Hawai’i Island, also know as ‘the Big Island’, is..surprise surprise, the biggest island in the Hawaiian Islands. I visited with my brother and we saw lots of the Big island’s highlights, including active lava flows, tropical coral reefs, soaring sea cliffs, coffee plantations and…snow.
Here’s my run down on our visit and some of the top spots on ‘The Big Island’, Hawaii.
Hawai’i Island Fast Facts
- It’s the youngest island in Hawaii, at approximately 400,000 to 800,000 years old.
- It’s nearly twice as big as all the other main islands in Hawaiin island chain combined.
- It’s home to the world’s largest and most active volcano, Kilauea.
- It’s home to the tallest mountain in the world as measured from the ocean floor, Manua Kea.
- It feels more rugged, rural and less developed than the other main islands of Hawaii.
- It’s home to great coffee.
- A holiday on Hawai’i Island is not your typical tropical island holiday.
Getting There and Around
I flew into Kona International Airport from Honolulu in January, which is winter in Hawaii. I met my brother in the town of Kailua-Kona, close to the airport, and he arranged car hire so we could drive around the island.
I’d highly recommend car hire for a trip on Hawai’i Island as it’s big and lots of its best destinations are most easily and cheaply reached by travelling in your own vehicle.
While most roads are 2WD friendly, there are certain areas, such as the road to the summit of Manua Kea, that require a 4WD to access.
The car hire was a simple process for us, particularly as my brother was used to driving on the right side of the road, (unlike me), and had a US driving license.
Our Itinerary
We spent 7 days on the Big Island.
We spent time based in Kailua-Kona, travelled along the northern coast and then headed around to Hilo, where we stayed in a live-in Airbnb which we shared with our hosts, who were lovely and helpful.
From Hilo we did day trips to Volcanoes National Park, Manua Kea and the active Pahoa lava flow. We also visited waterfalls, gardens, lava caves and went snorkelling with turtles.
A week was long enough for us to tick off all the main things we wanted to see on the Big Island, but if you wanted to, you could easily have a slower paced trip and spend a few more days there than we did. That said, you would probably have exhausted all the ‘main’ things to see and do within two weeks, even with some times for lazy days.
More detailed descriptions of some of the things we did on our visit to Hawai’i Island are below.
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
No visit to Hawai’i Island is complete without at least a one-day visit to the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. The park contains the summits of two of the world’s most active volcanoes and there are plenty of things to see.
The highlights include seeing the steam vents along the Crater Rim Trail, walking through the 500 year old Nahuku Thurston Lava Tubes, seeing one of the world’s most active volcanoes – Kilauea volcano (see it in the day and the evening), visiting the Ha‘akulamanu Sulfur Banks and doing the Kilauea Iki Trail walk, which we squeezed in by running the downhill section for it at the end of our day in the park.
The Kilauea Iki Trail walk is a loop walk that is wild because it starts with an outlook over a massive volcanic crater, a descent through a tropical rainforest and then the trail opens up at the bottom where you walk across the steaming crater face before ascending the wall of the crater through more forest at the other side.
It’s otherworldly and beautiful and takes about 2 to 3 hours all up. It’s mind boggling to think as you walk across the crater that this crater only came to exist, quite suddenly, in 1959 and was a giant lake of molten lava (and it could well become one again).
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is in a constant state of flux and change as the volcanoes are so active in the area.
It already looks very different to when I visited in 2015, and different parts are open depending on which parts of the park are most active, so be prepared for the fact that you may not be able to see everything when you visit if areas are deemed unsafe.
That said, there seems to always seem to be some areas open for people to see.
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
It is about 45 minutes drive from Hilo, or 5 minutes from Volcano Village.
A one week pass to the park is $30 per vehicle. Entry is free on a handful of public holidays throughout the year.
Manua Kea
I never thought that I’d see snow in Hawaii, but life is full of surprises.
Manua Kea on Hawai’i Island is the world’s highest mountain from sea floor to tip.
On top of Manua Kea, you really do feel like you are standing on the top of the Earth.
Due to its height, clear skies and lack of light pollution, Manua Kea is home to a number of observatories, including the world’s second and third largest. The observatories themselves are not open to the public, but they make for great photos.
If you hire a 4WD, you can drive to the Manua Kea summit lookout (4205m) for sunset like we did. Alternatively, you can book a group tour to go up the mountain, but hiring your own 4WD provided better value for us when we visited. Access to the mountain is free with your own vehicle.
As indicated in the picture of the sign above, it’s considered disrespectful to walk from the parking area to the actual summit of Manua kea for cultural reasons. There’s really no need to do this as the views from the parking area are fantastic.
Make sure you rug up, as even though you’re in the tropics, it’s really cold, (although the guy in the photo below didn’t seem too bothered).
As Manua Kea is famous for its clear skies, a highlight of any good visit up the mountain is star gazing.
You can visit the free telescopes set up half-way up the mountain (2800m) at the Onizuka Centre for International Astronomy Visitor Information Station (VIS) on your way back down once the sun has set if you visit on a day of the week when they are set up as part of the local stargazing program.
Check the official visitor website when you plan your trip as the days of the week can vary.
The stargazing experience is great and is accessible without a 4WD, so it’s worth driving up to even if you aren’t planning to drive up to the summit.
My highlight of the stargazing program was the view of Andromeda I got to see through one of the telescopes – having such a clear view of a whole other galaxy while standing on a mountain was the best space-viewing experience I’ve ever had.
My brother’s highlight was seeing Jupiter so clearly that the rings around its surface could be made out. Amazing.
If you do drive to the top, it’s also worth stop at the visitor centre on the way up the mountain as well as back down, to get a hot chocolate and spend some time adjusting to the altitude, and then carry on your journey, as there is 40% less oxygen available on top of Manua Kea than at sea level.
The Onizuka Visitor Centre is open every day of the year from 9am to 9pm and the road to the summit from the visitor centre is open from half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset.
The star gazing programs usually run between 7pm and 10pm on various days of the week.
Snorkelling at Kealakekua Bay / Captain James Cook Monument
Snorkelling – finally an experience you expect from a tropical island destination, right?!
Kealakekua Bay is approximately 12 miles south of Kailua-Kona and known to be a very good spot for snorkelling, with dolphins frequently visiting the area as well.
It’s also the spot where Captain James Cook died in an encounter with the locals of the island, and there is a monument on the shore for people to visit.
The Hawaiian monarch, King Kamehameha III, was also born just a few miles away.
A popular way to visit the bay is via a tour boat to go snorkelling. When we visited, we did so independently and walked in via the Ka’awaloa trail, which took about 45 minutes one way.
While the snorkelling here was okay, I didn’t enjoy it as much as other places in the Hawaiian Islands or even on the Big Island – we found some better spots close to Hilo that were recommended by our airbnb host.
That said, we may have just been having an off day or less than ideal conditions, as lots of people rave about it. I did enjoy the trail and it was a good way to access the spot for free, as boat tours will definitely set you back a decent amount of dollars.
Looking out at Kealakekua Bay
Snorkelling near tour boats
Hawaii Tropical Bioreserve & Garden
I love a good botanical garden and the Hawaii Tropical Bioreserve and Garden on the eastern side of Hawai’i Island, 7 miles north of Hilo, did not disappoint.
The garden’s website suggests that most visitors spend about 1 to 1.5 hours in the park, which is roughly how long we spent, but encourages people to take their time, and suggests that morning visits can be the most rewarding to escape any crowds and see the morning dew on the plants before the heat of the day has evaporated it away.
One of the things I loved most about this garden is that the lush landscaping merges into the surrounding natural tropical rainforest and coastline in a way that you can’t really tell where the gardens end and the wilderness begins.
It’s filled with towering palm coves (with almost 200 species of palms), giant tropical flowers, streams and small waterfalls and a diverse range of orchids and local wildlife. The views upwards into the canopy, out into Onomea Bay and all around you are lovely.
Some parts of the walking trails can get slippery in wet conditions, so it’s recommended that comfortable shoes with grip are worn, like sneakers. The garden’s visitor centre sells water, insect repellent and ponchos to help you enjoy your visit in all conditions.
Hawaii Tropical Bioreserve and Garden is open 9am to 5pm daily with last entry at 4pm.
The easiest access route is via the Old Mamalahoa Rd, which is marked ‘Scenic Route’ on a large blue highway sign when you head north from Hilo. Some GPSs will send you down another road, but the ‘Scenic Route’ is both prettier and easier.
Adults are $25, children ages 6 – 16 are $12 and children under 6 are free.
Pololu Beach
The northern Kohala coast of the Big Island is famous for its seven valleys, with black sand beaches, steep coastal cliffs and undeveloped wilderness. The most eastern valley is Waipo Valley and the most western valley is Pololu Valley, in which lies the lovely Pololu Beach.
We visited Pololu Valley on our trip to the Big Island as we made our way from the western to eastern side of the island. We parked the car up at the closest road to the start of the trail and said hello to the friendly horses there and took in the view across the coastline, before heading down into the valley to the beach.
The actual trail is a steep downwards walk that would be prone to getting muddy in the wet, although it was dry when we visited.
We had read in advance to keep our wits about us as this part of Hawaii is unfortunately known for having a little bit of a drug problem and some associated criminal activity.
While we felt safe on our walk, we had heard that in the northern part of the Big Island in particular, it’s good to ensure that you make a big effort to keep on the right side of any locals and make an extra effort to be a good tourist and not a bad one (e.g don’t cross into people’s private property, don’t take photos of people without their explicit permission, don’t litter, don’t park in inconvenient spots, treat people with respect).
After about around half an hour walk down hill, we arrived onto the wide beach, which was sandy along the water but covered in smooth round large pebbles, some of which were clearly volcanic, towards its upper end. The volcanic pebbles were fun to examine, as they were so light and in a range of colours, from black to red to grey.
Behind the beach was a forested area that had a very open understorey, and there were signs of people having camped along the beach, with logs set up around stones and makeshift wooden teepee style structures. It was really quaint and inviting.
The beach itself had lovely warm water, even in winter, and smooth, small and safe waves which were great for an afternoon of body surfing, which is exactly what we did.
There were a few other visitors when we were there, which made it feel safe, but it was far from crowded. It was a highly enjoyable afternoon.
On Pololu Beach
Waterfalls near Hilo
Most of The Big Island’s popular waterfalls are clustered along the lower slopes of the Manua Kea volcano on the Hamakua coast surrounding Hilo.
The most conveniently reached of all of the Big Island’s waterfalls is Rainbow Falls on the Wailuku River, which is located within Hilo. It’s suggested to visit Rainbow Falls early morning to maximise your chances of seeing a rainbow across the spray of the falls, but we visited closer to the middle of the day in line with our itinerary.
The falls has a couple of seperate viewing platforms and I highly recommend you take the walk around the lake to the top of the falls as well. On the way you will pass some amazing massive trees and find yourself in a stream filled with pretty rock pools.
We also visited Akaka Falls, just north of Hilo, which was a similar style of waterfall and can be seen below.
I was totally blown away to read on the information boards in front of the falls that there is a local species of fish that migrates up these falls as part of its reproductive cycle. I’m surprised they are still around as that looks like a mission for a fish to me.
Both of the falls are very easy to access and very beautiful, so are well worth a visit.
Rainbow Falls is free to visit. Akaka Falls is located in Akaka Falls State Park, which has a $5 per person entrance fee. Akaka Falls State Park is open 8am til 5pm 7 days a week.
Kaumana Lava Caves
Another stop we made near Hilo were the Kaumana Lava Caves, that were created in a lava flow from Manua Loa in 1881 and are five miles west of town.
Most of the caves complex is under private property and so cannot be fully explored, but the entrance is accessible to the public and free to walk into. It’s really neat and very different to the lava tubes in the Volcanoes National Park.
The cave entrance is open 8am to 8pm seven days a week.
Kona Coffee Plantation Tour
Close to the end of our trip on the Big Island, we stopped in on a coffee plantation on the hills outside Kona to learn about the coffee making process.
At the time, I was having stomach troubles and was off coffee, so alas, I cannot speak to the quality of the product.
However, my brother is somewhat of a coffee connoisseur, so we decided to check it out.
The coffee tour was very casual and took around 30 minutes.
I can’t really vouch for whether or not coffee tasting at a farm a ‘must do’ as I didn’t try the product, but Kona coffee is well renown throughout the world, so it’s definitely worth having a cup of the local coffee somewhere when visiting the Big Island.
A lot of the coffee farms offer free tours and most tours run around 30 minutes.
Pahoa Lava Flow
While it’s not really a current ‘thing to do’ I want to mention that when visited in 2015 the Pahoa Lava Flow crisis from an erupting Kīlauea Volcano was in full force.
We were interested to find out if we could safely see the impact of the flow, but were also nervous about rubber-necking on a natural disaster that was threatening people’s houses and were concerned about the ethics of going to see it.
We decided we would head towards it and see how close we could safely get and agreed we’d turn around if we felt uncomfortable.
We drove towards where we thought the lava flow would likely be and past a series of US miliary vehicles, but the roads weren’t closed.
We finally arrived at the Waste Transfer Station impacted by the flows and found that it had been set up into a tourist attraction, with information boards and a student geologist there to answer questions as they were expecting people to want and come and learn about the flow.
She let us hold one of the earth’s youngest rocks, which was a piece of lava from the flow.
It was amazing to see the lava and it’s impact on the landscape up close, and a stroke of amazing luck (when we visited) that the only man-made infrastructure the Pahoa flow had eaten was the rubbish pile from a waste dump.
While it would no longer be a ‘thing to do’ in Hawai’i island, as the island adapts to ongoing lava flows, current tourists may stumble across similar experiences if they keep their eyes peeled. Just don’t do anything disrespectful or, most importantly, dangerous. Lava is notoriously hotter than it looks!
Final thoughts
If you want a typical tropical island holiday in the Hawaiian islands, with lots of beach time, snorkelling, cocktails and hula performances, I wouldn’t suggest Hawai’i Island as your first choice.
Although you can find lovely white sandy beaches and snorkelling on the Big Island, if you’re after the really standard tropical island relaxing holiday, I would instead recommend O’ahu, as it’s smaller, and therefore easier to get around, and everything is perfectly set up for seamless tourism in high numbers.
However, if you’ve been to Hawaii before, have enough time to visit two islands (e.g a two week trip) or are looking for a different tropical island experience, Hawai’i Island is a great choice and a completely unique destination.
Compared to other parts of the Hawaiian islands, it is known as more local, more laid back and less developed, which are all wonderful things to get to experience in such an interesting little part of the world.
If you have any specific questions about my trip to Hawai’i island or the places we went, please comment on this post.
Happy Travelling.
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