Taking a bicycling tour is one of many activities near the Kona Coast in Hawaii.
Kona is a 60-mile long district located on the western coast of the Big Island of Hawaii. The coast is known for its beautiful beaches and its proximity to the island's major attractions such as the Mauna Loa volcano and the Kaloko-Honokohau National Park, which includes ancient temples and petroglyphs. Visitors who want to participate in some memorable and "cool" activities can choose from such things as bicycling down a mountain summit and exploring underground lava caves.
Take a Bicycle Tour
Orchid Isle Bicycling (orchidislebicycling.com), based in Kailua Kona, offers a variety of bicycling ranging from two hours to a seven-day Kona Coast Tour that includes six nights of accommodations. For those wishing to explore the Kona Coast in one afternoon, there are four daily tours: the five-hour Mauka Makai (40 to 55 miles roundtrip to the 3,500-foot Kohala Mountain), the five-hour Wiki Wiki (21 miles from Waimea Village to the Waipio Valley Lookout), the three-hour Kohala Downhill (21 miles downhill from the mountain's summit, and Alii Tour, which is a completely customized tour. All of the tours include a bicycle, helmet, support vehicle, tour guide, fresh fruit, and water and Gatorade.
Take an Air Tour
Big Island Air (bigislandair.com) is located at the Commuter Air Terminal in the Kona International Airport. It offers a variety of air tours on its fleet of Cessna Caravans, which are the only turbine-engine, jet-prop aircraft in the state of Hawaii. The aircraft have been redesigned to include nine seats (instead of the original 13) to guarantee window seating for each passenger. In addition to private charters, the company provides three daily tours: the two-hour Circle Island Tour (a circular air tour of the island), the one-and-a-half-hour Sunset Volcano Air Tour of active Mt. Kilauea, and the Five Islands Volcano Air Tour, which takes about three hours and completes a circular tour of the Big Island of Hawaii and its four nearby islands.
Take Some Surfing Lessons
Surfer Bear Hawaii (surferbearhawaii.com) provides individual and group surfing lessons for all ages and levels. Each staff member is a first-aid and CPR-trained lifeguard. The primary location for the lessons occur at Kahalu'u Beach Park on the Kona Coast, but other locations can be arranged based on surfing conditions and ability. The company provides reef shoes, rash guards and soft surfboards (required for all beginners), but more advanced students can bring their own hard surfboards. Tandem options are also available, where students can ride with the instructors on the same boards.
Explore Lava Caverns
Kula Kai Caverns (kulakaicaverns.com) are located 45 miles south of Kona and consist of several miles of underground caverns, which are only a portion of the larger Kanohina lava tube system that runs more than 20 miles. Five different guided tours are offered that range from the 45-minute easy Lighted Trail Tour to the more physical Complete Cave Experience, which is an extensive tour of the caverns that requires crawling through short tunnels on hands and knees. The longer tours include all safety equipment, helmets, lights, knee pads and gloves. All of the tours are available seven days a week, and reservations are required.
Tags: Kona Coast, circular tour, company provides, daily tours, Island Hawaii, mountain summit, offers variety