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When traveling to a dream destination like the Big Island of Hawaii, you want to maximize your experience. That may mean relaxing at the resort and eating great food, or squeezing in sightseeing of the entire island! We wanted to take in all the island had to offer and decided to book an all day volcano and stargazing tour with Wasabi Tours. We paid $249 per person, and $551.34 in total for two adults.
The tour lasts all day and includes; transportation, lunch, dinner, light snacks, drinks (non-alcoholic), and coats for those who may need them in the evening. The tour schedule is from 10:00 am-11:00 pm and is very driving intensive. We decided to brave the tour and see what the adventure was all about!
Transportation:
We rode in a Mercedes Sprinter van that could fit around 16 people. The van had speakers on the end of each aisle, and the driver provided commentary through the speakers to tell us what we were seeing, and what was next. We had no trouble hearing, and the driver rarely needed to use his microphone. The ride was pretty smooth, only uncomfortable when everyone was getting back into the van sweaty after being out in the hot Hawaiian sun. Thankfully, the van did have AC/Heating vents, which made the trip much more comfortable! Our driver frequently asked us if the temperature was okay and was willing to make changes if anyone had any complaints. Overall, we did not mind the van, it kept us cool and comfortable despite the long hours spent inside!
Pickup For the Stargazing and Volcano Tour:
The pickup process with Wasabi Tours was simple and efficient. The company calls to provide you with your estimated pickup time and location the day before your trip. For us, we met the driver at the lobby of our hotel around 9:45 am; this was about 15 minutes before the start time of 10:00 am provided in the description online. We were surprised to see two other groups had already been picked up. Just a heads up for those who may be slow to rise in the mornings, you may be picked up earlier than the 10:00 am time listed!
The driver was friendly during the pickup process, offering us granola bars and water as a breakfast treat. Once we found our seats, the driver described the plans for the day, and we were off to pick up the remaining guests. After everyone was picked up we stopped to pick up our lunches from the caterer and started the actual trip around 11:00 am.
Kona Coffee Bay View Farm:
The first stop after picking up all guests and lunch is a local coffee farm called, Bay View Farm. While here, there was a small tour of the plantation by our tour guide and one of the employees. We learned about the production, drying, and weighing of the coffee beans, and saw how they were picked from the plant.
Afterward, we went to the gift shop/restaurant to sample some of the coffee and shop around. The samples included light, medium, and dark roast coffee. There were other snacks for sale, like chocolate-covered coffee beans and lilikoi butter (so good!!). Just an FYI, the lilikoi butter cannot go through security, if you buy some you must have a checked bag, ours got taken at security!
We also were given a discount on purchases made by being a part of the tour!
Although this may sound like a sales pitch by the plantation, the coffee and goodies were very much worth the price. The staff were super friendly and did not feel pushy.
If you are not interested in the shop, the view from the patio was amazing and there was room to sip your coffee samples and relax. We sat on the patio for around 15 minutes, enjoying the view, morning air, and wonderful tasting coffee. Once everyone finished in the shop, we went down to a covered outdoor patio with multiple tables to have our packed lunches.
Lunch:
Before starting the tour, we were asked about any allergies or food preferences (vegetarian, vegan, etc.) we had. We did not need accommodations, so we had the standard lunch boxes. We had a boxed meal (bento box style), which included chicken katsu, fried fish, rice, and tauro slices. Our driver also had a cooler full of water and multiple flavors of Hawaiian suns (the lilikoi passion is our favorite).
The food was pretty tasty but it was cold by the time we got it. We were surprised to eat so early with so much more of the trip left. At lunch, our tour guide passed out menus for dinner and told us we would stop at a restaurant near the Volcano National Park. The menu had about six different items from burgers, fried fish, and other assortments of choices (including vegetarian options). We thought it was nice to choose what we wanted for dinner and looked forward to trying the food.
Punaluʻu Bake Shop:
Our next stop was Punaluʻu Bake Shop, it took us about an hour and a half to get there from
Bay View Farms. There are some lovely views of the island as we drove by the South Kona Forest Reserve, Ocean View, and South Point Park. Our tour guide kept us entertained by telling us about Hawaiian legends and about where we were.
He explained some history about the island and different areas as we passed them, and even gave us some pointers if we decided to come back and travel in that area. Near South Point there are some local "limos" which can take you down to a green sand beach, as most rental cars will not make the drive. Another tip our guide emphasized was that if you don't see a local doing it, don't do it!
Once we got to Punaluʻu Bake Shop we were able to take a bathroom break and look at what they had to offer. The line for the bakery counter was pretty long as most tours arrived at the same time. It wasn't too long of a wait though, and the staff was quick and friendly at answering any questions we had. There were a lot of options; mostly breads and malasadas which were the main attraction! They had all kinds of flavors from chocolate, mango, lilikoi, and plain. We tried the chocolate, strawberry, and lilikoi. We enjoyed the Malasadas but were unsure if the long wait and drive were worth it. Most of the guests on our were not impressed with the shop, maybe we caught them on a bad day.
Punaluʻu Black Sand Beach:
One of our absolute favorite spots in Hawaii, only a 10-minute drive from Punalu’u Bake Shop, is Punalu’u Black Sand Beach! It has a beautiful landscape, an incredible view, and a great place to view wildlife. We spent about 20 minutes here taking pictures and exploring. Our favorite part was seeing green sea turtles up close and getting amazing pictures of them. The turtles were resting on the beach and swimming around in the water! Although we did not stay long, we heard it is a great place to snorkel and soak up the sun for the day! We saw many people in the water surfing, snorkeling, and enjoying a wonderful day at the beach!
It's important to remember to keep your distance from wildlife, especially the sea turtles in Hawaii! They are a threatened species and protected under federal law. Touching them is illegal, and you will get slapped with a huge fine which can reach upwards of $10,000! It's also important to note that taking sand and volcanic rock from any of the Hawaiian Islands is frowned upon and is said to anger Pele the goddess of fire and volcanoes.
Kilauea Overlook, Volcano National Park :
About 40 minutes from Punalu’u Beach was the Volcano National Park. The cost of the tour includes your admission to the park. The first stop we made inside the Volcano National Park was the Kilauea overlook, a beautiful spot that gives you a 360-degree view of the park. We had the best luck because the weather was clear, sunny, and perfect for taking in the sights. We could see down into the crater and valleys along with Mauna Loa! We loved this spot as it was different than anything we had seen.
Steam vents, Volcano National Park:
Outside Kilauea overlook is a group of steam vents and sulfur banks. We stopped there to look inside and learn the science about what causes them. You can feel hot water vapors as they billow from the ground in the steam vents. The phenomenon is when ground water seeps down to rocks heated by magma that get so hot they vaporize the water, returning it to the surface as steam. It was a neat thing to see! We were unaware you could get so close, and we were shocked at how warm the vapor was!
Thurston Lava Tube, Volcano National Park:
After viewing the steam vents, we made our way down Crater Road, stopping a few times, and getting out to walk a few small trails. Our guide even found us a few different lava rocks and explained the differences between them as we walked.
We eventually made our way to the Thurston Lava Tube. The walk was not bad; it was nice to be able to stretch our legs after being in the car for so long! The outside of the tube was covered in lush vegetation, with beautiful shades of red, green, and blue. After crossing a small bridge to get inside the lava tube we made our way inside. Lights are lining the path so you can see, which we were thankful for!
You did have to watch out for hanging rocks or sharp edges on the sides of the cave, but overall we thought the tube was accessible for those of any age. We got to experience the inside of the cave for about 10 minutes, as our guide explained some historical and scientific facts regarding the caves. It was a great experience to explore the past path of lava!
Volcano House, Volcano National Park:
Our final stop within Volcano National Park was at the Volcano House Hotel. It is a charming place with a great view of the crater. We got to look around the hotel, use the bathroom, and visit the gift shop. We have not stayed here yet but would love to come back and stay. The employees informed us you get a great view of the lava/steam when the volcano is active and can see the lava glow at night!
Dinner:
For dinner, we went to Volcano's Lava Rock Cafe, about 20 minutes from the Volcano National Park. We had already specified what main entrees we wanted earlier in the day, so when we arrived, all we needed to do was sit and order our drinks. The food at the restaurant was very subpar. We were all surprised at how bad the food was; most of our group did not finish their meals and ate snacks they had left in the van. However, with it turning nighttime and the temperature dropping, we were glad to have a warm cup of coffee to keep us going!
Another issue we had with the restaurant besides the food, was the quality of the bathroom. They were outside the building and rundown. The men's bathroom was in such bad shape that the men were lined up to use the women's bathroom.
Stargazing Near Saddle Road:
After dinner, we headed out to begin the actual stargazing part of the tour. The drive from the restaurant to Saddle Road was about an hour and 45 minutes. This drive was hard on a lot of people, and most groups were asleep or spent the entire ride trying to get comfortable.
Our driver tried to remain lively, but we could tell they were getting tired (reasonable after the long day). Once we arrived at the stargazing location, we stopped for a quick bathroom break and then headed across the street to Stargaze. As we exited the van, our driver had jackets for those who had forgotten to bring one (us included). It gets cold up there at night, and we did not expect it to!
The stargazing portion of the trip was probably the most disappointing part for us, not because of the view but the time spent enjoying it! The view is astonishing; you can see many stars, and constellations, and the colorfulness of the Milky Way. Although the view was spectacular, some of our group members were too cold to stay out of the van for very long. when a handful of people returned to the van, the tour guide decided it was time to leave. We only stayed at the stargazing location for about 10-15 minutes!
We did not even have time to set up our cameras and take pictures! Leaving so early was very disappointing to us because we were under the impression a “stargazing” tour, would have more stargazing!
Drop off:
The drive from the stargazing location to drop-off was arguably the longest part of the trip. It took about an hour and a half to get to the Waikoloa resorts and hotels where we were staying. Group members picked up first were dropped off first. We were the second to last group to have been picked up, so we spent an extra half hour in the van dropping others off. Although the drop-off process can be lengthy, our guide did his best to make it engaging.
What to bring:
Sunscreen
Water
Gratuity for the driver
Blankets/Jackets for night-time travel
Camera (tripod)/phone to take pictures
Phone charger
Summary:
Overall we enjoyed the tour. We paid $551.34 in total for two adults and included in that price was a full day of transportation, entrance fees to parks, boxed lunch, sit-down dinner, snacks and drinks throughout the day, and coats to borrow in the evening. On the tour, we learned a lot about the island of Hawaii, its history, and culture. We covered more than half of the island in one day and got to experience things we never imagined doing like walking through a lava tube.
However, this tour was long and some of the stops we felt were not the greatest. We did not enjoy the restaurant we ate dinner at or the Punaluʻu bakery. But our biggest complaint is the amount of time we spent stargazing! Stargazing is in the title of the tour and made up 20 minutes max of a 10-plus hour tour!
We think this tour is a good option for people who want to take in as much of the island as they can in one day or those who do not want to rent a car. If you are planning on stargazing and taking pictures throughout the evening we would recommend going on your own, or a different tour! Let us know below if you would prefer to go stargazing on this tour or your own while visiting the Big Island!
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