Big Island Circle Island Tour with Pickup from Westin Hapuna Beach Resort
Pickup 7:00–7:15 am | about 10 hours door to door | $245 per person | Max 14 guests
Hapuna is routinely voted one of the best beaches in the United States, and the Westin has it essentially out the back door. Here's the twist guests staying there appreciate most on our tour: after a morning circling past lava deserts and rainforest, you'll stand on a beach at Punaluʻu that is Hapuna's photographic negative — jet-black sand instead of white, sea turtles instead of boogie boards. Few islands anywhere can show you both in one day.
Pickup at the Westin's main entrance runs 7:00–7:15 am. The hotel is near the north end of our Kohala corridor, and your guide will phone the night before to lock in your exact time so the early start is painless.
White sand to black sand: the route
Leaving Hapuna, the van runs the full length of the Kohala and Kona coasts — reckon on about two and a half hours of touring, with pickups and coastline stops woven in, before the black sand under your feet at Punaluʻu. Then comes Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, where Kīlauea has been reshaping the island continuously since long before the resort era.
The afternoon swings through Hilo — the island's rainy, characterful old capital — and up the Hamakua Coast to Akaka Falls, before crossing the Saddle back to the sunny side. You'll be back at the Westin in the early evening, likely comparing beach notes over dinner.
Included with your pickup from the Westin
The Full-Day Circle Island Tour costs $245 per person and runs about 10 hours door to door. You ride in a luxury Mercedes Sprinter van capped at 14 guests, with a lunch stop, bottled water, and snacks included. Hotel pickup and drop-off are free, and you can cancel free up to 24 hours before departure.
One packing note: Hapuna's forecast is nearly always sunny, but the tour crosses climates — bring a warm layer for the crater rim and a rain shell for the Hilo side. Reef-safe sunscreen still applies; you'll be outdoors most of the day.
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 Westin Hapuna Beach
Can we swim at the black sand beach like we do at Hapuna?
Punaluʻu's surf and currents are stronger than Hapuna's calm bay, and the beach is primarily a viewing and turtle-watching stop on the tour. Save the swimming for Hapuna — enjoy the contrast instead.
Where is the pickup point at the Westin Hapuna Beach Resort?
The main entrance porte cochère, between 7:00 and 7:15 am. Your guide calls the night before with the exact time.
Is the early start worth it from the north Kohala Coast?
Yes — the Westin is one of the farther pickups from the volcano, and the 7:00 am start is exactly what makes the full loop possible in daylight with unhurried stops.
Our friends are at Mauna Kea Beach Hotel next door — same van?
Yes. The Westin and the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel are sister properties on the same corridor, so both pickups are on the same 7:00–7:15 am run.