Helicopter Tours
Enjoy the ride and the BEST view of the world’s most active volcano – Kilauea!
Your Guide to the Best Volcano Tours in Hawaii
Volcano Hiking Tours
Hike to Kilauea’s caldera floor and explore the park’s hidden gems!
Sightseeing Tours
Tour the main attractions in Volcanoes National Park and historic Hilo town!
Hawaii's Top Volcano Tours
Welcome to our curated list of the best volcano tours Hawaii has to offer. The Big Island of Hawaii is the place where all the best volcano adventures begin. Staying in Waikiki? Check out our all-inclusive daytrips that depart from Oahu.
Aloha and Welcome to
Hawaii Volcano Expeditions
None of Hawaii’s natural wonders are more spectacular than the volcanoes that formed our islands and shaped Hawaiian history and culture. Exploring these ancient volcanoes is an experience that should not be missed when visiting the islands.
The best place to witness the beauty, power, and destruction of these volcanoes is on Big Island of Hawaii.
Guided tours are one of the best ways to explore the Big Island’s incredible beauty and volcanic origins, so we’ve put together this guide to the best volcano tours on Hawaii to help you do just that.
There are several different ways to experience Hawaii’s volcanoes. Helicopter tours, sightseeing tours, hiking tours, and stargazing tours are just a few of the most popular. There’s a volcano tour to suit every area of interest, activity level, and budget.
Whether you’re staying in the Kona/Waikoloa area, Hilo, or just hopping over from Oahu for the day, we’ve got the perfect tour for you. All tours are fully narrated by knowledgeable guides, and many will even pick you up right at your hotel or airport.
Click on the map to see the tours starting near your hotel!
The "Big Island" of Hawaii
The Big Island is home to three active volcanoes and Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Remnants of past eruptions dot the island: lava tubes, black sand beaches, lava fields, waterfalls, etc. Evidence of Hawaii’s volcanic past (and present) can be seen everywhere you turn.
Kilauea, located on the Big Island’s southeastern shore, is one of the most active volcanoes on Earth. Its name means “spewing” or “much spreading” referring to its frequent flow of lava. Kilauea erupts periodically, although it is difficult to predict exactly when.
During these windows of activity steam, lava, and lava fountains may be visible from its caldera. It is a spectacular sight which draws visitors from around the world to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. While only some visitors will be lucky enough to see active lava flow, the park offers many other attractions that you don’t want to miss.
LAVA UPDATE: The Latest on the Big Island's Volcanic Activity
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May 31, 2025: The eruption is currently paused, but Episode 24 of the ongoing eruption is predicted to begin within 1 to 5 days. During this pause, magma remains close to the surface, lava glow has been visible at night, and occasional lava spatter has also been observed in Halema’uma’u crater.
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Episodes of the current eruption that began on December 23, 2024, have lasted from 13 hours to 8 days. Each episode has been separated by pauses in eruptive activity lasting anywhere from 1 to 12 days. Lava fountaining, sometimes reaching 1,000 feet high, has been spotted roughly once a week since the eruption began. All lava flow has been confined to Halema’uma’u crater inside Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
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Current Hazards: Volcanic emissions remain elevated, and Pele’s hair (thin strands of windblown volcanic glass) has been spotted in the park and in nearby communities.
- See our Volcano Safety page to learn about keeping safe when visiting Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.Halemaʻumaʻu crater
Frequently Asked Questions
Read our answers to our customers’ common questions.
Will I See Lava on a Volcano Tour?
Everyone who visits Hawaii Volcanoes National Park wants to see lava. You go there hoping to see lava fountaining into the air like on a National Geographic magazine.
Sorry to tell you, most visitors do not see lava.
Here’s why: Lava is dangerous. As soon as lava is fountaining or flowing in a certain area, Hawaii Civil Defense determines if it is safe to allow people near it. Usually it is not safe and the area is closed off.
How to see lava on a volcano tour
The best way to be sure you will see lava is to take a helicopter volcano tour. You will see it from hundreds of feet away, but it is still magnificent.
The chances of seeing lava from a helicopter are very high, but not guaranteed. Volcanoes are extremely unpredictable. Volcanic activity changes every day. The lava flow moves and the surface cools.
Do not make the mistake of going on a volcano tour to see lava. There are so many other reasons to go on a volcano tour. Our volcanoes have an amazing history, cultural significance, biological uniqueness, geological wonder, and a beauty like no other place in the world.
People who go just to see lava and don’t see it are disappointed. People who go to appreciate everything else about the volcano enjoy themselves. If you do see lava on a volcano tour, it is a bonus and you are a lucky one.
Where is the best place to view the volcanoes?
The best place to view the volcanoes is in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
But the best place to view lava is a harder question to answer.
As we mention often on this site, lava is active. That means that it is moving and hard to pin down. You might see photos from a friend who saw lava flowing into the ocean a month ago, but now it is nowhere to be seen.
This is why a volcano tour is the best way to view the volcanoes. Tours will take you to see the sights in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Then the guide will use his contacts to find where you have the best chance of seeing lava.
Often lava it is best viewed from inside the National Park, but sometimes it is better viewed by the shore in Kalapana. Occasionally it can only be seen from helicopters and some days you can’t see lava anywhere.
The key to an enjoyable visit to the Big Island volcanoes is to go for the volcanoes and consider any sighting of lava as a bonus. If you’re whole purpose is to see lava, you could be setting yourself up for disappointment.
If you insist that lava is your focus, then a helicopter tour has the best chance of seeing lava. The pilots search for lava and communicate where the sighting is the best. When you get close, you can actually feel the heat from inside the helicopter.
How Many Volcanoes are on the Big Island?
Five different Volcanoes are on the Big Island of Hawaii:
- Kohala
- Mauna Kea
- Hualālai
- Mauna Loa
- Kilauea volcano
Mauna Kea is the tallest mountain in Hawaii. It is also the tallest sea mountain in the world. From it’s base at the bottom of the ocean floor it is 33,000 feet taller than Mount Everest. Mauna Kea hasn’t erupted for thousands of years, but is still considered dormant and could erupt again.
Mauna Loa is the largest volcano on earth in terms of volume.
Kilauea is the volcano that most visit us to see. It is the most active volcano in the world. It began erupting in 1983 and continues to erupt today.
What is Vog?
Vog is volcanic fog. It is similar to smog in that it is dirty with particles that are not in typical fog.
Vog is formed when gases from the erupting volcano get into the air, mix with sunlight, oxygen and moisture.
Like smog, vog is not healthy for humans, plants or animals. Many people living near Kilaeau, experience headaches and respitory issues from vog.
Visitors on our tours will see and breath vog, but we rarely have visitors who complain of health issues as a result. Generally, complaints come more often from prolonged exposure by those living near the volcano.
Nevertheless, we encourage all visitors to pay attention to their bodies and take the following precautions:
- Drink lots of fluids
- Don’t overexert
- Don’t smoke
Does vog smell like sulfer? A little bit.
