We were lucky to book a trip to Hawaii over my birthday this year and though most are gearing up to celebrate the Fourth of July around then, I was feeling like getting a jump on spooky season.
I love booking ghost tours when we travel and though we were in a tropical destination at the end of June it was exactly what I wanted to do on my birthday.
So, we went ahead and booked the Honolulu Haunts and Hauntings Ghost Tour!
Honolulu ghost tour review
The tour is through US Ghost Adventures and I’ve done many tours with them before so I trusted booking this experience.
We booked the extended tour that included four additional stops. I mean it was $7, why not? It was my birthday treat to myself.
The tour was fantastic and funnily enough we ended up being the only guests booked for the evening. This is not the first time this has happened to us. Ghosts don’t just show up around Halloween, people!
A few Decembers ago, we went on a ghost tour of NY and were the only two on the tour. Our tour guide in Hawaii never made it feel awkward that we were the only ones on it and gave us a great ghost tour of Honolulu. It actually just felt like a friend showing us around the city and telling us scary stories.
Highlights of the haunted Honolulu tour:
- Seeing the King Kamehameha statue and hearing about the importance of his reign and unifying the Hawaiian Islands
- Stopping outside the gates of the only royal home in the United States, the Queen’s Palace, and hearing about its ghostly sightings
- Learning about the headless shadows and the meaning of a red rainbow
- Hearing about the Night Marchers and the unique thing you should do to get them to leave you alone
- A stop at the Post Office and the story of a man very dedicated to his work
- Swinging by a former orphanage that seems to still be home to some children long after they’ve left us
- A walk through the capitol building and trying to spot a ghost known to linger and scare people
There were a few other stops and stories but we can’t give it all away!
Tour guide
Our tour guide, Hope, was fantastic. She was so knowledgeable about Honolulu and greater Hawaii’s history, was enthusiastic when telling these tales, and was patient and never minded how often we stopped for pictures. She had her own pictures from previous tours or tour goers that she shared with us. She even gave us pointers on taking pictures at night to hopefully capture some apparitions.
It may have helped that we were the only ones looking to get scared in June, but I have a feeling she’s a great tour guide whether she’s with two people or twenty.
Booking information
- Duration: 60-minute walking tour (~90 minutes if booking the extended tour)
- Distance: About a mile, walking tour
- Days offered: Daily
- Times: 8 p.m.
- Price: $26 per adult
- Meeting point: King Kamehameha Statue at 447 S. King St., Honolulu, HI 96813 (do check your confirmation email as some of their tours depart from a different location)
- Tickets: Buy tickets online
Tips for the Honolulu ghost tour
- Wear comfortable shoes: This is a walking tour, after all. I think we were both in flip flops and fared okay. It’s not a breakneck pace they had us on.
- Bring water: Stay hydrated! By the end of the tour it might not be the scary stories making you feel like you’re going to pee your pants.
- Bring an umbrella: The tour is completely outside and runs rain or shine.
- Charge your phone before the tour: You stop at some picturesque and historic buildings on this tour and you may be taking quite a few photos, especially if you’re trying to catch an orb or two.
- Tip your guide: Lastly, like we always say, if you enjoyed your tour be sure to show your appreciation to the guide. Take some cash with you on the tour as a thank you at the end.
