Discover Hawaii's Active Volcanoes for Homeschool Families 24-29 January 2026
TRIP IS FULL – but you can get on the waitlist here. If we get enough families wanting to go, we may arrange a second trip in early February.
Come with your family and and experience the active volcanoes of the Big Island of Hawaii. This six-day (5 night) learning field experience on the Big Island of Hawaii will have you living on one of the world’s most active volcanoes and visiting three more. We will discover volcanoes – their processes and products and how humans live with the hazards they pose.
We visit many famous sites, as well as places the average tourist will NEVER see.
We stay in lodge accommodation (shared rooms and facilities) or camping (its your choice), and travel is air-conditioned vans.
You will:
- Learn about Plate Tectonics and how Hawaii fits (or does not fit) into the simple model
- See evidence of current volcanic activity
- Walk on young lava flows
- Learn to identify eruption products – ash, scoria, lava flow types, bombs, vog etc
- See the evidence for natural hazards – earthquakes, landslides, tsunamis as well as explosive volcanic events. We will see engineering examples of hazard mitigation.
- See how humans have lived with the hazards of an active volcanic environment.
- Walk on a black sand beach ( and hopefully see wild green sea turtles.
Trip plan
Saturday 24 January – Meet up day
Group Meets at Hilo International Airport and transport to accommodation.
Meeting time at 3pm and 5pm
Group Dinner at Lodge at 6.00pm
Supermarket shopping for lunch items and other supplies.
Sunday 25 January
Morning talk: Introduction to Plate Tectonics and Hawaii. Field experiences: HVNP Visitor Center, Steaming bluffs, Sulfur banks hike, Halema’umau overlook.
Chain of craters road day – visit eruption sites, see spatter ramparts, cinder fields of Footprints hike
Picnic dinner on Mauna Loa road
Monday 26 January
Visit the BIG volcanoes
Mauna Loa Road – map lava flows
Afternoon – Eruptions in Kapoha. Puna district lava flows
Dinner back at lodge
Tuesday 27 January
Akaka Falls, Rainbow Falls, Coconut Island
Beach day – black sand beach in Hilo or
Afternoon tours (added extras) – Mauna Kea Tour, Helicopter trip, Ziplines
Wednesday 28 January
Visit South Point
Pu’uhonua o Honaunau National Historic Park
Snorkel at Two Step
Dinner in Kona (your own expense)
Thursday 29 January
Pack up morning
Transfer to Hilo for flights home.
Drop off group by 11.30am
Accommodation
The accommodation will be at a lodge just outside of Hilo. It has some great common areas with a covered patio area with relaxing chairs, a TV room, and coin-operated laundry facilities. It is a short 5 min walk to the beautiful coastline.
Apartments
These two-bedroom apartments have a room with a double bed, a room with two twin beds, and an open space (the old lounge room area) that has an additional two twin beds. When fully occupied these apartments can accommodate 6 people. The apartment has its own bathroom, and a small kitchen area with a small refrigerator, a coffee maker, a toaster etc.
A family would occupy one apartment. Families of two people may be asked to share an apartment (each family would have their own room)
All bedding and towels are provided.
Camping
The same establishment has an area for tents – up to three person-sized only. You would need to provide your own tent and bedding gear. There are bathroom and shower facilities. This is a cheaper option. As all breakfasts are catered, and all other meals are had outside of the Lodge, you really don’t need any kitchen materials. We would provide coolers and ice to allow you to store lunch materials safely.
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Trip Costs
The cost of the trip is based on family size. It does NOT include the cost or airfares to/from Hilo, Hawaii (Airport code ITO).
Apartments | Camping | |
Family of five | $8995.00 | $6475.00 |
Family of four | $7300.00 | $5180.00 |
Family of three | $5475.00 | $3885.00 |
Family of two | $3650.00 | $2590.00 |
TRIP NOW FULL
You can get on the waiting list by joining the email list above.
Refund Policy
Trip payment (including deposit) is fully refundable minus a US$25 administration fee up till COB on July 31, 2025. Cancellations between August 1, 2025, and September 30, 2025, will forfeit the deposit (US$200). Full payment is due before 1 October 2025. There are no refunds after October 1, 2025. We strongly suggest that you take out travel insurance to cover cancellations due to health or other circumstances.
What have past participants said....
“I attended a trip to Hawaii with Gary Lewis. Though he had conducted this session on volcanoes numerous times before, it did not diminish Gary’s enthusiasm, which was contagious. His knowledge is impressive and he has a passion that invigorates others. During this session, Gary used demonstrations, discussions, and hands-on activities in the field to teach a substantial quantity of material. The amount I learned was staggering and I thank Gary for being such an inspiring example of what it means to be an outstanding teacher!” Stephanie Jhones
“Taking learning out of the classroom and into the “real” world is what all science teachers strive for, and Gary Lewis is an expert. Having worked with Gary to plan a trip for middle-schoolers, and having participated myself on one of his trips for teachers, it’s clear that he not only knows his stuff inside-out, but he understands his audience, too. Gary does a wonderful job tailoring incredible experiences for multiple levels of learners. His materials are top-notch and his excitement at sharing his experience with students is beyond compare.” Ian H. D. Clark, Middle School Science Teacher, CT.
“Our family was fortunate to have traveled with Gary Lewis in the educational geology tours that he led both in Australia and in Hawaii. As a parent, I appreciated having things taken care of on our trips so that all we had to do was enjoy the learning adventure. Having our children experience this incredible immersive in-the-field education was priceless. As a high school science teacher, I greatly admire Gary’s natural teaching style. The enthusiasm and passion with which he shares his expertise and love for earth sciences is contagious! He got all the participants involved in genuine learning situations. Not only did we learn, but we wanted to learn more; that’s great teaching! I continue to use what I learned from Gary in my science classroom and I have also shared what I learned with my colleagues at teacher conferences. His teaching will continue to inspire many!” Kim Hula-Hetu, 2007 Outstanding Science Teacher Award winner from the Alberta Teachers’ Association Science Council.