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New Land on Earth
- geological tour on Kilauea and Big Island, Hawaii -
Highlights
 | Expert geology tour on Kilauea volcano
| | Active lava flows and craters from close
| | Volcano photography
| | Hiking |
In short
Tour code: HAW_BI3
Tour type: Study tour
Difficulty: Moderate-Challenging
Tour character: Varying according to clients' preferences
Best travel period: all year
Duration: variable (1-12 days)
Dates:
Custom tour dates only
Price (p.p.): from $790,- (depending on pax and nr of days)
(1-4 participants / prices for smaller or larger groups on request.)
Included: | All transportation on the Big Island in private 4WD vehicle
| | Park entry and museum fees
| | Tents, camping cooking equipment and other special gear if necessary
| | Expert volcanologist guide |
The primary purpose of this tour is to give an overview of the geology of the Big Island of Hawaii with its fascinating volcanic and other natural treasures, some of which are unique or of text-book quality (e.g. observing liquid lava up close, the continuous formation of new land, the largest lava caves in the world, fault generation by gravity, spectacular erosion phenomena, different life stages of hot spot volcanoes etc.).
The tour is guided by a trained geologist with teaching experience who lives on Hawaii and knows every corner. Although the tour can be set up specifically as a study excursion at university level, it is usually aimed at a broad audience with an interest in geology, but without any specific knowledge require. The tour is also perfect for photography, understanding, and the enjoyment of nature in a unique setting
Sample itinerary
Day 1: |
Arrival on Big Island – overview of Kilauea volcano
Arrival on the Big Island, pick up from Hilo airport to your accommodation. We will spend the day to visit the main geologic and other features of the Natinal Park and the caldera of Kilauea Iki.
Depending on the customer's preferences and in function of the weather etc., this can be done as a series of shorter or longer walks ranging from ca. 20 mins to a whole-day hike of 6-8 hours…Visited features can include: exhibition at the Visitors' Center, the Volcano Observatory's museum, Kilauea's caldera and main pit crater Halema'uma'u, spatter rows from recent eruptions, lava flows and crusted lava lakes, a small lava tube, the SW rift zone, fumaroles, lava tree molds etc. In the afternoon & evening, we could drive down to the coast and hike to the lavaflows and/or sea entry if active and reasonably accessible at the time of visit.
Acc.: Hotel or guesthouse in Hilo or Volcano village
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Day 2: |
Hilo and the Puna coast
Today we’ll drive south to the beautiful Puna coast district. Although far from the center of the volcano, it is part of the huge Eastern Rift zone and characterized by intense activity.
We can visit a forest park with impressive lava tree molds created in an eruption from 1790.
Afterwards, we visit a wonderful green freshwater lake inside an old crater and surrounded by abundant breadfruit, guava, papaya, avocado, mango, bamboo, orchids...
After a quick dive into the lake, we head down bit further to the coast to stop for a relaxing bath in a volcanically heated natural warm water pool next to the sea.
We continue to drive slowly along Hawai`i's most scenic road, the "Red Road", with the wild ocean shore on one side and a colorful, abundant rainforest mixed with coconut palms on the other.
We eventually arrive at the remnants of the town of Kalapana, buried beneath lava flows in 1992, from which we can sneak one last glimpse of the night-time lava glow.
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Day 3: |
Akaka waterfall – Waipio Valley
After breakfast, we proceed northward from Hilo to the beautiful Akaka waterfall (short hike) and continue to to a spectacular lookout above sacred Waipio Valley. We may also choose to drive or walk into the valley for some time at the impressive black-sand beach.
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Day 4: |
Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea (summit, permafrost lake, glacial features)
In the morning we can visit the Tsunami museum in Hilo and drive continue to drive up the slopes of Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea.
At the saddle between Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea, we climb a beautiful cindercone for great panoramic views of both giant volcanoes and a hearty picnic. In the early afternoon, we drive up to the Mauna Kea Visitors Center at 9,000 ft, where we spend some time to acclimate to the elevation. Then we continue to drive upwards, stopping for a short hike to explore Lake Waiao at 13,000 ft, a unique alpine lake fed by permafrost and meltwater from snow in the winter, in a moon-like setting created by a large glacier(!) present here during the last ice-age.
Before sunset, we arrive near the top of the mountain, dotted with an impressive array of bright, silvery shining modern telescopes, some of the largest and most advanced in the world. If possible, we'll visit the interior of one of them. For an unsurpassed sunset from the Pacific Ocean's highest point, we hike a short but steep path to reach the holy summit of Mauna Kea with a small Hawaiian sanctuary. After nightfall, we head back down to the visitor's center where we can spend some time stargazing under some of the earth's clearest skies while drinking hot chocolate, before returning to Hilo for a late dinner.
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Day 5: |
Departure from Hilo
Departure (transfer to airport) from Hilo airport or extension program.
Acc.: none
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