After pickup from your place of lodging, travel over the Saddle Road between two of the largest volcanoes on Earth, Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa, to the lush east coast of the Big Island. During the winter, snow caps the summits of these two stunning volcanoes.
Visit iconic Wailuku River State Park and take in the majestic beauty of Rainbow Falls and Boiling Pots. A rainbow often forms in the waterfall’s mist in the early morning hours. Rainbow Falls cascades over a cave that legend states is the home of the goddess Hina, mother of the demigod Maui.
Continue to Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park. This iconic park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and an International Biosphere Reserve, boasts the summit of two of the world’s most active volcanoes. It extends from sea level up to the summit of Mauna Loa at 13,677 feet. See critically endangered wildlife and some of the most unique geological, biological, and cultural landscapes you can find on Earth.
Upon entering the Park on our Big Island waterfalls and volcanoes tour, enjoy a walk along the rim Halema‘uma‘u Crater for unique views of the caldera. Collapses at Halema’uma’u in 2018 nearly doubled the crater’s size. The crater is the legendary home of Pele, the Hawaiian goddess of fire and volcanoes.
See the natural steam vents at Wahinekapu Steaming Bluff. Here, heated groundwater escapes from cracks in the earth as steam.
Our guided lava and waterfall tours of the Big Island will allow you to experience the massive Thurston lava tube which is 600 feet long and over 20 feet tall in some places.
Additional stops in the Park can include: Devastation Trail, Kilauea Iki, Ha’akulamanu sulphur banks, Maunaulu, and upper portions of Chain of Craters road. These fascinating locations are fun to explore in your Big Island volcano and waterfalls tour.