My family took a tour with Big Island eXcapes during our vacation at the end of August.
It exceeded my expections and we all had a fantastic time. Months later we still recall our time with Arthur (our guide) with smiles and laughter. 

My family consist of 2 adults, 2 teens and 2 kids, for everyone to be entertained for more than 8 hours is a miracle. Arthur can truly work wonders.  He entertained the little kids with stories and jokes. He chatted with the teens and even my mother (who doesn't understand English) enjoyed the tour very much.  
              
I had researched several tour companies before deciding on Big Island Excapes, and Arthur did not let me down.  The best part about tours with Arthur is that its not a bus tour with 50 other people where you're rushed from one place to another.  Arthur's tours are more intimate and friendly, its similar to visiting a friend and having your friend show you the island.

Our tour group was just me and my family. I basically researched certain areas we'd like to visit, emailed them to Arthur and it was incorporated into our itiniery.   We had the luxury of making our own itiniery, we lingered in certain areas that we enjoyed more. That would've never happened if we had signed up for a tour with another company. 
We were able to go at our own pace which was very important with the kids.  After our tour started, we even added a new destination and Arthur worked it into our day perfectly without rushing us and he made sure we made our flight back to Honolulu since we flew to the Big Island specifically for the tour.

Another advantage of a tour with Big Island Excapes is that everything is prepared for you.  All you have to do is show up and you're taken care of during the tour. Anything you need (sunblock, snacks, drinks, towels etc... will be provided. It was one less thing to worry about. I didn't have to buy and pack everyone a bag, which I'm sure I had to do with some other tour company.

I can't say enough about Arthur and Big Island Excapes, just know that once you do sign up for a tour with Arthur, you are getting the best. It really is a personalized and unique experience. We made the tour into "our tour" where there is something for everyone to enjoy in our group and we truly had a fantastic time.  When we go to Hawaii again, we will definitely be calling on Arthur and Big Island Excapes.

Thanks!
Nancy

We had the pleasure of spending three days with Arthur as a Big Island tour guide.  Thanks to Arthur we were able to see sites we would have never been able to find on our own.  We were able to go straight to the best view points, saving time by taking all available driving short cuts.  In only 3 days we saw what most people see in a week.  It is amazing what advantages being with a local gives you. 

 

Arthur knows the Big Island better than most people who were born and raised there.  He has an excellent knowledge of Hawaiian history, geology, and could answer all scientific questions we had on volcanoes, lava, etc…

 

Arthur is serious, conscientious, fun, and safe.  He is a solid guide you can rely on.   He was always prepared and made sure we ate the best food, saw the most beautiful sites and had the most fun we could have. 

 

By the time we left we were in love with this paradise.  We highly recommend Arthur and Big Island Escapes.

 

Noel, Jacqueline and Emmanuel

Paris, France

 For those willing to push the envelope Arthur offers a service that allows average folks to experience extraordinary things.... watching orange hot lava pour in to the ocean has always been a dream of mine and doing it on foot is a far superior experience than a 5 minute flyover.  Worth the cash and time.

Keith Dalton

If you want a tour and a tour guide you will remember as one of the best moments in your life in your visit to the Island of Hawaii, I recommend Arthur Wierzchos.  I and two of my friends, Sonja and Andrew Acosta, took a tour to see lava flowing with Arthur.  What is your ideal tour guide?  One who is considerate of your pace of walking, who is a wealth of knowledge, who can capably get you to and from the lava safely, whose manner is the utmost in professionalism, who is flexible. polite, courteous, well-prepared (appreciated the great food and water), and reasonably priced.  We still talk about this tour and the wonderful memories created that day.  It was a peak experience.  There may be tour guides as good as Arthur, but having taken many tours in my life in many countries, I can say based on evidence, there are none better.

Paulette

Hilo, HI

I just wanted mention what a great, fun time Anne and I had seeing the Big Island with Big Island eXcapes.  What we appreciated most about the tours was the combination of attention to comfort and detail at the same time our guide (Arthur) made sure we had an exciting as well as interesting and informative visit.
We loved the combination of the comfortable and the extreme. It was great fun sitting comfortable, munching on caramelized macadamia nuts and sipping passion fruit juice while listening to Hawaiian music and gazing out over miles and miles of lava as Arthur negotiated the pot holes of Saddle Road, where few rental cars dare go. Since I gather achieving this mix is the intention of Big Island eXcapes, I want everybody to know this company has succeeded.
Similarly, when things got a bit more extreme, trekking out to where Pele continues to take back parts of the Kalapana area,  it was a treat knowing we could depend on Arthur to help us navigate the lava field, but at the same time he wasn't overly protective.  I felt at least a little bit like a real adventurer.  After that experience, I think I could probably explain to someone else the differences between 'a'a and pahoehoe flows as Arthur explained them,  and maybe what a rootless shield is.  I may even remember a few of the tramping jokes he told.
And whatever you call those little towels soaked in peppermint water and kept cold in the cooler, they were certainly a welcome surprise after the heat.
The CD Arthur gave us later with the photos he had taken was amazing.  I still  don't quite see how he managed to take that many great shots while guiding us around.  Very sneaky.  I used some of the photos he took as part of a couple of little youtube movies.  They are  posted on my youtube "channel". The URL for the channel is www.youtube.com/profile?user=lessonwon.  
Thanks Again for the Great Time

Les Nash

France

Arthur is a fabulous tour guide, he has shown me sites of the Big Island
that I have never experienced - and I have lived on the Big Island for
18 years! Arthur's friendly manner, knowledge of the island and
excellent attention to detail make for a great experience and his photos
from our trip were a great way to share our adventure with family.
Island visitor or kamaaina, I highly recommend letting Arthur and Big
Island eXcapes show you the island.

Alane F.

Mountain View, HI

 

 

 

 

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