Kilauea, that hardworking volcano that's puffing fumes, spewing rocks and sending fiery-red streams of lava to the sea, is still friendly enough to accommodate safe exploration. On a guided bicycle tour through Volcano Country, you'll get close enough to feel the heat and witness the fury.
Bikevolcano.com has designed this cycling adventure with the end in mind. So long as lava is flowing into the ocean, bicyclists can plan on a tour that will end at an ocean lookout where you can watch superheated lava collide with cool ocean water and explode into a plume of debris-laden steam.
It's the Discovery Channel live and the work of the legendary volcano goddess, Pele, who, it is said, lives in Kilauea's craters and makes it her business to send ribbons of fiery lava down the mountain.
The 18-mile course is mostly downhill and paved. The tour runs from 1:45 to 8 p.m. with pick up in Hilo. It includes an interesting side trip to the village of Kalapana where dinner will be served. Don't expect to find a restaurant. Kalapana is an old Hawaiian fishing village that was buried in 1990 under a relentless lava flow.
Another Bikevolcano.com trip ends in a wine tasting session at the Volcano Winery where traditional grapes are blended with macadamia nut honey, guava and jaboticaba berries for a distinctive taste.
