Volcanology

Hawaiian EDventure offers an array of academic, cultural, recreational and experiential travel programs that blend Hawaii’s culture, science, history and ethnic diversity. EDventure’s custom-designed programs may be created to meet your educational and recereational objectives.

Our “Volcanology” program may include one, two or a three-island exploration. If you let us know what your educational/recreational needs are; Hawaiian EDventure will design the PERFECT program for your group. Below, see some sample descriptions of  the Volcanology EDventure highlights

HAWAII VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK

Lava Tree State Park, hike KAPOHO:

We will travel to Lava Tree State Park,  hike through a lush rainforest and see towering lava tree molds created by lava flows that occurred some 250 years ago. We’ll then drive to Kapoho, located in the Puna District, where in 1959 a 30-day eruption buried the community in lava ash and cinder. The Puna District is the diamond-shaped easternmost point on the Big Island. The term Puna means spring, referring to geothermally heated waters that well up to the surface along the southern coast of the island. We’ll then continue along the coast to Kalapana and Kaimu Bays, now completely filled in by the recent activity of Kilauea Volcano. Here, we’ll visit Hawaii’s newest black-sand beach and have a great view of steam plumes and lava flowing downhill to the sea. We’ll also visit Star of the Sea Painted Church of Kalapana, rescued from the Kilauea lava flows of 1990 and moved to a new site. The village of Kalapana was buried at this time

HALEMA‘UMA‘U crater-NAHUKU lava tube:

Depart for a drive to the 4,000 ft. level on Kilauea Volcano in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Our drive will take us through several different life-zones and past three different volcanoes. We will stop at the Visitor’s Center for a short film updating Kilauea’s recent activity and also visit the Jaggar Museum. This will be followed by a hike to observe the Kilauea Volcano Caldera, Hale Ma‘uma‘u Crater and the Nahuku Lava Tube. Participants will also hike 400 feet through a 400 year old lava tube, that once fed lava into Kilauea Iki Crater. While in the Park, we will pass through several life-zones, including a lush fern rainforest, a dry ohia forest and barren desert.

PU‘U HULUHULU cinder cone-PU‘U O‘O, MAUNA ULU, MAUNA LOA and MAUNA KEA volcanoes:

We will drive along Chain of Craters Road, which encircles Kilauea Crater and then continues down the palisade, or pali along the Southeast Rift Zone in the Park. Our group will stop at Mauna Ulu and take the Pu‘u Huluhulu Cinder Cone walk through recent lava flows, observing many lava tree molds and lava trees along the way. We will also walk through a kipuka, or an area of older lava flow and vegetation left undisturbed by a more recent flow. The summit of Pu‘u Huluhulu offers one of the best views in the Park and weather permitting, participants will have an unobstructed view of the active vents of Pu‘u O‘o, Mauna Ulu, Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea Volcanoes, as well as a high elevation lava pond.

GO BACK TO SAMPLES