Our Vision & Geologist Guide
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VolcanoDiscovery Hawaiʻi is a tour company on Hawaiʻi Island dedicated to cultural and ecological awareness as well as to sustainable living. By facilitating our visitors’ experience of 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, the ʻaina. VolcanoDiscovery Hawaiʻi is owned and operated by Philip Ong. A geologist by training, Philip began his in-depth exploration of Hawaiʻi Island while working with the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory on the active monitoring of Kilauea volcano. Eight years, two degrees (B.Sc. North Carolina, M.Sc. Michigan), and many adventures later, he started ʻAina ʻIhi Ecotours to share his passion for and knowledge of his adopted island with those curious enough to discover it. Today, ʻAina ʻIhi Ecotours has an exclusive agreement with VolcanoDiscovery GbR and operates under the tradename VolcanoDiscovery Hawaiʻi. Originally from Brasil, Philip also lived in the UK and on the mainland US before moving to Hawaiʻi, where he operates VolcanoDiscovery Hawaiʻi from within the native rainforest on the slopes of Kilauea. He works towards protection of native and endangered forest species and sustainable living through permaculture. 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 Hawaiʻi Island for over six years, including on behalf of 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 |
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