Kailani Tours Hawaii — Local services in Hawaii

Today (September.24.2021) we had one of our best experiences with Kailani Tours. It was tour that we booked through the Hilton Hotel to go around the main island. Both very hesitant since we have had not the greatest experiences with such tours in San Francisco, Washington DC as the driver would just follow a text ! But not this one.

Tour :

The tour is around 12 hours, you get picked up in a nice clean van with 12 to 14 people capacity. There is video, the tour guide explains and shows you everything. My overall experience was great. I would do it again.

We went to a coffee farm, then to a very famous bakery , black sand beach, a winery, volcanic sites, volcano tubes, rain forest, farmers market and many other places.

Food & Beverage :

Breakfast, Lunch, snacks, water, soft drink and etc are all part of the tour.

Restroom : There is one in almost every single stop and they are all very clean.

Equipments : Jacket / Umbrella & flash light is provided.

Van : clean , well maintained

Driver / Tour guide :

This will be a very special note for our tour guide , Jimmy is a gem.

Very Polite : He apologized 2 times for being 12 minutes late

Patience : We were late at the Winery but he kept his calm.

we had an older gentleman in our crew that couldn’t walk ! So instead of being angry / frustrated, he would park the car as close as possible to the passenger so the old man wouldn’t need to walk!

Good driving Skills :

1- Goats: this island has bunch of idiot goats that just jump into the road as they see fit ! Now try driving 55 to 60 miles, with 12 people in the back and keeping everyone safe without hitting these monsters .

2- parking: at every stop he would make sure to park the car at the safest place possible.

3- speed, fast enough not fall behind while making sure that he won’t pass the speed limit.

Knowledgeable:

He is well read. Knows details about every single place that he takes the tourist to ! He will even share personal experiences from each area.

Overall i am not sure if you can ask for a specific tour guide but if you can, i highly recommend Jimmy.

to Jimmy’s Boss, This man is an asset. Try not to lose him

To Jimmy if you ever read this, thank you for the great experience, Best wishes to you on building the house. Thank You for the great experience.

To the tourists: read the signs ! And do not take sand from the black sand beach....

My wife and I enjoyed the Big Island Highlights Volcano day tour with Manny on 1/22/2025. We were the first people in our tour group of 8 people picked up (our resort was on the north Kohala coast), about 6:30 am, which meant that we were the first people dropped off after the van completed the CCW circumnavigation of the island, about 11 hours later. We had time to visit with Manny about the history of the lava flows on the Kohala coast during the twenty minute drive into Kailua Kona to pick up the remainder of our party. Manny was extremely personable and shared lots of little tidbits and facts of the area. Once we picked up the rest of the party (which took a little over an hour), we started our tour. Manny always kept us informed about the itinerary and how long we would have at each stop, and drove very safely.

Our first stop was at Greenwell farms where we enjoyed some delicious coffee tasting and had time to browse their selection. My one constructive feedback item for the whole trip would be that since we had an early start, we did not have an opportunity to have breakfast before we were picked up, and since this was our first stop (about 9:30) we were pretty hungry verging on hangry by this point. The offering was a fruit bar and juice. My suggestion would be that they offer something perhaps a bit more substantial earlier in the trip, perhaps a breakfast burrito kept in an insulated container.

As you can imagine, we were pretty famished at our next stop which fortunately featured malasadas at the famous Punalu'u bake shop. With bellies full we took the gorgeous drive past South Point to the black sands beach where we got to enjoy watching the basking sea turtles and beautiful views. Next stop was the volcano which was the highlight of the tour, we had lots of time to view the volcano, eat a nice lunch at the caldera, visit steam vents and lava tube, etc.

From there we stopped at a vineyard, watched a video of the 2018 eruption, got to stop at a candy shop in Hilo, and visit Angel Falls.

Throughout the trip we were very comfortable with the ride and temperature, the weather was perfect, we got to know our fellow tourists, and Manny had so many interesting observations and facts of the island to share with us that time passed very quickly.

Would definitely recommend this trip to other visitors to...

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

We had an absolutely incredible experience with Kailani Tours on our Big Island & Volcano adventure! From start to finish, everything was seamless, comfortable, and so well-organized.

Our guide, Thia, was outstanding, professional, knowledgeable, and genuinely passionate about the island. She made us feel safe and cared for the entire day, while also sharing fascinating stories, history, and insights that brought Hawaii’s culture and landscapes to life. Her attention to detail, from safety reminders, making sure everyone was comfortable, and offering drinks and snacks really stood out and made the tour feel first-class. About van was the most comfortable (and clean) I’ve ever had on an island tour.

The itinerary was fantastic and gave us such a well-rounded taste of the Big Island. We loved the stop at the local coffee farm, where we learned about and sampled Kona coffee, followed by the famous bakery and most southern point of the US, for some sweet island treats. The malasadas were delicious. The black sand beach was breathtaking and unforgettable, especially seeing the sea turtles on the beach blending into the black sand.

Of course, the highlight was exploring Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park—seeing craters, lava landscapes, and learning about the island’s volcanic activity was awe-inspiring. We were lucky to see the volcanic activity letting off gases - but sadly we didn’t not get to experience an episode. The lunch at the volcano house was amazing and the view incredible. We also enjoyed the chance to visit Hilo and take in the beauty of Rainbow Falls, which was the perfect way to end an already amazing day.

This was truly one of the best tours we’ve ever taken. If you want a worry-free, enriching, and unforgettable way to experience the Big Island, look no further than Kailani Tours—and if you’re lucky enough to have Thia as your guide, you are in for a real treat! I will recommend Kailani tours and Thia to all...