Our family of scientists (phisics, environmental chemistry, and medicine) were very impressed with the geologic depth of knowledge and teaching acumen of Phillip. Arthur brought a locals' savy advice and guidance that combined to make the 12 hour day the vacation peak experience. This is a must see for any visit to the Big Island.

On May 6, I went on a 6 hr (which then became 8.5 hr) hike across the Kalapana region with Philip and his team. We were 3 tourists (myself and a couple from California who booked independently) and a team of 3 very knowledgeable and helpful guides, who are also geologists. First we walked about 2.5 hours across the desert... More

Arthur did a fantastic job catering the tour to exactly what our group of 5 wanted to see. He took us to see waterfalls and crawl through a lava tube. He found us a great local spot for lunch. Afterwards we hiked 3.5 miles into the lava fields and got right next to the hot lava. It was amazing! We... More

We had limited time on the Big Island and Hawai'i Volcano National Park was first on the list. But often we feel like visiting these types of sites is not as fun as it could be because you always seem to feel like you're missing something. That's when my wife thought about hiring a guide for a private tour. Someone... More

We had a 10 hour volcano tour - which was just about right. You definitely want to include sunset time to see the glow from Kilauea. Our tour guide, Marty was very knowledgeable and we got to see things that we would not have even known about on our own. Even if we looked at the same things we wouldn't... More

One reason to do a trip to Hawai'i was to see flowing lava. Phil made our dream true and answered all our questions, we had a lot, about geology and many more things. We will never forget the hike over the cold lava field to the active lava flow!

This was the hightlight of our family's cruise. We were picked up on time by Marty and taken immediately to the starting point of the hike. Marty kept up the conversattion along the way and told us what to expect. Fruit and drinks were offered before we started and he loaded up his backpack with supplies for along the way.... More

We signed up for a 6 hour volcano tour and made the long drive down from Kona. Since the cell phone coverage is pretty bad on the rural parts of the "big island" for Sprint, I switched off my phone during the transit. When I arrive in Volcano at the appointed time and the proper place for the tour, I... More

We toured HVNP with Volcano Discovery Private tours on 14 March, had a great 8 hours with Erik. We were touring Maui two weeks later, and the 7 year old and the 9 year old are still talking about how they “wish Erik was here”. It’s expensive, yeah, but you get your money’s worth, especially when you’re dealing with kids…Erik... More