Big Island of Hawaii

Small Group Big Island Waterfalls Adventure

Big Island of Hawaii, USA

Big Island Waterfall Tour from Kona Waipio Valley Hamakua Coast and Akaka Falls

10 hours
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

See three of the Big Island's most famous waterfalls and explore other parts of the island in a single day on this guided tour. Travel along the Hamakua Coast to Akaka Falls, swim at the Kulanipia private waterfalls, take in the views from the Waipio Valley lookout, and much more. Learn about the history and legends of the island from a guide. Lunch, snacks, and hotel transport are included.

Spend the day immersed in the lush nature of the Big Island
Hassle-free pickup and drop-off from Kona and Kohala hotels
Snacks, drinks, and lunch included: No need to bring your own
A small group ensures a more personalized experience

What's Included

Hotel pickup and drop-off
Bottled water
Lunch
All taxes, fees and handling charges
Luxury Mercedes Sprinter Van Transportation
Small-group tour lead by a professional guide

Gratuities

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Start time

Confirm time with the local provider in advance of your experience.

Opening hours

1/1/2024 - 12/31/2024
Monday - Saturday : 07:00 AM - 08:00 AM

Pickup details

Pick up from all major hotels and resorts in Kona and Kohala Coast. In addition to the locations below: Charley's Thai Cuisine at Queens' Marketplace (69-201 Waikoloa Beach Dr, Waikoloa Village, HI 96738) Foodland Farms at The Shops at Mauna Lani ( 1330 Mauna Lani Dr, Waimea, HI 96743 ) The supplier will send you a confirmation email with the exact pickup location and time. Please call the supplier if you didn't receive an email.

What To Expect

The tour begins when you’re picked up directly from your Kona or Waikoloa hotel, where you drive towards historic Waipio Valley, making a stop at the lookout to admire the views of the sea cliffs dropping into the blue ocean.

Relax on the serpentine drive along the Hamakua Coast, before emerging at thundering Akaka Falls and its staggering drop. Hear the power of the water cascading down hundreds of feet.

Continue to a garden nestled in the scenic Onomea Bay – Hawaii Tropical Bioreserve & Garden. Throughout this garden valley, nature trails meander through a true tropical rainforest, crossing bubbling streams, passing several beautiful waterfalls, and the exciting ocean vistas along the rugged Pacific Coast. This highly acclaimed garden allows you to take up-close shots of rare and exotic flora- over 2000 species of exotic tropical plants and orchids in a tranquil setting.

In the afternoon, you will escape the crowd and get to swim under the 120 feet tall Kulaniapia private waterfall, Hawaii’s largest privately accessible waterfall, to cool down and relax when river conditions permit.

The adventure ends with the return to Kona or Kohala Coast via a spectacular drive on Saddle Road, a highway nestled between the world’s tallest sea mountain Mauna Kea and the world’s most massive mountain Mauna Loa.

Parker Ranch (Pass By)

Waipi'o Valley

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Akaka Falls State Park

40 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Kulaniapia Falls

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Rainbow Falls

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Saddle Road (Pass By)

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
Not Allowed for Children Under 5 Years Old
Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately

Closed-toe walking shoes are recommended
Bring swimsuit, towels, and water shoes for private waterfalls
Itineraries may change, and refunds will not be given for closures and itinerary changes out of our control. Tours run rain or shine.
Vegetarian or gluten free meals are available, please advise at time of booking if required
Not possible for travelers require walkers/wheelchairs
This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Featured review

Alison_H

So much is packed into this all day trip! I am very impressed with this full day tour from the ease of booking, to the communications and Follow-up emails to accurate on time pickup. Drue our tour guide is simply the best a person could ask for! So fun, informative and really made sure each person was having their best time! Highly recommend this tour and especially if you get Drue. His attention to detail really made the trip!

Reviews

5.0

454 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

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Showing 1-10 of 454 reviews

Our tour guide Derek was...

Carole_S, Apr 2024

Our tour guide Derek was fabulous. He was very knowledge and entertaining. The botanical gardens were beautiful, trip to the waterfalls and swimming was great. Great way to see different parts of the island.

Great Waterfall Adventure

Ernestine_R, Apr 2024

Drew was a great tour guide. Friendly and knowledge about the waterfalls and keep us entertained throughout the trip. Swimming in one waterfall made it special and the botanical garden was just beautiful. I recommend this trip for my anyone, you'll enjoy it. Thanks for a great adventure.

Waterfall adventures

Donna_A, Apr 2024

We loved the waterfalls and variety of the tour. The Bento box for lunch was tasty. The only negative comment was our tour guide Derrick didn’t help or check on the older guests exiting the van/or on hike down to private waterfalls.

Waterfall tour

Paula_D, Apr 2024

Arakawa Falls & Botanical gardens and a surprise lava tube were our favorites!! Tour guide, Drew did a great job! Be prepared for a long day!

Beautiful waterfalls

Katrina_Z, Dec 2023

Great way to explore waterfalls, not too much time sitting in a van without getting a chance to stretch, saw a beautiful botanical garden. Our guide Derek was super knowledgeable, had wonderful stories about the island and was a super safe driver. Would definitely recommend this tour for family or small groups

Great tour of waterfalls and the bioreserve

Vedavathi_B, Dec 2023

Fantastic tour. Got to see several gorgeous, soaring waterfalls. Got to visit the stunning Waipio valley. The bioreserve was also incredibly beautiful. Our tour guide Drue was very knowledgeable, funny and engaging. Great tour!

A day on the Big Island

TineRask_L, Aug 2023

A great way to see a big part of the Island. Highligts were the botanical guarden and a fantastic swim in a waterfall. Our guide Dreu was fun, knowledgeable and entertaining and told os facts and stories about the island, which made the longer rides feel much shorter.

Great time and stunning views!

Daniel_T, Jul 2023

This was such a wonderful experience! Our guide, Derek S. was a fantastic story teller and so knowledgeable about the island. We thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful waterfalls, lush botanical gardens and then swimming at the private waterfall at the end was the icing on the cake! Lunch was also delicious! We highly recommend this adventure!

Long day

Ray_R, Jul 2023

It’s an all day (11-12 hrs) excursion with most of your time sitting in the van driving. The places you visit are ok. If you’re a nature lover, then you would love it. We were lucky to have good weather to go swimming in the kulaniapia falls which was an awesome experience . Our guide, Derrick, was informative throughout the trip and very friendly. I would not recommend this if you have children. However, it’s perfect if you don’t have a rental car and you want to visit the places listed.

Great tour

LeRoy_W, Jun 2023

Had a alsome time. Derek our tour guide was on point. Lots of info given about the growth of the island. Gorgeous Scenery from the dry side to the wet side.. Just Amazing 👏🏾 😍

Highly recommend!

Jeanne_M, Feb 2023

Most memorable parts of this Waterfalls Adventure were of course, the waterfall sites, tour guide Derek’s delightful narratives, the exciting and refreshing experience of swimming in the Kulaniapa waterfall pool (the final one of the tour)and the lovely walking tour of the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Gardens. The van ride was very comfortable with excellent and generous seating and foot space. The tour included several opportunities to get out, walk, and take photos. Derek had ample water, snacks, sodas and a hearty delicious lunch box planned for us throughout the day. The group was delightful to tour with as I was a single tourist, and I thoroughly enjoyed getting acquainted with the group as we enjoyed a perfect day of sunshine and Hawaiian hospitality on the big island of Hawaii Waterfalls Adventure. I heartily recommend this experience!

Awesome trip!

Xin_W, Feb 2022

We had a really good time with our tour guide Dreu. He is energetic and funny. The valley’s view is stunning. We saw several wild horses there and they came very close to the van that we could touch them. And we were lucky to go swimming in the waterfall lake. Dreu also guided us to walk through the lava tube. It’s a rocky path and some exciting adventure to walk in the tube.

The Valley was a...

Theresa_T, Jan 2022

The Valley was a favorite. Derek was a very knowledgeable and fun guide and a great driver. The lava tunes and waterfalls were great to see and explore.

Awesome

Paul_M, Dec 2021

Drew was cool! We had a great time experiencing the big island while visiting Hawaii. You will get your money’s worth here

Amazing tour of valley, waterfalls and Lava tube

Alison_H, Dec 2021

Waipio Valley and Rain...

Loreen_D, Dec 2021

Waipio Valley and Rain Forest were amazing. All waterfalls were spectacular! Being senior citizens a couple of the stops were a little more strenuous, so sat them out, but did not feel like we missed out at all. Our guide was terrific and very knowledgeable. It was a great experience.

The adventure tour you’re looking for

Danielle_K, Dec 2021

I booked this trip months ago and forgot all of the details aside from heading into the valley, so I was pleasantly surprised by all the extras! I would say the highlights of this trip are definitely the valley, the private waterfall and the lava cave. I would definitely recommend this tour to anyone. Derrick was our tour guide and he was amazing. He really loves the job and places we visited just as much as we did. He gave us a ton of information about the landscape of the island and answered any questions we had about it. I would say that it is a VERY long tour so be prepared to be out the entire day. You will go from the Kona side all hehe way to the Hilo side and back! Plenty of food and bathroom break opportunities. Also they were awesome in accommodating vegetarian diets.

Wonderful

Paragi_R, Dec 2021

Dreu was a winderful guide informative energetic and entertaining. The drive to the valley floor is not to be missed!

Really great tour!

CarolAnne_B, Dec 2021

This tour was so much fun with fantastic scenery and shopping! The 4 wheel van ride down into Waipio Valley was fun partly because of our driver, Kaleo, and his stories about growing up in the valley and because of the road itself! Fantastic scenery, wild horses, the waterfalls and all the wonderful vegetation made it a great experience! The main tour guide, Derek, was quite a character and his stories and humor made the day fly by. He was very helpful with answers to questions and shared a lot of information throughout the tour. The waterfalls were a fantastic high point. It was a really great tour!

Great excursion a must do

Jerry_B, Dec 2021

Drew is an excellent tour guide he made the whole experience so good. He is very knowledgable with the area besides being very entertaining and helpful. We totally enjoyed thhe whole trip excellent. Kathie & Jerry

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