Ahiu Hawaii
Ahiu Hawaii
4.5
This location was reported permanently closed
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About
Come & see lava up close & personal with experienced hawaii volcanologist! Aloha! Mahalo for choosing ‘ahiu hawaii for your real lava adventure!! We have two different tour times. One at 9:00am and the other at 4:00pm. The price is $137 per person, which we provide a backpack, snacks, water, headlamps, backup headlamps, gloves and also a stick to walk with but also to interact with the lava! We hope you care about your safety. Cause your safety is our #1 priority! Our tour groups are small which we never book no more than 10people per tour guide for safety and personalism. Plus all of our guides know what's going on about the lava and will safely get you there! The hike distance to the lava changes from day to day.
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4.5
258 reviews
Excellent
211
Very good
24
Average
9
Poor
6
Terrible
8
Ono Kauai Food Tours
Hanalei, HI1 contribution
Jan. 2019
I have seen dozens of lava guides throughout the years, and these guys know it better than 95% of em out there. Book with them and you'll be taken care of.
Written 24 November 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hawaiitime69
1 contribution
May 2018 • Business
DO NOT trust these guys!
My wife and I sent our Goat and Boar mounts to them 3 years ago we took while hunting on the Big Island.
We gave them the deposit they requested $600 and they disappeared.
I have called,texted and email many times trying to obtain status but can not get a reply.
These guys are not professional and should not be trusted.
Seeing reviews from others tells the story. Take the money and run is their way of running a business.
***** RUN as far as you can from these guys! ******
My wife and I sent our Goat and Boar mounts to them 3 years ago we took while hunting on the Big Island.
We gave them the deposit they requested $600 and they disappeared.
I have called,texted and email many times trying to obtain status but can not get a reply.
These guys are not professional and should not be trusted.
Seeing reviews from others tells the story. Take the money and run is their way of running a business.
***** RUN as far as you can from these guys! ******
Written 28 April 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
William B
2 contributions
Jan. 2019 • Business
Ordered clothing online from their website. Never received any communication from them. Nothing about shipping, Nothing about receiving the order. Claim filed through Paypal. Still no communication from Ahiu. Claim settled by Paypal. Still never any communication from Ahiu. Do not deal with these people!!
Written 16 March 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ho A
1 contribution
Apr. 2018 • Couples
It’s a terrible experience on Ahiu Hawaii Lave Adventure.
We booked Lava Adventure on Friday, April 6 2018.
Before we went there, we mailed to Ahiu team to confirm the booking but got no response. After we arrive big island on Thursday, April 5, the Ahiu team call us and asking if we can change the day to April 7. However, we can not be there because the travel schedule can’t match it. Why can they change it according their wishes? The most serious thing is one month passed, we still not get the refund! Is there any integrity on this team? I doubt it!
We booked Lava Adventure on Friday, April 6 2018.
Before we went there, we mailed to Ahiu team to confirm the booking but got no response. After we arrive big island on Thursday, April 5, the Ahiu team call us and asking if we can change the day to April 7. However, we can not be there because the travel schedule can’t match it. Why can they change it according their wishes? The most serious thing is one month passed, we still not get the refund! Is there any integrity on this team? I doubt it!
Written 5 May 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
BobbyD6363
San Diego, CA1,494 contributions
Mar. 2018 • Couples
We found Ahiu Hawaii on TripAdvisor and after reading the reviews, booked the Guided Lava Tour. We met our Guide – Matt. Matt was awesome and funny. Matt gave us a backpack, sandwich, four bottles of water and a Gatorade. Matt drove us out to Gate 2 which saved us from biking 2 miles. We headed off into the lava field for a 7-mile round trip hike to find lava! This is not an easy hike! The terrain is rough, there are hilly sections and crumbly sections of older lava. We are two mid fifties guys in good shape and this trek was hard but doable. Matt set the pace to our comfort level and was very informative and full of knowledge of the lava fields. We learned a lot about the eruptions and flows that obliterated the area. Additionally, Matt described all the different types of lava as we hiked along. We were lucky as there were only the two of us and Matt on this hike and we got to pepper Matt with tons of questions. Eventually we started to feel the heat of lava somewhere and before we knew it – there it was! Matt had found lava and made good on his guarantee! While we took lots of pictures and videos, Matt found even more lava nearby. We started the hike back and Matt continued with the geological details. The most stunning sights were the sun setting and the hillside coming alive with lava flows we didn’t see in the daylight! WOW! We finally made it back to Gate 2 and Matt trucked us back to our vehicle. The hike to see live lava flows was the most amazing experience we had during our Big Island stay! We saw dozens of people wandering around out in the lava fields and without Matt we would not have had such an amazing experience! Thanks Matt!
Written 20 March 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
2Ridgebacks
The Woodlands, TX24 contributions
Jan. 2018 • Family
Our guide, Matt, was excellent. He took us right to the lava and allowed us to stay as long as we wanted. There were only 5 on our tour. Unfortunately, one of the hikers was not able to navigate the terrain and slowed us down significantly. Matt handled that difficult situation with grace and tried to accommodate our faster pace as much as he could. This is not a hike for someone who has trouble hiking long distances or over rough terrain.
Written 14 January 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
craigdgriffith
Jersey City, NJ3 contributions
Jan. 2018 • Couples
Took the hike to lava fields. Guides were excellent and took us to flowing lava - really amazing experience. Seemed like this group has a good process for determining where lava is flowing that day.
Definitely worth it.
Would recommend afternoon hike (since more likely to know where lava is flowing) - but isn't an easy hike. Can be a long way out and back (in the dark - though headlamps provided) on uneven ground. Trade winds were nice but sun was still strong. Be sure to have good shoes/long pants/hat and clothing to cover from sun at disposal.
I CANNOT imagine trying to do a hike in the lava fields without a guide who 1.) knows where to look and 2.) can provide proper safety. Would NOT recommend trying to do this on your own - especially if it gets dark out.
Booked through hotel concierge who recommended.
Definitely worth it.
Would recommend afternoon hike (since more likely to know where lava is flowing) - but isn't an easy hike. Can be a long way out and back (in the dark - though headlamps provided) on uneven ground. Trade winds were nice but sun was still strong. Be sure to have good shoes/long pants/hat and clothing to cover from sun at disposal.
I CANNOT imagine trying to do a hike in the lava fields without a guide who 1.) knows where to look and 2.) can provide proper safety. Would NOT recommend trying to do this on your own - especially if it gets dark out.
Booked through hotel concierge who recommended.
Written 12 January 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
GuestKitty
Seattle, WA1 contribution
Dec. 2017 • Couples
We ended up having to cancel a tour that we had purchased because I had a recent surgery. Some reviews stated that they had trouble communicating with this group but my experience was the opposite. I had left a phone message asking about tour options and received a response immediately by text as they were on a tour with limited phone reception. Then we realized that we needed to cancel and sent another text but I put the wrong date to cancel. Even though the date of the tour had passed, I emailed them and explained that I had made a mistake and I was so pleasantly surprised when they promptly refunded our money. I feel so good about this customer service that I would not hesitate to book a tour with them as soon as I am able.
Written 11 December 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
HopAroundTheWorld
Los Angeles, CA52 contributions
Nov. 2017 • Couples
Summary:
Would I recommend those considering a lava tour to use a tour company (vs going out on your own)? ABSOLUTELY YES - IMO it's worth paying for a guide. It's a massive area of black rocks and if you're aiming to see the red glow, flowing lava, they can be hard to find since they're far away from the walk/bike path. We've met several people that went out and came back without ever seeing the flowing lava. What a waste!
Would I recommend this company? Leaning towards a "NO". If you think you might have to reach out to them for any question/schedule changes - then stay away from using this company. We love our tour guide (Matt), but the company itself is horrible.
We booked the tour about 2-3 weeks in advance. Later we tried to change our trip from the 9 AM tour to the afternoon one. We've tried calling them & left voice mails several times in a span of 1+ weeks, also tried to email - none of our correspondence was returned.
Since we didn't know if it was OK to change from the AM tour to PM tour, we decided to show up according to the original schedule. We stayed in Sheraton Kona, which is 2.5 hours away from the meeting point. One our into our drive to the meeting point (about 7:10 AM) we got a call from the company/guide saying that the tour has been cancelled because "the lava has moved" (not even sure if this is a valid reason because technically, lava always moves and no one could predict exactly where it would show up - only the general area). Then she asked if we would be willing to reschedule to the next day (Sunday) if they find the lava again, so we said OK but we need to know for sure since we are flying out on Sunday. We told her that we need to know so we can pack accordingly (check out time, what to wear, etc). She said she would tell us by 2 PM, then we hung up.
2:40 PM - still no update. We called and called, nobody ever picked up the phone. Left voice mails again, no return calls. I was furious by then - this company already screwed up our plan for Saturday, and in general gave zero care about our schedule - period. I started to regret ever booking a tour with this company. Eventually we got a text message at 7 PM asking if we still want to go, and we need to give an answer by 8 PM (they're closing time). The text message also said to meet at the original meeting point (which is odd... if the lava had moved, does it mean it came back to the original area?)
In hindsight, I understand that lava flow might be hard to predict, but they could've at least return a call telling us that as a courtesy.
We finally did the tour - as mentioned earlier, we absolutely love our guide (Matt). He made us feel safe the entire time, and he made sure we saw several lava "breakouts". It was truly an amazing view - I recommend taking lots of time-lapse videos (better with tripods but nothing too heavy to bring on a hike). The hike itself is relatively exhaustive (I'm not exactly in shape, but not overweight either), and it gets hot when you're closer to the area. We're glad we followed the instruction on what to wear (shoes, socks, long pants, sunscreen) since the rocks were not very easy to walk on (some were brittle) and they were covered in sharp glass-like material. The November weather (rain, cloud, and cool air) perfectly complements this journey.
Would I recommend those considering a lava tour to use a tour company (vs going out on your own)? ABSOLUTELY YES - IMO it's worth paying for a guide. It's a massive area of black rocks and if you're aiming to see the red glow, flowing lava, they can be hard to find since they're far away from the walk/bike path. We've met several people that went out and came back without ever seeing the flowing lava. What a waste!
Would I recommend this company? Leaning towards a "NO". If you think you might have to reach out to them for any question/schedule changes - then stay away from using this company. We love our tour guide (Matt), but the company itself is horrible.
We booked the tour about 2-3 weeks in advance. Later we tried to change our trip from the 9 AM tour to the afternoon one. We've tried calling them & left voice mails several times in a span of 1+ weeks, also tried to email - none of our correspondence was returned.
Since we didn't know if it was OK to change from the AM tour to PM tour, we decided to show up according to the original schedule. We stayed in Sheraton Kona, which is 2.5 hours away from the meeting point. One our into our drive to the meeting point (about 7:10 AM) we got a call from the company/guide saying that the tour has been cancelled because "the lava has moved" (not even sure if this is a valid reason because technically, lava always moves and no one could predict exactly where it would show up - only the general area). Then she asked if we would be willing to reschedule to the next day (Sunday) if they find the lava again, so we said OK but we need to know for sure since we are flying out on Sunday. We told her that we need to know so we can pack accordingly (check out time, what to wear, etc). She said she would tell us by 2 PM, then we hung up.
2:40 PM - still no update. We called and called, nobody ever picked up the phone. Left voice mails again, no return calls. I was furious by then - this company already screwed up our plan for Saturday, and in general gave zero care about our schedule - period. I started to regret ever booking a tour with this company. Eventually we got a text message at 7 PM asking if we still want to go, and we need to give an answer by 8 PM (they're closing time). The text message also said to meet at the original meeting point (which is odd... if the lava had moved, does it mean it came back to the original area?)
In hindsight, I understand that lava flow might be hard to predict, but they could've at least return a call telling us that as a courtesy.
We finally did the tour - as mentioned earlier, we absolutely love our guide (Matt). He made us feel safe the entire time, and he made sure we saw several lava "breakouts". It was truly an amazing view - I recommend taking lots of time-lapse videos (better with tripods but nothing too heavy to bring on a hike). The hike itself is relatively exhaustive (I'm not exactly in shape, but not overweight either), and it gets hot when you're closer to the area. We're glad we followed the instruction on what to wear (shoes, socks, long pants, sunscreen) since the rocks were not very easy to walk on (some were brittle) and they were covered in sharp glass-like material. The November weather (rain, cloud, and cool air) perfectly complements this journey.
Written 28 November 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
business393
Boston, MA4 contributions
Sep. 2017 • Couples
This would be a one star review except for the fact that the actual tour experience was so extraordinary. The guided tour to actively flowing lava was amazing. My wife and I had a very good guide. Unfortunately we had a horrendous business experience with Ahiu. When I first made the reservation on-line I received an email confirmation as expected. Soon after that I got a message asking if we could do a 2 PM tour instead of the 9 AM tour I had booked. I called and explained to one of the owners why we needed the morning tour to fit with other travel we had already booked. He said he understood and we'd stay with the morning. Mid-day on the day before our tour I received a reminder of our 9 AM tour. So far so good. Then I received a message encouraging me to switch to the afternoon tour. I replied saying our travel plans needed us to stay with the morning. I then received another message saying there would be no morning tour, only an afternoon tour. Absolutely infuriating, considering that I had worked this out weeks earlier. Hours later, in the evening, I received another message saying the morning tour was reinstated. What an outrageous way to treat a customer!!!!
Written 10 October 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Aloha!
We apologize for the mix up regarding your lava adventure. We always try to encourage everyone to do the 2pm tour because lava is beautiful to see at that time.
The reason for the multiple messages is due to the time of your adventure. Lava had slowed down and we needed to scout the morning of your tour. However that evening lava broke surface and we resumed with your adventure.
We are glad you had a great time getting up close and personal to lava, and had an awesome time with the guide....mahalo and aloha!
Written 12 October 2017
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
wei ku
Hualien City, Hualien
Aloha: I will plan to go lava hiking adventures in December.Does this lava hiking adventure still available after the volcanic eruptions in May ?
Sincerely waiting for your reply。
Mahalo.
Thank You so much.
You cancelled the lava adventure on April 6,2018 and commit to refund in two weeks, but we still not get the refund by credit card. We mail to you many times and you never reply. When will you repaying money?
Ahiu team,
You'll cancelled my lava hike tour scheduled for April 15th @ 2:00 pm thru an email sent the evening before and still haven't refunded my payment. I have called multiple times and left voice messages. Can you please provide the contact info of the responsible person who will process my refund. I had received email from E'A Tribe and there has been no response from that email either.
AhiuHawaii
Hilo, HI4 contributions
Aloha Mr. Dhaval...we apologize that you did not receive the refund yet. Banks do not do Refunds over the weekends. But you should be seeing it before tomorrow as we promised.
We also apologize for cancelling your lava adventure due to the movement of the lava. Although the lava has changed we are currently the only guides who are willing to take people to the lavas new location..if you have any other questions please don't hesitate to ask..aloha!
Fred S
Spring Grove, PA79 contributions
Full details, time and places and on-foot versus by vehicle from pick-up through tour to brought back home. As it is, not enough details for me to make my planned April booking for two.
poobonisk
Leicester, UK3 contributions
Hi, is there any conveyance facility from Hilo to the starting point of tour and back to Hilo hotels?
Caroline G
Chicago, IL38 contributions
what do you mean?
NeverHomeForLong
Moore, OK60 contributions
I saw someone post about a waiver about getting arrested??? What is this about?
Phil R
Brisbane, Australia127 contributions
only signed a waiver for injury. Far as I know, its private property you do the tour on.
WBWT
Boone, NC140 contributions
Greeting fellow travelers. I'm right on the edge about this tour. My husband is 75, in pretty good shape and committed to getting in better shape (he can now easily walk a 5K....I'm a marathoner so that is not an issue). I'm a little concerned as I read reviews. First, does anyone know if all hikes now (and likely in December when we travel) will be along the road or through the rain forest? Also, I've heard this is a 5 mile jaunt, 7 miles...10 miles - I'm sure it varies, but your thoughts about HOW MUCH it varies would be appreciated. Also, the ride in the back of a truck might be a deal breaker for my hubby...thoughts on that appreciated too....
mazda19
Houston, TX91 contributions
I agree with Caroline. You have to wait to see what the flow is like closer to the trip. We unfortunately were one of the ones (with our 8 and 10 year old) that hiked through the forest and mud and rain for 3 hours (one way) only to see a little red glow under the surface. We didn't have to go on the back of any pickup but things are always changing. Basically, this family bought a plot of land that is not developed solely for the purpose of having access to the lava fields and then made a business out of it. They hire guides to run the tour and their customer service is poor. But it's guided and feels safer than going out on your own and possibly trespassing on private property.
Globens
1 contribution
We are 4 two grown ups (60+) with two kids, ages 6 and 8. Will it be possible for us to join the lava tour?
Phil R
Brisbane, Australia127 contributions
No. Not recommended unless you are fit and would not take young children. This is a serious hike through the jungle with very muddy and wet conditions.
Brett T
Rock Hill, SC159 contributions
I really want to see lava but is it only there at certain times. If so, is there any way to know when the best chance to see it is...even on short notice, and fly there? I don't want to fly out there and just see the cooled lava rock. Thanks, Brett
AhiuHawaii
Hilo, HI4 contributions
Aloha Brett!
Lava changes daily. However, the best thing to do is give us a call and ask to talk to any of our experienced guides. They will be able to tell you when to come.
If you have any other questions please don't hesitate to ask... Aloha!/
