Your guide to Ziplining on the Big Island
Imagine seeing the pristine beauty of Hawaii from above, darting over lush rainforests and across cascading waterfalls, all while getting an adrenaline rush – Big Island ziplining is a thrilling day of adventure for the whole family. All three zipline tours are easy day trips from our Volcano bed and breakfast, with their operations equally professional and memorable for their unique locations and scenery, so get ready to zipline in paradise!
Umauma Experience
Umauma Experience’s nine zip lines – extending over 2 miles total – are as legendary as the views you’ll get mid-ride, including no fewer than fourteen (not a typo!) different waterfalls and stretches of forest alongside the flowing waters of the Umauma stream below. On immaculately-maintained private property, the Umauma Big Island ziplining operation is just an hour north of Volcano, tucked away off Hawaii Belt Road on the coastline north of Hilo. Their zipline tour runs from 1.5 to 3 hours, depending on your group size and how long it takes to move the group from line to line, with incredible views and thrills for kids and adults alike. You’ll start with a detailed instruction demo (you are required to show up 45 minutes before your “start time” for this essential part of the day), where you’ll get outfitted with a helmet and harness, and their expert crew will explain all of the safety tips you’ll need to know. You’ll warm up on the first few zip lines on their massive course, which are dual or side-by-side and extra fun as a group, as you’ll get your first ziplining experience simultaneously. Even if you’ve never ziplined, their guides will help you get comfortable while giving backstory about the area’s unique history, wildlife, and landscape. Their staff is committed to the Pono Pledge, which focuses on being “stewards of the land,” showing respect for Hawaiian heritage while still having a blast. Among many highlights, zipline #4 stretches over 2,000 feet over a rushing river, and another zipline crosses right over the “triple tier” Umauma Falls – it’s hard to imagine a more memorable way to see one of the Big Island’s most majestic waterfalls. To upgrade the experience, go for their “zip and dip” option, including the entire zipline course, swimming, kayaking, and paddleboarding below Umauma Falls afterward, and lunch in a private pavilion near the water. If not everyone in your group wants to zipline, there is a self-guided waterfall and garden walking tour option, where you can stroll up to the Umauma Falls lookout while passing by old-growth ferns and native bamboo and picking fresh strawberry guavas from the Waiawi trees along the path.Botanical World Adventures
Located near Umauma and just inland from Hakalau Bay, Botanical World Adventures started as a tropical garden in 1995, later building their 8-zipline course in 2009. Their tour is similar, taking 1.5-2.5 hours total, and includes everything from dense rainforest to rivers fed by snowmelt from neighboring Mauna Kea. It finishes with a zipline to rival any other, extending over ½ mile, reaching a pinnacle as you race by the 100-plus-foot-high Kama’e’e waterfall. “Botanical” is in their name, so it’s no surprise that their property is expertly curated and maintained, featuring rows and rows of stunning orchids, rare plants, tropical fruits, and sections of rainforest. Like at Umauma, those who don’t want to zipline will have plenty to explore, including the extensive gardens and a unique walking hedge maze larger than a football field, which is a hoot to navigate.Kohala Zipline
Although a bit further of a drive from our Volcano Village location than the other two options, Kohala Zipline is worth taking a day trip to the northern tip of Hawaii, where you can ride their 8-zipline course and experience one of the more unique areas of the Big Island. The drive is about two hours, but you’ll pass by the scenic flank of Mauna Kea en route as you make your way up north. The Kohala region has some of the island’s most pristine and untouched land, once home to Hawaiian family farms growing taro and sweet potatoes, with fishing villages interspersed with cattle ranches. Much of the Kohala coast area comprises nature preserves today, including where Kohala built its “full canopy” zipline course that merges naturally with the forest landscape. Their two-hour tour is a “tree-to-tree” course design, so you won’t have to climb stairs to access the next zipline, making for a smoother and more relaxing experience. Rated by Hawaii Magazine as the best zipline course on the island, their entire operation is top-notch, from their guides who receive over 60 hours of training to their ecologically-minded construction of zipline stands to allow for tree growth over time. Like Umauma, Kohala offers a “zip and dip” option, which includes a private swim in waters surrounding three waterfalls and a catered lunch. After your zipline tour, take advantage of your proximity to Pololu Valley, which is just 8 miles away on Highway 270 (the highway ends at the Pololu Trail parking lot). The steep but short 20-minute hike down brings you to a serene and secluded black sand beach framed by a valley forest – it’s one of those views you see on a Hawaii postcard, a place so magical that you wonder how such a place even exists.