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Planning a trip to Big Island, and I want to see the volcanoes.
I have been searching online for tour packages, but it seemed like most of the tours just drive you around
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
I will be renting a car, so if there is nothing special about the tour packages that I can't do myself with a car, then I would rather just avoid booking a tour and drive myself to see the volcanoes.
I am not interested in a helicopter tour, but rather a bus/van tour. The only thing is that I'm curious if it would be worth it to book a tour when I already have a car.
Also, I'm thinking about staying on the Hilo side so I can be closer to the volcano sites, so any tips on must-eat restaurants or must-see beaches??
I will be traveling with one another adult.
Just looking for the best travel option :O
Any help is appreciated! Thanks!
Planning a trip to Big Island, and I want to see the volcanoes....
The Big Island is really, BIG! So, depending on how many nights you are staying, I would suggest breaking it up and staying in different areas of the island. For example, on our last trip their about a month ago, we first stayed 4 nights in Kailua-Kona, then 3 nights in Na'alehu and then 3 nights in Hilo. This made it a lot easier to explore everything. Also, if you are renting a car, there is really no need to take a van tour of the volcano.
OP, you can easily drive yourself to the HVNP, but seeing a lava flow will be a bit difficult. A the present time there is no way for the public to get close to the lava, although we have been able to do so in the past. It all depends on where the lava is flowing at the time you are there. And the lava boat tour may be a good idea at the time you are there.
I agree with McFrosty about spending the night in different parts of the island. One benefit to staying close to the Park (or even in the Park) would be that you can see the glow from the lava at night.
Even if you don't see lava up close, it is still a great experience to see the after effects.
If you use the Search function in the Big Island forum, you'll find that there are lots of previous posts on visiting the park, seeing the volcano, accommodations in the area, and much more.
To answer your your specific questions, tour buses don't have access to anything you can't drive to in a car. Their big appeal is for people who don't want to drive. But as DoH mentioned, the places you can drive to won't give you a view of the kind of volcanic eruption or lava flow flow that you've seen on the news. You'll need a helicopter tour or boat tour to see those.
Use the View Park Map link on the following NPS website. This map clearly shows the current situation. The area with the dotted red line around it is closed, due to the toxic gasses given off by the current eruption. Adjacent to it is the Jagger Museum, which is a viewpoint that looks down into the lake of molten lava at Kilauea caldera. In the illustration you can clearly see the plume of smoke being blown to the left by the normal tradewinds.
Now, follow the thick line representing the park boundry as it runs down and to the right, and you'll see another plume coming from Pu'u O'o. That is where the lava fountains are, and it is completely closed off to the public and away from any roads. Only helicopters have any view of this area. Follow the borderline down to the ocean and look to the right, between there and Kalapana is where the lave spills into the seawater. Sometimes you can get a view of this on foot, if you drive down Highway 130, park at Kalapana, and then take a long hike over rough lava, but sometimes they close the viewpoint. Best thing to do is to check the current conditions before making the trip.
What makes Volcanoes National Park the second most popular tourist attraction in Hawai'i, is what you can see... including the lake of molten lava called Kilauea that Mark Twain wrote about 150 years ago. You can look down into the crater from the Jagger Museum. Day time you can drive down part way the Chain of Craters Road and see the sites of previous eruptions, and appreciate the staggering power unleashed at those times. Walk through the famous Thurston Lava Tube, surrounded by a lush fern forest. I recommend you visit the Jagger viewpoint twice... once during the day, and once after dark, when the red glow from the caldera is bright. On clear nights the sky overhead is jet black and the stars are dazzling, with the Milky Way very clear and distinct. The combination is one of the most unforgettable sights in the world. This is why I also recommend staying overnight at a B&B in the village, or at Volcano Inn in the park, so you can enjoy the park after dark then not have to drive back to Hilo afterwards.
One essential tip is to take a good jacket to wear at the Jagger, because it's at 4,000' altitude and the weather is often cold and windy and sometimes rainy.
Whoever moved my post to the right place, Mahalo ! (I accidentally posted on the Oahu forum)
Thanks everyone for the info!
I'm staying on the hilo side for 2 days and want to see the many different volcanoes and landscapes of that part of the island.
i really wanted to check out the lava up close, either by driving or a boat tour. i wouldn't mind a helicopter tour but really wanted to go by sea.
i also heard about the lava flow issue, and that people are not allowed to go close to the lava at this time. i looked online and called around to a lot of places but couldn't find anyone operating lava boat tours. i had no idea about this issue and i'm glad i got some good info thanks to everyone!
so now since we are not able to get a lava boat tour, slight change of plans!
i will just be driving around, and possibly get a helicopter tour.
any recommendations for a good helicopter lava tour?
i've been looking online and Blue Hawaiian and Tom's Barefoot looked pretty good.
Has anyone every heard of these or personally used them before?
Whoever moved my post to the right place, Mahalo ! (I accidentally posted on the Oahu forum)
He mea iki. I asked the mod to move it to the correct forum for you. It's all just part of the service.
Quote:
I'm staying on the hilo side for 2 days and want to see the many different volcanoes and landscapes of that part of the island.
OK, there's only one volcano, with three aspects... the molten lake up top, which fills up, and then the cork gets pulled and like a bathtub emptying the lava flows underground down to Pu'u O'o, where it sometimes spurts up in fountains under the pressure, and other times just kind of oozes down toward the Kalapana area, where it falls into the ocean. (not the whole story scientifically, but close enough for planning purposes.)
Much of the time the crater lake isn't really doing much except sitting there, glowing and belching gas, but occasionally a chunk of the rim will break off and fall in, causing a big splash into the air, but that's rare and hard to catch. I did once see the level in the lava lake drop about 30' in a manner of minutes, which was pretty dramatic, but that was one visit out of many, over several years time. The steam vents all over the park are blowing off all the time, and that's pretty dramatic, but 9 times out of 10 that's probably the most action you'll see, so set your expectations accordingly.
What is staggering about the place is the sheer size of everything, the previous lava lakes that are still warm after decades, but which you can safely walk on today, the "surface of the moon landscapes, the steep cliifs that were niagaras of molten lava only a few decades ago, the view out over the ocean from 4,000' altitude, the astonishing range of wild flora and fauna you can see in just short walks, and depending on when you go, possibly cultural displays and performances in the park. Even the art gallery is astonishing, featuring the best of the best of Hawaiian arts and crafts. Check the NPS site for details and events calendar.
Handy to Hilo, and an easy walk once you're there is Wailuku Park and Rainbow Falls. Not the biggest waterfall in the world, but a pretty one, and very easy to include in a day of Hilo sightseeing, along with the "don't miss" Hilo Farmers Market and old Downtown District along the Bay. Again, pull up previous threads for more info.
Heading south on Highway 11 from the bay, it's 8 miles to Kea'au, where you can turn off to go down Highway 130 through Puna District, and stop in the old sugar town of Pahoa if you like, with some surviving shops featuring the old covered wooden sidewalks that make it look like something from the Old West.
Continuing down the road you'll come to the coast, and if you turn to the left you'll have a very scenic drive along the rugged coast, with surf crashing, and a remarkable tree-tunnel lined with overarching banyan trees, the likes of which most people have never seen. If instead you turn to the right you'll soon come to what little is left of Kalapana, the town that was burned out by lava decades ago. At the road's end you'll find a few scruffy bars and restaurants, along with a parking place if you want to try the hike across fresh (but cool) lava... best if you have good hiking shoes for that, and check the NPS site for conditions. And shortly before that T intersection is a famous little painted church, which is surrounded by blooming plumeria and other beautiful flowers. The car rental place can mark it for you on the map if you are interested.
If instead of turning off at Kea'au you simply proceed ahead on Highway 11 you will pass through a series of small communities, mostly hidden from sight along the heavy vegetation along the roadway, always climbing in altitude, until you eventually reach 3,800' feet altitude, where the Village of Volcano lies. Again, there is almost nothing to see from the highway, and only a bit more to see if you turn off a block onto Old Volcano Road to the sleepy little village itself. Please see my previous posts for tips on where to eat and where to stay and what to do there.
A little before you reach the village, between Mile Markers 22 and 23, you will see Akatsuka Orchid Gardens makai (towards the ocean... i.e., on the left as you drive from Hilo to Volcano) the highway, and I highly recommend the stop. It's simply the most astonishing display of different kinds of orchids, of all sizes and shapes and colors I've seen anywhere. And nothing quite says Hawai'i like a profusion of orchids, as well as plumeria and other beautiful flowers.
About a mile past the village is the Park Entrance, also makai the highway, and the Ranger at the gate can give you a map and directions to the Visitor Center and beyond.
Flash forward to leaving the park and turning left on the highway to head south again, and downhill through Ka'u district towards Southpoint, the very southern tip of the southernmost state in the country, and there's really nothing south of there for a very long distance. Just finding a few minutes to stop and take all that in is pretty amazing by itslef. Along the way stop just before Pahala at the coffee farm called Cloud Rest, just mauka (away from the ocean) from the highway, where you can buy some of the finest coffee on the planet. It's at little town that was one of the very last sugar mill towns in Hawai'i, not much to see and not touristy but a decent stop if you need groceries or a restroom.
Keep going south and you'll come to Nea'alehu, one of the fabled black sand beaches, where the sea turtles often heave up on the beach to warm in the sun. Amazing. One of the natural wonders of the world. Not to be missed, as far as I am concerned. Other highlights of the area can also be found on previous threads here.
Here's one good way to spend 2 days in the area...
Day 1 see Rainbow Falls, see the Hilo Farmers Market and old bayfront shops in Hilo, take that Helicopter flight... midafternoon drive southwest on Highway 11, up to Volcano (about 27 miles, 45 minutes drive time)... visit the park, check into a B&B or the Volcano House, have a nice dinner, head back to the park after dark for a second nighttime viewing of the now brightly glowing volcano, turn in, be happy. Don't forget to bring your warm jacket and hat, and a small umbrella, in order to stay happy. A small flashlight is also advisable to take with, because nightime can get really dark away from city lights... which themselves are probably dimmer than you've ever experienced.
Day 2: In the morning head further southwest at least to Nea'alehu, or on to Southpoint and the green sand beach there, (be sure to check tourist guide for details, not everyone wants to go off the highway at this point) wave at the big wind farm you can see there called Pakini Nui, which supplies over 20 mW of power to the Big Island electric grid.
Then reverse tracks, and head back toward Hilo, 82 miles and about an hour and 45 minutes drive... stopping along the way at the Volcano Winery perhaps, or at at Ono Art Gardens for a tasty lunch, or at Kea'au (many choices), or at the Hilo Coffee Mill, or the Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut visitor's center, a particular fave of mine, or just cruise on back into Hilo in time for pupus and mai tais at one of the lovely restaurants along the bay. Night 2, stay in Hilo. Keep in mind that everything closes early, it gets dark early, and the streets are fairly empty by 9 pm.
Here's a pretty good map, to help you with understanding the directions I've given. Let me know if you have any questions.
The Volcano Observatory folks have a website that details the daily volcanic activity and tells if you can hike out to see it. Sometimes the volcano is in the park, sometimes it's oozing around outside the park. Sometimes you can walk up to watch it ooze around, sometimes it can't be seen as anything other than a night time glow. I'd search out the website for you, but it's not hard to do a Google search and maybe you'll find some thing else interesting while looking for it.
We stopped by the volcano park today to check it out. We weren't prepared for the 62 degree temperature during the daytime, so we didn't stay too long. It only costs $10 for a carload, and the admission is good for a week. There's a short movie you can watch in the visitor center. You then drive 2.5 miles to another parking lot by the crater. You're about 1.5 miles from the crater, but it only seems like it is about half a mile away. The rangers talk at 1PM, 3:30 PM, and 5 PM. The ranger's presentation is very interesting. During the daytime we saw the white emissions from the volcano. We were told that you can see the glow if you return about 6 PM or 6:30 PM. We did see the Volcano House but didn't go over there. I don't know if it would be crowded there for dinner. We plan to go back there with jeans, jacket, and a hat, since it was way too cold for T-shirts and shorts.
I also saw the orchid garden along the way, but we didn't stop by. We will probably make a point to stop there, maybe tomorrow.
I've driven on most of the Big Island's hiways, and most of them at in very good condition compared to a lot of the roads in Minnesota. The new highway 200 saddle road that connects Kona and Hilo just opened about a month ago according to an article in a local real estate book. The new highway is very smooth. The article said it cost $290 million dollars to build, which is cheap when compared to a nearly billion dollar football stadium that is being built in Minnesota to subsidize the billionaire who owns the Minnesota Vikings.
Another interesting thing about the highways is the lack of police presence, unless they use a lot of unmarked cars. I'm used to cops in Minnesota and other states trapping motorists with speed traps. Sometimes people here drive pretty fast compared to the speed limits which seem to be set pretty low. I've only seen cops at the airport, on highway 200 helping a stranded motorist, and in Waikoloa Village stopping a motorist for some reason. The people on the roads are very polite here, just like they are in person.
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Key Points of Interest from Hilo to Southpoint
