Our tours on Hawai'i - what clients have said:

Donna about a private tour on Hawai'i

"Hi Arthur, wee just returned home from our great trip last night. I want to thank you very much for such a wonderful insightful tour of the lsland and waterfalls! Jim and I just loved it and you made it very interesting and informative. ... Thanks again for such a memorable trip and taking all the photos for us too! Sincerely, Donna" (Volcanoes and waterfalls tour)

A press article about the Kilauea Special Tour

In Hawaii, the road to 'hell' is not paved, it's covered with hardened lava - read an article about a tour with us on the Seattle PI

"Dear Phillip ... Thank you again for the nice way you guided us on this fantastic island. We definitely hope to come back one day. Karolina and Guillaume"

review about a private tour on Kilauea volcano

"...if you want to learn a lot, have unlimited questions, and want to experience time with an expert,this is the best possible choice. ...We found that by having this choice of guides, we were able to go with the one who best met our needs. We liked the small personalized group as opposed to groups of 30 people we saw herded around looking glazed and we liked that we could focus on what WE were interested in as compared to a more general tour that is one size fits all..." (->read the full review on Tripadvisor)

Guillaume and Karolina about their tour on Hawai'i

Lava sea entry (photo: Guillaume)

Lava flowing over the cliff on Hawaii (photo: Guillaume)

"Dear Tom, We had a fantastic time in Hawaii. Phil did an excellent job (above expectations) and we were delighted by the amazing landscapes of Kilauea. Phil is very talented and knowledgeable not only in volcanology but also in botanic and local culture. We would love to do another trip around the world with more volcano discoveries but we think we are running out of time and budget... Thank you to give us this opportunity of in-depth volcano discovery. Best regards, Karolina and Guillaume" (Custom tour on Kilauea volcano, Hawai'i

"Tom, We had a great one day tour on the Big Island with Phil. His knowledge of Hawaiian culture was an unexpected plus." (Douglas B, about his private tour on Hawai'i

A feedback about a geology-oriented tour on June 15, 2009

"One of my degrees is masters in geosciences, which I got because of my interest in Kilauea. My husband arranged our day with Phil as a 50th birthday present for me, and it couldn't have been better! We know that classroom experiences in geology can never replace field experience, and even though Bob and I have explored Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park on several trips, Phil provided information, insight, and opportunities that we previously had not had. The trek through Kazumura Lava Tube was extraordinary!

Phil's knowledge is extensive and it is obvious that he can easily adjust the level of explanation of volcanic features and processes to the interests and background of participants. We returned the following week and hiked to the top of Mauna Ulu at Phil's suggestion, with the additional knowledge that we had acquired during our day with Phil.

FYI, your banner is now one of a few that appears at the bottom of our web pages: www.konaoceanvilla.com
In addition, we have a page of banners at:
www.konaoceanvilla.com/bannerlinks.php

Phil kindly reviewed one of the other pages:
www.konaoceanvilla.com/fun/fun_volcano.php
and emailed me a correction to one of the captions, which I greatly appreciated.

For each of our vacations I also create a web page, and our experiences with Phil are also provided on Day 1 of that page.
Denise" (Dr. Denise Meeks, Astronomy/Physics Faculty, Science Department Chair, Northwest Campus, Pima Community College)

An enthousiastic feedback from two clients on a private tour on Kilauea

Hiking on the lava flow field towards the ocean sea entry

Pahoehoe lava close-up

The sea entry at night

Katerina & Guillaume

"Hi Philip, hi Tom, Ok unfortunately back in Paris...sometimes it's hard the return to the reality, especially after spending some really good time... Just wanted to say thanks to both of you for thatextraordinary occasion for us, to approach one of the most impressive volcano, as well as for your professionalism from the begining to the end and your time and care consecrated to us. ... Nevertheless that's true that anything could not easily replace the moment of being a witness of such event like an active volcano is....always fascinating and suprising and for sure we will not forget easily all what, thanks to you, we were able to see....or at least till some such another experience.... Thank you, Philip, again, for these two days, and mostly for your passion and enthousiasm and unexhaustible knowledge, that you do know share and that's what we really appreciated as well as your personality and your attention for our comfort and security and......ok then I think I will stop there with all these compliments before you get too proud of you :)....and still could continue to improve yourself..... Thank you once more and just hope that still more and more people will appreciate more and more this "end of the world" not only for this particularity of having an activ volcano(s) but also for all the other natural beauties and wealth hidden in the middle of these islands, that is very often underrated by a lot of people (and certainly overshadowed by the idea of the famous great hawaii's beaches and beaches and qgain the beaches - just an idea of many of european people that there is nothing else - ok, already succeeded to change this idea of some of them, but still a lot of work to do...) At least, like this, we can still hope in lasting preservation of the nature there...or at least a bit longer...(ok it's always relative...) Nevertheless hope all your clients do so (take care about the environement) ! :) Good luck with your future plans!" Sincerely, Katerina S. & Guillaume C (Kilauea Private Tour)

"Hi, ... I just viewed the DVD I bought and thought I could hear the sounds and smell the smells! I really had a great time on our trip and appreciated your knowledge and experience and your company! It was, for me, an experience of a lifetime! Mahalo, once more, and all the best! Fondly -- Regina"
"Tom Pfeiffer proved to be a knowledgeable and trustworthy guide throughout our trip. He communicated not only a wealth of information and his passion for the subject of volcanology, but also his delight in the drama and beauty of the world of volcanoes. Respectful of individual needs and interests, he made the experience both educational and most enjoyable. Regina Bringolf, Hancock, New Hampshire, U.S.A."

Private tour to Hawaii in November 2008

Dear Philip, dear Tom,

in November after an really exciting day, we´ve promised Philip to send some pictures.
Well, it was not forgotten, we just had to cover with Christmas, new year and, of course we had to sort through our pictures first. We did, and you can find the photos here. As you can see, Tom, you have the right fireproof man out there on Hawaii. Thank you again for taking us on that trip, showing us what kind of stuff lava really is!
We wish both of you a happy new year, full of adventures and new experiences. Stay healthy!

Regards and “auf Wiedersehen”

Sabine + Egon

"We have arrived at home last night as per schedule...We could enjoy our tour very much and we think that our tour aim was 100% satisfied. We could have wonderful experience that we could never forget. Thank you very much for your guide. Later, by mail, I will send two video files, mpeg2 format and mpeg4 format, that recorded turnover the lava lake. Sincerely, Seiji" (S. Takeda, Japan, Kilauea Volcano Special tour July 07)

"We hiked the volcanic lava with Philip on Jan. 30 and what a thrill it was for us! Philip was able to point out various configurations and structures that we saw along the way and explain their existence because of his background as a geologist and volcanologist, and that just made the whole trip for us. He also took us close to a skylight where we could see the glow from the lava flowing through the tube and be the first people to walk on the new lava around it, and that was definitely a thrilling experience! We have shown just about everyone we've met the pictures of the skylight and have told them about your company, so hope you get some business out of it. There was certainly a lot of interest.
Anyway, I just wanted to thank you for enabling us to have such a wonderful experience, and to thank Philip again for taking us on such a fascinating hike. It was the highlight of our cruise around the Hawaiian islands. We're glad that we got to ride in Philip's old hunker of a jeep as it made it a bit funky for us, but hope he enjoys his new vehicle." (Sheila, US)

"Aloha Tom
Just wanted to give you some feedback from the above trip. It was FANTASTIC!!!!!. As you know I was the only participant which worked well for me as we had a suggested itinerary, but was able to modify to suit my requirements, including the incredible boat trip to view lava. I have travelled extensively, and this boat trip is definitely up there at the top with other unbeatable life experiences. Philip Ong is one of the kind. His knowledge and passion for the Big Island is unsurpassable. His friendly disposition enjoyable. I loved every minute I spent with him, will treasure the discussions about anything and everything we undertook. The joking and laughs we shared - he really made the experience work. Also I would like to thank you for all the emailing and sorting of dates etc that you did to make my trip possible. Phil has some fantastic ideas and plans to include in future tours, which will make it even better - if that is possible. An amazing experience that I will never forget and a new friend made. Mahalo!! Denise Ellson"

VolcanoDiscovery featured in Endless Vacation magazine

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"The Tom Pfeiffer & Phil Ong tour is the ultimate volcano live performance ..." -> Read the FULL REPORT !
(Britt and Finn Pedersen, Denmark; 1 March 2005)

"Thank you both for an amazing trip. Pele pulled out all the stops, which I will forever appreciate (I'm pretty sure I'm hooked on lava), but so did you guys. It would have been fun hanging out with you anywhere, but it was best to do it on a volcano. Unforgettable. <...>Thanks again. I had a blast. Next, Santorini (and you have to come too, Phil!). Be careful, don't do anything too crazy, and have a Thai meal and a beer for me. Love, Pam." (Pam Petro, Massachussets; 26 Feb. 2005)

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