Kona Coffee & Historical Parks Tour

We had a good and interesting tour to the Historical National Parks, Kona coffee farm and a bee farm. Lunch and refreshments were included in the tour. Our guide, Miexia Ahloy was excellent and provided us with a wealth of information about the history of the Hawaiian islands and the national historical parks we visited. Our last stop after the Kona coffee tasting was the honey bee farm. I am mentioning this first as this was the highlight of the tour for me. We learnt all about honey bees and how honey is harvested. We saw the worker bees, queen bee, drones with bulging eyes, propolis, beeswax and honey in a hive, and a worker bee emerging from the pupa. We learnt a lot about how the Queen bee and drones mate, and were informed that the drones die by exploding when they ejaculate. Drones develop from unfertilised eggs and have half of the Queen bee’s chromosomes, whereas most of the bees in the hive are female worker bees which develop from fertilised eggs. We then tasted at least 8 different types of honey. My favourite is the Macadamia nut honey. We had a picnic lunch in kona coffee farm where we had a nice view of the sea below with papaya and coffee trees in the foreground and a refreshing breeze. This was a nice break in the itinerary after a few walks in hot, sunny weather in the National historical parks - Kaloko-Honokohau Historical Park where we saw turtles swimming in the sea, Pu’uhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park, Kealakekua Bay where we saw the Captain Cook monument across the bay. The history of these national historical parks is very interesting. After the picnic lunch, we had a short walk uphill to the shop on the Kona Coffee farm where we had the coffee tasting and I bought some 100% kona coffee. I would have liked to have learnt more about coffee bean harvesting, processing and roasting, but we did see a few small coffee trees with red coffee beans on the branches as we walked up to the kona coffee shop where we tasted 100% Kona coffee - medium roast, dark roast and Kona coffee infused with coconut, macadamia nut and chocolate flavours. All in all, I enjoyed the tour and highly commend our tour guide, Miexia.

The tour was as described. Good scenic views at the various national park stops with the history behind the areas. All interesting, apart from the Kona coffee farm, where all we got was some coffee samples and the opportunity to buy coffee and no information on how coffee was made or processed, a very cursory visit about coffee. Hence the 4-stars. The bee farm visit was very interesting though. Otherwise, the guide was informative, lunch was chicken with rice and snacks, and bottled water was provided throughout the trip.

Such a great tour. Our tour guide, Mia, was amazing. She made the tour special by sharing her knowledge of the island with us.

Tour guide Mia did an awesome job. Pick up was on time and we had a great group of 6 people. Very informative. We learned about local island history, culture and traditions. Coffee plantation and bee farm were particularly interesting. So much to learn about this spectacular biosphere. Great job Mia!

We had the pleasure of touring with Wasabi Tours for two full days while sailing on the Celebrity Edge, which had two port stops on the Big Island. As a group of friends in our 70s, we were looking for a comfortable, informative, and enjoyable way to experience the island—and Wasabi Tours exceeded our expectations! Our guide, Derek Stuart, was outstanding. He greeted us each morning just outside the cruise terminal, making everything easy and stress-free from the start. We traveled in a spacious, comfortable van, and Derek’s microphone allowed everyone to hear his fascinating stories and insights about the island, no matter where they were seated. Over the two days, we visited incredible sites including Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, beautiful waterfalls, a bee farm, a Kona coffee farm, and many other scenic and interesting stops. Every destination offered breathtaking views and memorable experiences. Unfortunately, I had strained my knee while traveling to Hawaii, but Derek went above and beyond to make the tour as enjoyable as possible. He always found the closest drop-off points so I had less walking to do, and his kindness and thoughtfulness were greatly appreciated. The tours included bottled water throughout the day and a delicious lunch of chicken, rice, and chips. If I could offer one suggestion, it would be to provide two different lunch options for guests taking back-to-back tours. The meal was very good—we just would have enjoyed a little variety on the second day. Overall, we had a fantastic experience! Derek was knowledgeable, friendly, accommodating, and truly made our visit to the Big Island special. We highly recommend Wasabi Tours and especially Derek as your guide. If you’re looking for a fun, relaxing, and memorable way to explore the Big Island, you won’t be disappointed! 🌺🌋☕