Volcanoes and Hilo Small Group: Waianuenue Falls and Big Island Candies

Two of the world's most active volcanoes, Kilauea and Mauna Loa, in one small-group day, with the Hilo side attached to it. Inside the park the walk goes along the crater rim, past steam vents where the heat comes straight up out of the ground, and into an ancient lava tube surrounded by rainforest. The Kilauea caldera shows what the recent eruption changed, which on this volcano is a moving target. The Chain of Craters Road crosses old lava fields and looks down into craters that were once active. On the Hilo side, Rainbow Falls, Waianuenue in Hawaiian, drops 80 feet, and the guide has the legends that go with it. Liliʻuokalani Gardens sit on Hilo Bay, with fishponds and pagodas. There is a stop at Big Island Candies for hand-made chocolate, macadamia nuts grown locally, and coffee. The guide covers the history, the culture and the geology of the islands throughout, which is what separates a day like this from driving the same roads yourself.