Grand Circle Island Tour

Duration
8-10 hrs
Audio Points
120
Tour Stops
15

About The Tour

Get an in-depth look at Oahu on the Grand Circle Island Tour! You’ll travel the island stopping at world-renowned surf spots, historic sites, foodie towns, and the famous North Shore. Here are just a few of the fun things you can do on the tour! •⁠ Watch surfers at Sunset ...

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Get an in-depth look at Oahu on the Grand Circle Island Tour! You’ll travel the island stopping at world-renowned surf spots, historic sites, foodie towns, and the famous North Shore. Here are just a few of the fun things you can do on the tour!
•⁠ Watch surfers at Sunset Beach and Banzai Pipeline
•⁠ Hike to a waterfall at Waimea Valley
•⁠ Eat garlic shrimp in Kahuku and shave ice in Haleiwa
•⁠ Snorkel at Shark’s Cove
•⁠ Grab a Dole Whip at the Dole Plantation
And so much more! With 15 unforgettable stops this full-day tour gives you a true sense of the island's beauty, history, and unforgettable landscapes.

Sample Tour Audio

La'ie & the Hukilau
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Eddie Would Go
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Pearl Harbor & WWII
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Tour Stops

Waimea Valley - North Shore
La'ie Point
Byodo-In - Japanese Temple in Kaneohe
Tropical Nut Farms - Kaneohe
Kahana Bay - North Shore
La'ie Temple
Pounder's Beach - La'ie
Ehukai Beach (Banzai Pipeline) - North Shore
Kualoa Ranch
Mokoliʻi - Chinaman's Hat
Leonard's Bakery - Kapahulu
Kahuku Shrimp & Food Trucks
Kahuku Fruit Stand
Ted's Bakery - North Shore
Matsumoto Shave Ice

Tour Route


Customer Reviews

(78303)

Love this guide!

We purchased a Hawaii pack after hearing good things about Shaka Guides. We were not disappointed - if anything they over delivered. Great info on both a North Shore Oahu and the Maui Road to Hana tours. Will be using it a few more times on this vacation and will definitely check it out when we go to national parks. Great job Shaka team!

JJM Spartan | 1 week ago | iOS

Best guide ever

Hubby and I decided last minute to do North Shore loop and their audio guide was so helpful, both for driving (our rental didn’t have GPS), history, and finding spots we wouldn’t have known about on our own.

Thexplorer_dora | 1 week ago | iOS

Awesome, this was a welcome addition on the drive to the North Shore Oahu. helped to keep the kids occupied too!

Nathan A | 2 weeks ago | Android

Best Oahu Hawaii Self Guided Tour App

I used this app twice. First when I went to Oahu with my wife in 2022, we did the Grand Circle Island Tour, it was Amazing, very memorable. Today in 2026, we came back to Oahu with my 4 kids, and we did Legendary North Shore Loop, everyone got a good time. My kids said they had fun and will remember this trip forever. Thank you for making this app.

Ryuda31 | 1 month ago | iOS

This was an amazing way to explore the North Shore of Kauai. The recordings are very intuitive/well synced with the GPS; you can start anywhere on the route, and it will create an awesome experience for you. The music was amazing.

Paul Herrick | 1 month ago | Android

Used the Shaka Guide for my trip to Oahu, HI. I did a few tours - North Shore, Honolulu downtown, Windward, and small part of the Island circle. It was exceptional experience and the app helped us explore the whole island with little to no previous reading and planning. Highly recommend the Shaka Guide and would certainly buy and use it for future trips.

Dimitar A | 1 month ago | Android

Absolutely loved this app. We used it for the North Shore loop on O'ahu. It made the experience so much fun.

Larry Komenda | 1 month ago | Android

New treasures found!

We’ve been to Kauai many times and thought we knew it well. The Shaka guided tours took us to new sites and gave us very interesting Hawaiian history along the way. We love the ability to go at our own pace, spending more or less time at locations vs the schedules of much higher priced guided bus tours. We have the Kauai bundle as well as tours covering all of Oahu and the Maui Road to Hanna. 5 stars for customer service as well. We had an issue with the download to a second, backup phone. I chatted from the app and had immediate contact with a real person. Solved in 2 minutes. Thank you Shaka!!

Pono Kai couple | 1 month ago | iOS

Great value. If you are hiring a car in Hawaii, you MUST download this app. It is fantastic. We did the North Shore tour. The directions were awesome, funny, and informative. We made a few wrong turns, driver error, and it would have been great for the app to recognise we had gone off course, but we quickly realised we had left the "blue line" in the navigation, and got back on track fairly quickly. Overall, it made our day so much better for the guidance it provided.

MnT Nullarbor | 1 month ago | Android

The best!

Why go on a tour of the Hawaiian islands stuck in a bus with a ton of strangers when you can ride with your family in your rental car with an excellent narrator, guided by your exact GPS location. I use this when visiting Maui and again this week in Oahu and both were so well done and worth every penny.

SkiPow54 | 2 months ago | iOS

Is the Grand Circle Island Tour Self-Drive?

Is the Oahu Grand Circle Island Tour Self-Drive: Yes, Shaka Guide’s Grand Circle Island Tour is self-drive, meaning you take the tour in the comfort of your own vehicle. It’s self-guided and you have the freedom to stop and go as you please.

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What’s on the Oahu Circle Island Tour Itinerary?

Shaka Guide’s Circle Island Tour visits all of Oahu’s must-see stops including, Kualoa Ranch, Polynesian Cultural Center, the Dole Plantation, Banzai Pipeline, Byodo In Temple, and more! With – stops you won’t miss a thing.

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Where does the Grand Circle Tour route start?

The Circle Island Tour route begins in Waikiki and travels around the island’s east coast before making your way to the North Shore. From there, you return to Waikiki. This tour is also available with starting points on the North Shore and in Ko O...

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What is an Audio Tour Guide?

Think of us as your personal tour guide in an app. Our tours provide everything a guided tour does, but with the freedom to explore on your terms. Here's how it works:

  • GPS triggers audio narration to play automatically as you drive or walk.
  • Listen to stories, get local insights, visit must-see stops and get turn-by-turn navigation.
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Tour FAQs

Where does the Grand Circle Island Tour start & end?
This tour has two starting points, Waikiki on the south shore of the island and Ko Olina on the west side. Regardless of where you start, the tour will travel in a counterclockwise loop, ending where you began.
Here are some of the popular spots you can explore on the tour! 

Byodo-In Japanese Temple
Sunset Beach 
Banzai Pipeline 
Haleiwa 
Shark’s Cove
Kahuku Shrimp trucks 
Kualoa Ranch 
Polynesian Cultural Center 
Waimea Valley 
Waimea Bay
Dole Plantation 

For help planning your day check out our Oahu Grand Circle Island Tour suggested itinerary and here's everything you need to know before you go!
Can I join the Grand Circle Island tour along the route?
Yes! Feel free to join the tour along the route. If you don’t begin at one of the tour starting points you’ll miss a few stories, but you’ll still have a great experience.
What should I budget for the Grand Circle Island tour?
How much you spend truly depends on what you do along the tour route, but here’s a breakdown of some costs:Byodo-In only accepts credit card and contactless payments.$25.00/adult and $15.00/child per person: Waimea Valley entry$15.00 per person: Lunch$27.00/adult and $23.00/child per person: Dole Plantation — Train, Maze and Garden pass$6.00 per person: Dole Whip$4.00 per person: Pie at Ted’s Bakery or shave ice at Matsumoto’s
What should I pack for the Grand Circle Island tour?
Here’s our packing list for this tour. It may seem a little long, but remember, what you bring depends on the activities you choose to do for the day. SneakersHiking ClothesWater Bottle Bug Spray (for Waimea Valley)Towel Bathing Suit Sandals Sunscreen Sun Glasses and/or Hat Snacks Cash Car Charger *Very Important*Phone Mount 
What are the hours of operation for stops on the Grand Circle Island tour?
Leonard's Bakery  5:30 a.m. - 7:00 p.m, open daily Moanalua Gardens 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.Green World Coffee   7:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. dailyDole Plantation  9:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m., open daily North Shore Soap Factory Weekdays 10AM–4PM
                                             Saturday 8:30AM–4PM Sunday 11AM - 4PMMatsumoto Shave Ice  10:00 AM - 6:00 PM, open daily Waimea Bay    10:00 AM - 5:00 PMHawaiian Temple - Pu'u o Mahuka Heiau    7AM–5:30PM  DailyTed's Bakery  8:00 AM - 6:30 PM, open daily  Kahuku Shrimp & Food Trucks  10AM–6PM dailyLaie Temple  9 AM to 9 PM dailyLaie Point   7AM–6:45 PM  dailyPolynesian Cultural Center  12:45 PM – 9:00 PM, open Monday - Saturday, closed Sundays. Restaurant and Marketplace open at 11:00 AMKahana Bay 7AM–8PM  DailyKualoa Ranch  8:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m., open daily  Byodo In - Japanese Temple 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., open daily
Can I take the Grand Circle Island tour in the opposite direction?
No, this tour can only be done counterclockwise. If you’re looking for a similar experience but want to travel clockwise around the island — starting your day on the North Shore — check out our Legendary North Shore Loop. 
Other Questions? Contact us!
Still have questions? Send us an email at aloha@shakaguide.com or give us a call at (808) 201-8138.

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