Explore volcanoes, waterfalls, and black sand beaches with GPS audio tours that bring the Big Island to life.
Meet your Big Island tour guide. Discover GPS audio tours that turn your drive into a guided adventure with stories, directions, and local insights.
Imagine driving past a black sand beach or approaching a scenic waterfall when your phone starts telling you exactly what you’re looking at — an overlook, a cultural site, a story you would’ve missed — that’s how Shaka Guide works.
Explore the Big Island with Shaka Guide, a 4.9-star GPS audio tour app trusted by thousands of travelers and made in Hawaii.
Our GPS audio tours play automatically as you drive, guiding you with stories, directions, and local insights, completely offline.
WHY SHAKA GUIDE BIG ISLAND?
• GPS audio tours that play based on your location
• Works 100% offline — no cell service needed
• Built-in maps with preplanned routes and navigation
• Explore at your own pace — no schedules or groups
• Stories, Hawaiian music, and local travel tips
• Visit beaches, volcanoes, waterfalls, and more
It’s like having a tour guide in your car. No crowds or time limits.
HOW IT WORKS
Download a tour, start driving, and go.
• Audio plays automatically along your route
• Get directions, stories, and recommendations in real time
• Stop where you want, skip what you don’t, or explore over multiple days
No rushing. No rigid plans. Just a better way to explore the Big Island.
BIG ISLAND TOURS
SOUTH ISLAND EPIC COASTAL JOURNEY
8+ hours • 30 stops
• Kona Coast scenic drive
• South Point (Ka Lae)
• Punalu’u Black Sand Beach (sea turtles)
• Local coffee, honey, and macadamia nuts
NORTH ISLAND JUNGLE ADVENTURE LOOP
8+ hours • 26 stops
• Akaka Falls & Rainbow Falls
• Waipi’o Valley Lookout
• Hilo Town
• Onomea Trail
• Waimea
HAWAII VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK
4+ hours • 18 stops
• Kilauea Volcano
• Thurston Lava Tube
• Devastation Trail
• Pu’u Loa Petroglyphs
• Stories of Pele
KONA BIG KAHUNA TOUR
4+ hours • 20 stops
• Kona town
• Pu’uhonua o Hōnaunau
• Two Step Beach snorkeling
• St. Benedict’s Painted Church
KOHALA COAST BACKCOUNTRY TOUR
4+ hours • 11 stops
• Pu’ukohola Heiau
• Lapakahi State Park
• King Kamehameha statue
• Pololu Valley hike
• Waimea
SAVE WITH THE ISLAND TOUR BUNDLE
Get all 5 tours for over 50% off.
TRUSTED BY BIG ISLAND TRAVELERS
What travelers say:
“By far the most useful tool for exploring the Big Island on your own.”
“We would’ve missed so many sights and hidden spots without this app.”
“It felt like having a tour guide in the car with us.”
PLAN LESS. EXPERIENCE MORE.
Skip the research. Travel smarter. Discover more along the way.
IMPORTANT NOTES
• Download tours on Wi-Fi before your trip
• Continued GPS use may drain battery — bring a charger
• Wi-Fi-only iPads are not supported
My boyfriend and I have been on vacation in Hawaii for the past week. We started in Oahu and ended on the Big Island. I wish we had found this app sooner on Oahu because it has given us such a fun and informative view of the Big Island and I’m sure the Oahu one is just as great! The narrator/tour guide is funny (in an extremely cheesy way, especially with the laugh), as well as knowledgeable with sharing the different legends and stories of the land and that go with the land scapes you’re seeing. On top of that, he also tells you when to turn, so you don’t have to be swapping between apps and trying to figure out where you’re going. We have done the tours of the Volcano National park, as well as the North Island Jungle loop and Shaka took us so many different places that we wouldn’t have even batted an eye at looking at, but we are so glad that we did! Another great thing about it is that it puts together an itinerary for what to see and do and what you shouldn’t miss without having to do the research yourself (if you’re lazy like us)! The only thing I can give criticism for is that the tour isn’t very “time-oriented”, meaning that some stops he mentions how it’s best viewed at night or that this beach is best at sunset, etc. it would be nice if the “start location” aligned more with the order you should visit them, according the time. Great app, overall, and we can’t wait to use it for the rest of our trip!
Explore on your own and save money!!
Tcjohns
If you’re an adventurous person and don’t mind driving yourself from place to place, this app is a great buy and worth every penny. We used this app for the 2.5 days we spent on this Big Island before going to Kawaii and probably saw 90% of what we wanted to see. We simply ran out of time to see everything. Without the app, we would have stopped a lot more and seen a lot less. The app gives you the history/info about a location and then there were several areas we decided not to spend the time stopping. This allowed us to hear about the area and yet make our own decisions on where to stop. On a tour bus, you not only pay hundreds of dollars for a day trip, but you are on a schedule and don’t get to spend as much time as YOU WANT on YOUR vacation at each location. This is a great alternative to dropping a bunch of money to sit on a bus next to people you don’t know (or want to know) and be pressed for time and see things you’re not interested in (but happen to be part of the tour you paid for). I have recommended this app to several people already and will continue to do so! I would recommend bringing a car phone mount with you so you can easily see your phone and a charging cable for the car or you’re phone won’t last the day. CONS: There was one downside to the app. Occasionally GPS wouldn’t tell me the turn was coming up soon enough so I would pass the turn and had to turn around. It didn’t happen often, but there were a few cases where it did. Not enough to change my 5 star rating for this app! Enjoy exploring on your own!!
Better than an actual tour guide!
Tallo & Richie
My teenage son and I came to the Big Island and didn't want to be herded around like cattle on a tour nor did I want to spend $150+ per person to see the Volcanoes. We downloaded the App, rented a car and set out on our adventure. At first I didn't think my teenager would be listening to the stories or even be interested but he not only listened, he repeated them several times throughout the trip! One of the best things about the trip were the hidden secrets and the best places to stop or keep going. There was one stop called the Devils Throat with no signs and was the "best kept secret". We pulled over on the side of the road and someone following us pulled over too. When we got out and walked down a small dirt path, whoever was in the car behind us decided to keep going since there were no signs as to what we were visiting. Too bad for them! It was so exhilarating to see this crater ... even a little eerie and definitely the best view of all the views. Needless to say ... this was ABSOLUTELY the best tour App I've ever downloaded! Hopefully you will leave the Islands and travel around other places and create the same app!
Super fun, could be better
Tishket
We loved using this for our drives around the big island! Tons of good factoids and stories to fill the time while you drive for hours while exploring this amazing place. The only reason we did not give 5 stars are:1. We really needed the speed limits posted in the app like google maps does. There are so many changes that happen quickly if you are trying to switch between the 2 it gets overwhelming and conflicting directions got us mixed up a few times. 2. The music is much louder than the narration so we had to adjust our volume back and forth a lot. If it was a bit quieter setting that the talking that would have been perfect. 3. Sometimes the directions would be exactly at the point where you were supposed to turn so we missed at least 5 where we had to do a turn around and go back. And then sometimes the directions would be very far out so we would slow down way too early. The map was very helpful but if we lost service it wouldn’t always put us in the right location for the narrator to be correct. Other than those things we greatly enjoyed our Shaka guide and are excited to try it on another island!!
Bug Fixes
Version 9.1.4
The developer, Shaka Guide, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .
Data Linked to You
The following data may be collected and linked to your identity:
Purchases
Contact Info
Identifiers
Data Not Linked to You
The following data may be collected but it is not linked to your identity:
Location
Usage Data
Diagnostics
Privacy practices may vary, for example, based on the features you use or your age. Learn More
Accessibility
The developer has not yet indicated which accessibility features this app supports. Learn More
Information
Seller
Shaka Guide LLC
Size
202.3 MB
Category
Travel
Compatibility
Requires iOS 15 or later.
iPhone Requires iOS 15 or later.
iPad Requires iPadOS 15 or later.
iPod touch Requires iOS 15 or later.
Mac Requires macOS 14.0 or later and a Mac with Apple M1 chip or later.
Apple Vision Requires visionOS 1.0 or later.
Location
This app may use your location even when it isn’t open, which can decrease device battery life.