Premiere & Casual Hotels*
Accommodations may vary based on departure date. Any difference from what is listed below can be found by clicking on your desired date on the View Scheduled Dates or Private Dates tabs.
Kilauea Lodge
Volcano Village (2 nights)
* Casual Hotel
An up-country bed-and-breakfast with ideal access to Volcanoes National Park.
Fairmont Orchid
Kohala Coast (3 nights)
A blissful resort on a half-moon beach offering abundant amenities and exceptional aloha hospitality. Travel + Leisure World's Best. (pool, spa)
This Trip Is Rated Levels 1-3
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.
Daily Route Options (drag to see full )
| Daily Route Options |
| 1 |
Walking/Hiking |
2* |
100 |
4 |
200 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Other |
Kona Coffee Tour (1 Hour) |
| 2 |
Biking |
|
|
15 |
500 |
27 |
2100 |
|
|
|
|
| Walking/Hiking |
5 |
300 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 3 |
Biking |
10* |
700 |
20* |
1500 |
47* |
2000 |
|
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|
|
| 4 |
Walking/Hiking |
2 |
100 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Kayaking |
& Snorkeling on Puako Bay (Half Day) |
| 5 |
Biking |
8* |
500 |
16* |
1100 |
33* |
1600 |
43 |
2300 |
|
|
| Other |
Outrigger Canoe Adventure (1 Hour) |
| 6 |
Walking/Hiking |
2 |
100 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Note:
* Includes shuttle.
Learn more about how we determine our activity level and fully support a range of abilities and interests.
Please note that our distance and elevation figures come from Ride with GPS. Other sources may give differing elevation figures due to different GPS and mapping technologies and other external factors.
Meals
All breakfasts, 4 lunches, 4 dinners
Available Bike Options
The key to a stellar day’s ride is a bike that’s perfectly in tune with your cycling style… Backroads has you covered with the best bike fleet in the world! Read on for your available bike options for this trip.
Backroads Titanium Bikes (Included in your trip price)
Our custom-built titanium bikes are specially designed for you—and we offer different models for varied terrain so your bike is ideally suited to the region. Our custom-made bikes are included in your trip price.
Touring Bike (Included)
Performance Road Bike (Included)
Backroads Custom Electric-Assist Bike (Included in your trip price)
Wishing for a little extra assistance up those hills? Our custom Backroads Electric-Assist Bike lets you experience the thrill of exploring on two wheels while providing a boost when you want it. We've modified a selection of our great Titanium Bikes with the intuitive BionX "pedal-assist" system.
Backroads Custom Electric-Assist Bike (Included)
Custom Kids Bikes (Included in your trip price)
Backroads is the only travel company to manufacture its own line of kid's bikes. While the wheels might be small, the performance is big—it's the perfect choice for kids. On all Backroads Family Trips, you'll find 20" and 24" bicycles for the younger set. They say good things come in small packages; when it comes to bikes for kids of all ages, Backroads is the expert.
Custom Kids Bikes (Included)
Also Included
- Expertise and services of our experienced Trip Leaders
- Snacks and beverages between meals
- Additional guides and experts from the region on many trips
- Van shuttles to support a variety of route options
- Comprehensive Travel Planner with detailed pre-trip information
- Private guided tours at museums, historic sites, wineries and other select attractions as noted in the Travel Planner
- All gratuities at hotels and restaurants
- Special events, including wine tastings and other select attractions as mentioned in the Travel Planner
- On biking and multi-adventure trips, use of fully equipped Backroads titanium bike plus helmet and accessories
- Trailercycles, carriers, and kid-sized helmets for Family Trips
- Equipment and experienced guides for kayaking, rafting, snorkeling, sailing and canoeing as described
- Park and other entry fees
- Fares for trains, ferries and other modes of travel as listed in the Travel Planner
- Select coach transfers
- Baggage transfers and porterage
Get the Straight Talk about This Trip
We want to make sure you're on the right trip and that you have the best experience possible. Every Backroads trip is unique and this one is no exception.
Traffic & Highway Riding
Because the Big Island is rugged and covered in lava fields, there are a limited number of paved roads traversing the island. While Backroads strives to find roadways that are quiet and off-the-beaten-track, many of the routes on this trip follow highways with traffic. Of course, you are always welcome to jump in the shuttle to avoid the busier roads.
Shuttle Distances
In order to bring you the full gamut of the Big Island's splendor, we spend more time shuttling on this trip than on many other Backroads trips. Our time in the shuttles will allow us to experience the incredible variety of ecosystems, scenery and activities that Hawaii has to offer. So sit back and relax, knowing that someone else is doing the driving, and enjoy the beauty of the journey.
Volcanoes National Park – Climate
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is famous for its renowned volcanoes, Kilauea and Mauna Loa. The Park has distinct climate zones that vary by elevation and despite the tropical latitude it can be rainy and chilly any time of the year. While in the park, we will be approximately 4,000 feet above sea level and you should be prepared for a wide range of weather conditions.
Accommodations
Kilauea Lodge is a fairly rustic property in a stunning location near Volcanoes National Park. Although clean and comfortable, the guest rooms are basic and are not equipped with phones or televisions.
Peak Season
The holiday and spring break months are a great time to travel; however, with days off and the desire to escape for sunshine many others have the same idea. While we always aim to get off the beaten path, during certain times of the year crowds and delays are unavoidable.
Why Travel with Backroads in Hawaii
Everyone at Their Own Pace
We design and support our Hawaii trips to suit mixed abilities and varied interests—so you can set your own pace, then change things up as the day unfolds. And all guests are free to do the same, traveling together or apart, with no one cramping anyone else's style. Which sounds easy in theory, but it's hard to pull off. Here's more on how we do it.
More Leaders to Support You
On our Hawaii trips we have an extra leader supporting you along the road and trail—for a total of three, compared to the industry standard two. So we can be in more places at once, giving personal attention to guests traveling at their own pace. Here's more on our Trip Leaders.
Get the Most Out of Each Day
Coordinating multiple activities throughout a single day can be tricky, but with Backroads you'll never know it. When you explore Hawaii with us, you switch activities seamlessly without missing a beat. We invented the multi-adventure concept, and we're constantly adding new dimensions and fine-tuning the experience to make it even more enjoyable.
Kids Who Aren't Kids Anymore
Only Backroads offers active trips in Hawaii designed for families with older teens and 20s. These trips are aimed at you and the amazingly grownup members of your clan—whether they're almost high school grads, already in college or further along. Find out more in this blog post.
Our Superb Bikes Included
A great bike is obviously critical for a great multi-adventure trip; you don't want to gamble on one that's been sourced locally to trim costs. This trip features our acclaimed Backroads Custom Titanium bikes, expertly tuned and fitted, and included in your trip price. Learn why our titanium bikes are ideal for most riders.
Your Hotels Are Locked In
It may seem obvious to say the great hotels we tell you about are the ones you'll actually stay in. But the fact is many companies haven't even booked the places they promise and are later forced to settle for inferior alternatives. We book our hotels and exact rooms long in advance—often over two years—so you stay where you expect to stay.
Your Trip Will Run. Period.
Under our Book with Confidence policy, your Backroads trip will run even for a single family of three or four people, subject to a nominal extra fee. Or transfer to another trip, and we'll give you a credit. It's all part of our trademark commitment to treating guests with integrity, transparency and total accountability. Read all the details.
Quality You Can Measure
Since 1979, Backroads Founder and President Tom Hale has shown that staying #1 means constantly evaluating our performance using the best possible source of information: our guests. As we systematically analyze your feedback on our trip consultants, leaders, hotels, meals and on-trip activities, we never stop working to make a great company even better.
The Best Leaders in Hawaii
Backroads has the best-qualified people to lead your trip in Hawaii, and our guests back that up, rating our Trip Leaders an average of 9.75 out of 10 for all-around quality of performance. Get the facts (and no fluff) on how we recruit and develop the very best people for your trip.
A Variety of Routes Each Day
In Hawaii you head off each morning after choosing among several expertly designed routes—all with detailed directions, mileage and shuttle options. Unlike trips with one fixed daily route (or worse, one guide that everyone's obliged to follow), you're free to enjoy the best of the region at your pace, stopping wherever you want to explore further.
We Were Born Here (in 1979)
Backroads has been inviting active travelers to explore our own backyard since Jimmy Carter was in the White House. We offer more trips than anyone else in Hawaii, and we've spent more years finding the best ones. What keeps it real is having a consistent vision and the same passionately committed leadership for nearly four decades.
