Punalu'u Black Sand and the Honu, with Hilo and a Self-Guided Park Explorer

The black sand at Punalu'u is not sand in the ordinary sense. It is lava, cooled and broken down, which is why it is jet black rather than grey, and why the beach exists at all on the south-eastern coast. Endangered Hawaiian green sea turtles, honu, often haul out to bask there. The water is cool enough to be worth putting your feet in, and the tide pools hold enough marine life to stop over. The day comes with two other packages. The Volcanoes National Park Explorer drives Chain of Craters Road and Crater Rim Drive with scenic stops, and the park visit itself is self-guided: the Kilauea Visitor Center, Volcano House, Halema'uma'u Crater from the Uekahuna lookout, Ha'akulamanu with its steaming sulphur banks, the Kilauea Iki overlook and the Thurston Lava Tube. The Hilo Discovery covers the historic town, Reed's Bay, Banyan Tree Drive, Queen Liliuokalani Gardens, Rainbow Falls, the King Kamehameha statue and Big Island Candies. The operator is locally owned and based on Hawai'i Island, and the commentary runs to the stories and the language attached to these places. Custom and private tours can be arranged.