Kualoa Ranch UTV Raptor Tour: Expensive, Dirty, But Still an Epic Experience

Kualoa Ranch is not just a top thing to do on the Windward Coast, but also a top thing on the entire island of O’ahu. It’s 4 000 acres of history, cascading mountain ranges, beaches, and even the occasional cow! They know how beautiful their land is so they decided it to share the beauty and wonder with others… at a price!

I booked one of their most popular tours, the Kualoa Ranch UTV Raptor tour. It’s expensive, you get hella dirty, but at the end of the day, I would do it again! If you’re debating on booking the Kualoa Ranch Oahu here’s my unfiltered, and honest opinion!

Psst! This blog post contains affiliate links in it which sends me a bit of extra money if you use them… at no extra cost to you!

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I want to preface this review with the fact that I don’t tend to book these types of activities on vacation, an expensive, short activity that has the risk of being gimmicky. The UTV raptor tour was the exception to my rule, and I’m glad I made the exception.

The Kualoa Ranch UTV raptor tour was $150/ person (in 2024… see update prices!). I also brought my partner along, so for two people with tax it came to $315 USD (which for me was about $450 CAD!). To make matters worse, this isn’t exactly a full day tour either… it’s a measly TWO HOURS! And as part of those two hours is a 15 minute training on how to use the car.

For the price, you at least get private car per group of up to 6 people (I believe it’s maximum of four adults). So you’re not sharing the car (and driving) with anyone else but your group. P.S. The minimum required booking is 2 people per group. But if you have a group of four with two people who want to drive, there’s no discount for booking together as a group of four, you might as well split up into two groups to give them the most time driving, otherwise they would have to split the driving time.

And if nobody in your group wants to drive, you can still book the UTV raptor tour, but it would have to be the UTV Ride Along Tour (it’s the same price). This is still a part of the group tour, but you’ll be driving with the guide (there are two guides per tour). This allows everyone in your group to enjoy the scenery, and you’ll get more information compared to everyone else on your drive.

I would argue the UTV Ride Along Tour is actually the better tour to book if no one really cares about driving a UTV. It’s more value and bang for your buck. But my partner wanted that first-hand off roading UTV experience, so he was happy to trade being able to focus on his surroundings for driving. And they do plan stops for the drivers to enjoy the views, and gives groups a chance to switch drivers.

Driving the UTV is an experience in itself – but not just for the driver. Even as a passenger is was still fun, and very much worthwhile. It felt like a safer rollercoaster with some of the best views!

P.S. A UTV is different from an ATV because it has a steering wheel, and it can sit more people. A UTV is also generally safer to drive, as it’s heavier and has a roll cage (in this case they have a roof). An ATV is an All-Terrain-Vehicle, whereas a UTV is a Utility-Task-Vehicle).

two utv driving in a line on a dirt road leaving a dusty mist in their wake. There's lush green grass on either side of the road, with an old tiki looking stone statue looking at the road. The cars are driving towards a large cascading grassy mountain range. The sky is a mix of blue skies and white and grey clouds above the mountains.

The Tour Packs A LOT in a Short Amount of Time

The tour seems expensive for only two hours of activity, but I left thinking we went over time because we just did SO MUCH (and it was actually two hours on the dot). They really do pack in a lot in a short amount of time, giving you more value than you would initially think could fit inside only two hours.

The Tour had the Best Views EVER

I was worried the UTV tour was just going to be about the off road driving, but it really wasn’t either. Not only were these views the best for a “ride” but they just might have been the best views I saw in all O’ahu (p.s. plan the ultimate trip to O’ahu with my complete printable travel guide).

The landscapes change drastically throughout the two hours, so you aren’t bored by them for a second. At one moment you’re driving along the ocean’s edge before heading deep into the Kualoa mountain range. And then it’s not just mountain views either, it changes from valley to jungle in an instant! And apparently it also changes daily based on the weather, if it’s rainy you can even get some waterfalls off the mountainside!

On top of having the best views, they’re also easy to get to with no strenuous hike beforehand. They strategically plan stops at the nicest viewpoints to have time to enjoy and to take pictures (especially for the drivers!).

And the stops were never over crowded because it’s limited to your small tour group – no one else can access it. They plan so that only on tour group is there at a time. Of course, you can see the same mountain range for free at the Hoʻomaluhia Botanical Garden (which I did right before), but they weren’t the same and I think the views from the Kualoa Ranch were BETTER!

a woman stands with her back to the camera. She looks like an explorer, wearing a yellow floral collared shirt. She has a pink neck gaiter and a beige bowl hat. You can see her brown hair on her back, in a braid. In front of her is the vast Hawaiian view of the ocean, with a distinct island not too far from shore - mokolili island (or china man's hat, or the little lizard). In the distance, you still the start of the mountain ranges, growing larger as they go more in land. They are cascading, so they also get lighter the farther they go from the viewer. clouds are leading off the mountains, separating over the ocean, leaving more blue skies visible.

Aside from the driving and the views, at each stop your guides will give you some more information about the land, either about the agriculture, history, or Hollywood fun facts. This really made it feel like an all around tour. Giving you an adventure and more integral information about Hawaiian culture and land.

The tour touched on everything from their more specific tours they offer so I didn’t feel like I was missing out. For example, it touched on the Movie and Sites Ranch Tour by discussing movies filmed here, and driving by film props and sets, and stopping at a Jurassic World set. It also touched on the history of the land and preservation efforts, which I’m sure was only a fraction of what you would get on their Kualoa Grown tour or their Malama Experience.

But of course they can’t do everything, you don’t go zip-lining or see the secret beach on this tour. So I think if no one in your group is really interested in driving a UTV, the Jungle Expedition tour might be better suited at a third of the price (but I will admit the UTV was quite the experience, it had the feeling of being more “risky” as you’re not in a larger caravan.

a vertical photo that's sandwiched top to bottom in blue. The bottom is the hood of the UTV car, which is blue. It leads in the gravel dirt road, and you can see two more utvs in front. They are driving further into the tree lined mountain range. The trees above lead your eye into the blue sky.

I Expected There To Be More Off Roading (But I’m Happy There Wasn’t!)

I think I might have expected there to be even more off roading than there was on the Kualoa Ranch UTV raptor tour. I can’t tell you the exact distribution but we drove on a combination of both paved and dirt roads. But honestly, after a long stretch on the dirt road, the paved section was always more than welcome…

They ask you to drive relatively close to the car ahead of you, but on a dry day that leaves you in their dusty mist. It was hard to see and hard to breath after too long. They do give you a neck gaiter so you can cover your nose and mouth, and goggles to protect your eyes. The goggles didn’t really fit my face though so I felt the dust get in through the gaps in the side (they at least were able to fit my sunglasses underneath!). And for safety you have a helmet… so you might also want to bring a hat that you can wear underneath, which is what I did.

If there’s one thing I took away from this experience it’s that you don’t want to wear your favourite outfit, and maybe even your second favourite outfit. EVERYTHING will get dirty – and I didn’t go on a wet day (and the tours run in any weather, rain or shine). My clothes, face, arms, legs, bag… all dusty! It even went beneath my clothes… going underneath my shirt. I wish I knew this in advance, I would have done things a bit differently…

First off, wear clothes you don’t care about. I would even recommend wearing longer sleeves, and a thicker material if possible to save your skin. They actually recommend bringing a change of clothes that you can wear afterwards (I didn’t see that recommendation until after…). They also have sinks with soap at the end of the tour so you can attempt to wash off as much as possible afterwards. But it doesn’t really come off… so covering up and changing is definitely the way to go.

For your bag and belongings, either rent a locker for $5 a day, or if you drove to Kualoa Ranch, leave as much as you can in the car, or bring an extra plastic (garbage) bag that you can put your belongings inside and you can throw out afterwards. I was also worried about my phone camera because the small particles can scratch it. I ended up tucking it under my shirt when I wasn’t using it, and tried to take as little photos as possible on the road (p.s. as I mentioned they do stop at the best viewpoints, so you don’t have to take any pictures while driving). So to better protect your phone, you can put it inside a waterproof pouch.

a photo showing how dirty everything gets when on the kualoa ranch utv raptor tour. This is the inside of the UTV seats. You can see the different between the black seat where the two front passengers were sitting, in between them it's a light beige colour with a bag in the middle that used to be black.

The Kualoa Ranch UTV Raptor Tour Was More Than Just About Dinosaurs

Just as the tour wasn’t all in on the off roading, it also wasn’t all in on the Jurassic themes, which was perfect for me and my knowledge base of the Jurassic films. As it turns out the original movies weren’t even filmed here. They were supposed to be, but O’ahu was having a pretty bad storm so the crew moved the filming to Maui. The newer Jurassic World (with Chris Pratt) though was filmed here (and left some sets and cast mates behind!).

As I said, I’m not the biggest Jurassic World fan, but have seen the movies… once each. The tour had the right amount of Jurassic themes for me, but if you were a bigger fan, I could see you maybe wanting more considering it is called the raptor tour. We drove by some sets and only stopped at one dinosaur photo-op.

Kualoa Ranch was also used as a filming location for other movies over the years, so you’ll drive by some props left behind by those films as well. Most notably, Kong: Skull Island, Godzilla, George of the Jungle… to name a few (but there are over 200 that were filmed here!!). P.S. If you are more interested in the movies filmed here, a better tour might be the Movie Sites & Ranch Tour.

a set from jurassic world is still at the kualoa ranch. It's stone building with a t rex sticking his head out of a black hole. There's a dirt road around it and mountains and blue skies in the distance.

I didn’t Want to Book in Advance Because the Tour Goes in Rain or Shine

They recommend booking tickets in advance because it’s likely to sell out, which is annoying because it is somewhat weather dependant. Although wether you’d prefer rain or shine, I’m still not sure… I think they are a different kind of evil. All I know is I still go dirty and the roads were DRY – it hadn’t rained in days! But after rain you will get mud…

Anyway, not only do you have to pick a date, but you also have to pick a specific tour time in advance. I booked the 2:30 P.M. afternoon tour. This time gave me more than enough time to drive down from Waikiki Beach, explore top things on the Windward Coast, and stop for a traditional Hawaiian lunch. By this point, the UV was also starting to go down, and by the time the tour was over the UV was very low (visited in October). I would recommend booking either a morning or a late afternoon tour to avoid being outside during the hottest part of the day (with the highest UV).

You also have to plan to arrive 45 minutes earlier than your tour time, but they only tell you this information after you’ve book in the confirmation e-mail… so my 2:30 P.M. tour was really a 1:45 P.M. tour… But they ask you to arrive this much in advance to avoid missing your tour. You have to pick up your tickets and then register at your activity. There can be a line at both of these locations… so always keep that in mind when choosing a time.

P.S. I visited O’ahu in October during low season and was able to wait until a few days before to book my tickets. This way I was able to check the weather but I had more limited time options because I booked so last minute. And I think we had a full group in the end, which means it did eventually sell out.

driving through jurassic world. On a dirt road, there's a UTV ahead creating dust behind it. They're turning a corner. Off the road are the soaring kualoa mountain range. There's a line of blue skies before white clouds take over on the top of the image.

I Would Come Back To Explore More of The Kualoa Ranch Oahu!

Booking an organized tour is the only way to see the Kualoa Ranch. But you can still visit the Kualoa Ranch visitors centre without a ticket and I would say it’s worth checking out. Here, there’s a local farmers market and souvenir shop. There are also some fun photo opportunities and even mountain views.

But UTV Raptor tour really ended up being a highlight of my trip for both my partner and myself. I don’t think it was necessarily about the UTV part of the tour, but just being able to see these views and learning more history and culture behind the mountains. They have shorter, less dangerous, and more affordable options (like the Jungle Expedition) that I think would get you the information and the views at a lower cost.

If you want a similar adventure experience as the Kualoa Ranch UTV Raptor Tour, you can either book an e-bike tour (they offer a beginner and expert option), horseback riding, which are both slightly cheaper. Or for the same price you can book the zipline tour.

I will admit that I found the amount of tours they offer can be quite overwhelming, but I guess it adds up with the size of their land. They just have a lot of land and a lot of unique experiences to do in the area. If you really want to experience it all and not miss a thing, you could also book a half or full day tour for the same price as the UTV Raptor Tour.

The one tour was more than enough for me for the trip and kept me wanting more. Leaving me room to come back the next time I’m in O’ahu and book another experience on the Ranch – which I definitely would!

an photo showing that it's more of a ride so it's fun even for passengers as a utv on a dirt road ahead is making a HUGE splash in a puddle as they drive through it. The trees covering the rest of their surroundings

Where To Stay On The Windward Coast

There aren’t too many options to actually stay on the Windward Coast, and if you’re looking for a larger (brand name) hotel, you won’t find those here.

Staying on the Windward Coast will be home stays, like this one in Kailua. If you’re top priority is staying near Lanikai Beach this is one of the best options as well. Although it’s not walking distance (about 45 minutes) to Lanikai Beach, it’s a quick taxi or Uber (and you are still steps away from Kailua Beach).

Alternatively, you can stay in Waikiki Beach and go on day trips to the Windward Coast (this is what I did). I stayed at the Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort and Spa, and would highly recommend it. It’s centrally located, the hotel offers cultural resort activities, and I was able to upgrade my room to have a Diamond Head view!

Or see more hotels around O’ahu on Booking.

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