About Things To Do In Kona Hawaii

Why we built this site

Planning activities on the Big Island means navigating dozens of tour operators, booking platforms, and trip advisor pages that all say the same thing: "best tour on the island." We do the filtering for you — pulling real details into one place: price, rating, duration, group size, what's included, and which experiences are genuinely worth the premium.

We also cover what you can do for free — Kahalu'u Beach Park for sea turtles, Two Step for the best shore snorkeling on the island, Punalu'u Black Sand Beach, and the free entry areas of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park — because not everything worth doing in Kona costs money.

How we choose the tours

We don't list everything. We feature experiences that meet a baseline standard:

• Run by licensed, insured operators with certified local guides
• Consistent track record across verified traveler reviews on major booking platforms
• Clear, honest inclusions — gear, transport, meals, and group size as relevant
• Fair pricing with free cancellation on most bookings

How we make money

This site is free to use. When you book through a link on this page, we may earn a small commission from the tour operator or booking platform — at no extra cost to you. It never changes the price you pay, and it never determines the order or rating of any tour.

Our comparisons reflect real reviews, verified inclusions, and value — not commissions.

About the author

This guide is edited by Kai Maunaloa, a Kailua-Kona–based outdoors writer and Big Island native who has spent 15 years covering Hawaii's adventure tourism scene — from manta ray ecology and Mauna Kea astronomy programs to the Kona coffee harvest and Hawaii Volcanoes National Park trail conditions. Every recommendation here is based on first-hand experience or current operator data verified against recent traveler reviews.