Big Island Circle Island Tour with Pickup from Courtyard King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel
Pickup 8:00–8:15 am | about 10 hours door to door | $245 per person | Max 14 guests
You could not stay closer to the heart of Kailua-Kona: the King Kam sits right on Kamakahonu Bay, beside the pier where the Ironman swim starts and steps from Huliheʻe Palace and Aliʻi Drive's storefronts. You're in the middle of the town's story — and the restored Ahuʻena Heiau on the hotel's own beach was King Kamehameha I's final residence. History is literally in the front yard.
Which makes the logistics wonderfully simple. Our van picks up at the hotel's main entrance between 8:00 and 8:15 am — a full hour later than the Waikoloa resorts get collected, because downtown Kona sits right on the tour's route south. Sleep in a little; your guide will have called the night before with your exact time.
Why downtown Kona is the easiest pickup on the island
From the King Kam, the tour heads straight up through Kona coffee country and south toward the island's tip — no backtracking, no long positioning drive. The first stretch climbs past the coffee farms of Hōlualoa within minutes of leaving town, and you'll reach Punaluʻu's black sand beach after roughly 90 minutes to two hours of stop-and-see touring. Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park follows, then Hilo, Akaka Falls, and the long green sweep of the Hamakua Coast before the evening run home.
The full loop is about 10 hours door to door — you'll be back on Aliʻi Drive in time for dinner within walking distance of your room, which is an underrated luxury after a big day.
The details
$245 per person for the Full-Day Circle Island Tour. Maximum 14 guests in a luxury Mercedes Sprinter van; lunch stop, bottled water, and snacks included; free pickup and drop-off at the hotel; free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure.
Kona will be sunny when you leave and sunny when you return — but pack a warm layer and rain shell anyway. The crater rim at 4,000 feet and the Hilo side play by different weather rules.
What's included
- Free hotel pickup and drop-off
- Lunch stop, bottled water, and snacks
- Volcanoes National Park, Akaka Falls, black sand beaches, and more
- Owner-led guiding in a luxury Mercedes Sprinter van (max 14 guests)
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours
Your guide phones the night before to confirm your exact pickup time. Staying outside our pickup corridors? Meet us at Queens' Marketplace on Waikoloa Beach Drive.
$245 per person — Book Now
Questions from guests at King Kamehameha's Kona Beach
Why is the King Kam pickup an hour later than the Waikoloa hotels?
Geography — downtown Kailua-Kona is on the tour's natural route south, while Waikoloa guests need to be collected earlier and brought down the coast. Staying at the King Kam buys you an extra hour of sleep: pickup is 8:00–8:15 am.
Where exactly does the van stop?
At the hotel's main entrance on Palani Road. Your guide confirms the exact minute by phone the night before, so there's no lobby guesswork.
We're here for Ironman week — does the tour still run?
Yes, though downtown traffic patterns change on race days and pickup logistics may shift slightly. Book early for race week; those dates fill fastest, and your guide will confirm any adjusted meeting details in the night-before call.
Will we see coffee farms on this tour?
You'll drive right through the Kona coffee belt in the first half hour, and your guide will explain why this particular slope grows some of the world's most expensive coffee. Tastings depend on the day's timing — ask your guide at pickup.