Seeing Volcanoes National Park without a car?

[GraysonBC]

Heyas!

 

My wife and I will be in Hilo, from 7am till 6pm on October 1st (Friday). I've been looking through all sorts of sites, trying to distill our options for seeing Volcanoes National Park, and finding it a bit bewildering :o

 

What have folks found works well for getting to the park without a vehicle of our own? Should we hire a cab, or take a tour? I'm not all that keen on taking a tour, since I'd rather we be free to see things at our own pace - I particularily want to check out Thurston Lava Tube.

 

Any advice is much appreciated :p

 

(Edit becuz spellign is harrd)

[Sammy]

You could take a tour, but you wouldn't be going at your own pace. The car is great and I don't know your reasons for not considering one. But if it's just the concerns about navigating in a new place, I wouldn't worry. It's a nice easy drive out there. Just get a map beforehand. Can't really get lost. Take a lunch to have a nice picnic by the Visitor's Center or walk across the divided road there and have lunch at the Inn overlooking the crater.

 

Sammy

[GraysonBC]

Neither of us drive ;)

[daWoods]

I can see where that would be a problem. :rolleyes: I would think a cab would be a bit expensive for the length of time you'd need it to see everything you want. Tours are restricting because of time constraints and they might not go where you want. The best solution might be to go in on a rental with another couple and let them drive. :D

[kimidz]

You could call the tour companies and see if they offer private tours.

[Sammy]

Oops, maybe you better not get a car! The tours can be really good because one always learns a lot more from the guides than doing a self-guided tour. It's pretty casual and you really should have time to see what you want.

 

Just don't miss it!

 

Sammy

[CINDYSUE]

We took a tour that was booked through the ship, but was with Hawaii Waterfalls and Trail (or something like that). Had a very small group (probably about 8) and the guide was great! I don't think you could get very much information from a taxi driver. We walked alot. All the way down the covered road to the last major lava flow, thru the Thurston Lava Tube and all around the park. Was a great day, but boy was I pooped!

[voltdoc]

Heyas!

 

My wife and I will be in Hilo, from 7am till 6pm on October 1st (Friday). I've been looking through all sorts of sites, trying to distill our options for seeing Volcanoes National Park, and finding it a bit bewildering :o

 

What have folks found works well for getting to the park without a vehicle of our own? Should we hire a cab, or take a tour? I'm not all that keen on taking a tour, since I'd rather we be free to see things at our own pace - I particularily want to check out Thurston Lava Tube.

 

Any advice is much appreciated :p

 

(Edit becuz spellign is harrd)

 

 

We have used Tropical Tours # 808 938 2211 in Hilo. They gave us a privite tour exactly to what we wanted. Teresa our guide was knowledgable of the Big Island, and took us to sights we would have missed if we took a NCL ship tour. We were at the end of the Chain of creaters Road, saw the "Lava Tube" and experianced a crack in the lava exhusting steam and gases among others. She will interview you and find out what you want to see and do. Then she will taylor a tour to your personal needs. We were lucky to find Tropical Tours, and the cost was less than the NCL ship tour. Pick up and drop off is at the pier, and we were back to the ship in plenty of time. If we come back to Hilo we would us them again. Volt Doc

[Sea Island Lady]

We had a ship's tour that was very large but we enjoyed the park and learned a lot.

I would suggest finding an independent company such as the above suggested...even if it means spending a little more. I also advise that you see the volcanoes before going to the visitors center. It will mean more to you after seeing the volcanoes. Very interesting but not what we expected. We actually got to walk out to the edge of a crater and saw many steam holes and walked through the lava tubes.