About Keoni Kahale

Hawaiʻi Island Tour and Volcano Writer · Since 2009

From Hilo

I'm Keoni Kahale. I live in Hilo, on the rainy windward side of Hawaiʻi Island, and I have written about the island's tours since 2009. I started Big Island Tour Guide because the same questions come up from almost everyone planning a first trip here: which side of the island should I stay on, is a volcano tour worth it from Kona, and what does this tour price actually cover?

The Big Island is big. The national park sits on the Hilo side, the manta ray boats leave from the Kona side, and two listings with almost the same name can differ in departure town, group size, gear and what is included. This site exists to lay those differences out before you pay.

What I compare

For every tour on the site I read the operator's published listing and compare the same points each time:

• which town or harbor the tour leaves from, and whether the listing includes pickup;
• how long it runs and which stops, sites or routes the listing names;
• for boat and air tours, group size and what the listing says about weather and no-sighting days;
• whether park entry, gear or meals are included, or left to you;
• the rating and number of reviews on Viator.

When a listing leaves one of those points unclear, the page says "check the listing" rather than guessing. One question to the operator is cheaper than a missed boat.

How a tour earns a place here

A tour has to fit the page it appears on, hold a rating of at least 4.4 on Viator, and carry at least 20 reviews. Ratings, review counts and prices come straight from Viator and change over time, so the numbers you see when you click through are the ones that count.

The right tour for you depends on your dates, your group and which side of the island you are sleeping on, which is why each card says who it suits and who should skip it.

Where the facts come from

Conditions on Hawaiʻi Island change: park fees, eruption activity, summit weather and ocean conditions. For anything that is not part of a tour listing, I rely on public sources and name them on the page, including the National Park Service for Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, Hawaiʻi State Parks for Kealakekua Bay and NOAA for the humpback whale season. Check the official source before you go.

What this site will not tell you

The tour cards describe what each operator publishes. I don't present any listed tour as one I booked or took. The short scenes on some pages are moments from living here, at public overlooks, beaches and roadsides, not tour reviews. Opinions on the pages are planning advice: which volcano day suits a Kona base, when a tour beats driving yourself, and what to confirm before paying.

Where to start

Start with the volcano tour guide or the manta ray night snorkel guide. Thinking about the air? Read the helicopter tour guide and helicopter against a ground tour. Before any of it, check whether to base yourself in Kona or Hilo and the five-day itinerary.

Corrections and affiliate links

If you find something out of date or wrong, send a correction and I will check it against the source and update the page. Big Island Tour Guide earns a commission when you book through its Viator links, at no extra cost to you. Read how affiliate links work before booking.