Best Coffee Farm Tours In Kona (Free + Paid Options)
I recently toured a Kona coffee farm for the first time on my third trip to the Big Island. To my surprise, Kona has over 600 coffee farms, with many offering free tours.
I visited Greenwell Farms in Kona for their free coffee tour, which they offer daily from 9am-3pm. I had the pleasure of walking through their farm, learning about coffee production, and enjoying free tastings at the end of the tour.
Since they’re one of the oldest and largest coffee farms, they’re a popular stop for Big Island excursions. But they’re not all Kona has to offer, there’s everything from coffee and chocolate tours, to expert coffee roasting classes.
To help you choose which place to visit, I’ve compiled a list of the top paid and free Kona coffee farm tours.
Ready to discover the best Kona coffee farm tours in Kona? Let’s dive in!
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Don’t have time to read the article? I recommend you book the Holualoa Coffee and Chocolate Tour, a 3-hour tour through a coffee and cocoa plantation with tons of samples!
☕ Best Kona Coffee Farm Tours
1. Holualoa Farm’s Coffee and Chocolate Tour
- 3 hours long
- Starts at $40 per person
- Highlights: Coffee, cacao plantation, and soap factory tour with free samples
Love coffee, chocolate, or learning about Hawaiian agriculture? This Holualoa coffee and chocolate farm tour is for you. You’ll get a guided tour of a beautiful, family owned chocolate and coffee plantation.
You’ll also get to tour their soap factory to get an inside look at their soap-making process.
The tour guide is a passionate owner of the farm, so you’ll be educated on sustainability practices, Hawaiian culture, and more.
They include lots of free chocolate and coffee samples, and they have a gift shop where you can purchase treats and soap to bring home.
2. Hala Tree Coffee Roasting Class
- 1 hours long
- Starts at $60 per person
- Highlights: In-depth roasting class with samples of 12 types of Kona coffee.
Are you curious how Kona coffee’s roasted to perfection? Opt for the Hala Tree Coffee Roasting Class, an in-depth tour of one of Kona’s largest organic farms.
It begins with a tour of their organic farm, followed by a private masterclass on how to roast Kona coffee. The tour includes samples of up to 12 varieties of fresh Kona coffee.
3. Kona History, Honey, and Coffee Excursion
- 7 hours long
- Starts at $175 per person
- Highlights: Full day excursion including a beekeeping tour, coffee tour, and visit to Place of Refuge, and other historic sites around Kona.
Interesting in Kona coffee and honey production? Opt for the 7-hour Historic Kona Coffee & Honey excursion.
This tour price covers admission for a coffee farm tour, as well as a beekeeping tour at Big Island Bees. From tasting fresh Kona coffee to honey, this is an excellent all around tour for foodies. The tour includes transportation, and a picnic style lunch.
This tour also stops by historic sites, including Hulihe‘e Palace, Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park (Place of Refuge), where you’ll get to learn about Hawaiian history.
4. Greenwell Farms Coffee Tour
- 30 minutes long
- Free
- Highlights: Walking tour through one of the oldest coffee producers in Kona, with free coffee and Hawaiian sea salt samples. (Paid tours available)
If you want to stop at a coffee farm without booking a reservation, head to Greenwell Farms in South Kona. Greenwell Farms offers 1 hour free tours, as well as deluxe tours if you want a more private, in-depth experience.
I visited for a free tour, and had the pleasure of walking through their farm, seeing how they grow their coffee, and sampling peppercorn right off of a tree.
Our tour guide was very informative, and we were given free coffee and sea salt samples at the end of the tour.
If you prefer a more intimate experience, their Deluxe Tour & Tasting starts at $39.95 per person, and is limited to 6 guests.
The difference between this tour and their free tour is that the paid tour includes a visit to their coffee mills, roasting room, nursery, and cupping room.
Their paid tour also includes a guided cupping experience, where you’ll discover how professionals evaluate the quality of coffee!
- Free tours: Daily from 9am-3pm (No reservations needed), 45-60 minutes long
- Deluxe Tour & Tasting: $39.95 per person, 2 hours long
Free Kona Coffee Farm Tours
If you want to visit Kona’s coffee farms on your own, there are several coffee farms that offer free tours.
Greenwell Farms and Mountain Thunder Kona Coffee are the most popular tours.
Here is a full list of Kona coffee plantations that offer free tours.
- Greenwell Farms: Daily 9am-3pm
- Mountain Thunder Kona Coffee: Daily 9:30am-3:30pm
- Rooster Farms (Requires a reservation)
- Hala Tree Coffee: Mon-Fri, 9am-3pm
- Holualoa Kona: Mon-Thurs, 8am-3pm
- Ka’U Coffee Mill: Mon-Fri, 11am & 1pm
Other than free tours, you can book a reservation to tour an individual coffee farm in Kona.
These tours are slightly cheaper than the Holualoa Farm tour, and last around 1 to 2 hours.
Map of Kona’s Free Coffee Tours
Here is a list of the cheapest Big Island coffee tours.
- Kuaiwi Farm: $15 per person, Sun & Wed, 10am-12pm
- Heavenly Hawaiian Coffee Farms: $15 per person, Mon-Sat, 9:15am-4pm
- Kona Coffee Living History Farm: $20 per person, Tues & Fri, 10am-2pm
- Hog Heaven Coffee: $25 per person, Fri-Wed with reservation
- Hula Daddy Kona Coffee: $35 per person, Tues, Wed, Fri, 10:15am & 12pm
The Kona Coffee Living History Farm is the most popular Kona coffee farms to visit out of this list.
It’s a working coffee farm from the 1920’s, where you’ll get to learn how coffee was originally made by pioneers. The admission to the farm is $20, and it includes free tastings.
Kona Coffee Farm Excursions
If you don’t want to drive to the coffee farm yourself, you can go on a Big Island excursion that includes a stop at a Kona coffee farm.
Here are the top Kona coffee farm excursions.
Kona Coffee & Bee Farm Tour
Tour a coffee plantation and try honey from a bee farm on this unique Kona coffee and honey tour. This tour stops by the Bay View Coffee Farm, and Big Island Bees Farm.
You’ll get to learn about the coffee harvesting process and sip on fresh warm coffee before visiting a bee farm to sample sweet island nectar!
This tour also visits Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park and Pu’uhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park where you’ll get to learn interesting history facts and mythology of ancient Hawaii.
The tour covers all admission costs, lunch, and roundtrip transportation from hotels in Kona. Tours start at 7-8am, and last around 4 hours.
Kona Coffee & Volcanoes Tour
Visit all of Kona’s top attractions on this full day volcano and coffee farm tour. You’ll get to visit the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Punalu’u Black Sand Beach, Kilauea Volcano, and more.
This tour stops by the Greenwell Farms for a coffee tour of one of Kona’s most well-known coffee farms. The Greenwell Farms offers free guided tours from 9am to 3pm if you prefer visiting on your own.
The tours last around 45 minutes, and they include free samplings!
With friendly tour guides, this is an amazing way to see the Big Island’s top natural attractions. This tour covers all admission costs, lunch, snacks, and transportation from hotels in Kona.
Kona Coffee, Waterfalls & Volcanoes Tour
Visit a coffee farm, bakery, winery, volcanoes, and waterfalls on this half day Kona coffee tour from Kona. If you want to see some of the Big Island’s most breathtaking sites, this is the coffee tour for you.
You’ll get to sample fresh coffee at the Greenwells coffee farm, then head to the Punalu’u Bake Shop to try delicious Hawaiian sweet bread.
After, you’ll visit a winery, the Punalu’u Black Sand Beach, the Volcanoes National Park, and the spectacular Rainbow Falls in Hilo.
With knowledgeable tour guides, you’ll get to learn all about the history, culture, and landscape along the way.
This tour provides breakfast, lunch, drinks, and roundtrip transportation from hotels in Kona. Tour starts at 7:30am, lasts around 5 hours.
FAQ: Coffee Farms In Kona
How many coffee plantations are on the Big Island?
There are over 650 coffee farms in Kona alone, and hundreds of other farms throughout the Big Island.
Kona has hundreds of farms in a 30 mile strip of land known as the “Kona belt”. The main coffee growing regions on the Big Island besides Kona are Hamakua, Ka’u, and Puna.
Kona Coffee Farm Map
How much is Kona coffee?
Kona coffee retails at around $30 to $35 per pound for organic roasts, making it one of the most expensive types of coffee.
This is because of scarcity, and labor costs since Kona coffee is handpicked.
Can you bring Kona coffee back from Hawaii?
Yes, you can bring an unlimited amount of Kona coffee to the US Mainland, Alaska, and Guam, after it passes USDA inspection.
This includes ground coffee and coffee beans (roasted or unroasted).
Keep in mind that coffee cherries (fresh coffee berries) are permitted from entering any port of entry in the US.
What does Kona coffee taste like?
The bulk of Kona’s coffee is of the Typica variety, one of the most important types of Arabica coffee.
Kona’s coffee tastes smooth and rich, with notes of chocolate, fruit, and honey.
What makes Kona coffee so special?
Kona’s coffee is special for many reasons. For one, Kona has nutrient-rich volcanic soil that’s key for producing high-quality coffee beans.
Next, Kona coffee is meticulously harvested, ensuring it has a consistent well-balanced flavor.
Lastly, the Big Island has a warm tropical climate that’s ideal for producing coffee year round. This combination of factors allows Kona to produce some of the finest Arabica coffee year round.
Where’s the best place to buy coffee in Kona?
The best place to buy coffee beans in Kona is directly from a coffee farm or cafe.
Greenwell Coffee Farms and Mountain Thunder Coffee have amazing gift shops where you can sample coffee before buying it.
Out of all the cafes I’ve tried on the island, Kona Mountain Coffee without a doubt made the best coffee drinks.
They’re less than 10 minutes from Kona’s airport, and they sell a variety of flavored coffees, chocolates, and gifts.
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