Volcano Tour: Twilight Volcano Adventure
General Information
Schedule: Afternoon trips departing daily. 12 hours round trip, departs from Hawaii Forest & Trail Headquarters, and Waikoloa Queen’s Marketplace.
Rated: Easy to Moderate; 8 and up recommended.
Included in the Tour: Deli style lunch with assorted soft drinks, juices and bottled water. Picnic dinner, snacks, assorted beverages, bottled water, and hot cocoa.
Gear Provided: Walking sticks, flashlights, day packs, warm wear and rain ponchos.
Prices: Adult: $179.00, plus tax. Child (12 and under): $159.00, plus tax.
Group Size: Tour limited to a maximum of 12 guests.
Restrictions: Guests should be able to hike on uneven or rocky terrain. We sometimes encounter cool, wet or muddy conditions. Other tour restrictions may apply.
What to Bring & Wear: Comfortable walking shoes, long pants, and a light jacket.
Full Description
The excursion begins as we travel between two of the world’s largest mountains, Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa. The region between these volcanoes is locally known as the Saddle and is home to some of the rarest plants and animals in the world. After a brief stop for lunch at Mauna Kea State Park, we continue east towards Hilo. Before our final descent into the rainiest city in the US, we’ll stop to explore Kaumana Cave. This lava tube once carried molten rock from Mauna Loa’s upper rift zones down to the ocean, but now provides an excellent opportunity to test our trusty flashlights on a subterranean adventure.
Leaving Mauna Loa behind, we make our final ascent to the summit of Kilauea inside Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Our Interpretive Guides will lead you through the must-see spots and hidden gems of this World Heritage Site and International Biosphere Preserve. As conditions change daily, we tailor your experience to the current eruptive events. The summit caldera, steam vents, cinder fields, and native rainforests are all on our “must see” list.
After exploring the natural wonders of this World Heritage site, we’ll check current conditions to see which eruptive site is most active. Our choices are Kalapana to witness the awesome power of lava as it enters the ocean at sunset, or Halemaumau Crater which contains a hidden lake of molten rock which glows after dark. Also included in the evening’s itinerary is a delicious picnic dinner. This is an incredible way to experience the dynamic energy of Kilauea, the most active volcano in the world.
FAQs
- How much hiking do we do? We’ll stop a couple times throughout the adventure for short hikes of up to 1.5 miles. The walk to the lava viewing area is approximately .5 miles over uneven terrain.
- Is there elevation gain?
- Will we get to see active lava? Due to the dynamic nature of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and Kilauea Volcano, active lava viewing conditions can change daily or even hourly. We will do our very best to get you as close as is safe and legal.
Comments
We appreciate your comments! If you've taken a tour and would like to share your feedback, please leave a comment. If you have questions regarding tour specifics, like times, reservations or other details prior to your tour, please use the contact form.
By Doug on 2013/05/23
We want to do this tour when we visit Hawaii this Christmas, but my wife has asthma. We need to know how rigorous the hike is and whether if the tour gets close enough to the volcanoes that the fumes might effect her.
[Hawaii Forest & Trail:] We typically keep the walks to just around a mile maximum. Regarding the gasses from the volcano, conditions can change daily, sometimes hourly as the winds are very dynamic here. Normal weather conditions have the trade winds blowing from the east which tends to keep the National Park pretty clear.
By Diana on 2013/05/06
Hello I am considering doing this tour, but wondering where the pick up is located in Kona. I am staying at Kona Pacific in Kona. What time do you leave for the twilight tour vs. the day tour for the volcanos?
Thank you Diana
[Hawaii Forest & Trail:] For this tour, you’ll meet us at our headquarters which is about 2 miles north of downtown Kailua Kona. The departure time for the Twilight tour does vary with the seasons, from about 10:00 am to 11:00 am. The daytime volcano tour departs at 6:50 am. We can drop you off at the end of your tour.
By gloriaNY on 2013/04/23
We ( me and my 12 year old daughter) will stay in Uncle Billy’s Kona Hotel from July 9 to July 14. I am wondering if you will be able to pick up from this hotel.
WE are interested in the Twilight Volcano Adventure. [Hawaii Forest & Trail:] Aloha! Unfortunately, the Twilight Volcano tour does not have a pickup available at Uncle Billy’s Kona. Please take a taxi to our office about 5 minutes north, across from Honokohau Harbor. We’d be happy to drop you off at the end of the tour!
By Linda Bagzis on 2013/04/09
Prior to booking a tour, I need to know if it is possible for you to have a meal without tomatoes or tomato sauces for me, since I am allergic to tomatoes. We really want to do the twilight volcano tour, and others. Thanks for taking time to answer my question!
Linda [Hawaii Forest & Trail:] We can make special requests for both lunch and dinner to exclude tomatoes. We regrettably cannot guarantee that tomatoes will never touch any of the food in your meals, so you may want to consider bringing your food if your allergy is severe.
By Jen on 2013/04/05
GREAT tour, my sister and I enjoyed every bit of it. Our tour guide Taj Flora was AWESOMELY AMAZING and a very passionate person.I’ll be back soon with friends and would definitely do this again, and hopefully this time, it won’t rain as much. =) We also took the waterfall tour with Hawaii Forest and Trail, and was also worth doing.
By Erin on 2013/03/27
I am traveling with 3 children (5, 2, and 4 months). Would the volcano tour be appropriate? My older children are accustomed to walking around.
Thanks [Hawaii Forest & Trail:] 4 months might be a little young for our volcano tour as the trip is typically 10 - 11 hours from the Kona side. The Kohala Waterfall Adventure is our most family friendly activity.
By Catherine Turner on 2013/03/07
We are making a trip to Hawaii in May and are looking into doing one of your tours. I have two questions… Do you see any waterfalls on the twilight volcano adventure and is this tour good for a family with children ages 13 and 9? [Hawaii Forest & Trail:] On the Twilight tour our focus is Kilauea and Hawaii Volcanoes National Park so waterfalls are not part of the normal itinerary. This tour would be great for your family. We stop every 60 - 90 minutes to do some exploring at different sites - perfect for young naturalists!
By Eric & Sonia on 2013/02/17
My wife and I went on the Twilight Volcano tour with Chris. The tour was absolutely fabulous! For a start, equipments were sufficiently provided to us, including jackets for the cold night and walking sticks to assist with our walk.
Chris is extremely knowledgeable. He basically gave us very interesting facts about the island including its history, the plants, climate and the lava formations in the island. Chris also took us to various interesting spots of where lava used to flow and a clear sight of the lava glow at the Halemaumau Crater.
We totally enjoyed the tour and wouldn’t mind doing the Forest Trail walk the next time we are in the Big Island. We were very well looked after and provided with a lot of information about the island.
By Jerry on 2012/12/05
Just returned from the Big Island. The Volcano tour with Justin was amazing. I appreciated how Justin was able to adjust when thing did not go as planned.
He was amazing and fun. Would love to do a tour with him again.
By Amy Carchakk on 2012/11/20
Went on this tour a couple of years ago and it was the highlight of my Hawaii trip with the tour guide Maverick. I would love to do this again if I ever get the opportunity to go back to Hawaii. Does Maverick still work for Hawaii Forest and Trail? [Hawaii Forest & Trail:] Great to hear, Amy! Maverick now actually works for our sister company, Kohala Zipline. You can read more at http://www.kohalazipline.com Than.ks for dropping a line and look forward to seeing you on your next Hawaii adventure.
By TESS on 2012/11/05
I found the Twilight Volcano Tour to be one of the highlights of my trip to the US In October 2012. I chose this tour above others I checked out on the web because it seemed to offer the broadest experience, and because it was a small group. It lived up to and even exceeded expectations in some ways. Our guide, Matthew, was really excellent - engaging, attentive and well-informed. It was very smart of him to leave our visit to the Thurston lava tube till after dark, so that we had this normally crowded place all to ourselves. The only small disappointment was that we were unable on this occasion to view lava flowing into the sea, but everything else about the tour was brilliant. Fantastic value for money, too.
By Cassotis Family on 2012/10/21
In mid October 2012, we took the Twilight Volcano Tour and it was an incredible experience. Fortunately, Eugene was our tour guide: he possesses a deep and wide knowledge of geology, volcanoes, botany and local Hawaiian culture and his natural enthusiam added to our appreciation and enjoyment of Hawaii Volcano National Park.
The sites and stops included on the itinerary were very interesting and unique. We had enough time to view and appreciate the diversity of the terrains, and Eugene’s commentary greatly supplemented our enjoyment of the park.
We highly recommend this tour!
Thanks.
By David Hartgrove on 2012/10/07
We took the Twilight Volcano Adventure tour with Matthew yesterday, 10/06/12. It was excellent! His encyclopedic knowledge of the soils, plants, history, culture, language and any number of other subjects that arose among our group was amazing. We had a great day and evening, with tasty meals, good conversation, exciting walks to places not open to other tour companies and above all, a great experience with the volcanoes. Tomorrow we’re doing a birding tour with HF&T. We can’t wait.
David & Dennise
Daytona Beach, FL
By Dale and Linda deReign on 2012/09/28
My wife and I went on the Twilight Volcano Adventure on Sep 19, 2012 with Stephanie. She was incredible. Very accomplished and very knowledgable on the island and volcano’s.
Unfortunatly, we had rain and fog at night, so we were not able to see the glow, but we really enjoyed the tour!
By Kim and Dave on 2012/06/07
My husband and I went on the Twilight Volcano Tour with Taj Flora on May 21,2012, and it was by far one of the best experiences of our trip to the Big Island! Our friends had been on this tour a few months back and strongly recommended we book with Taj when we visited the Big Island. We took their advice and were not disappointed. He goes above and beyond what you would expect from your average tour guide. It’s quite refreshing that his love for the environment, ecology, geology, volcanology and his passion for sharing with others shines through in everything that he does.
From the moment he picked us up his excitement resonated throughout the bus. He took the time to remember everyone’s name and interacted with everyone in a sincere and amicable way. Considering the variety of ages and physical capabilities we had in our group, Taj made us all feel welcome and important throughout the entire tour.
Throughout the 12 hour day Taj continued to impress us with his botanical knowledge of the region. It’s easy to let the volcanoes take center stage, but Taj made sure to share his vast knowledge of the plants, animals, birds, climate, history and Hawaiian legends.
Be prepared to be blown away by his immense knowledge for this beautiful island, culture and his passion for sharing it with others! Everyone who takes this tour with Taj will walk away with a better knowledge base and appreciation for this beautiful island. For those that were on our tour and those that will take this tour, “Be like the strawberry guava tree,”
Kindest Regards,
Kim and Dave
Estero, FL
By James Grundy on 2012/05/28
My wife and I took the twilight tour May 21st with Taj and let me say, Taj is the most fantastic tour guide EVER! If you are looking for a tour of pretty much anything I would ask for Taj directly!!! His knowledge and ability to tell stories woven with personal experiences made it truly a one of a kind experience! Next time we are in Hawaii, I will book our tours with Taj!!! Great job, Great tour… five out of five stars… Book it today!
By Kathy and Phil from Ellicott City, MD on 2012/04/16
We took the Twilight Volcano tour in April 2012. Taj was our guide. The tour was fantastic! We got to see a lava tube, lava flows and the Kilauea summit. Taj told us stories about local legend and lore, native and invasive species of plants and animals. The trip was well organized and we had a good lunch and dinner. The van was comfortable, and the group only had 10 people, which we thought was much better than a big tour group. We came away with a much better understanding of the Big Island than what we would have from seeing the sights ourselves. I would recommend this tour to anyone who is thinking of it!
By John Smiley on 2012/04/13
Will be in Kona from 4/23 to 5/3…. What are the best days / availability for the twilight tour? Is all the driving in the open air jeep buses? Senior discounts?
By Maureen Ned and Oliva on 2012/04/03
We were on the Twilight Volcano tour with Taj on 3/27/12 and were WOWED by the depth of his knowledge, and the passion for all aspects of the natural world of Hawaii. Taj was easy to be around for twelve hours, related to the adults and kids equally well and never once made us all yell aloha as loud as we could, a sure sign of trouble on a tour : ) Mahalo nui to Taj and Hawaii Forest and Trail for running a first class tour company that educates and entertains without exploiting the island or the islanders!!!!
By Stephen and Linda on 2012/03/09
Our guide was Eugene. He was funny and a man on a mission. We were obviously his priority and we could see he actually cared! Thanks so much; he showed us a lot. We got to see the lava from afar! This tour is a must!!