Oahu Grand Circle Island Day Tour with Dole Plantation
Oahu, United States of America
From jagged green mountains to sparkling ocean and pristine beaches, there are plenty of stunning sites on this full-day circle island tour of Oahu. Visit the North Shore, the Dole Plantation, Byodo-In Temple, Diamond Head, the Halona Blowhole, Hanauma Bay, Nu'uanu Pali and more as you travel with a knowledgeable local guide. Learn about the history of Hawaii and its amazing natural wonders for a memorable experience of beautiful Oahu.
Start your full-day tour of Oahu with morning pickup at your Waikiki hotel and set out in a deluxe air-conditioned coach with an expert guide.
Leaving Honolulu, drive past the ritzy Kahala area en route to the Amelia Earhart Lookout, named in honor of the famous aviator who in 1935 completed the first successful solo flight from Honolulu to the continental US, landing in California. Take in panoramic views of the 350-acre (142-hectare) volcanic crater that forms Diamond Head and watch surfers catching waves in the ocean below.
Down the road, stop at the lookout over Hanauma Bay, a marine nature reserve known for calm clear waters with excellent snorkeling. Then stop for a look at the Halona Blowhole and hope to see a geyser-like spray of water rocket into the air.
Travel into the hills to reach the Nu'uanu Pali lookout where you are treated to sweeping views of Kanehoe Bay and Kailua Bay. Continue to Byodo-In Temple, a smaller-scale replica of a 950-year-old Buddhist temple in Uji, Japan. The stunning site, which features ornate temple buildings with a golden Buddha statue that stands more than nine feet (three meters) tall, is tucked into the foothills of the Ko'olau Mountains.
Back on the road, enjoy great views of Mokoli'l Island (Chinaman's Hat), Kahana Bay and the beaches along the North Shore of Oahu. Visit Sunset Beach and Waimea Bay, made famous in the 1960s when big-wave surfing took hold here. In the winter, the beaches still draw surfers from around the world.
Head inland to the Dole Plantation, where you have a quick stop to view lush tropical gardens, take a quick break and browse the gift shop.
During the day, take a 1-hour break to purchase lunch at a sit-down restaurant. Your tour ends with drop off at your hotel in the evening.
Our tour guide/bus driver was friendly and knowledgeable. Willing to stop when he saw a monk seal on the beach, we all got to see it even though it wasnt on the agenda for the day. Great stops along the way, plenty of time to see the sights at each stop. You have to have a Dole whip at the plantation- amazing! Loved the coffee and macadamia nuts stop - got several bags of each! Great way to get out of the city and see the sights of Oahu.
Review by: Douglas C, April 2018
Good day out, got to see all round Oahu and the Japanese temple, never seen so many Koi Carp in one place. Not to mention the Black Swans._br/_ Would have liked to stop at the North Shore but you cant have everything.
Review by: Kristine P, March 2018
The guide was great. We were disappointed in the not getting out of the vehicle to enjoy the sights.
Review by: Jon B, March 2018
Tommy was happy and fun. We made a few extra stops. Get the ice-cream at the first stop. we had Macadamia nut, banana chocolate swirl, and pineapple. AMAZING!! Dole pineapple farm was HUGE and glad we didn't have to make the trip in our rental car. We were able to decide what we wanted to spend time doing after seeing the island on this tour. Hanauma Bay to go snorkeling was 1! and it was amazing. This tour doesn't take you to the North Shore, so make time to do that.
Review by: Richard B, March 2018
the driver was very knowledgeable and gave us a lot of island information. One of the stops at an aging strip mall shortly into the tour was unnecessary
Review by: Brenda K, March 2018
Great way to see the island. Our tour guide was great and very knowledgeable. It is a long day but you get to see lots and learn about the island history.
Review by: leebro_k, March 2018
A fun day out. Pity it rained. We would have liked more time at the Dole plantation. Would definitely visit again.
Review by: William F, March 2018
Very much enjoyed this tour. The views along the coastline were awesome and the driver/guide was excellent. The only thing I wasn't into, was the Dole Plantation. It is really just a visit to their gift shop. There are other things to do there, but there was no time on our tour. Because I enjoyed the rest of this tour so much it was still very worth the money.
Review by: Lois, March 2018
Would have preferred a tour of the pineapple plantation instead of being sent to the store to buy pineapple ice cream. All stops appeared to benefit the local economy not enrich the experience of the tourists. The exception was the last stop which was a magnificent overlook off H3.
Review by: Sheila O, March 2018
I booked this tour to see the Dole Plantation. I wanted to take the train ride and walk the maze. The representative I talked to assured me that there would be time on this tour for those activities. Turned out that it was a 30 minute stop so that we could shop in the souvenir shop which contained lots of pineapple stuff. The driver recommended the pineapple whipped ice cream, but there were 35 people in line if front of us with only two servers, so we gave up. Very disappointed.
Review by: Kwanta P, March 2018
This tour was amazing!
Review by: ajbegich, March 2018
Our guide was Leo B - he was excellent!! Knowledgable and funny. The only problem on our tour was the microphone going out. An Adapter was provided shortly into the trip and the rest went well. This tour came recommended and we would recommend to first time visitors to Oahu.
Review by: Scott W, March 2018
Cons: missed 2 stops due to large number of vehicles in lot. Ranch tour isn't a tour but a tram making a circle with an audio recording you can't hear; lots of sites listed are drivebys _br/_ Pros: see lots of sites in one day; driver made unlisted stops to makeup those missed; knowledgeable driver
Review by: James B, February 2018
Tommy Chong was the best and most knowledgeable. Loved it all, one of the best things we did on the Island.
Review by: John C, February 2018
Totally enjoyed this tour. Highly recommend.
Review by: Barbara O, February 2018
Tommy Chen was an excellent tour guide/historian/trivia buff. I understand some of the stops are for the benefit of the local businesses,however, the Kualo Ranch ride was lackluster. I did not eat at the buffet so I have no idea if the food made the stop more inviting. Overall, it was a very comfortable tour of the island.
Review by: indrani.basu, February 2018
lot to see in a short time. wanted to spend a little more time on dole plantation. also didn't get off the bus at the north shore. otherwise great tour.
Review by: Toni D, February 2018
This was an excellent day and a full day I may say! Driver was informative and funny. Stops for refreshments own cost. Great scenery while travelling. Places to see fantastic. Lots of photo opportunities.
Review by: Vishwa G, February 2018
It was a beautiful and enjoyable ride around the island. Beautiful beached and scenery. There was lot of traffic and no parking at a number of places as the parking lots were full no fault of the operator therefore, had to take the sights from the moving vehicle. Still, we recommend it.
Review by: Clyde E, January 2018
Tour guide Gensin was great.
Review by: Patricia G, January 2018
It was worth seeing the beaches and north shore. Dole was just a big expensive gift shop. I liked the Buddhist temple. The ranch was ok. Food not great. Expensive if you ordered off the menu. The tour guide was excellent. He was funny and very knowledgeable.
Review by: Ross P, January 2018
Unfortunately this was not the best Viator tour we have taken. Most stops were at shops where the obvious intention was that we purchase something. One of the stops was in this little town in the middle of nowhere where a tourist would never stop. Lunch at the Ranch was disappointing a just a big tourist trap to be honest. The most disappointing thing was the very brief stop on the North Shore at Sunset Beach, this is the real Hawaii and what we wanted to see. The tour guide Tommy was excellent although he could have talked just a little less. Overall we were disappointed with this tour.
Review by: Richard M, January 2018
So pleased we did this tour. Tour guide very informative and entertaining. _br/_ Low points were ,as with all these tours was -length of time picking up other passengers one annoying passenger on his cell phone all day and random stopping at shopping opportunities
Review by: Jerry S, January 2018
The trip was great, but you are rushed all day. Probably the best way to see the island.
Review by: rsrentz, November 2017
Our tour guide, Garfield, was excellent. We enjoyed everything about the tour and beautiful scenery
Review by: Barbara B, November 2017
FANtASTIC! Yes, yes, yes, yes. Anyone new to Oahu needs to do this tour. it will give you an idea of where you what to go and spend more time at and where not to spend your time.
Review by: Chad W, November 2017
Good overview of Island, gives you a chance to see different parts of the Island if your not saying long
Review by: Dena H, November 2017
We felt the tour could have been better, too many stops at small villages selling souvenirs, no time at North Shore just a drive through. Forget paying extra for lunch it wasn't worth the extra amount paid, buy a sandwich before you leave Waikiki. Viator you could have done better with this tour. Perhaps go to North Shore for lunch instead of the other stops. Buy your souveniers in Waikiki. We go on these tours to see the scenery not to go to shopping.
Review by: Wendy.milne, November 2017
The tour was great but what made it amazing was the tour guide/driver! It was wonderful to hear about his life and family growing up! And what is gramma said! Gave us a real sense of the islands history from his point of view! Thank you Peter for sharing your life with a bus load of strangers!
Review by: Richard B, November 2017
We did this tour as the first tour of our trip. It was a great decision. We saw so much of the island and our tour guide was very informative and funny.
Review by: greyguy, November 2017
The tour presented a good overview of O'ahu and some of the beauty of its natural environment. The guide was knowledgable and insightful and provided good narrative to what we were seeing
Review by: Eric D, November 2017
Tour was ok at best. It list things like Diamondhead but we literally drove by it while the tour guide pointed out the fact is was there. Also the tour guide was ok at best but a little boring as several people on the bus actually fell asleep during the day. I would not recommend this tour
Review by: Jennifer W, November 2017
The tour was good our tour guide, Leihua, was wonderful. I would have liked less time spent at some of the stops we would sit at a scenic overlook for 20-30 minutes and more time doing other things, like walking the temple grounds or riding the train at Dole. We got to Dole, bought souvenirs and a Dole Whip, then it was time to go. We weren't even going to be there for the hourly pineapple demonstration and we didn't have enough time for the train ride. We did ask Leihua if we could stay a few extra minutes for the pineapple tasting/demonstration and she graciously let us since we were running ahead of schedule however, that was also a letdown because the demonstrator only cut up ONE pineapple. We hoped to try various varieties that they grow on site. We had great weather, a great guide, and a great overview, but it just seemed like an opportunity to visit souvenir shops and spend money.
Review by: dchua777, November 2017
Excellent driver and guide with very informative tales etc. An excellent way to get an over view of Oahu. Had a great day and highly recommended.
Review by: Kristine K, October 2017
Guide very nice. Fast tour though. Felt a little rushed. Dole plantation was kind of a disappointment. One big store. The pineapple ice cream was wonderful though!
Review by: PATRICIA A, October 2017
If I could give zero stars, I would do it. By far, this is the worst tour ever. The guide, chinese man talked from the beggining to the end, with no break. Only nonsense things, like: I love pineapples. So, as a result, I had a big headache in vacations. I prayed hard to get out of the bus.
Review by: PaisleyWoodstock, October 2017
Sheer luck that I scheduled this tour for our 2nd day on the island.. the day before it rained buckets all day, then thunder and lightning half of the night. we did have a tour when it rained, but it had better not rain on this particular Grand Circle tour because it was wonderful, and the guide makes it just that much better. She had a difficult-to-remember Hawaiian name, she's a native--born and raised, LeiHua-- i'm sure you will all know when you meet her... she knew just about anything and everything Hawaiian and it's not just from studying it, but living it. She happily and proudly shared her experiences with her family, one cannot beat that kind of background. it was pretty much the best introduction you can have for Oahu, I highly recommend to do this before any other tour!!
Review by: LOIS B, October 2017
I had previously taken this tour and when I returned this time with my mother I took her on it also and we both enjoyed the sights, guide and drive.
Review by: LOIS B, October 2017
I had previously taken this tour and when I returned to Hawaii I took my mother on this tour and we both enjoyed the guide's knowledge and the sights and got amazing pictures
Review by: Kathleen N, October 2017
A perfect way to tour the area especially if you are on limited time like we were. Leo our driver and tour guide was awesome. I would definitely recommend this tour. Throughout the tour we had folk who didn't return to the bus on time so my suggestion is to tell us what time to return as opposed to saying 'you have 20 mins etc,'_br/_ Thank you Leo you were great.
Review by: Sharon A, October 2017
The driver was nice and very informative, but after getting out of the city itself which took at least an hour I didn't find the North Shore that interesting and the Dole Plantation was just a big tourist trap filled with people.
Review by: Prashanti A, October 2017
very well managed. The driver was very knowledgeable. It was a worth it trip for a whole day.
Review by: Nicholas N, October 2017
It was more of a big bus drive by tour where the bus driver stops at certain locations and gives you 10 minutes to take photos. The lunch buffet did not have a good selection so I would skip it and buy your own food.
Review by: maureen c, October 2017
we were to be picked up at ship in Honolulu at 8:30 am. We were there at the appointed time and did not get transportation until 11:00 am _br/_ That was not acceptable. VIP transport said viator did not give them correct info. Another day we were scheduled for pick up at our hotel to go on sight seeing tour. we picked the hotel because your info said tour bus would pick up there. They did not pick up there . this involved walking several blocks -- one in our group has a disability and is unable to walk that far.. WILL NEVER BOOK WITH VIATOR AGAIN._br/_ t
Review by: JACQUELINE M, October 2017
We really enjoyed this tour, the bus driver gave us loads of information along the tour and at the planned stops gave us enough time to enjoy the views and walk around the places to explore for ourselves.
Review by: joe h, October 2017
It was amazing! Tour guide was very knowledge. Scenery was breathtaking. We're ready to go back!
Review by: Virginija Z, October 2017
The tour was amazing and the guide very informative. He was joking a lot and that made this tour even more special. I saw so many beautiful sites, found out so much information on the island, and even learnt some Hawaiian words! The tour is perfectly organised, so would recommend it to anyone who wants to know and see more as well as to have great impressions! Thank you!
Review by: Janet A, September 2017
This tour was great. It gave us a chance to see the East side of the Island in detail and a chance to visit several places for a short photo opportunity._br/_ Our driver Leo was really great and provided a funny and interesting commentary throughout the day. _br/_ This tour keeps you moving all day.
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