About Us

Who We Are

OUR MISSION

Here at Shaka Guide our goal is to connect people with places. We love Hawaii. Not just for its beauty, but also for its rich history and culture. We believe that every destination has a story and we want to tell it. In Hawaii, we have over 20 audio tours that do just that -- share the stories of the islands.

These location-based tours offer an immersive experience with authentic storytelling and music by local artists. We’re proud to have the highest-rated Hawaii travel apps in the App Store and Google Play store. A tremendous amount of care goes into each tour we create. Every site we visit, word we say, and song we select has been hand picked and crafted for quality.

Mahalo Nui Loa! We hope you’ll tour with us soon.

Rita and Andrew (pictured above) founded Shaka Guide in 2016 as a way to offer a guided tour experience at a fraction of the price leaving travelers with a deeper understanding and appreciation for Hawaii.

OUR APPS

Our apps for Maui, Kauai, Big Island and Oahu have a total of 21 audio tours that give you the freedom to explore on your own terms. They offer turn-by-turn directions to popular sites and local gems, but you decide where to go along the route and how long you’ll stay. It’s your vacation -- what you see and do is totally up to you. The tours work completely offline meaning you can rest assured that even if you lose service we'll get you where you need to go. The best part? You won't just see these beautiful sites, you'll connect with them as you immerse yourself in their history and legends.

Meet The Team

Andrew

Co-Founder, Product Manager, VP of Biz Dev

Rita

Co-Founder, Chief Strategist, Editor-in-Chief

Leo

Lead Customer Support Specialist

Mike

Lead UX / UI Designer

Jen

Content Manager & Marketing Specialist

Harshad

Senior Back-end Web Developer

Kshitij

Senior iOS Developer

Sagar

Senior Android Developer

Kevin

Lead Post-Production Audio Specialist

Tito Gray

Voice-Over Artist & Actor (Shaka Guide Voice)

WHAT IS A SHAKA?

Fold your middle 3 fingers down, and keep your thumb and pinky straight up. There you've got a Shaka sign!

In Hawaii, shaka is one of those things that everybody just gets. You make a sign to say "thanks", "you're welcome", "hello", "good bye", "how'z it", and even I love you. The sign is like the word aloha itself, having many meanings, and all of them good.

There are many stories about the origin of the shaka sign but one is about a worker at the Kahuku Suger Mill, Kalili Hamana. It was said that Kalili lost his three middle fingers due to an accident at the mill. Later he worked at "the Hukilau" or what would later become the Polynesian Cultural Center. As Kalili stood greeting tourists and visitors, he would wave with his hand of only the thumb and pinky and they'd wave the same sign back.

Over the years, the sign was popularized and is now used by just about everyone in Hawaii. You'll see politicians throw up a shaka during campaigns, news anchormen using one to sign off the air, you'll even catch it in TV commercials. When you are on a vacation in Hawaii, don't forget to throw out a shaka to the car that yields to you or the person that says aloha as you walk by -- they'll know what you mean!

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