Booking choice: The Lydgate Farms chocolate tour, from $145 per person. Check dates Compare the options below
Every island's chocolate tour is a little different: Kauai's Lydgate Farms is the long farm walk with estate chocolate, Maui's Ku'ia Estate pairs an estate with a factory, Oahu's Kamananui is a short orchard visit, and Hilo's Honoli'i Orchards runs the biggest tasting of Hawaiian craft bars.
You will usually pick the one on the island you are staying on, so read the island first. All of the tours below cancel free up to 24 hours before, and none includes pickup.
The quick answer
On Kauai, Lydgate Farms is the cacao farm tour (3 hours, $145) and Princeville Botanical Gardens the garden walk with chocolate ($126). On Maui, Ku'ia Estate in Lahaina ($99, 1.5 hours). On Oahu, Kamananui in Waialua ($94, 1.5 hours). On the Big Island, Honoli'i Orchards in Hilo ($65, 3.5 hours).
How do Hawaii's chocolate farm tours compare?
Kauai's are the longest walks, Maui's includes a factory, Oahu's is the shortest, and the Big Island's is the cheapest with the biggest tasting.
| Tour | Island | Length | Rating | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lydgate Farms | Kauai (Kapaa) | 3 hours | 4.9 (1,105) | $145 |
| Princeville Botanical Gardens | Kauai (Princeville) | 3 hours | 4.8 (884) | $126 |
| Ku'ia Estate | Maui (Lahaina) | 1.5 hours | 4.8 (1,274) | $99 |
| Kamananui Cacao Orchard | Oahu (Waialua) | 1.5 hours | 5.0 (153) | $94 |
| Honoli'i Orchards | Big Island (Hilo) | 3.5 hours | 5.0 (113) | $65 |
Why does Hawaii grow chocolate at all?
Hawaii sits about 20 degrees north of the equator, at the northern edge of where cacao will grow, and it is the only US state that grows it commercially.
That makes every farm here small by world standards, and the tours spend time on what it takes to grow cacao so far north. Expect to taste the fresh fruit and learn how seeds are fermented and dried, whichever island you are on.
Kauai: Lydgate Farms
The most reviewed chocolate tour on Kauai: three hours in the orchard and gardens of a 46-acre family farm in the uplands behind Kapaa, ending in a long tasting of chocolate from its own beans.
It is $145 and rated 4.9 from 1,105 reviews. Weekdays only, ages 9 and over, no pickup, and not to be confused with Lydgate Beach Park. See the Lydgate Farms tour, hour by hour.
On Kauai on a weekday? Check dates for the Lydgate Farms tour and tasting.
Check dates for the Lydgate Farms chocolate tourKauai: Princeville Botanical Gardens
A three-hour North Shore garden walk with fruit and honey and a shaded tasting of single-origin chocolates from around the world.
At $126 with the tip included, it suits garden lovers and families with younger children. Compare it in Lydgate Farms vs Princeville.
Maui: Ku'ia Estate in Lahaina
A 90-minute small-group tour that starts at the Ku'ia Estate chocolate factory in Lahaina, drives with your guide to the nearby cacao estate and ends with a tasting of nine chocolates.
It is $99 and rated 4.8 from 1,274 reviews. Children under 3 are not allowed, and you need to manage about 24 broad stairs and some 20 minutes of walking. Guests mention a tasting up in a treehouse.
On Maui instead? Ku'ia Estate pairs a cacao estate walk with a tasting of nine chocolates.
Explore the Ku'ia Estate chocolate tourOahu: Kamananui Cacao Orchard in Waialua
A 90-minute walk through a working cacao orchard on the North Shore, with chocolate made in Hawaii from tree to bar.
It is $94 and rated 5.0 from 153 reviews. Access is through keypad gates on private farm roads; follow the listing's directions and allow extra time. Guests mention tasting cacao at every stage, from raw beans to finished bars.
Big Island: Honoli'i Orchards in Hilo
The longest and cheapest of the lot: 3.5 hours on a Hilo cacao farm, from harvest to fermentation and drying, then a tasting of 10 or more Hawaiian single-origin bars.
At $65 and rated 5.0 from 113 reviews, it is the budget pick; coffee or tea and bottled water are included. The farm is 1.7 miles up Puia Road above Hilo, so follow the directions closely.
Staying in Hilo? The craft chocolate farm tour starts at $65.
Check dates for the Hilo craft chocolate farmWhich chocolate farm tour should you choose?
Take the one on your island; if you are on Kauai, choose by chocolate or garden, and by your children's ages.
- Kauai, chocolate first: Lydgate Farms.
- Kauai, gardens and younger kids: Princeville Botanical Gardens.
- Maui, want a factory too: Ku'ia Estate.
- Oahu, short on time: Kamananui.
- Big Island, on a budget: Honoli'i Orchards.
- Kauai, want food beyond chocolate: the Hanalei food walk or a private Kauai food tour.
- Kauai, no car: the small-group sightseeing tour with pickup, which visits Lydgate Beach Park, not the farm.
Frequently asked questions
Which Hawaiian island has the best chocolate farm tour?
It depends on where you are staying. Maui's Ku'ia Estate and Kauai's Lydgate Farms each have more than a thousand Viator reviews, Oahu's Kamananui and Hilo's Honoli'i Orchards are rated 5.0, and Ku'ia Estate adds a factory.
Do Hawaii chocolate tours include hotel pickup?
None of the farm tours here include pickup. On Kauai, the small-group sightseeing tour with pickup is an alternative, but it is not a farm tour.
What is the cheapest chocolate farm tour in Hawaii?
Of the tours here, Honoli'i Orchards in Hilo on the Big Island, from $65 for 3.5 hours.
Ready to book
Choose your tasting
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before on every option. Prices are from-prices in USD and move with the season.
Kauai Chocolate Farm Tour & Tasting
- Three-hour guided tour of the Lydgate Farms cacao orchard and botanical gardens
- Tastes of estate honey, vanilla, tropical fruit and fresh cacao fruit
- Chocolate tasting, from chocolate-covered macadamias to the 70% estate bar
Ku'ia Estate Chocolate Tour & Tasting
Maui's cacao estate if you are on Maui
