Big Island Jeep RentalKailua-Kona · Hawaiʻi5 min from KOA
808-465-2331Book a Jeep

Kona to
13,803 ft.

Jeeps 5 minutes from Kona Airport, with beach gear loaded. We're the Kona rental that lets you drive to the Mauna Kea summit.

Elev. ftKOA → summit, by Saddle Road
Shop
73-4038 Hulikoa Dr, Kailua-Kona
Behind Matsuyamas
Call / text
808-465-2331

55 Jeeps, each with a name.

Pele, Honu, Shaka, Kalapana, King K and the rest. Pick by the ground you want to cover, then by the one you like the look of.

Light blue Jeep Wrangler with a white hard top on the sand beside black lava rock

Wrangler 4-door

41 in the fleet · from $115/day

Five seats and room for luggage plus the beach gear. Hard tops, soft tops, Rubicons, lifted and 4xe hybrids.

Summit OK · 4-low
Gray two-door Jeep Wrangler on a lava shoreline above the ocean

Wrangler 2-door

6 in the fleet · from $128/day

Built for two. Shorter, nimbler and the most fun on a narrow beach road.

Summit OK · 4-low
Army green Jeep Gladiator pickup on white sand

Gladiator

5 in the fleet · from $154/day

A Wrangler with a pickup bed. Boards, coolers and wet gear ride in the back.

Summit OK · 4-low
Gray Jeep Renegade on a lava field

Renegade

3 in the fleet · from $97/day

A compact AWD SUV and the economical pick for town and coast. AWD isn't 4-low, so no summit.

No summit · AWD
See the whole fleet by name

The road to the top, station by station.

We're the Kona company that lets you go up Mauna Kea, in any Wrangler or Gladiator, as long as you follow the rules that keep the brakes cool.

Drive profile from our shop to the Mauna Kea summitThe road climbs from sea level by Kona Airport to about 6,600 feet at the Saddle Road junction, 9,200 feet at the Visitor Station and 13,803 feet at the summit.04k8k12kKONAMAUNA KEA SUMMIT
  1. SEA LEVELOur shop, by KOALeave with a full tank, plus lunch, dinner and snacks.
  2. ≈ 6,600 FTSaddle Road junctionTurn here at least 2 hours before sunset.
  3. 9,200 FTVisitor StationStop for an hour to acclimate. Engine running if you can.
  4. 13,803 FTSummitThe gate closes 1 hour before sunset. Coming down: 4-low, not your brakes.
Generalised profile. Elevations are published station heights; the horizontal axis isn't to scale.
Read the summit guide

Curb to Jeep in about five minutes.

The airport agencies mean 30+ minutes of shuttle and line. We're just down the road.

  1. 1

    Land at KOA

    We're open until every customer has landed, which is later than the counters at the airport.

  2. 2

    Ride 5 minutes

    Take a taxi, a private driver, Uber or Lyft to 73-4038 Hulikoa Dr, behind matsuyamas.

  3. 3

    Open the lockbox

    Your Jeep is waiting with the beach gear loaded. No counter, no paperwork line.

Rides, hours & policies

Joe's Big Island Jeep Rental is the only Car Rental Service on the Island that allows you to go to the Summit of Mauna Kea Volcano! … It was Incredibly easy to pick up the Jeep, just a short ride from the Airport and we were off to the races! … We plugged the hybrid 4XE in at night at our AirBnb and went all over the island for 5 days on 3/4 tank of gas!

Gary, Google reviewMore reviews on Google

Field notes from Joe

All tips