Items | Big Island - Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Driving Tour
Big Island - Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Driving Tour
(98) Reviews
Hawaii
Important Information
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Wheelchair accessible
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Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
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Service animals allowed
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Public transportation options are available nearby
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Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
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Specialized infant seats are available
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Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
Cancellation policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
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For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
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Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
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If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
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This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.
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Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
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Explore Hawai‘i’s volcanic heart on your own schedule with this self-guided driving audio tour. Drive Crater Rim Drive and walk through lava fields, steaming vents, and massive craters while the narration shares captivating stories of geology, culture, and island legends.
Start at the park entrance and choose where to go next—hike Kīlauea Iki Trail, see ancient petroglyphs, visit the Jaggar Museum overlook, or enjoy a picnic at scenic viewpoints. Use offline GPS navigation to find every stop, follow insider tips, and access the tour for a lifetime so you can return anytime.
Visit must-see spots like Devastation Trail, Ha‘akulamanu (Sulphur Banks), Pu‘uloa Petroglyphs, Holei Sea Arch, and t...
Highlights
2 days
Offered in English
Free Cancellation
Mobile Ticket
2 days
Offered in English
Free Cancellation
Mobile Ticket
What's Included
Take the tour when you want
Tours NEVER expire
Freedom to explore at your own pace
Offline map of the island
Tour Start is Customizable
Offline map (no wifi or data needed)
Tour highlights with activity and restaurant recommendations
Turn-by-turn directions using GPS
Hours of audio narration with stories, travel tips and music
Audio narration that plays automatically as you drive
3-5 hours of audio content
Meals & Refreshment
Volcanoes National Park
Meeting Points
Departure
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
This is a self-guided tour. You will be directed to the starting points inside the app after purchase.
Return
Big Island - Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Driving Tour
(98) Reviews
Hawaii
About
Explore Hawai‘i’s volcanic heart on your own schedule with this self-guided driving audio tour. Drive Crater Rim Drive and walk through lava fields, steaming vents, and massive craters while the narration shares captivating stories of geology, culture, and island legends.
Start at the park entrance and choose where to go next—hike Kīlauea Iki Trail, see ancient petroglyphs, visit the Jaggar Museum overlook, or enjoy a picnic at scenic viewpoints. Use offline GPS navigation to find every stop, follow insider tips, and access the tour for a lifetime so you can return anytime.
Visit must-see spots like Devastation Trail, Ha‘akulamanu (Sulphur Banks), Pu‘uloa Petroglyphs, Holei Sea Arch, and t...
Highlights
2 days
Offered in English
Free Cancellation
Mobile Ticket
2 days
Offered in English
Free Cancellation
Mobile Ticket
What's Included
Take the tour when you want
Tours NEVER expire
Freedom to explore at your own pace
Offline map of the island
Tour Start is Customizable
Offline map (no wifi or data needed)
Tour highlights with activity and restaurant recommendations
Turn-by-turn directions using GPS
Hours of audio narration with stories, travel tips and music
Audio narration that plays automatically as you drive
3-5 hours of audio content
Meals & Refreshment
Volcanoes National Park
Meeting Points
Departure
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
This is a self-guided tour. You will be directed to the starting points inside the app after purchase.
Return
Itinerary
Day 1
Day 2
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Driving Tour
15 Stops
1
Kīlauea Visitor Center
Stop here to ask a park ranger some questions, fill up your water bottle, or use the restroom.
If you didn’t bring a jacket, the gift shop at the Visitor Center usually has sweatshirts for sale. You might want to pick one up here, as temperatures vary drastically across the park.
20 minutes
2
Steam Vents
Stop and stare at a cloud of steam formed from underground water meeting hot volcanic rock.
5 minutes
3
Kilauea Military Camp
Learn about the history of the Kilauea Military Camp which dates back almost 100 years. Today, it offers accommodations near the park for military families.
4
Kilauea Overlook
You'll definitely want to stop at these two overlooks for the best views of Kilauea Caldera and Halema'uma'u Crater.
Uekahuna is the highest point on the rim and offers spectacular views of Kilauea Caldera, Mauna Loa, and the surrounding area. It is also an important cultural site for Native Hawaiians. Note: The Jagger Museum, which used to be located at Uekahuna, has been relocated to the Kilauea Visitor Center after earthquakes from the 2018 eruptions destroyed the original building.
Kilauea Overlook offers visitors the most dramatic views of the caldera and Halema'uma'u Crater. The crater experienced a dramatic collapse during the 2018 eruptions.
You can access the popular Crater Rim Trail from either lookout. The trail circles the rim, offering an even closer view of the volcano.
15 minutes
5
Sulphur Banks
This 1.2-mile hike (roundtrip) is actually a leisurely walk along a paved path where you’ll see more steam rising from the ground.
Feel free to hike this now or after your trip down Chain of Craters Road.
30 minutes
6
Kīlauea Iki Overlook
Back in 1959, this mile-long crater was a seething lava lake spewing fountains of lava up to 1,900 feet in the air.
10 minutes
7
Nahuku - Thurston Lava Tube
This magnificent natural landmark is one of the most popular spots at the national park.
There is a well-maintained trail that takes you inside a 600-foot lava tube and through a lush rainforest.
20 minutes
8
Kilauea Iki Trail
The Kïlauea Iki Trail is technically a 4-mile hike that takes you along the rim of Kilauea Iki and down to the crater floor, where you can feel the pulse of this magnificent volcano from the still-steaming crater floor.
If you’re pressed for time, there's a shortcut. Just across the street from Nahuku Lava Tube is a short trail to the bottom of Kilauea Iki Crater.
This shortcut takes about one hour to complete. Please know, there is a steep decline through the forest into the crater.
Once you get to the crater floor, snap as many photos as you’d like, then work your way back up to the parking area the same way you came.
1 hour
9
Devastation Trail
You’ll feel like you’re on Mars as you take in the terrain on your walk along Devastation Trail.
This one-mile trail takes you along the path of a destructive and explosive eruption dating back to 1959.
Along the way, you’ll see spots where life is beginning to regrow and find a large barren lava mound called the Pu’u Pua'i Cinder Cone -- a perfect example of how mother nature forms new mountains.
30 minutes
10
Puhimau Crater
Does seeing the views of massive volcanic craters ever get old? We don't think so!
Chain of Craters Road got its name from the handful of massive craters with viewpoints along the road.
Puhimau Crater is one of many dramatic holes likely formed around 1500-1800 AD. In our opinion, this gigantic pit crater is one of the best views on the tour.
What’s a pit crater you ask? It’s a depression in the ground that forms when a volcano shifts or expands--and surprisingly not the result of an explosion.
10 minutes
11
Mauna Ulu Lookout
More of a stroll than a hike, the Maunaulu Fissure Hike is at the site of a 1969 eruption that spewed lava up to 200 feet in the air, destroying a native 'ohi'a forest in the area.
As you walk you’ll see lava trees and a variety of volcanic formations. The trail is marked with stacked rocks. Please do not disturb the rocks or build new stacks.
30 minutes
12
Kealakomo
The overlook is built on Holei Pali, a steep cliff with a 2,000-foot drop.
At the Kealakomo Lookout, in addition to the panoramic view of the Pacific Ocean, you will also have an expansive view of the vast lava flow in 1971 that buried portions of the ancient coastal village of Kealakomo.
10 minutes
13
Pu‘uloa Petroglyphs
One of our favorite stops on the tour, the Pu'uloa Petroglyphs hike tells the story of Hawaii’s past.
As you walk along this trail you’ll see ancient petroglyphs or inscribed images on stone.
This hike takes about 20 minutes each way and ends at a well-maintained wooden boardwalk that circles many of the 23,000 petroglyphs in this area.
In fact, this site is home to the largest grouping of petroglyphs in Hawaii! As you walk, remember to respect the sacredness of this place.
50 minutes
14
Hōlei Sea Arch
You can view the Holei Sea Arch from the observation area located just past the gate at the end of the Chain of Craters Road.
This 90-foot sea arch was formed roughly 500 years ago from an ancient lava tube that hardened as it entered the ocean.
And just within the last 100 years or so, the sea arch was sculpted by ocean erosion.
30 minutes
15
Kipuka Puaulu Trail
If you have more time to explore, we'll take you on a sweet little side trip across the highway, just down the road from the main entrance.