides. They were amazing and our experience far exceeded any and all expectations. You get up close to the lava flow and really get to see the power and beauty of the lava. The night time experience is wonderful. Book a trip with Fabienne and her team now!! read more