The Island of Hawai'i Holidays

This evening tour combines a scenic drive up Mauna Kea, sunset views from high above the clouds, and guided stargazing under one of the clearest night skies on Earth. You’ll climb from sea level into the mountain’s high-altitude landscape, stop for sunset, then descend to a more comfortable elevation for an after-dark look at the stars.

You leave earlier in the evening and begin the gradual climb up Mauna Kea, a dormant volcano that rises well above the rest of the island. During the drive, your guide fills in the background, from the mountain’s geological story to the way Hawaiians once used the stars to navigate across the Pacific. There’s a hot picnic-style dinner along the way, timed for when the temperature starts to drop and sitting down feels particularly welcome.

Sunset is the main event. From near the summit, you watch the sun sink with clouds often spread out below you and the colours changing quickly as the light fades. It’s a quiet, unhurried moment, helped by the fact that very little else competes for attention at this altitude. After dark, you head back down to a lower elevation for stargazing. Wrapped up against the cold, you take part in a guided star show using a powerful 11-inch Celestron telescope. With minimal light pollution, the night sky here is clear and expansive.

• Duration: full day 
• Departs Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday
• Operates year round
• Group experience

This full-day experience on Hawaiʻi Island brings together three very different sides of the island. You’ll explore an active volcanic landscape with a guide, visit a working cacao farm to see how chocolate is made from the ground up, and finish the day at one of Hilo’s best-known waterfalls. It’s a varied itinerary that works well if you want contrast rather than a single-focus tour.

The day begins at Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, where you explore a landscape shaped by eruptions, collapses and cooling lava. Travelling through the park with a guide, you see how volcanic activity continues to reshape the terrain. One of the key stops focuses on the dramatic collapse of the Halemaʻumaʻu crater, which significantly altered Kīlauea and changed how this part of the park looks and feels.

From molten geology, the focus shifts to something much sweeter. You visit a tropical cacao farm, set across a large working property, where you follow chocolate from tree to finished product. The visit is hands-on and practical, breaking down the process in a way that makes the result more interesting than you might expect. The day finishes in Hilo at Rainbow Falls. Surrounded by lush greenery, the waterfall is an easy, unrushed stop and a good way to wind things down. 

• Duration: full day
• Daily departures
• Operates year round 
• Group experience