Oahu circle island tours
A circle island tour is the most popular way to see the North Shore from Waikiki: one day, one bus, the whole island. They are not all the same, though. Some are nine hours of sightseeing stops, others are really beach days in disguise. Here is what you get and how to choose.
The classic loop
Most tours leave Waikiki between 6:30 AM and 8 AM and run counterclockwise: Diamond Head and Hanauma Bay lookouts, Halona Blowhole, the windward coast with Kualoa and Mokoli’i island, often the Byodo-In Temple and a macadamia nut farm, then the North Shore surf beaches, lunch at the Kahuku shrimp trucks or in Haleiwa, and back through the middle of the island past the Dole Plantation. The North Shore itself usually gets two to three hours of the day.
The main options in 2026
| Tour | Length | Group | Waterfall | Rating | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Circle Island & Haleiwa | 6.5 or 9 h | Coach, up to 50 | No | 5.0 (19,541) | $100 |
| Small-group island tour | 8.5 h | Up to 12, lunch incl. | No | 4.8 (521) | $99 |
| Turtle snorkel circle tour | 8 h | Small group | No | 4.9 (5,270) | $149 |
| Circle Island Tour with Waimea Valley Waterfall | 8 h | Up to 40 | Yes | 4.8 (4,437) | $154 |
| Coffee farm & waterfall | 10 h | Up to 7 | Yes | 5.0 (1,034) | $185 |
How to choose
Big coach if you want the most sights for the money and do not mind a crowd: the Circle Island and Haleiwa tour has an onboard restroom and a huge review count, and the 6.5-hour express skips the windward side for a North Shore focus. Small group if you want flexibility and local stops. Waterfall or snorkel if you want to swim; see our seasons guide for when the sea is calm. And if the North Shore matters more to you than the rest of the island, compare the dedicated North Shore days on the homepage, which spend more of the day there.