Hilo Attractions, Landmarks & Things To Do

Great tour. Aaron was a great, informative guide with stories of island life. Take this tour you won’t regret it.

Great way to see A LOT in one day .. all the main highlights of Hilo. Our tour operator was born & raised there so it was great to have that much knowledge leading us.

Ray was an exceptional tour guide. His local knowledge and his genuine personality were second to none. Totally recommend this tour with Ray as tour guide.

Amazing Scenery and Exceptional Service from Ray!Our tour with Hawaii Island Insider Tours was an incredible experience, and a huge part of that was our guide, Ray. He was knowledgeable, friendly, accommodating, and genuinely went above and beyond to make sure we had a great day.The tour took us to some absolutely spectacular places, including Rainbow Falls, Akaka Falls, and the volcanoes. The scenery throughout the day was breathtaking — lush tropical landscapes, dramatic waterfalls, and the incredible volcanic terrain that makes the Big Island so unique. Every stop seemed to offer another picture-perfect view.Unfortunately, I needed to leave the group earlier than planned. Ray couldn’t have been more accommodating. He personally made sure I got back to the port safely while my wife stayed with the group and continued the tour. I truly appreciated his kindness and willingness to go the extra mile.My wife had an amazing time during the remainder of the tour and sent me some fantastic pictures of the volcanoes and the lava tube. Seeing those photos made it very clear that she got to experience some truly spectacular sights — and that I definitely missed out!Ray deserves special recognition for his outstanding customer service. He handled my unexpected change of plans without hesitation and made sure everything worked out perfectly. That kind of personal attention is what makes a tour memorable.If you’re visiting the Big Island and want to see some of its most incredible natural wonders, I highly recommend Hawaii Island Insider Tours — and if you can, ask for Ray. You’ll be in great hands!

Great experience! Highly recommended! You don't have to walk a lot but you are gonna get tired after the day!

The tour was outstanding! Our tour guide Anthony was amazing. Very knowledgeable about the culture and history of the island. Very engaging and informative. Very upbeat, positive, accommodating and fun. The overall timing of the stops were adequate. We didn’t feel rushed and the lunch was fantastic local fare at a local restaurant. Overall it was one of the better tours in my travels. Anthony went above and beyond to ensure a great experience.

Our tour was provided by Shaka Braddah tours and Desmond and team was fantastic.  They were both so knowledgeable and funny – we felt like friends by the end of our tour. They also provided snacks and local delicacies throughout the day. We started the day with a slow drive pass Lili’uokalani Park and Gardens, before stopping at Rainbow Falls which were beautiful. We then proceeded to a black sand beach (we were due to visit Punalu’u Black Stand Beach, but that was inaccessible due to Hurricane Lala which had hit the island 2 weeks previously). However, this beach we went to did not disappoint and we saw a couple of green turtles chilling on the rocks! After a lovely lunch at a local restaurant, we then went to the Volcanoes National Park which was spectacular. Even though we did not see an eruption (it had erupted the week prior), it was certainly smoking a LOT and the views were fantastic. This was followed by a walk through Thurston Lava Tube which was completely different to anything we had experienced before. All in all a fantastic trip and would highly recommend it – FIVE STARS!

Amanda was good fun, knowledgeable and entertaining. The day was just perfect

Aaron is a great tour guide. Very informative on all of our stops. Love that he cares so much of his home town. He gave us so much information on the history of Hilo. Just wish we could have seen the volcano errupt.

What a great excursion! Our tour guide “Kimo” did an incredible job of explaining the island as we moved from place to place. His insights and humor made the experience even more memorable. Absolutely recommend this trip.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Can I give more stars? Desmond and Anthony were amazing. Saw and learned so much! Tour was well planned and free flowing enough to allow for exploring. They even gave us ideas of other spots to visit on other days of our trip.

Man I can’t say enough good things about Big Mike and his tour. Soo professional. He took the time to show us a slide show during our tour, he explained each and every stop, gave us history of the big island. He got off with us and walked with the group at each stop and gave us some insight on each stop and history of each stop, its significance to the island. Our Lunch stop was great. Food was awesome. His van is nice and comfortable, very clean and tidy. He’s super polite and very engaging with his guests and makes you feel like Ohana. Please do not hesitate to book this tour if you are on the big island. A+++++ Thank you Big Mike we had a blast. Mahalo Joe and Amanda from Houston Texas

Loved this tour and it’s no surprise Big Mike is booked out! It was very convenient as Big Mike picks you up and drops you back and the cruise ship. We enjoyed visiting the volcanoes and all the other places we stopped. Big Mike is a local and his knowledge and stories was terrific. He has really thought through his tour experience and will ensure you enjoy your day. Thank you Big (King!!) Mike, we loved our day!

We did a tour of the Volcano National Park with our guide Aaron. We enjoyed very much! Great sights and great history of the island and the volcanos. We would definitely recommend!

Anthony and Desmond were outstanding tour guides! They had so much knowledge and even had like a little hands on museum in the van during traveling. It was so enjoyable! To top it off we did see the Volcano erupting for real! It was life changing. Lunch was amazing at a cute Hawaiian spot. I got the Loco Moco!!! Wonderful day!

Daniel was very informative. He knew and understood the major sights as well as giving a lot of local knowledge that made the trip very enjoyable. Would definitely recommend.