Small Group Big Island Twilight Volcano and Stargazing Tour

OK, I haven't reviewed anything in sooooo long, because I've simply not been blown away with an excursion. UNTIL 10/10/25. First, we were island hopping, and when we arrived for Day 1 of our Oah'u part, we got a call from another tour company (booked via Viator - UGH!) cancelling our Volcanos island tour on the Big Island, less than 48 hours prior, and that was the reason we had planned to be on the big island for just a day - to do that tour. We Googled and by dumb luck found Wasabi Tours and I am forever grateful we did! First, our booking was managed seamlessly and was considerate of our fixed flight times to find an option that worked, and we DID :-) Our guide, **Derek Stuart** was AMAZING. Not only is he so personable; you can also tell he simply loves his island home. We started with a stop at Bay View Farm to learn about coffee farming and production. He knows so very much about the earth, climate, weather, and how that impacts that region’s ability to grow Kona coffee. We tasted wonderful coffees and enjoyed gorgeous views! We had a delicious warm picnic lunch taking in the vistas over Cook’s Bay and learned the history there. Then we hit the road southbound, and along the way learned about the mac-nut tree production along the way. Next we drove down to southern-most bakery in the USA, Punalu'u, and had baked goods (you MUST have the malasadas – chef’s kiss). We then stopped in at the Punalu’u black sand beach where they just happened to be tagging and checking green turtles' health. Incredible to talk to the people doing the work and be able to take in the views and understand the ecosystem and life cycles of these gorgeous creatures. Then we were off to Volcanoes National Park. Now, as we were traversing the island from center west, around the southern-most point, then north into the park, Derek was sharing the histories of the volcanoes, how they formed, why they appear as they do (shield or dome versus cone volcanoes) to be sure he could focus on the incredible things to see once we were there. We got out and took a really lovely hike (they don’t do this with all groups, depending on the physical abilities of each collective group) around the rim of the lava lake at Kilauea. It was remarkable. And while we were there a week before the eruption, it was still extraordinary to see. We had a good deal of time at the park, walked through a lava tube – mind-blowing – it was about 16 feet tall and 300 feet long – Derek prepped us for how they are created and what to expect. We got the hear the Coqui frogs in the forest at night. Afterward, we stopped into a café for hot dinner (again, scrumptious and included), then on the trek back to our hotels (about 90 minutes) we stopped along the way for stargazing and to learn about the stars visible in Hawai’I that may or not be in each of our respective home locations on the CONUS or abroad. I give this 5 stars and would give 10 if the platform allowed me to! And, just an FYI, the vehicle was a Mercedes Sprinter van with tall headroom, comfy seats and plenty of outlets to keep devices charged and ready take as many photos and videos as your heart desires!