Hilo, Rickys Tour or rent a car on your own for family of 4?

[wadeod]

In hilo we are contemplating using a tour like Rickys, which will cost $300. Or I could rent a jeep or convertible for $150 and go to Volcano National Park myself.

 

For those that have been to Hilo, looking for your thoughts on the tour vs renting your own car. And if you did rent a car, what sites did you see.

[Astro Flyer]

I think the Hilo area would be best explored by rental car which we've easily done several times during a day in port.

 

We rented from Enterprise's office at 875 Kanoelehua Ave, Hilo, HI 96720 (11) because it was less expensive than their airport location. It's 2.2 miles from the ship & takes less than 10 minutes to shuttle you to their office which is located on the road to VNP. We've never paid more than $40 for a 4 passenger car & it gave us the flexibility to decide what we wanted to do. It's an easy 30 minute drive to VNP and on the way back to town could go to the Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Visitors Center. Their shop has an amazing selection of mac items but for the more common types Walmart or Long's on the way back have much better prices.

 

Depending upon how long you explore VNP, you may have time to visit the quaint town of Hilo or go to Rainbow Falls.

Edited August 31, 2017 by Astro Flyer