Day Trips
6+ hours
Free cancellation
Not sure? You can cancel this reservation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.
Recommended by 99% of travelers
99% of reviewers gave this product a bubble rating of 4 or higher.
from
$600
per group
Custom Island Tours
Custom Island Tours
5
7:30 AM - 9:00 PM
Monday
7:30 AM - 9:00 PM
Tuesday
7:30 AM - 9:00 PM
Wednesday
7:30 AM - 9:00 PM
Thursday
7:30 AM - 9:00 PM
Friday
7:30 AM - 9:00 PM
Saturday
7:30 AM - 9:00 PM
Sunday
7:30 AM - 9:00 PM
Full view
About
Custom Island Tours provides customizable private tours of the island of Oahu, Hawaii. Our 8 hour tour of the island usually includes Hawaiian cultural sites and history, and geological history of the island. A favorite activity on our tour is snorkeling with turtles. We have vans that can accommodate private tours of 1 to 11 customers per van.
Honolulu, Hawaii
Awards
Travelers' Choice
2024
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Improve this listingTours and Tickets by Custom Island Tours
Private Sightseeing Tours
6+ hours
Free cancellation
Not sure? You can cancel this reservation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.
Recommended by 98% of travelers
98% of reviewers gave this product a bubble rating of 4 or higher.
from
$700
per group
Private and Luxury
6+ hours
Free cancellation
Not sure? You can cancel this reservation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.
Recommended by 100% of travelers
100% of reviewers gave this product a bubble rating of 4 or higher.
from
$900
per group
Full-day Tours
6+ hours
Free cancellation
Not sure? You can cancel this reservation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.
from
$1,100
per group
Day Trips
6+ hours
Free cancellation
Not sure? You can cancel this reservation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.
from
$700
per group
Travelers talk about
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
5.0
1,239 reviews
Excellent
1,204
Very good
26
Average
4
Poor
2
Terrible
3
Terry7e
San Diego, CA210 contributions
Mar 2021 • Family
When we had trouble renting a car or finding a snorkel adventure I saw the Custom Tour van when I was picking up some guests. I called and scheduled a tour for snorkeling and sightseeing. Unfortunately, when we got in the van Carey (owner and operator) informed us that due to the heavy rains the week before that water where he would take us was murky and brown. We then proceeded to take the tour from Honolulu around to the North Shore and back. He stopped for photos at the best places. He has a good knowledge of the Island and it's plants, trees, birds, etc. He took us to the Leonard's Bakery food truck and Fumi's for lunch. We stopped at several beaches, he pointed out waterfalls. He talked about movies that had been filmed on Oahu and the locations of various scenes. This is NOT a movie tour, but interesting facts. He did take us to a beach he knows typically has Turtles. One of my granddaughters was excited to be able to get in the water even if it wasn't snorkeling. Much to our surprise there was a turtle on the beach and in the water she saw several other Turtles. The water was shallow. It was low tide so she and my son had no problem walking out to see the Turtles and get some pictures, however the water was cloudy so the pictures weren't very good. By this time everyone was ready to head back to the hotel. They were disappointed the driver wouldn't let them eat shaved ice in his van, but were anxious to get back and did want to take time to eat it at the coffee and chocolate stop. The tour lasts up to 8 hours. He will take you where you want to go , but would recommend you ask him to take you to places where your full day would be spend at one location such as the Polynesian Cultural Center. For something like that a car rental would be less expensive. This 8 hour tour cost $550 for 5 people. Call for prices for your tour.
Written March 20, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
2ready4vacation
Island of Hawaii, HI1 contribution
Oct 2021
We just wanted to take a moment to let you know how awesome Raul was as our tour guide for our North Shore Tour. Every time we get in any vehicle (whether it be car, trolley, van, etc.) everyone starts quoting "facts" to you. Raul was not just quoting facts to us though. We loved the way he spoke from his personal experience, told us stories of Hawaiian history as well as experiences he'd had and had a conversation "with" us and not just "at" us. His knowledge and love of the island is so apparent it's hard to believe he was not born and raised here. Raul made sure he included the experiences /places we wanted and even went out of his way when we described what we were looking for to send home to our kids....that when he saw it as we were going through the town of Hale'Iwa said, "There it is", turned around and let us go purchase it. He made recommendations, but also listened to our responses (which not everyone does....they follow a "scrip".) We were celebrating our 40th anniversary on this trip and have traveled many years. He is probably "THE BEST" tour guide we have ever had, and if/when we ever return to visit the island would hope to find he is still with your company for our next tour. He was so friendly and knowledgeable he has set the bar very high for comparison of future tour guides.
Written October 17, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
pnunnally1
Florence, SC1 contribution
Oct 2021 • Family
Our guide, Eddie, picked us up right on time. Before we headed out, he went over our ”wish list” and offered a few suggestions. The vehicle was clean and well stocked for our day. Eddie took the time to listen to what we were interested in seeing, as well as what we weren’t. We got to see most of what we wanted to, and when unforeseen circumstances kept us from a place or two, Eddie had an alternate plan. We really enjoyed our day. Eddie fit in well with our family, so it made the day even more fun. I recommend giving Custom Island Tours a call if you’re looking for an affordable, quality private tour.
Written October 15, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sue-Ellen Deckker
Melbourne, Australia31 contributions
Aug 2022
We travelled to Hawaii (Waikiki) as first timers for 10 days. As we are from Aus and very hesitant to drive over there and wanted to get to the North Shore, we opted for a private and custom tour so we could still get out and about. We booked through Custom Island Tours as they had great reviews! Prices start from US $500 for 1-2 ppl. You get picked up from your hotel in a comfy van with your own private tour guide for the day. The good thing with this tour is you could customise it yourself and go at your own leisure. Our guide (John) was super friendly, knowledgeable about the culture and lifestyle, and kept us interested and entertained the whole day! There was plenty of time at each stop over and we got to do everything on our list, no crowds and lots of photo op’s. We really enjoyed our day and can’t recommend these guys highly enough! I do recommend starting early (we got picked up at 8am), as the North Shore traffic can get a little crazy.
Written August 9, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
amandahuntington
Anthem, AZ1 contribution
Jul 2021 • Family
We really enjoyed our tour with Lei. She took us only to the places we were wanted to go and gave suggestions based on what we were interested in doing. The day flew by and this was a perfect introduction to the island at the start of our trip. She also shared interesting information and answered any questions we had.
Written July 30, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
gshah21
San Francisco, CA11 contributions
Dec 2019
We had a car and an awesome driver/guide for 8 hours to tour the island of Oahu; Tyco was informative, friendly, full of stories and shared his vast knowledge of the island, its history and volcanic terrain. He took us to some interesting places and we also had an excellent view of Pearl Harbor. Along the way, we enjoyed the conversations and exchange of ideas and reading suggestions. We higly recommend Custom Island Tours and ask for Tyco.
Written January 3, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Travel Babbo
Santa Barbara, CA338 contributions
Aug 2021 • Family
Rental cars this summer on Oahu are $1000+ a week, so we didn't rent a car but we still wanted to see the island. Lei picked us up right at 8am in Waikiki, took us to several sites around the island and the North Shore, including a perfect hike for us, a beach, street food for lunch, and the best shave ice we've ever had. The tour was closer to 10 hours than 8 but none of us minded - it was a perfect day! Especially loved the traditional stories, and Lei's family history.
Written August 23, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
dawnwils2021
Chesapeake, VA1 contribution
Jul 2021 • Family
Our private tour was awesome. We were able to explore the island and Rual our guide was so knowledgeable. He explained the different areas, legends/story’s and was able to show us everything on our list and so much more. I would definitely recommend taking a tour with Rual (better at the start of your trip) to take advantage of all his suggestions the rest of your visit.
Written July 24, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
danflocain
Dallas, GA1 contribution
Mar 2022
Recommend this tour to all those who may have physical limitations or just want to visit specific areas on Oahu. The tour agency was great and allowed us to design our own tour. The tour guide David was great and provided us with so much history of the island. We were never rushed and got to enjoy the sites
Written March 26, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Melissa H
2 contributions
Feb 2023 • Family
Without a doubt, Custom Island Tours has the best Circle Tour on Oahu. The connection with the history, people and spirit of Aloha is incredible. Shawn spent the day with our family on a private tour and we learned so much about the richness of Hawaiian culture and visited great spots over the whole island.
I have taken other tours with competitors and nothing comes close to the excellence provided with Custom and ask for Shawn! He won’t disappoint and he will give you the ultimate Oahu experience!
I have taken other tours with competitors and nothing comes close to the excellence provided with Custom and ask for Shawn! He won’t disappoint and he will give you the ultimate Oahu experience!
Written February 16, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
has anyone driven around the island on at their own leisure. if so, how long did it take. because looking for a starting point to end up back where we started from. we have rented a car for ourselves. just asking.
Written November 13, 2018
Sorry I can't help regarding your question all I can tell you is that we used Custon Island Tours and were picked up at the Westin Manoa hotel and did an 8 hr tour which was great.
Written November 15, 2018
Can anyone provide price information for children please? I've looked on the web page and can only see adult pricing.
THANK YOU
Written June 17, 2018
The pricing is per person, and a child is considered a person, especially since they are required by law to be in a car seat or booster seat depending on the age and weight. We provide car seats and booster seats free of charge. We can let a child go for free, especially age 4 and under, but they still take a full seat from the seating capacity of the vehicle since they have to be in a seat-belt. Insurance-wise, we would be just a liable for a child as we would for an adult.
Written March 1, 2019
ostospaloma
San Juan del Rio, Mexico
How can I contact you? I'll be in Hawaii in june with my family and would like to take a personalized tour
Written March 29, 2018
can we book a tour for 4 hours with 8 people? looking for a city tour/china town with famous house sightseeing?
Written September 16, 2015
Our private custom tours are for, up to 8 hours, so you can make them shorter if you like. We usually specialize in the circle island type tours, outside of the city, but the tours are customizable so we can take you wherever you want. Chinatown is easily accessible by city bus and easiest to get around by foot since parking downtown is difficult. We do take tours to the grounds of Iolani Palace and the King Kamehameha statue, and for famous houses we can drive through Kalaha where the million dollar houses are. We also give an evening tour of the city lights that includes a view of the city from a lookout on the mountain at night. This one is 2 to 4 hours, starts in time to see the sunset, and is $30 per person, with a $120 minimum. It includes the Iolani Palace and King Kamehameha statue downtown lit up at night.
Written September 16, 2015
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