yakushima island tour

 
 
 
  EXCELLENT rating  
 Based on 44 reviews 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 
  
 
  
We had Kouki as our guide for the nine-hour hike up to see the Jomon Sugi in late April 2024. True to his statement on Yes Yakushima's website, Kouki is indeed an accomplished hiker and the safety of his guests is paramount. With a wide range of physical fitness amongst our group of five, guiding us must have been a bit of a challenge for Kouki but he made sure everyone was taken care of. He was very kind to offer us warm tea and instant soup at the longer breaks, and Kouki's in-depth knowledge of Yakushima's flora and fauna made the hike even more memorable. I had been wanting to do this hike with my dad since I first came across Yakushima many years ago. My heartfelt thanks to Kouki for enabling us to make this journey possible!
  
 
  
 
 
 Tc Li 
 
2024-05-10
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
We booked the island tour for my husband and I as well as our two kids (9 and 11). Booking was easy via online form, we had a nice contact with Steve, who also booked the toppy tickets for us.
The Island Tour itself with Hiroko and JJ (?) was great. They had big knowledge of the island as well as very good English, so we could communicate perfectly.
We got a great overview of this beautiful island and enjoyed ourselves a lot. Unfortunately we couldn’t extend our stay for another day, so I guess we’ll have to come back at some point in the future ;-)

The YES-webpage also helped us to get along in Kagoshima to the harbor, everything is very well explained on there (we took the tram and it was very well manageable.

So we can recommend YES 100% and want to thank you again for this great experience.
  
 
  
 
 
 Olivia S 
 
2024-05-02
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
We had an amazing day getting to know and falling in love with Yakushima on our island tour with Hiroko. She was a fantastic guide with an outstanding knowledge about the island, its history, culture and nature plus knowing all the answers to our pile of questions about anything else we experienced in Japan so far. Definitely worth every Yen and minute - we hope to get the chance to return and meet again!
  
 
  
 
 
 Martin Dzurny 
 
2024-04-26
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
Super happy to have used the YES service. They are polite and responsive. It made organising my Yakushima trip much easier as it's a one stop shop. We booked accommodation, ferry and options for car. It's also great to be able to better support the local economy. Keep it up!
  
 
  
 
 
 jackie chang 
 
2024-04-13
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
The guide and tour was extremely good,  I booked the tour in a short notice, and Steve was able to accommodate, for that he deserves a special thanks!  Upon arrival we were warmly welcomed by Steve, we felt welcomed and with such a friendly atmosphere we had a fantastic start!  We had a full day tour in Yakushima, I truly enjoyed walking the four of us through the area. The scenery was beautiful and it was a relieve to walk in such a quiet and peaceful environment.
Steve is very well-informed with a wealth of historical knowledge, he is also very passionate about nature.All respect for Steve who does a great job there, a true sample of excellent tour guide!
Many thanks again and I recommend Steve to everyone!
  
 
  
 
 
 X Zhang 
 
2024-04-12
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
Trip of a lifetime. Tour guides are all so amazing and passionate about looking after their guests. We had the best time and will definitely be coming back. Thank you for everything!!
  
 
  
 
 
 Amelia K 
 
2024-03-27
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
It was an extraordinary experience.
On the first day, Steve gave us a tour of the island while giving us a lot of valuable information and leisurely answering the most unusual questions and making the trip so enjoyable.
The next day we went hiking with Kouki, such an enjoyable presence.  He gave us so much information about the beauties of the island and about the life of the people on the island, a warm and cheerful man who loves nature and is eager to instil his love in the tourists. Always with a smile on his face, we went up and we were constantly amused and charged with so much positive energy. I can say with my hand on my heart that it was the most pleasant hike and it will remain an unforgettable memory.
  
 
  
 
 
 ドゥミトレスクアンドレーア モニカ 
 
2024-03-11
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
I fell in love with Yakushima and decided I wanted to go, but I don’t speak Japanese and google translate can only do so much. Thankfully Steve is here to help! He helped me figure out where to stay (which ended up being AMAZING but that’s another story!) and booked us with a wonderful guide for two tours which took us places we never would have found and taught us all about the history and the ecology of the island - things I doubt I could have ever learned on my own. I was worried at first to lean so heavily on one site for my whole trip, but I’m SO glad I did. I met amazing people, saw the most beautiful sights I’ve ever seen in my life, hiked until my legs were ready to fall off, and was already planning my return when it came time to leave. YES Yakushima is an incredible resource and I encourage anyone considering a trip, don’t hesitate to reach out!
  
 
  
 
 
 Jamie Kunkle 
 
2024-03-09
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
I booked 3 tours with YES Yakushima (Shiratani Unsuikyo, Yakushima Island, Tachudake). The owner, Steve, also helped me arrange bookings for my hotel, ferry reservation, and answered general enquiries about logistics and planning my itinerary.

I stayed 5 days on Yakushima so i had 2 unplanned days and 3 tour days, and this behooves me to say that booking at least one YES Yakushima tour is indeed worthwhile. If you're a solo traveller like me and the prices seem steep, it's likely that there will be open tours for you to join so feel free to enquire!

I joined open tours with other individuals and groups and our tour guides Steve (Shiratani Unsuikyo/Yakushima Island) and Koike (Tachudake) were very good about keeping everyone engaged. Steve made an effort to connect various facts and stories to the backgrounds and countries of the different members of the tour group, and Koike was a very reliable guide in whose hands i felt safe (as an inexperienced hiker).

1 suggestion: It would be worthwhile to prepare some questions about Yakushima or Japanese history, because Steve is very knowledgeable and an enjoyable storyteller.
  
 
  
 
 
 Kang Ren Chia 
 
2024-03-07