| A 5 to 6 hour, 6 mile Kilauea volcano eco hiking tour through dreamy woodlands, congealed lava wastelands, desolated forests, eerie lava tube caves... |
| The Insider's Guide to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park The Best Things to See and Do at Kilauea Volcano including Volcano Village |
| Learn about native plants, island history, culture, and the geology of this active Hawaii volcano and Hawaiian rainforest on this most unique Hawaii adventure tour! |
| Listen only to the wind, the gentle raindrops, and the songs of rare tropical birds during the unique two-mile Silent Retreat Walk through the Enchanted Forest. |
| See the Earth's Rebirth as you hike eerie Devastation Trail! |
| Our Kilauea Hawaii volcano eco hike begins in the high Hawaiian rainforest at Kilauea Iki look-out, in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, where, just 50 years ago, the highest and hottest lava fountain ever recorded in Hawaiian history, 1900 feet!, spewed spectacular fireworks like never seen before, creating a wide, flat lake of black lava 414 feet deep. Looking down 500 feet onto the congealed lava, which appears as a sea of black waves, people appear as ants traversing the caldera floor, still steaming through cracks and rifts in the earth's crust. As we traverse the lush tropical jungle, we meet the "King and Queen" of the rainforest and their minions, the native plants and animals of the islands, of which more than 90% are endemic, found nowhere else on planet Earth! We are introduced to the red-haired, red-eyed legendary Goddess Pele, "She-Who-Shapes-The-Sacred-Land," and learn about Kamapua'a, the pig god, who was smitten with love for her. Descending into Kilauea Iki crater via switchback trails, we experience the surreal, thrilling one-mile trek across what once was a molten lava lake, now hardened ropey pahoehoe and sharp, treacherous, clinkery a'a lava, surrounded by 500 foot cliffs. Where else in the world can you walk on lava in the caldera of a volcano active only 50 years ago? Only here in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park! Hawks, koa'e kea (white-tailed tropic birds) and clouds soar high overhead, as we pass Pu'u Pua'i cinder cone, Eruption Hill. Kilauea Iki caldera may be hot and windy, cold and rainy, misty or foggy - whatever! And conditions may change in a moment! Often, ethereal rainbows appear like magic through the steaming vents on the caldera floor, which sparkles with millions of glittery green crystals of olivine and titanium rainbow lava. Truly an alien landscape, you may feel as if you are on the moon! Carefully ascending the steep trail out of the crater and back into the Hawaiian rainforest, we head for our next destination, Devastation Trail. Along the way, we encounter stunning views of the huge Kilauea Caldera and Halema'uma'u, home of Goddess Pele, from which a lovely snow-white plume, appearing like a cloud-maker, has been issuing since 2008. But don't be fooled! That plume is made of toxic and lethal gases which have created what we on the Islands call "vog." We stop on Byron's Ledge for great photographs, and continue on through a lovely forest path carpeted with gold moss which we call "the yellow-brick road," passing a bright green grove of what appear to be giant Boston Ferns. We stop again at a cliff-hanger among the giant ferns for another spectacular view and photographs of Halema'uma'u. The terrain changes as we approach Kilauea volcano Devastation Trail, becoming drier and warmer, until the path itself becomes pure cinder. Pu'u Pua'i comes again into sight, but from this vantage point, appears as a perfect curve of blondish-reddish earth, Pele's Breast. Above us is the ghostly Devastation Peak, and all around us are bleached white tree bones, the macabre skeletons of trees, in all their ghostly beauty, and the landscape dotted with cinder pit craters, just as they were left by Kilauea Iki's eruption of 1959. As we climb Devastation Hill, through Ohia trees usually loaded with crimson-red lehua blossoms, the food of 90% of Hawaii's native birds, superb views of Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea arise before our eyes; that is, weather permitting, for sometimes the mountains are blanketed by eerie fog and mist. This is the best place on the island to see and photograph Mauna Loa, the biggest mountain on Earth, the second largest in the solar system, in its entirety--in winter, it may by draped by a majestic mantle of gleaming snow. We pause on Kilauea volcano Devastation Peak and just breathe in the vision of the tropical mountains, the unbelievably huge hole in the ground below us, Kilauea Crater, and the Ka'u Desert in the distance. We then continue on the cinder trail, passing charred remains of Ohia trees, the famous "volcano tree molds." Our trailwinds around to yet another view of Pu'u Pua'i, from which we totter on the sheer cliff side and look down into Kilauea Iki and the path which we traversed earlier. Lunch time! And do we have a gourmet picnic lunch for you (you have great choices !) from Volcano Village's finest caterer! More about that menu later! This is also question and answer time, and our great guides will share their knowledge of anything you want to ask, whether it be about Kilauea volcano, Hawaiian culture, geology, legends or history, as you sip Kona Coffee, hot cocoa, or enjoy a cold drink. And you don't have to pack it! We have it all for you. After lunch, we continue on to a real treat, a two mile silent retreat walk through an old growth Kilauea volcano rainforest. Why silent? So that you may experience the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park rainforest in all of its mystery and magic. We guides call this the "Enchanted Forest," and enchanting it is. Creaking limbs, whispering and sighing breezes, chirping, trilling, rare songbirds, the gurgling of shy Kalij fowls, and the mesmerizing om of swordtail crickets delight the ears. The giant tree ferns, many 30 feet tall, wave their delicate, feathery fronds in the breezes, touching us gently as if blessing us as we pass along the path beside them. Rare endemic plants surround us at every turn in the trail - stag's tongue ferns, wild orchids... thimble berry and wild strawberry abound. This is the gentle woodland garden realm of Laka, the beautiful goddess of the forest. Nature spirits are alive and well here! We walk in silence and awe through a forest which once only bird catchers and sacred herb gatherers walked in solitude, and if we are attuned, we may feel how the ancients must have felt walking through this sacred ground - respectful, appreciative and with wonder. We take our time to enjoy and drink in the magic and mystery of this pristine rainforest. Leaving the Enchanted Forest, we hike along a portion of Crater Rim Trail and arrive at our last stop, Nahuku Crater, with its 1500 foot long lava tube cave, Thurston Lava Tube. The first section of the cave is artificially lit, but the last portion, almost one-third mile long, with its gaping dark entrance, looks foreboding. No worries, however! Our guide has flash lights for everyone, and we carefully walk through the cavernous tunnel of fallen rock piles, puddles of water, and roots hanging eerily from the ceiling, to the very end of the cave. Here, if you dare, we turn out all the lights and sit in the absolute darkness, deep under the earth, and listen to the only sound to be heard...the water drops from the hidden earth above us. Backtracking through Thurston lava tube cave, we climb the slope of Nahuku crater and hit the trail again. One-half mile back to our starting point, Kilauea Iki overlook. A truly magical, mystical tour through eons of evolutionary time! |
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| Hawaii birdwatching in the Hawaiian rainforest? Some of the rarest birds in the world live on Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Many are endangered. You are may see and hear 'amakihi, 'apapane, i'iwi, 'oma'o nene, koa'e kea or the magnificent Hawaiian hawk, the 'i'o. A great Hawaii birdwatching trip! |
| The spectaular trail across Kilauea Iki caldera, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. |
| Experience the mystery of a prehistoric giant lava cave, Thurston Lava Tube, through which a river of molten lava rushed on its way to the sea. |
| Want to hike Kilauea volcano? This is one of our favorite adventures! |
| A hale and hearty Kilauea volcano nature hike for the adventurous! An exhilarating, inspiring trek through the tropical Hawaiian rainforest, across a still-steaming caldera, over a ghostly cinder-cone, into a giant lava tube cave... and much, much more! |
| We love Kilauea Volcano and you will too! |
| Caution! Thin Crust! |
| Interested in a self-guided tour? Want to experience the real magic of Kilauea Volcano on your own terms? Want to really commune with Goddess Pele? Maybe you're here for a reason. Maybe she has a message for you? Then this is the guidebook you need! |
| Only $4.99 |
| Delivered wireless in seconds! |
| A great guide! Ainahou Ranch, Chain of Craters, Devastation Trail and Desolation Peak, Holei Sea Arch, Ka’u Desert Footprints, Kipuka Puaulu (Bird Park), Namakani Paio (Place of the Conflicting Winds), and the unbelievable Place of the Guardians (Pele’s Playground). Other incredible sights include Pu’u Huluhulu (Shaggy Hill), Pua Po’ o (Cock’s Comb Cave, Wild Cave), Steaming Bluff, Sulfur Banks, Sandalwood Trail, The Enchanted Forest, and Tree Molds. These are only some of the places you’ll love exploring! Also, the best of Volcano Village, the storybook pretty hamlet just outside of the Park, and the place where you will want to stay during your visit to Kilauea, is included. This is the Kilauea guide for both families on vacation and adventurers extraordinaire! You won't be able to wait to get there! |
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