Trip Ideas Home
ATV Tours
A different way to experience the Hawaii rugged interior and wild ranch lands is through an off-road adventure—a real backcountry experience. At higher elevations, weather can be nippy and rainy, but views can be awesome. Protective gear is provided. Generally, you have to be 16 or older to ride your own ATV, though some outfitters allow children 7 and older to be a passenger.
BIG ISLAND
ATV Outfitters Hawaii. These trips take in the scenic beauty of the rugged North Kohala Coast, traveling along coastal cliffs and into the forest in search of waterfalls. The ATV outfitter's three adventures are priced from $109 per person for the 1½-hour Ocean Cliff Adventure to $249 per person for the 22-mi three-hour Deluxe Rainforest & Waterfall Adventure. Old Sakamoto Store, Hwy. 270, Kapaau. 808/889-6000 or 888/288-7288. www.outfittershawaii.com
ATV Ranch Ride. This 2½-hour ATV adventure on a working ranch takes in the Hamakua Coast and the Waipio Valley: dramatic ocean cliffs, quiet forests, and remnants of Hawaii's once-thriving sugar cane industry. Prices begin at $100 per person. Honokaa. 808/775-7291 or 877/775-7291. www.waipioonhorseback.com
Cowboys of Hawaii ATV Rides. Riders cruise Parker Ranch to Holoholo Hill for an incomparable panorama of the ranch's 175,000 acres and thousands of cattle or follow the Mana Road, in the shadow of towering Mauna Kea. Rates for the two-hour ride begin at $95 per person. Parker Ranch Center, 67-1435 Mamalahoa Hwy., Waimea. 808/885-5006. www.cowboysofhawaii.com
Kahua Ranch ATV Rides. On this working ranch, you can ride the range, from upslope rain forest to midlevel mountain desert. Dramatic cinder cones and backcountry pastures offer scenic views. Ride later in the day, and stay for a ranch barbecue with the family; afterwards, you can stargaze through their powerful telescope and learn how to rope. Rates for the two-hour ride begin at $95 per person (not including dinner). Hwy. 250, 10 mi north of Waimea. 808/882-7954 or 808/882-4646. www.kahuaranch.com
Waipio Ride the Rim. On this Waipio Valley ride, you'll see expansive black sand beaches, 1,200-foot Hiilawe Falls, and the lush rain forest surrounding the top edge of the valley. Rates for the three-hour rim tour begin at $159 per person. Waipio Valley Artworks Bldg., 48-5416 Kukuihaele Rd., Kukuihaele. 808/775-1701 or 877/757-1414. www.topofwaipio.com
KAUAI
Kauai ATV Tours. This is the thing to do when it rains on Kauai. Consider it an extreme mud bath. Kauai ATV in Koloa is the originator of the island's all-terrain-vehicle tours. Their $99 three-hour jaunt takes you through a private sugar plantation and historic cane-haul tunnel. The $145 four-hour tour visits secluded waterfalls and includes a picnic lunch. The more popular longer excursion includes a hike through a bamboo forest and a swim in a freshwater pool at the base of the falls - to rinse off all that mud. You must be 16 or older to operate your own ATV, but Kauai ATV also offers its four-passenger and two-passenger "Mud Bugs" to accommodate families with kids ages five and older. 5330 Koloa Rd., Koloa. 808/742-2734 or 877/707-7088. www.kauaiatv.com
Kipu Ranch Adventures. This 3,000-acre property extends from the Huleia River to the top of Mt. Haupu. Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones, and Mighty Joe Young were filmed here, and you'll see the locations for all of them on the $105 three-hour Ranch Tour. The $140 four-hour Waterfall Tour includes a visit to two waterfalls and a picnic lunch. Kipu Ranch was once a sugar plantation, but today it is a working cattle ranch, so you'll be in the company of bovines as well as pheasants, wild boars, and peacocks. 808/246-9288. www.kiputours.com
MAUI
Haleakala ATV Tours. Haleakala ATV Tours explore the mountainside in their own way: propelled through the forest on 420 cc, four-wheel-drive, Honda Rancher all-terrain vehicles. Their two-hour tour of Haleakala Ranch costs $105. On the three-hour adventure ($145), you begin at Haleakala Ranch and rev right up to the pristine Waikamoi rain-forest preserve. Riders must be at least 16 years old, and there is limited passenger availability. Private tours are available for $205 per person. Discounts may be obtained by booking online. Haleakala ATV Tours is now offering combination ATV and Zipline tours with Skyline Eco Adventures on Sunday for $187. 808/661-0288 or 877/661-0288. www.atvmaui.com