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Hawaii Family Multisport

Hawaii Family Multisport

The diversity of the Big Island's landscape - an ever-changing palette of greens and blues - is well matched to the activities on Backroads' multisport family adventure. Kids and adults will thrill at the prospect of hiking across a volcano crater and into a mysterious cave-like lava tube, as well as biking along the magical Hamakua Coast overlooking the Pacific. Paddle to caves, swim and snorkel in crystal-clear bays, and come face-to-face with sea turtles, beaked parrot fish and other fascinating sea creatures. With ample time to relax and sun yourself on black- and white-sand beaches, you'll find that the Big Island is a sun-splashed playground perfect for family fun.

Day 1 Kohala Coast

Our trip begins in the Waimea region, famous for its high coastline and verdant pastures  Bike along the coast, where postcard-perfect valleys and lush tropical hills greet you around every turn Ride to the Waipio Valley lookout for views of some of the Big Island's most magnificent scenery  Enjoy a picnic lunch in the plantation-era town of Honokaa.

Day 2 Volcano Village

Shuttle to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, home to Kilauea, the most active volcano on Earth En route, stop at Umauma Falls and the World Botanical Center for a jaunt through a rain forest dense with bamboo and ginger Explore a black lava landscape on foot  Ferns, ohia trees and the red apapane bird color our path to the 450-foot Thurston Lava Tube. Dine at one of the best restaurants on the island.

Day 3 Kailua-Kona

Wake to views of the dramatic Kilauea Caldera Bike along Crater Rim Road Cruise down a 4,000-foot descent to the crashing waves of the stunning Kau Coast Frolic with sea turtles on the black sand of Punaluu Beach Relax with a spa treatment at our hotel while kids check out the multilevel swimming pool and slide, surrounded by waterfalls and tropical foliage.

Days 4-6 Kohala Coast

Kayak down the coast from Keauhou Bay, past rocky cliffs and secluded sea caves At our luxurious beachfront resort, options abound - kids can look forward to surfing lessons, snorkeling, beach volleyball, tide pool walks and lei-making lessons  Adults can opt to relax poolside or indulge in a spa treatment Adults can also ride along the Kohala Coast to Hawi, an area known for its many wonderful art communities Glimpse Hawaii's ancient culture on a visit to petroglyphs chiseled on smooth black slates of cooled lava.

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PACIFIC GEMS: Premiere Inns

Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel (1 night): This Big Island jewel is well known for its fantastic beach, stunning ocean views, championship golf course and gracious attentive service.

Kilauea Lodge (1 night): This charming bed-and-breakfast was once a YMCA for kids visiting Volcanoes National Park. The guest rooms reflect up-country charm with a commitment to warmth and peacefulness.

Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort & Spa (1 night): Set on 22 oceanfront acres and offering abundant amenities including a spa, tennis courts, a fitness center and an enormous swimming pool with slide.

The Fairmont Orchid (2 nights): Named by Travel+Leisure as one of the Top 20 Spa Resorts in the country, this retreat sits on a secluded white-sand beach and has a private lagoon and a "spa without walls."

Daily Mileage Options & Cumulative Elevation Gain

Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6

On this Family Trip, our routes follow gentle terrain with some climbs. Liberal van shuttling is incorporated into the itinerary to facilitate our activities and mileage is kept moderate to enable you to spend more time exploring on your own.

Trips For All Abilities

Every Backroads trip is designed to appeal to a wide variety of interests and fitness levels. We know your pace may vary from one day to the next-and your traveling companion's may differ somewhat from yours. So we present a range of mileage options, and each day you decide exactly what and how much you want to do.

Activity Level Average Time Biking Average Walking Average
Insider Trips
Explore at a leisurely pace—on village walks, market strolls, art history excursions, hands-on cooking classes and more.
Level 1 2-3 hours 10-20 mile 2-5 miles
Level 2 2-4 hours 21-30 miles 5-7 miles
Level 3 3-5 hours 31-40 miles 7-9 miles
Level 4 4-6 hours 41-55 miles 9-11 miles
Level 5 5-7+ hours 56-75+ miles 11-13+ miles
2009 DATES
FAMILY TRIPS
2010 DATES
FAMILY TRIPS
Recommended Kids Ages

Minimum Ages:

Recommended minimum age for the trip: 6 years

Minimum age restriction to ride own bike: 9 years

Minimum age restriction for surfing lessons: 5 years

Minimum age restriction for kayaking: 5 years

General Info on Minimum Ages:

We strongly encourage families to join our Family Trips, designed with kid- and adult-friendly features. Please note that we have a minimum age requirement of 1 year for all Inn trips and 2 years for all Camping trips. Other than that, we do not restrict trips to a minimum age except in the rare case of a hotel age restriction. We do, however, recommend minimum ages based on the following criteria:

Please note that a trip may feature an activity with an older age requirement than the minimum age recommendation for the trip. Younger kids are still welcome on the trip and while they will not be able to participate in the activity, the leaders will suggest an alternate activity. For safety reasons, children under 7 may not ride their own bikes and are required to ride on a Piccolo or in a Burley. For certain destinations, children must be 9 or older to ride their own bikes.

Guest Trip Reviews

This was the best family vacation we ever had, and a great part of that was due to the wonderful leaders we had, who were simply outstanding. They not only were sensitive to our every need and concern, they were wonderful with the children, all of whom clearly ended up worshiping them and wishing - like us - that the trip would not end. I think our son would have preferred to go with them at the end than to come home with us! All in all, we're with Backroads for the long haul and look forward to another trip soon.
Stephen Block - Manhattan Beach, CA

The best leaders on a Backroads trip I’ve experienced. Their knowledge of the area, culture, animals, plants, myths/stories was excellent. They were all encouraging and worked to make sure everyone got to do what they wanted (levels, activity, whatever). I appreciated the down time built in to the schedule.
Jaynie Kind - Los Altos Hills, CA

Superb operation, wonderful (WONDERFUL) family vacation experience. Taking the logistics/planning out of the equation made everything better. And the guides did a tremendous job enabling everyone in our family and our group to customize their daily activities to match their individual preferences. Truly a wonderful family experience.
Jake Durling - San Francisco, CA

This trip far exceeded my expectations!!! A big part of it was the group dynamics, the ages of the kids worked extremely well, and the adults family members seemed to get along very well. Leaders were outstanding, variety of activities was a plus, guess that’s why we picked the "multisport" trip. Great options. The right amount of biking, hiking etc. Leaders were fabulous in adding on additional miles for my husband on the biking days. Very flexible!!! Very accommodating.
Peggy Rassieur - St. Louis, MO

Best family vacation we’ve ever had!!!!! It was great seeing the enthusiasm of all of the local people. I noticed our leaders make a great effort in maintaining a good relationship with all of the locals. We love going on Backroads trips. It’s a true vacation for everyone. It was definitely the best family trip we’ve ever taken.
Janet Mirsky - Pittsford, NY

Our trip leaders were off the chart. Their attitude of caring and having fun and encouraging us to relax as well as go for it was really great. The level and variety of activity was great and you accommodated our family's diverseness.
Jill Greenberg - Malibu, CA