Kona Sea Salt Farm Tour Review Big Island Hawaii: Worth It?
Have you heard about Kona Sea Salt Farm on the Big Island? Wondering if it’s worth visiting?
I lived on the Big Island and visited many different types of farms on the island. I was impressed with what I found at the Kona Sea Salt Farm.
This little known and completely unique farm produces the only sea salt in the world made from deep ocean water.
You’ll learn about where this salt comes from, how it’s harvested and processed, and taste test the variety of flavors that come straight from the ocean a few feet from the premises.
As it’s right by the airport, it is also a convenient tour to take as one last Hurrah! before flying home.
Do I think it’s worth visiting? Yes I do, and I’ll show you why!
Don’t have time to read a whole post? Just wanna get to the goods
and add some “spice” to your trip?
Book the Kona Sea Salt Farm Now!
Kona Sea Salt Farm
On this flavorful tour you’ll learn some science and history, see firsthand how sea salt is produced, and of course, taste all the salty varieties!
Good for killing time before your flight home!
Kona Sea Salt Farm Tickets
Kona Sea Salt Farm Tour
Reservations are highly recommended for Kona Sea Salt Farm 1-hr tours as they do sell out but walk ups are welcome if space is available.
🧂 >> Check Rates and Availability for the Kona Sea Salt Farm Tour Here! <<🧂
Luckily, I was able to walk up. After I was checked in, I was offered a welcome cup of refreshing water mixed with their magnesium drops, a healthy by-product of the “salting” process.
As I waited for your tour to begin, I was able to browse the gift shop and relax at a wooden patio table, enjoying the beachy view and the sound of the ocean.
The tour began with an intro to the company. It was founded in 2004 after originally being a research company for 12 years that studied using micro algea as a clean energy source before switching gears to create sea salt.
Before we headed to the beach, they offer me a giant cocktail umbrellas (paper parasols 😀 ) as protection from the hot Kona sun. As someone who gets heat stroke easily, I appreciated this amenity and took them up on it. Plus I felt cute!
We walked to the ocean edge, stopping along a portion of the 6.4-mile path often used for mountain bikers and hikers. From here, we learned how the island’s volcanoes formed the coastline causing dramatic shelf drops not far from shore. During whale season, humbpacks are often seen near the shore.
At only 300 yards out the ocean floor is 2,200ft down. It is from this depth that Kona Sea Salt Farm harvests their mineral-rich, chilly 40°F deep ocean water through 40in diameter pipes. In the distance you can see an out-of-commission pipe used years ago but has since been replaced by pipes more hidden and less of an eyesore.
The deep ocean water is pulled through the Thermohaline current, originating in Greenland but taking 900 years to reach the Big Island.
Because the ocean water is pulled so deep below the surface, the sea salt is higher in mineral content (like magnesium, iron, zinc, calcium, potassium, iodine, and manganese) and lower in the amounts of microplastics and contaminants other sea salts have.
Next, we strolled back to where the salty magic happens. We passed by drying pads originally used for those algae experiments before climbing up a few steps to the deck with rows of salt tunnels.
Here we saw the drying process from ocean water to salt crystals in their solar evaporation tunnels.
Plastic sheets protect the salt from contamination while fans create tunnels for air flow. As the Kona sun beats down, 900 pounds of sea water per tunnel evaporate for about 8 weeks before resulting in 300 pounds of white salt crystals.
Through this process they create about 32 tons of salt a year.
At the back of the pad they have a greenhouse set up doing the same thing. The greenhouse can reach up to a sweltering 150°F inside. They are anticipating expanding to this procedure in the future as it is easier to control and protect the drying environment.
The salt reminded me of a crunchy snowy field.
Just outside the greenhouse, we were able to touch that cold deep sea water gurgling up 40°F water from a black monolith fountain.
>> Book a 20 Minute Deep Sea Foot Soak for after your tour here! <<
The last exhibit was the wooden hoppers used as the final drying step. Salt from the tunnels are hand scooped into these giant wooden funnels.
As the salt continues to dry, the remaining moisture drains away and collects into buckets below. This is where the magnesium by-product is collected.
We were able to try a sample of the drying medium grain and coarse grain. I was surprised that there was actually a flavor difference between the sizes.
We made our way back to the visitor center for even more salty samples. We were given pieces of cucumbers, pineapples, and tomatoes to try their variety of salt blended flavors:
- Farm Fresh Herbs
- Garlic
- Hot Hawaiian Chili Pepper
- Alaea Rich Red Hawaiian Clay
- Lemon Rosemary
- Maui Onion
- Moloka’i Kiawe Smoked
- Spicy Hawaiian Seaweed
- Uahi Black
- Zest de L’orange
- Sunset Beach BBQ
- Kahuku Shrimp Truck
- Pipeline Poke Bowl
Some of these blends are made with sea salt pulled from Molokai, but rest assured, it’s all Hawaiian sea salt.
💁♀️Tab’s Trip Tip: Be careful or you might lose track of which flavor is which. You might want to put only a couple flavors on your plate at a time and not all of them at once, like my mistake.
Kona Sea Salt Farm Gift Shop
If you don’t want to take the salt farm tour, you can still just visit the Kona Sea Salt Farm gift shop and purchase salty products.
They have tasteful displays of all their various salt flavors packaged in hand-labeled, cork-topped glass bottles. You can buy individual bottles or put together a mix-and-match gift box of three flavors of your choosing.
Other than their storefront you can buy their products online. You miiiiight find them in random places on the Big Island, but don’t count on it.
Deep Ocean Water Foot Soak
After your tour, book a revitalizing 20-minute deep ocean cold water foot soak.
Sit under the the ocean-view cabana while your feet experience a refreshing escape soaking in salty deep ocean water sourced from 2,200 feet beneath the ocean’s surface. This deep ocean water is naturally abundant in magnesium and maintains a refreshing temperature of approximately 47 degrees.
The cold water foot soak is not only refreshing but it also offers potential benefits such as pain relief, reduced swelling, and aid in post-workout recovery.
>> Check Rates and Availability for the Deep Ocean Water Foot Soak Here! <<
Final Thoughts on the Kona Sea Salt Farm Tour
I found the Kona Sea Salt Farm to be a one-of-a-kind tour to take. I thoroughly enjoyed the tour but thought the price was a little steep for what you get.
The tour lasted about 45 minutes and was super informative. I would have liked to have seen the process of grinding the salt from coarse to medium and also how they bottle it.
Generously, the salt sampling was unlimited…well limited to how much salt your tongue can handle in one sitting!
Because of its nearness to the airport, this tour makes for a great way to kill time and squeeze in one last activity before taking an afternoon flight home.
All-in-all the Kona Sea Salt Farm was a positive experience and I would recommend visiting, just like Guy Fieri does in a “Guy! Hawaiian Style” episode.
Check Out These Other Big Island Tours:
Heavenly Hawaiian Kona Coffee Farm
Captain Cook Snorkel Tours
Manta Ray Night Snorkel
Hawaiian Vanilla Company
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Self Guided Tour
Lavaloha Chocolate Farm Tour
Kona Sea Salt Farm FAQs
Where is Kona Sea Salt Farm?
The Kona Sea Salt Farm is located just south of Kona International Airport is an industrial district on Keahole Point, the westernmost side of the Big Island.
The driveway for Kona Sea Salt Farm will be to the left through a white gate on Makako Bay Dr after passing Wawaloli Beach Park and a series of industrial buildings.
Follow the a-frame parking signs on the gravel driveway, around to the back of the first warehouse. White parking spaces are painted on the gravel.
The gift shop/visitor center is located in the long building to the left, looking towards the ocean.
Make your way down the covered patio “hallway” until you reach the open-air lanai in the middle of the ranch-style building. Here your tour guide will check you in with a mobile tablet.
Who Owns Sea Salts of Hawaii?
Sandra Gibson owns Sea Salts of Hawaii. She bought Kona Sea Salt Farm in 2020 and combined the two companies.
Is Kona Sea Salt good for you?
Kona Sea Salt is 100% natural, with unmatched purity as it’s found 2,200ft below the ocean’s surface.
Trace minerals not found in ordinary table salt can be found in Kona Sea Salt such as magnesium, potassium, calcium, and zinc.
It is also contains 33% less sodium than table salt.
🌺 Big Island Travel Planning Guide 🌺
🚨 Should I buy Hawaii travel insurance?
YES — I recommend Travel Insurance Master because you can compare multiple options with one click. With plans starting at $5/day per person, why not give yourself piece of mind? Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it!
🚗 Is it safe to rent a car on the Big Island?
YES — It’s totally safe to drive on the Big Island. And unless you plan to chill by the resort pool the entire time, renting a car is pretty much a necessity on the Big Island! Jeep rentals are popular. I recommend Discount Hawaii Car Rental, as they have some of the best prices around.
📞 Will my phone work on the Big Island?
PROBABLY — Most, if not all, cell providers work on the Big Island. However, be prepared for some dead spots in the more remote parts of the island. For example, I always lose service driving through Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
🛏️ What’s the best way to book my Big Island accommodations?
For Big Island hotels, Booking.com is amazing because you can often reserve your room with no money down. If you are looking for an Airbnb condo with a kitchen and more space, don’t forget to check VRBO for potentially better prices and options.
✈️ What’s the best site to buy Big Island flights?
I recommend looking at Skyscanner for finding cheap flights. Pro Tip: check if flying into Hilo is cheaper than flying into Kona.
🛂 Do I need a passport to visit Hawaii?
NO — If you are a US citizen, you do not need a passport as Hawaii is part of the United States. If you are from out of the country, the same passport and visa requirements are the same as entering anywhere in the United States from your country.
🧳What should I pack to the Big Island?
Pack for tropical weather but also prepare for colder than expected nights and early mornings, so a light sweatshirt is recommended. Check out this list of 5 Things Not to Forget to Pack.
