Feb 19, 2020
good tour guide, good tour - The tour guide provided excellent service.I would highly recommend to join local tour which is saving my time and money.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Feb 16, 2020
Just excellent. - This really is a full day tour, in this case from 8 am to 8 pm, depending on traffic. Just one comfort stop en route to Cape Hedo, the northernmost point of Okinawa. Twenty minutes at the cape to appreciate the limestone cliffs and coastal vegetation, then it's a short drive to Daisekirinzan in Yambaru national park. This range of hills is studded with weird and wonderful karst formations, with cycads growing on the rocky slopes. A fairly easy loop trail (45 minutes) takes you through the rocks, with ocean views as well. After that an easy 30 minute walk brings you back to the park entrance through more cycads and banyan trees.
Then you head south to Yuiyui Kunigami service area for lunch (not included), which is surprisingly good. A row of stalls offer freshly cooked meals for ¥500 to ¥600, cheap and tasty.
The final stop is Churaumi Aquarium. This is magnificent. Starting at the top you descend past the coral reef tank with many windows onto its reef to view its denizens, big and small, brilliant and drab, all active and engaging.
Next stop down is the huge tank showcasing the marine life of the Kuroshio Sea, big enough for two whale sharks to swim around, plus large manta-type rays and many others. If you time it right you can see the whale sharks being fed.
Further down is the deep sea tank, holding animals from the dark zone below 200 meters, not as spectacular as the other two, but interesting. Finally the 'planetarium' shows off the luminescent creatures of the sea.
Outside there are open air tanks for marine mammals and turtles. The dolphin show takes place here. Four bottlenose dolphins and two false killer whales perform their tricks with their trainers to a large audience. I have mixed feelings here. I enjoy the grace and agility of these creatures and admire the combination of dolphin intelligence and trainer skill that produces these displays. But I also feel uncomfortable that these intelligent charismatic animals are reduced to performing pointless tricks for a reward of fish, just for our entertainment. Three hours is allotted to the aquarium visit, and then it's back to Naha. Tour over.
Our cheerful tour guide Koko shepherded us to the attractions but then left us to see them at our own pace. For a nature lover this is a great introduction to the Okinawa outside of Naha city.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Oct 13, 2024
A little expensive but worth full day trip - The transport was on time all day. Instructions and enthusiasm from the guide were so so.
Lunch place was fabulous. A few more waters would have been nice, but there were vending machines at every stop.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Oct 4, 2020
Good for exploring the northern part of the island! - Pick-up location was easy to access and the bus was there early enough to find it. After everybody was on board we headed North. Our guide was explaining about the tour today and also gave us audio guides to listen to during the drive. The coast is beautiful to drive up and there is a lot to see from the bus window. Once we reached the cape, we had time to get out and walk around a bit before heading to the national park. We got a map on the bus and an explanation on the different courses we can take. We had plenty of time to go on the routes and enjoy the scenery. Back on the bus we headed to a nearby reststop for lunch. Since it is a very popular spot, 50 minutes might be a bit too short if you have to wait long for them to serve lunch. After lunch we headed straight to the Expo park where the guide brought us all the way to the aquarium. we had 3 hours there to explore the aquarium and park. The guide and bus were waiting for us and brought us smoothly back to Naha. For people who are not able to rent a car, but want to go up north and see different spots, this is a great option to do so.
Review provided by Viator
Dec 25, 2019
Okinawa with no car? - Daytrips under 6000 yen can be booked online with a credit card or at the Jumbo Tour office in Naha, M-F 9-6 - can pay in cash on the bus or in the office (make sure to get a receipt in case you're asked to pay on the bus). Single ear headphone provided for the multi-language audio guide but best to bring your own if you want to hear it better. Might want to bring a cardigan as it can be a bit cold on the bus. Bus has lots of leg room - the bus itself is only marked 'Jumbo Tours', not Hip Hop Bus. This being Japan, the daytrips kept to the scheduled times to the minute except for being stuck in traffic coming back. Guides speak enough understandable English to give simple instructions - info about the sights is given on the audio guide so the bus is mostly quiet except for the music playing in the background for the find half of the day.
'D course' drives along the west coast 120 km north to Cape Hedo then hiking at Daisekirinzan of Yambaru National Park, mostly packed mud with some loose small stones and wood chips so running shoes would do although a bit slippery at times - not overly strenuous with steps up. Lunch stop has Japanese options plus a bakery with amazing cream puffs in addition to a burger/taco place close to the souvenir shop. Didn't really want to support the aquarium but that's part of the tour... there's a beach down there - no swimming though.
Overall quite well-planned, just enough time to do everything but not rushed at each stop where you're free to do your own thing. A good way to get to faraway places not easily accessible by public transport & saves the hassle of planning/getting tickets since those are included - really recommend getting out of overly built up Naha for nicer natural scenery. The weather makes a huge difference on how some places look so better to check the forecast and book closer to the date.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Oct 7, 2023
The tour conductor is expressionless. - It took more than 11 hours, and the tour was too packed and I was pressed for time, so I couldn't enjoy it. The tour conductor was expressionless and scary. I wish he would at least smile like he does with foreign tourists. The tour was boring because there was no fun at all, and the tour conductor should quit this job.
Review provided by Tripadvisor