VolcanoDiscovery Hawai’i

‘Aina ‘Ihi - The Revered, Sacred Land

VolcanoDiscovery Hawai’i is a tour company on Hawai’i Island dedicated to cultural and ecological awareness as well as conscious and sustainable living. By immersing our visitors into the island’s diverse and unique natural environments and providing the context to go with it, we allow each person to develop their own connection to our land, our ‘aina.

VolcanoDiscovery Hawai’i is owned and operated by Philip Ong. A geologist by training, Philip began his in-depth exploration of Hawai’i Island while working with the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory on the active monitoring of Kilauea volcano. Eight years, two degrees, and many adventures later, he started VolcanoDiscovery Hawai’i (originally ‘Aina ‘Ihi Ecotours) to share his passion and knowledge of his adopted island with those curious enough to discover it.

Originally from Brasil, Philip also lived in the UK and on the mainland US before moving to Hawai’i, where he operates ‘Aina ‘Ihi Ecotours from within the native rainforest on the slopes of Kilauea. He works with company profits towards protection of native and endangered forest species and sustainable living. He is constantly exploring, learning new things about the island, its culture, its history and its many and varied inhabitants.

Philip has organized and led trips on Hawai’i Island for over five years, including on behalf of VolcanoDiscovery, the University of Michigan and the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. He has also taught geology field courses on the mainland US and in Italy through the University of Michigan and Appalachian State University.

If you’d like to make a booking, start by building a custom tour on this website and then requesting tour dates, or send us an email at .