Delve into Hawaii’s history and prepare to get wet on this full-day waterfall adventure tour of the Big Island’s Kohala coast. Begin with a drive up the Kona coastline past lava flows, and take in sweeping views along the way. Admire the several Kohala waterfalls and cool off with a dip under the final cascade, a picnic lunch is included.

Small group off-road walking tour on Hawaii
Travel up the North Kona and Kohala coastlines past traditional villages and famous landmarks
Moderate hike past waterfalls and rock formations
Learn about the history of Hawaii through water, waterfalls and diverse ecosystems

Why Travellers Choose This Tour

Take in coastal views and see beautiful waterfalls; you'll even get the chance to take a dip!

What's Included

Guide
Bottled water
Walking sticks, daypacks and rain gear
Lunch
Local taxes
Central Meeting Locations for Pick-up & Drop off

Gratuities

Meeting And Pickup

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End point

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What To Expect

Explore highlights of Kohala, the Big Island’s northwestern coast, on a full-day adventure. The tour starts as you'll pass through the charming plantation towns of Hawi and Kapaau, and keep an eye out for large marine life offshore, including spinner dolphins and humpback whales (in the winter).

Take in spectacular views, and then off road in your 4x4 touring van for brief, bumpy off-road ride along the cliffs. Your destination is the Kohala Ditch Trail, built in the early 1900s to irrigate the surrounding former sugar plantation. Hike approximately 2 miles (3.2 km), passing blasted-out tunnels, ditches and an old aqueduct while your guide shares the history of the plantation and the construction of its impressive irrigation system. Take a break and recharge with a picnic lunch among the beautiful mountainous scenery.

Throughout the relaxed guided walk, see several Kohala waterfalls that dot the lush and diverse landscape Stop at the last fall for a chance to jump into the refreshing pool and cool off under the cascade. Relax on the ride home as we take you back to town.

Hawaii Forest and Trail

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Kohala Coast

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Kohala Zipline

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Kohala Waterfalls Adventure

4 hours • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking, unless booked within 3 days of travel. In this case confirmation will be received within 48 hours, subject to availability
We require that guests wear closed-toe walking shoes, boots, sneakers, reef walkers or sport sandals. We recommend wearing bathing suits under clothes, short sleeved shirt, and bring a light sweatshirt or jacket and a towel
Infants under 3 must be carried in a backpack carrier
Children under 4 must ride in a car seat
Minimum numbers apply. There is a possibility of cancellation after confirmation if there is not enough passengers to meet requirements. In the event of this occurring, you will be offered an alternative or full refund
A maximum number of 12 people per van
Not wheelchair accessible

Infant seats available
Not recommended for travellers with back problems
Not recommended for pregnant travellers
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Most travellers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 12 travellers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.

Traveller Photos

Featured review

Mary_W

This tour was a great way to experience private land which has beautiful vistas as well as hiking to lovely waterfalls. Taro is a very nice, low-key guide who provided history and information about geography and nature. Our nice lunch was enhanced by beautiful views of steep cliffs by the Pacific. Be aware that parts of the hike include lots of steps, rocks and roots to navigate. I highly recommend this tour for your complete Hawaiian experience.

Reviews

5.0

248 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travellers.

Showing 1-10 of 248 reviews

Wonderful adventure

Rebecca_M, May 2023

Wonderful adventure. There were 10 in our van plus the driver/ guide Mark who did a great job. Beautiful scenery and the swim in the waterfall was lovely. Lunch was good too overlooking the cliffs and the ocean.

Great experience

George_D, May 2023

Adam is a terrific guide. He was very knowledgeable of the region and very personable. Experienced a wonderful day on the North end of the Island. Gracious that we were able to visit places we were not able to see and experience on our own.

Great tour!

Mary_W, May 2023

Swimming in the waterfall

Kristen_G, Apr 2023

Tour and guides were great. Beautiful scenery and lots of information about the native environment. Tip for older folks though this is a short hike there are a lot of steps and very uneven footing in places so the walking stick is very helpful

Spectacular Waterfalls

Ken_L, Feb 2023

What a great trip and we lucked in to having Taro as our tour guide. It was cooler and the trail was wet. We had jackets and walking sticks provided and they came in handy. The hike was relatively easy and the waterfalls were spectacular. Taro is very knowledgeable and has been a guide here for 13 years. No one swam as it was cooler, but the coolness made the hike more manageable. Great trip and well worth the money.

Response from Host, Feb 2023

Mahalo for the review, Ken! We are happy to hear you enjoyed the Kohala Waterfalls Adventure with Taro. Aloha!

Good tour

Nawal_A, Nov 2022

This was a good tour but not my favorite. Our tour guide was amazing and very knowledgeable. The hike was an okay hike not difficult. The waterfalls were nice. I think big island offers more interesting experiences than this. I would only recommend this if you have nothing else to do

The views of the...

Cheryl_C, Oct 2022

The views of the waterfall and the view of the ocean at the end of the tour. The landscape was very lush.

The Highlight of our Hawaii Vacation

Arnold_Y, Oct 2022

This was the highlight of our Hawaii trip. A great way to see the Big Island and learn about it's history. Our guide ("Taro") provided lots of historical knowledge that really made the adventure fascinating. Beautiful foliage, streams, waterfalls, and a great stop where you can swim under a waterfall. Lunch was provided at one of the most scenic spots you'll ever see. The hiking trail is on private property, so there were no crowds of tourists to deal. We briefly encountered only one other hiking group during the whole time.

Our guide Dane, who is...

GREG_J, Sept 2022

Our guide Dane, who is the most informative and one of the friendliest. We loved the whole experience.

BEAUTIFUL STUNNING JAW DROPPING EXPERIENCE

Daryl_F, Sept 2022

The tour was amazing! The tour operator knew how to provide a safe and exciting hike. We saw many waterfalls, ate ginger flowers :) yes edible flowers and saw many different plants, trees and fields of guava :) which we got to pick and, but lunch was the highlight! We had lunch on a small area over looking the entire Waipao Valley!!! IT WAS STUNNING!! THE BEST HIKING EXPERIENCE WE'VE EVER HAD!!!!!!! Amazing!!!!!!

Experience of a lifetime

Haley_W, Aug 2022

This was one of the best experiences we’ve ever had, and our guide Nick was absolutely amazing! Super educational and gorgeous scenes. Great people and great memories :)

Our guide Nick was super...

Christine_S, Aug 2022

Our guide Nick was super knowledgeable and made the tour tons of fun! My parents were able to handle the hike (very easy) and my kids (youngest 7 yo) did it no problem. The best part was being able to swim in the waterfalls at the end of the hike. Worth it to try it!

The amazing falls

Robert_B, July 2022

It was amazing Mark (the guide) very informative and knowledgeable funny too the hike to the falls very easy we took amazing photos good memories I give it 5 Stars and would recommend the tour company to friends and family.

Excellent!

Barbara_D, July 2022

Gerry, our tour guide, was excellent. He was very knowledgeable about the native plants, geography and history of the Island.

Wonderful Waterfall Tour

Shelby_B, June 2022

Our knowledgeable, friendly guide, Taro, did a great job informing us about Native Hawaiian history and local culture as he led us to several lovely waterfalls. The highlight was the breathtaking outdoor spot where we ate our packed lunches. It was an awesome tour!

Kohala Waterfalls

LeaLea78, June 2022

We had the nicest, handsome tour guide. Rob took us to all the waterfalls and the extra waterfall inside the cave. Rob was also knowledgeable about the trail. The water view from the picnic area was phenomenal. I would recommend this tour if you visit Kona.

Extra personal touch, not just your average tour!

Robbie_M, May 2022

We had a great trip with Hawaii Forest and Trail to the North Side of the Big Island. John and Travis were outstanding. John provided tons of information about the geological history of the island on the quick one hour drive before guiding us along a relatively easy hike (with some slick terrain) filled with great details about the vegetation and Hawaiian legends on our way through the forest to some beautiful private waterfalls. Travis shared his knowledge of the locals and all of the the great places to see and eat. These guys made a great team and really made this tour a perfect beginning to our Big Island adventure. Thanks so much!

Highly recommend

Julie_O, Apr 2022

This was a fun trip. Me and my husband are from Colorado so we love to hike. Our trail leader was Mark and he's was very knowledgeable about the history of the island. We took a helicopter ride of some of the waterfalls that come off the north end of the island the day after this trip and it just pulled everything together. Definitely a memorable trip.

Seclusion at its best

Bob_J, Feb 2022

The actual hike, swim at the last waterfall and the view at lunch. Mike our driver was superb with all his historical knowledge. We were blessed with a great group as well.

Guide was great..

Hidi_C, Jan 2022

Our guide was amazing.. there were no off road vehicles like described and tour was over priced.. and workers on The trail throwing debris In The water to make the falls look muddy.. a lot of drive time

Response from Host, Jan 2022

Aloha! Mahalo for taking time to provide your feedback. I would like to connect with you about your experience with us to see what we could have done better - I can be reached directly at 808-331-3624. Mahalo, Jonathan, Director of Sales / Hawaii Forest & Trail

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