Lava Viewing Big Island

[puppymommo]

Hi! I am going to the Big Island in a few months and am interested in viewing an active lava flow, preferably flowing into the ocean. I have done a lot of research on line but most of what I have found involves quite a bit of strenuous hiking. Does anyone know of a tour or a viewing site that involves less hiking? (I'm thinking 2-3 miles each way.)

 

[SmithOp]

Take a boat cruise if you want to avoid hiking and to see it flow into the ocean.

http://www.seelava.com/big-island-boat-tours/lava-boat-tour/


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[Kapolei]

When I did the boat ride, we passed the hikers. They were like a mile away. Our boat pulled right up to the lava. Don't try to save a few bucks here. Go with the top rated guy.

 

[ecwinch]

The boat tour is the best option if it is in your budget. But have a backup plan, as the boat tours cancel all the time due to sea conditions.

There are tours that can cut the hike in half. They can go up to the park boundary using small vans.

A whole popup industry has started at the parking area for the trailhead offering bike rentals. That is the route we took - it's still a workout, but much easier trip back. I think one vendor was offering to shuttle bike riders out to the halfway part for an extra fee.

 

[melissy123]

DH and friends did the "doors-off" helicopter tour, about $250 per person. They had a blast.

 

[AlohaKauai]

DW and I went over to the Big Island a few weeks ago to see the lava into the ocean. We used Moku Nui Lava Boat Tours (http://mnlavatour.com/) and cannot recommend them enough. The boat only holds 6 people. We saw the other lava boat mentioned above while were were out there any they were packed in like sardines. The captain backed us up to the area where the lava was flowing into the water and we had a fabulous unobstructed view of the lava. The captain indicated that the "fire hose" had tapered off a little bit due to surface flows drawing away some of the lava, but we thought it was still pretty spectacular. It was definitely an experience of a lifetime for us and was worth every penny. We'd visited Kilauea in the past and had seen lava in the caldera, but we had never seen the water entry. Some friends from the Big Island have done the bike ride out and recommended that highly, but we didn't have time to do that as well this time.

 

[1Kflyerguy]

We are going to the Big Island in May. We were planning on doing the boat tour, but the other couple got worried over the advisory about people with bad backs. They booked us all on the Helicopter instead. Hopefully it good too.. I have enjoyed other Helicopter tours..

 

[Luanne]

We are going to the Big Island in May. We were planning on doing the boat tour, but the other couple got worried over the advisory about people with bad backs. They booked us all on the Helicopter instead. Hopefully it good too.. I have enjoyed other Helicopter tours..

If you are going to do the boat tour, book ahead. We're on Maui and I overheard the guy who was giving the orientation meeting this morning saying how the boat tours to view the lava are always sold out.

 

[The Haileys]

We're on the Big Island now. We took a tour yesterday up to the Kilauea crater. We were talking to our guide about doing the hike, and he found out from the park rangers that there's no lava to be seen from land now, and they're expecting the fire hose to dwindle and may even stop. The crater, on the other hand, is getting very active.

(BTW I cannot praise Kailani Tours highly enough. Their Deluxe Volcano Tour is simply amazing!)

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[pacman]

We were on the BI a month ago and drove to the lava fields from Waikoloa. It was the highlight of our trip. Don't be discouraged about the length. As Eric mentioned, there is a whole industry at the end of the road catering to those hiking or riding in. I would highly recommend renting a bike and riding there. My DW and I actually took the "shuttle" as far as we could and then biked. Not strenuous at all. A fun experience. We were actually a little disappointed at the ocean entry because the viewing area is quite far away and you can only see very little of the actual lava entry. BUT, then you hike another 15-20 minutes up the lava field towards the mountain, to where the lava is flowing there, and it was amazing. This was worth the whole trip. Lava oozing and flowing, with nothing "roped off". You go as close as you dare, very very cool! I would very highly recommend doing the bike ride to the lava!

 

[Tucsonadventurer]

How many miles is the bike ride. We do a lot of road biking but not much trail riding. Do you
need experience? Where did you rent bikes from?

 

[geist1223]

From the Parking Lot it is 4 miles each way. There are numerous small businesses set up at the Parking area to rent bikes. Also a fun thing to do is to hike down into the Kilauea Caldera. The Park Rangers do this guided tour only once or twice a month. This is the only opportunity common folk get to go down into the Kilauea Caldera.

 

[pacman]

We do a lot of road biking but not much trail riding. Do you
need experience? Where did you rent bikes from?

Lots of places to rent a bike from. No experience needed!