Tours in Halawa Heights

A birthday girl surrounded by her best friends dances to her favorite song and moves across a glittering black-granite floor to grab a drink at the bar. Overhead, mirrored ceilings reflect the light of fiber-optic stars. A dancing pole invites flashy dance moves or flashier firefighter imitations. The driver turns around to let everyone know they're about to park. What looks and feels like the VIP section of a nightclub is actually the inside of an Oahu Party Bus. The company's fleet of fully equipped vehicles chauffeurs groups of up to 40 people across the island in style, making stops at scenic locations such as Kualoa Ranch or The Valley of the Temples. Drivers can deliver guests to favorite bars or simply cruise for a one-of-a-kind night on the road. Guests can blast their own music over the bus's sound system, play DVDs on flat-screen TVs, or sing karaoke songs to court applause from passing cars.

Friendly drivers steer AlohaBus's fleet of double-decker buses through Honolulu streets, chaperoning tourists and intrigued locals to scenic and historic locations and allowing riders to disembark or climb aboard at any point. Vehicles arrive every 30–45 minutes at each stop, and riders can enjoy fresh ocean breezes from the open-top vehicles. The buses make eight continuous loops from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., including the daytime historic loop that explores Diamondhead, Waikiki, the Pearl Harbor express loop, and the nighttime loop that meanders through shopping and dining destinations. Complimentary earbuds play music and a GPS-activated narrative whispers fun facts in five languages, including English, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, and GPS's native binary. Guests can hop off at stops to get an up-close look at areas of interest or to refill the bus's gas tank with coconut milk.

Honolulu’s azure beaches and lush mountain ranges beckon eyes downward as passengers team up with a commercially rated and FAA-certified pilot to cut through the air on glider tours offered year-round. Seated snugly in a bubble-topped glider plane, passengers and pilots survey panoramic views from up to 3,000 feet above the island's famously scenic North Shore. Surfers wave from the surging whitecaps far below and, on clear days, one can view distant landmarks such as the Kaena Point satellite-tracking station, the volcanic tuff cone known as Diamond Head, and the lava dam that stands between Honolulu and certain destruction. Known for their aerobatic prowess, pilots sometimes offer upside-down views of these and other sights as they guide their gliders through a series of loops and turns. A team of technicians tends to gliders and tow planes as soon as they land, ensuring that each remains safe and ready for the next flight.

Paradise Pedals employs the leg power of up to 15 riders to explore Honolulu's sites and neighborhoods in a manner that earns a high-five from Mother Nature. A series of bicycles joined together beneath a mobile bar, the fuel-free vehicle moseys through streets at approximately 5 miles per hour, and sometimes faster when going down a slope or being pulled by concerned sailors who confuse the structure for a boat. As onboard speakers crank out tunes, one of the company's drivers steers groups along one of two routes, each of which provides unique photo opportunities and chances to check out bars, restaurants, and the beachfronts. With an attached roof, riders can relax, sip nonalcoholic drinks, and remain protected from the sun or the unpredictable downpours of leis that plague Honolulu's forecasts.

Enchanted by a walking tour of Manhattan he took in 2007, the Honolulu Star Bulletin reports, Casey Hewes decided that his hometown of Honolulu deserved a similar guided trek focused on its rich history and culture. After recruiting former police officer and fellow lifelong history buff Richard Wong, Hewes opened Ohana Walking Tours one year later. Richard meets patrons beneath the Aliiolani Hale archway—situated right behind the King Kamehameha statue—and leads a two-hour jaunt past such attractions and landmarks as the Iolani Palace and the mayor's office. Guests also visit numerous Hawaiian firsts, including the state's first church, police station, and pizzeria, which was formed by a cooling volcano full of ham and pineapple. Throughout the tour, Richard connects rich anecdotes about Honolulu's past with their relevance to contemporary issues affecting the city today.