Self-Guided Audio Driving Tour in Big Island

The clever part of this Big Island experience is that your phone becomes the guide. GuideAlong, formerly GyPSy Guide, uses your GPS location to play stories, directions, and practical advice as you drive. You can begin in Kailua-Kona, Hilo, or anywhere along the routes, then stop and restart whenever you like.

I especially like the freedom to build your own day and the low $19.99 price for a whole vehicle of up to eight people. The main consideration is time: you cannot sensibly cover every suggested stop in one day, and the app requires some setup before you leave, including signing in and downloading the tour.

Key points at a glance

• 460-plus GPS-triggered audio points: Stories and directions play as you approach places of interest.
• One purchase covers the car: Up to eight people can listen for $19.99.
• Use it over several days: The tour has no expiry date and includes updates.
• Volcanoes National Park gets strong coverage: Devastation Trail, Kilauea Iki, Chain of Craters Road, and Holei Sea Arch are all included.
• Useful for families and independent drivers: Stop for naps, meals, swims, hikes, or missed commentary without losing the tour.
• Download before you go: The tour works offline, but sign-in problems and occasional audio glitches make advance testing wise.

A private guide without a tour bus

I like this format because it gives you structure without taking control away from you. The audio guide suggests scenic overlooks, historic places, food stops, parking areas, and short walks, but you decide how long to stay.

That matters on the Big Island. Distances are long, roads pass through several climate zones, and a stop that looks quick on a map can take much longer once you add a trail, a viewpoint, or lunch. The app gives you a useful voice in the car while leaving room for your own plans.

The narrator has a friendly, easy-to-follow style. One couple even nicknamed the guide The Captain, which tells you how naturally the commentary can become part of a road trip. The tone is educational with bits of trivia, cultural stories, geology, and practical driving advice.

This is not a live guide who can answer a question or change the route for you. A few audio sections have been reported to repeat, stall, or skip, and one user found the narrator a little hokey. Another found the information useful but wanted more coverage of Saddle Road and the drive toward Mauna Kea summit. I would treat the app as an excellent companion, not a replacement for a map or your own navigation app.

The best way to use the $19.99 price

At $19.99 per group, this is one of the easier Big Island costs to justify. A single rental car can carry up to eight people under one purchase, so the per-person price drops sharply for a family or group.

The value comes from the amount of ground covered. You receive more than 460 audio points, suggested half-day and full-day plans, and access to routes around the island. You are also buying the right to use the tour again later because it never expires.

I would not try to force the entire island into one eight-hour push. Use one day for the Kona and Kohala side, one for Hilo and the Hamakua Coast, and a full day for Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. If you have only a few hours, use the app selectively on the drive to the volcano or along the Kona coast.

Park entry, admission charges, and reservations are not included. That is particularly important for Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and any paid attraction you add. The audio guide itself is inexpensive, but your full day can still include fuel, food, parking, park admission, and activities such as kayaking.

Getting the app ready before you leave

After booking, you receive instructions by email and text. Look for the message titled Download Audio Tour, then redeem the voucher code using your Apple or Google account.

Download the free GuideAlong app and the Big Island tour over Wi-Fi or cellular data. Open the tour under My Tours and preview the route and suggested itineraries before you set off. Once the audio is downloaded, you do not need internet or cell service while driving.

I strongly recommend testing the app before your first sightseeing day. The sign-in account used to redeem the voucher must match the account used in the app. Apple users who use the Hide My Email function have reported trouble getting access, so sort that out before you are sitting in a rental car with a full day ahead.

Bring a USB car charger and make sure your phone is fully charged. The app uses your phone’s GPS chip, and you should keep Google Maps or another map available for visual navigation. GuideAlong offers phone, chat, and email support daily, but help is more useful before you leave than after you are already on a remote road.

Hilo, waterfalls, and the Hamakua Coast

Hilo makes a fine base for a wet, green day. The town has wooden storefronts, open green spaces, and a bayfront setting that feels different from sunny Kailua-Kona. The audio commentary gives you context for the town and guides you toward a loop that can include Rainbow Falls, Boiling Pots, and Kaumana Lava Tube Caves.

Allow about two hours for the Hilo loop if you want to get out of the car. Rainbow Falls is easy to reach, with parking and paved paths to the viewing platform. The 80-foot waterfall is especially likely to show a rainbow around 10 a.m. on a sunny morning, though it can look impressive in wet weather too.

The commentary also connects the falls with Hawaiian stories about Hina, the mother of Maui, and Moʻo Kuna, a giant lizard. That kind of detail changes a quick photo stop into a place with cultural meaning.

South or north of Hilo, the Hamakua Coast makes a fine scenic drive. Rain keeps the area green, waterfalls run down the slopes, and old plantation towns add a human scale to the route. At Akaka Falls State Park, a 750-foot trail leads through rainforest, bamboo, ferns, and wild orchids to the 440-foot waterfall.

The walk is short, but you can add the roughly 800-foot route to Kahuna Falls. Plan under an hour for the full walk, plus time in Honomu, the small former plantation town on the way. The audio guide points out places for coffee, baked Hawaiian treats, and even a goat dairy, giving you reasons to pause instead of rushing from viewpoint to viewpoint.

Liliʻuokalani Gardens offers a quieter stop in Hilo. The Japanese-style gardens include bridges, fishponds, pagodas, stone lanterns, rock gardens, and a teahouse. You can stroll or drive through, with views toward Hilo Bay and Mauna Kea on a clear day.

Volcanoes National Park deserves a full day

If your Big Island plans include only one major driving day, I would give it to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. The tour helps explain the volcanic forces that built the island, then guides you along the park roads and short walks.

Kilauea Iki is one of the most memorable stops. The crater once held a lava lake, and eruptions sent lava high into the air. Today the area is inactive, but the Kilauea Iki Trail lets you walk down inside the crater. It is a moderately difficult hike, so wear shoes suited to uneven ground and allow about an hour for this stop.

Devastation Trail is easier. The paved path crosses a cinder field created by volcanic activity, with views toward a cinder cone whose Hawaiian name translates as Gushing Hill. The cinders are light and airy, and small crystals can catch the sun. I like this stop because it shows how plants slowly return to ground that first appears lifeless.

Chain of Craters Road is the park’s great road trip. The 19-mile route drops from roughly 5,000 feet to sea level, passing old cinder cones, lava flows, coastal viewpoints, and short walking stops. Allow plenty of time. The distance itself is not the issue, the many places worth pulling over are.

The road ends near Holei Sea Arch, where waves have cut through volcanic rock along the coast. The official viewpoint has been closed because of unstable cliffs, though the arch can still be seen from a safe location. Follow every closure and barrier. Volcanoes National Park changes, and safety notices matter more than getting one particular photograph.

Some areas affected by the 2018 volcanic events have reopened in stages. Jaggar Museum is unlikely to return to its former site because of caldera-wall instability, but viewpoints into the caldera and Kilauea Iki are open according to the supplied tour information. Check current park conditions before setting out.

Kailua-Kona, coffee country, and Kealakekua Bay

Kailua-Kona is the natural western starting point. The waterfront has cafes, restaurants, shops, and historic sites, while the road south brings you to beaches, churches, cultural places, and small coves.

Magic Sands Park is a fun example of the island’s changing coast. Its sand can disappear offshore and later return, so the beach may not look the same each time you visit. The tour also points you toward places suitable for swimming and snorkeling, though you should use local conditions and posted warnings to judge the water.

South of Kona, Kealakekua Bay combines marine protection with major Hawaiian history. The bay is used for kayaking, snorkeling, and scuba activities, and it contains temples and archaeological sites. It is also where Captain James Cook died after the first major contact between Hawaiians and the Western world.

If you kayak to Kaʻawaloa, you need a permit before coming ashore. The audio guide sensibly flags this restriction and suggests checking permits or using a guided kayaking option with early access. Do not assume you can simply paddle over and land wherever you wish.

The dry Kohala Coast and northern towns

North of Kona Airport, the Kohala Coast changes sharply. Dry grasses grow between black lava flows, and on clear days you can see toward Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea. Large resorts occupy much of the coast, but cultural sites remain part of the route, including old trails and petroglyph areas that some resorts have helped preserve and open to the public.

Hapuna, Beach 69, and Kua Bay are among the popular beaches along this stretch. You can use the audio guide to decide where to stop, but do not expect to fit every beach, cultural site, and northern town into one afternoon.

Highway 270 leads to Hawi and Kapaau, two small plantation-era towns at the island’s northern end. Art galleries, boutiques, restaurants, and a popular ice cream stop make Hawi a pleasant place to get out of the car.

Kapaau is home to the original statue of King Kamehameha the Great, the ruler who united the Hawaiian Islands. The northern cattle country also gives the drive a wide-open feel that is quite different from Hilo’s rainforest or Kona’s resort coast.

Continue to Pololu Valley Lookout at the end of the road. The view reaches over a deep valley, stream, black sand beach, and sea cliffs. The hike down is steep, rough, and often muddy. I would treat the lookout itself as the main stop unless you are prepared for the walk back up.

Waipio Valley and the value of slowing down

Waipio Valley Lookout gives you a broad view from a 2,000-foot sea cliff. A canyon runs from the mountains to the ocean, with additional sea cliffs stretching along the coast. It is a quick stop on paper, but the view deserves time.

This is where the tour’s flexible design helps. You can pause the commentary, spend longer at a viewpoint, and resume when you return to the car. You are not trying to keep up with a bus or a fixed departure time.

The same is true for Honomu, the gardens in Hilo, a coffee stop near Kona, or a surprise beach break. The app’s job is to tell you what is nearby and why it matters. Your job is to decide what fits your day.

Who will get the most from this tour?

I would choose this for drivers who want local context but do not want a formal group excursion. It works especially well for families, couples, and small groups sharing a rental car. A baby can nap, a child can take a break, and nobody has to wait for an entire bus.

It also suits independent visitors who like to make decisions on the road. You can listen for a few hours, use the suggested plans, or return to a stop’s commentary later if you missed it.

It is less suitable if you want a live guide, a tightly scheduled sightseeing day, or expert answers tailored to your interests. You also need to be comfortable with smartphone setup and basic navigation. The narrator provides directions, but keeping a map app open is sensible.

Cancellation is free if you cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled start time. Within 24 hours, the amount paid is not refunded. Since the tour itself never expires, you can also save it for a later Big Island visit.

Should you book the Big Island audio tour?

Book it if you have a rental car and want the island’s long drives to feel purposeful. At $19.99 for up to eight people, the value is strong, especially if you use it over several days and visit Volcanoes National Park, Hilo, Kona, and the Kohala Coast.

Download everything before arrival, test your account, carry a charger, and do not attempt every stop in one day. With those simple precautions, GuideAlong gives you a useful mix of directions, stories, food ideas, cultural context, and freedom. If you prefer a human guide who can respond in the moment, choose a live tour instead.

FAQ

How much does the Big Island audio tour cost?

The tour costs $19.99 per group, covering up to eight people in one vehicle.

How long does the tour take?

You can use it for roughly eight hours to a full day, but the suggested routes cover enough of the island to justify several days. You control when the tour starts, pauses, and resumes.

Where does the tour start and end?

The listed start and end point is Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. Because the commentary follows your GPS location, you can also begin and finish anywhere along the tour routes.

Does the tour work without cell service?

Yes. Download the GuideAlong app and tour over Wi-Fi or cellular data before setting out. After that, the audio works offline using your phone’s GPS.

Are park admission and reservations included?

No. National Park passes, entrance fees, and reservations are not included in the purchase.

Does the tour expire?

No. The purchase has no expiry date and includes free updates. You can use it on a different day if your plans change.