Big Island Circle Island Tour with Pickup from Outrigger Kona Resort & Spa
Pickup 8:00–8:15 am | about 10 hours door to door | $245 per person | Max 14 guests
Perched above Keauhou Bay about six miles south of downtown Kailua-Kona, the Outrigger is famous for what happens after dark — the manta rays that glide through the lit water below the resort are one of Hawaii's great wildlife spectacles. Guests here have usually planned their evenings carefully. Our job is to fill the daytime just as well.
The Outrigger is the southernmost hotel on our Kona corridor, which makes it the last pickup of the morning — between 8:00 and 8:15 am at the resort's main entrance — and the first drop-off in the evening. Your guide phones the night before to confirm the exact minute.
Southernmost pickup, shortest ride to the first stop
Because Keauhou already sits south of town, you start the day ahead: the van points south immediately, through the upcountry coffee villages, past Kealakekua Bay's overlooks, and on toward the island's tip. Of all our pickup hotels, the Outrigger has the shortest run to Punaluʻu black sand beach — roughly 80 to 100 minutes of touring with stops — where turtles and jet-black sand open the day's highlight reel.
Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park comes next, then the island's windward half: Hilo's historic bayfront, the Hamakua Coast, and Akaka Falls thundering 442 feet into its rainforest gorge. You cross back over in the evening light and are home in Keauhou first among the drop-offs — often with time to spare before the manta rays start their show.
Tour facts for Outrigger guests
$245 per person, about 10 hours door to door, maximum 14 guests in a luxury Mercedes Sprinter van. The lunch stop, bottled water, and snacks are included, as is pickup and drop-off at the resort. Cancellation is free up to 24 hours before departure — useful if you're juggling a manta night snorkel booking.
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 Outrigger Kona Resort
Can we do the Circle Island Tour and the manta ray snorkel on the same day?
It's tight but possible: the Outrigger is our first evening drop-off, and manta trips depart after dark. If your snorkel operator leaves from Keauhou Bay itself, you have the best odds on the island. Tell us your timing when you book and we'll advise honestly.
Where does pickup happen at the Outrigger Kona Resort & Spa?
At the main entrance, between 8:00 and 8:15 am — the last pickup of the morning run. Your guide calls the night before with your exact time.
How far is the volcano from Keauhou?
Driving direct, around two hours — but the tour makes the distance the point, touring through coffee country and South Kona with stops before Punaluʻu black sand beach, then the national park. No leg of it feels like a haul.
Is snorkeling included in the tour?
No — this is a land tour circling the whole island. Keep your snorkel time for Keauhou's reefs and mantas; the tour covers what you can't see from the water: the volcano, waterfalls, and black sand.