Shaka Guide
Shaka Guide operates a mobile and web platform for self-guided GPS audio tours across 105+ U.S. routes, serving independent leisure travelers with offline narration, turn-by-turn directions, and bundle pricing for Hawaii, national parks, scenic drives, and walking tours.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersKapolei, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Shaka Guide does
Shaka Guide, LLC is a Hawaii-incorporated, founder-owned company that operates a mobile and web platform for self-guided, GPS-triggered audio tours. The product delivers location-based narration, offline maps, and turn-by-turn driving/walking directions across 105+ tours in four categories: 21 Hawaii tours (Maui, Oahu, Kauai, Big Island), 55+ U.S. national park tours, 36 scenic drives (including Pacific Coast Highway and Blue Ridge Parkway segments), and 16 walking tours in urban destinations such as Boston, Washington D.C., and Honolulu. The underlying technology is a mobile application on iOS and Android with offline audio and map functionality, Apple CarPlay integration, and a web-based sales and content platform; tours are downloaded and function fully without cell service after purchase. Distribution is multi-channel: direct via shakaguide.com, Apple App Store, Google Play, and third-party travel marketplaces (Viator, TripAdvisor, Groupon, Go City, Expedia, Booking.com), supplemented by a 15% commission affiliate program through Rewardful.
Shaka Guide firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Shaka Guide
- Legal name
- Shaka Guide, LLC
- Website
- https://shakaguide.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Shaka Guide operates a mobile and web platform for self-guided GPS audio tours across 105+ U.S. routes, serving independent leisure travelers with offline narration, turn-by-turn directions, and bundle pricing for Hawaii, national parks, scenic drives, and walking tours.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Shaka Guide industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Travel Audio Tours
- NAICS
- Tour Operators (561520)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Tours, Activities & Experiences Booking Platforms (BPAMAIAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Private Guided Tours & Personal Tour Guides (THAJALAA), Consumer Navigation & Turn-by-Turn Apps (BPAMANAA)
Keywords
Where Shaka Guide is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Kapolei
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Shaka Guide business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Tour Sales: One-time purchase of individual audio tours or tour bundles. Individual tours priced from $4.99 to $24.99. Bundles offer significant discounts (61-80% off) compared to buying tours separately. Tours never expire and include free updates forever.
- Affiliate Program: Third-party affiliates earn 15% commission on each referred purchase through the Rewardful platform. Commission paid every 2 months via PayPal when $20 threshold is met. Cookies valid for 60 days.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Individual Tour - Walking Tours |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Individual Tour - Driving Tours |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Oahu Driving & Walking Tour Bundle |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Hawaii Tour Collection Bundle |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels9 records
Shaka Guide product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Shaka Guide develops and sells a self-guided GPS-triggered audio tour platform delivered through iOS and Android mobile apps and a web storefront. Customers purchase individual tours or curated bundles covering Hawaii islands, US national parks, scenic drives, and walking routes; tours include offline maps, turn-by-turn navigation, and location-triggered narration that plays automatically as users travel.
Product overview
Shaka Guide is a self-guided GPS audio tour platform combining a mobile application (iOS and Android) with a web-based sales and information platform. The core product delivers location-triggered audio narration, offline maps, and turn-by-turn driving/walking directions for over 105 tours across four categories: Hawaii Tours (21 tours on Maui, Oahu, Kauai, Big Island), National Park Tours (55+ tours covering major US national parks), Scenic Drives (36 tours including Pacific Coast Highway, Blue Ridge Parkway, scenic byways), and Walking Tours (16 urban/park walking tours). Individual tours are sold à la carte while the company offers bundle products including the Oahu Driving & Walking Tour Bundle (6 tours for $34.99) and the Hawaii Tour Collection (all 21 Hawaii tours for $79.99). Supplementary revenue programs include an Affiliate Program (15% commission via Rewardful) and Partner Program for brand collaborations. The company was founded in 2016 and operates from Hawaii, having expanded from a Hawaii-focused product to a nationwide tour platform.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Shaka Guide Mobile Application Mobile application for iOS and Android that delivers self-guided, GPS-triggered audio driving and walking tours. Tours work fully offline after download, including turn-by-turn navigation, location-based storytelling, and local music.
- Oahu Driving & Walking Tour Bundle Curated bundle of 6 Oahu tours covering Grand Circle Island, East Oahu Shoreline, North Shore Loop, Honolulu's Backyard Rainforest, Historic Downtown Honolulu, and Heart of Waikiki. Priced at $34.99 versus $89.94 individually (61% off).
- Hawaii Tour Collection Comprehensive bundle of all 21 Hawaii tours across Maui, Oahu, Kauai, and Big Island, including 1,947 audio points and 349 stops. Priced at $79.99 versus $400.79 individually (80% off).
- Hawaii Tours 21 self-guided audio tours covering Maui (8 tours), Oahu (6 tours), Kauai (4 tours), and Big Island (4 tours), including Road to Hana variants, Haleakala, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Waimea Canyon, and Honolulu walking tours.
- National Park Tours 55+ self-guided audio tours covering US national parks including Acadia, Arches, Glacier, Grand Teton, Grand Canyon, Rocky Mountain, Yellowstone, Yosemite, Zion, Bryce Canyon, Death Valley, Joshua Tree, Mount Rainier, Olympic, Redwood, Shenandoah, Everglades, and others.
- Scenic Drives 36 self-guided audio driving tours covering scenic byways including Blue Ridge Parkway segments, Pacific Coast Highway segments, Gettysburg Battlefield, Lake Tahoe, Monument Valley, Mount Rushmore & Black Hills, Overseas Highway (Florida Keys), and Mount Lemmon Scenic Byway.
- Walking Tours 16 self-guided audio walking tours covering urban and park destinations including Boston Freedom Trail, Beacon Hill, Gateway Arch, Biscayne, Historic Downtown Honolulu, Heart of Waikiki, Capitol Hill DC, National Mall DC, Tidal Basin DC, and German Village.
- Classic Road to Hana Tour Full-day self-guided driving audio tour covering Maui's Road to Hana, 10-12 hours with 24 stops including Twin Falls, Waiʻānapanapa Black Sand Beach, Hana Town, and Pipiwai Trail through bamboo forest. Priced at $19.99-$24.99 per tour.
- Grand Circle Island Tour Bestselling Oahu driving tour covering the entire island in 8-10 hours with 120 audio points and 15 stops including Polynesian Cultural Center, Waimea Bay, Haleiwa, and Dole Plantation.
Quantifiable outcome
- Save 61-80% compared to buying individual tours separately
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Shaka Guide
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Shaka Guide technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration8 records
AI capability4 records
Feature4 records
Shaka Guide partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- RewardfulcoreAffiliate program management platform that handles tracking, commissions, and payments for Shaka Guide's affiliate partners. Affiliates earn 15% commission on referred sales, paid every 2 months via PayPal with $20 minimum threshold.
Scale indicators13 records
Recent moves3 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Shaka Guide competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Klook: Klook is a leading Asia-Pacific travel activities and experiences booking platform with global expansion. It competes in the same destination-experience category but as a broad marketplace with strong APAC presence rather than a content producer.
- GetYourGuide: GetYourGuide is a leading global tours, activities, and experiences booking marketplace with mobile apps. It serves the same end customer (tourists seeking guided experiences) as Shaka Guide but operates as a broad marketplace aggregating many operators, whereas Shaka Guide produces its own content.
- Viator: Viator (owned by Tripadvisor) is one of the world's largest tours and activities marketplaces and is also a distribution partner for Shaka Guide. It competes for tourist mindshare in the same destination-experience category and represents both a channel and a partial competitor.
- TourRadar: TourRadar is a multi-day guided tour marketplace aggregating tour operators worldwide. It addresses the same traveler pain point (guided, structured travel experiences) but focuses on multi-day operator-led tours rather than self-guided audio experiences.
Emerging players
- Tours by Locals: Tours by Locals is a private tour guide marketplace offering personalized guided experiences with vetted local guides. It serves travelers seeking structured destination experiences similar to Shaka Guide's customer base but with live guides instead of self-guided audio.
- Withlocals: Withlocals connects travelers with private local guides for customized tours across many destinations. It overlaps with Shaka Guide in addressing the tourist-experience category but emphasizes live human guides rather than self-guided audio.
Direct peers
- Action Tour Guide: Action Tour Guide sells self-guided audio driving tours through a mobile app, directly competing with Shaka Guide in the GPS-triggered narration category. It offers similar US national park and scenic drive coverage, positioning it as a head-to-head competitor for the same traveler segment.
- GPSmyCity: GPSmyCity offers self-guided walking tours via mobile app with GPS-triggered content for thousands of cities worldwide. It directly competes with Shaka Guide in the self-guided GPS tour category, particularly for urban walking experiences.
- VoiceMap: VoiceMap provides GPS-triggered self-guided audio walking and driving tours via mobile app, with a global catalog of tours created by local narrators. It is the closest direct competitor to Shaka Guide in self-guided audio tours, serving similar use cases across multiple countries.
- Rick Steves' Audio Europe: Rick Steves offers free self-guided audio walking tours for European destinations through his app and website. It is a directly comparable self-guided audio tour product, focused on European cultural/historical walking tours rather than US driving tours.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Shaka Guide social profiles
Digital presenceShaka Guide financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Shaka Guide leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Shaka Guide funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Shaka Guide M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Shaka Guide
What does Shaka Guide do?
Shaka Guide develops and sells a self-guided GPS-triggered audio tour platform delivered through iOS and Android mobile apps and a web storefront. Customers purchase individual tours or curated bundles covering Hawaii islands, US national parks, scenic drives, and walking routes; tours include offline maps, turn-by-turn navigation, and location-triggered narration that plays automatically as users travel.
Is Shaka Guide a public or private company?
Shaka Guide is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Shaka Guide founded?
Shaka Guide was founded in 2016. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Shaka Guide based?
Shaka Guide is headquartered in Kapolei, United States, in the North America region.
How does Shaka Guide make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Tour Sales are the primary driver. The others are affiliate Program.
Who are Shaka Guide's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Klook, GetYourGuide, Viator and TourRadar. Emerging players are Tours by Locals and Withlocals. Direct peers are Action Tour Guide, GPSmyCity, VoiceMap and Rick Steves' Audio Europe.
Does Shaka Guide have an API?
No public API is recorded for Shaka Guide.
What industry is Shaka Guide in?
Shaka Guide's product category is Travel Audio Tours. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMAIAJ, Tours, Activities & Experiences Booking Platforms, with a secondary code of THAJALAA, Private Guided Tours & Personal Tour Guides. Its NAICS code is 561520 and its SIC code is 7900.