Big Island Itinerary
Filed under: Big Island, Big Island Activities, Big Island Areas, Hawaii Volcanoes, Vacation Planning
Itinerary
Fri PM leave Oakland 3:30pm
EVE arrive Hilo 7:05; drive to Honaka’a
Hotel Hotel Honaka’aSat AM Mamane Bakery; HAWAIIAN MACADAMIA PLANTATION, INC., Waipi’o Valley; drive down Valley Rd, Kahuahine Falls & Waiulili Falls
PM take Rt 19 west to Kawaihae; Pu’ukohola Heiau; Hapuna Beach swimming and snorkeling; Malama Petrograph Trail
EVE check in at hotel and relax (die) or go to ukulele entertainers, Kings Shops at the Waikoloa Resort. Call (808) 886-8811
Hotel Kona Seaside HotelSun AM Hulihe’e Palace; Mokuaikauna Church; Cloud Forest
PM Kahalu’u Beach, snorkeling
EVE open
Hotel Kona Seaside HotelMon AM snorkeling/whalewatching
PM open
EVE open
Hotel Kona Seaside HotelTues AM Keauhou Sea Cave Adventure (kayaking/snorkeling)
PM open
EVE open
Hotel Kona Seaside HotelWed AM check out; Captain Cook; Amy B.H. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden; Holualoa Kona Coffee Company tour; Ho’okena, Green Sand Beach; Punalu’u Black Sand Beach
PM continue drive to Volcanos National Park
EVE open
Hotel Volcano CabinsThurs AM Visitor Center, Jagger Museum, Crater Rim Drive, walk Devastation Trail and Thurston Lava Tube walk
PM Chain of Craters Road
EVE picnic lunch at End of Chain of Craters Road
Hotel Volcano CabinsFri AM check out, leave park 5:30am, depart Hilo Airport 8:30am
PM arrive Chicagois this reasonable? I’m I getting at the good stuff or did I miss alot?
It looks good to me - let me talk about a few things here:
To drive down in Waipio Valley you need a four wheel drive. It’s not an easy drive. Have you found directions to the falls? Doing all this plus swimming at Hapuna beach will be quite a packed day.
You’ll need a 4 wheel drive to get to the green sand beach too unless you plan on hiking a couple of miles each way.
Don’t stress if you aren’t at the Hilo airport 2 hours before you fly out. ATA is the only airlines that goes to the mainland from Hilo. We just flew that flight to Oakland last week. We left our house at 7 am, got there at 7:15, and had NO problems. There were no lines - nothing. That’s just how the Hilo airport is usually. I’m not saying to plan to get there with only 1 hour and 15 minutes to spare like we did, but don’t stress about it.
I think you covered about as much as possible in the time you have. Cool.
Have fun! Lisa
Flight departure to Kona, Big Island of Hawaii
Monday
Flight departure to Kona, Big Island of Hawaii
Drive: for 3 to 4hrs to the Town of Volcano (See map) and stop at supermarket for groceries for the Bungalow Check-in: Kate’s Bungalow Address: 19-4039 Hapu Ln, Volcano Ph: (877) 967-7990 Evening: At leisure (Pack lunches for tomorrow’s Volcano National Park excursion) Tuesday
Morning: Hawaii Volcano National Park Visit: The Visitor Center and obtain information about Volcano and the latest info and location of lava flow also ask about directions in and around the park. (There are two scenic drives with a wealth of volcano views An 11-mile drive, called Crater Rim, passes by many rising steam vents) Visit: Steam Sulphur Banks Vents, Kilauea Overlook, Jaggar Museum, Halemaumau Crater, Devastation Trail (45min hike) Afternoon: Thurston Lava Tube (20min hike), Kilauea Iki Overlook, Kilauea Iki Trail (Little Kilauea), Hilina Pali Overlook, Holei Sea Arch (end of road where lava flowed) Evening: Return to see the lava flow after dark, (take a flashlight, water bottle, and jacket) Wednesday
Morning: (Check-out) Wake up early and drive to Hilo Airport (1hour drive-See map to Hilo Airport) Tour: (1010hrs) Blue Hawaiian Helicopter (Circle of Fire plus Waterfalls Tour) #1963497799 Ph: (800) 786-2583 Afternoon/Lunch: Lunch at Kuhio Grille 111 East Puainako Street, #A106, Hilo (Located at Prince Kuhio Shopping Plaza) Drive: Richardson Beach Park (walk around and take a look at the black sand beach and scenery), Rainbow Falls State Park (at the edge of Hilo town and view the falls), North to scenic drive detour at Onomea Bay along the Hamakua Coast, Visit: Hawaii Tropical Botanical Gardens and Onomea Bay Trail (Stop at What’s Shakin Smoothie Stand near the Botanical Gardens for refreshments) Drive: north to Akaka Falls State Park (Hike short trail-loop and view Kahuna Falls and Akaka Falls) Drive: North to the Waipio Valley Overlook, Drive: from Waimea, descending down to Kona Check-in: Surf & Racquet Club Address: 78-6800 Alii Drive, Kailua-Kona Ph: (808) 331-8878 Evening: At Leisure Morning: At Leisure Afternoon/Evening: (1320hrs) Mauna Kea Summit Adventures Tour (tour pick-up: Buns in the Sun 75-5675 Palani RD) Ph: (808) 322-2366
regarding the Big Island - which way are you driving to Volcano? The southern route or the northern route? The southern route may be your best bet, and it should only take 2 to 2.5 hours unless you stop a lot, which you may.
And groceries? There are no major grocery stores along the southern route. It’d be best to stop in Kona. There is one in Naalehu but it’s small with very high prices.
There’s a lot of things to do in Kona - go to Kahaluu Beach to snorkel and see turtles. Go to the Puuhonua National Park - I think your pass from the Volcanoes National Park might get you in. Check with them. Go on the Fairwinds boat tour - go on a glass bottom boat and or the atlantis submarine.
related: Multiple island itinerary
Suggested Hawaii Itinerary - Plan my Trip for Me!
Filed under: Big Island, Big Island Activities, Hawaii - general, Kauai, Maui, Maui Activities, Most Popular Questions, Oahu, Oahu Activities
If you had to recommend a two week itinerary in Hawaii, what would you recommend and why (13 full days)? Don’t give me some cop out answer like “every island has something to offer for each person”. We were thinking of visiting 2-3 islands. Which islands should I visit and for how many days.
Ok, 13 full days - never been to Hawaii before - I would do Oahu for 4 to 5 days. On Oahu I would visit Waikiki beach, because it really is the beach that started it all even if it is completely packed with people and commercialized these days.. I would visit Pearl Harbor and maybe hike to some waterfalls. I would consider Hanauma Bay. I would check out Kailua and Lanikai beaches and the North Shore. For the rest of the trip *I* would decide which out of the following was my favorite must-see and choose my island(s) around that:
an active volcano (big island)
black sand beaches (big island)
the Na Pali Coast (Kauai)
tons of waterfalls (Kauai or Maui)
zip line (maui and kauai)
downhill bike adventure (maui)
ferries to smaller islands (maui)
rivers (kauai)
hana and the road to hana (maui)
mauna kea (big island)
green sand beach (big island)
waimea canyon (kauai)
sport fishing (all islands, but big island - kona side is considered best)
waipio valley (big island)
Anything else you would want to do in Hawaii could be done on any island - so figure out what appeals to you and focus your activities around that. That is the most specific advice I will offer. 
I hope you have a wonderful time! Lisa
…. BIG TRIP for us all. Most of us do not like tons of crowds for a long time. average crowds are fine. we have planned 11 days or more. Quoted 4,500 for all inclusive flight hopper to 3 islands. Does this allow you to see the greatest of hawaii by moving about?
Three islands is a personal choice - if you guys want to move around that much, great! Of course staying in one place is good too. The only island I sometimes really advise people to not stay on for a long time is Oahu - sometimes visitors get disenchanted with the amount of traffic and people there. Lisa
Latest on planning is … talked to an agent that suggested a cruise to the three islands instead of flights. After thinking about it, we think it sounds easier than packing and unpacking. We would fly to Honolulu and get on a cruise ship that moves about three different islands. At least there are stay overs for more than one day.
We have been on cruises… the frustrating part for us has been we find a place we really like however, we can’t stay any longer than the time they allow. :
If you had say 11 days to see hawaii, knowing this could be your 1st and last trip, what would YOU do? Teens will need activity. Parents and grandma like activities such as hiking, snorkeling, ATV rides, beaches, FOOD of course. Any suggestions??
I have a really hard time when people ask ne what would YOU do becaue I have been here for so long and have seen so much and I can’t seem to get myself back to a place of being a fresh newbie to Hawaii.
The cool thing about a cruise is all the people are right there when you get off the boat trying to talk you into their activity - but the not so cool thing is you are stuck in this one geographical area for this finite period of time.
I won’t say - do the cruise or don’t do the cruise. I’m sure it could be awesome, and I’m sure it could be awful
What’s Up With Hawaii’s Wet Side and Dry Side Weather?
Filed under: Big Island, Hawaii - general, Kauai, Maui, Molokai, Most Popular Questions, Oahu
Also I read that there is a dry side and wet side. That sounds real weird but is it that different on the sides of the island, and why?
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There is a dry side and a wet side of every island - generally east and north shores tend to be wet while south and west tend to be dry. It has to do with the way the wind comes in off the ocean (trade winds, usually comes in from the east). The clouds blow in, get pushed up the mountains that are in the center of every island, and dump all their rain before getting light enough to head to the other side of the island - something like that. If you are really interested read more here at wikipedia.
Generally the more popular destination spots like Waikiki, Kailua-Kona, Poipu, and Kaanapali get very little rain because they are on the dry sides. Puako on the Big Island can get 7 inches or less rain a YEAR - that’s like desert. Great for vacationers cuz they are not looking for rain usually Compare that with Hilo (where I live) where it seems like sometimes we can get 7 inches in a day and still not cancel soccer practice. lol.
I Know Nothing about Hawaii and Want to Plan a Vacation - Tell Me Everything
Filed under: Big Island, Hawaii - general, Kauai, Maui, Molokai, Most Popular Questions, Oahu, Prices, Vacation Planning
Our family is considering taking a vacation in Hawaii. Maybe in the next year or so. Being pretty clueless when it comes to Hawaii, what would you suggest? It would be for 6 adult and 1 child. Is one place cheaper to fly into than another? What about hotels and such?
Many people start with Oahu on their first trip, and it is generally the easiest to fly into and cheapest because it is the most popular - of course being the most popular it has really gotten developed and a lot of people complain there are more buildings than trees, but it’s still a beautiful island and has fantastic, easy-to-get-to beaches (that you’ll be sharing with a million other people ) but that’s ok, they are big. You might want to look into Oahu and see if it’s what you want.
Don’t think about hotels till you decide on an island - do you have rewards with anybody like Hilton or Marriott? That might also be a good way to decide where you want to go - you could find the hotel that would get you the best deal and then see what you think of the island it’s on.
my husband and l had some interest some day of traveling to hawaii, he has been reading the lonely planet book about and sounds very beautiful. just wondering if you had any suggestions for me not sure what time of year we would go, but we were thinking of three weeks. we do know someone that lives in kihei - how would we go about setting up an itinerary, where would we start and where would we end? is it best to stay in b&b’s any suggestions for hotels, renting vehicles, what would you suggest to budget yourself per day, any suggestions would be great
Wow, this is a huge question and I’m just not sure I can do it justice - it’s huge and broad and usually I do best with very specific questions, but I’ll try to point you in the right direction here:
- Decide what island you will visit - if you know someone in Kihei and want to go to that island then start looking into Maui.
- Decide what area - if, for your first trip, you stick to the very touristy areas you will be ’safe’ meaning you will find great beaches and great weather typically - so on Maui that would be Wailea, Lahaina/Kaanapali, and Kihei.
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Decide what hotel you will stay at - alternatively, this could be your second item on your list, because if you prefer say, Hilton hotels because you like them or have rewards with them and there is only one Hilton on the island, well then what area choice is pretty much made for you. easy
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As for should you stay in a hotel, vacation rental, condo, or bed and breadkfast — this is all personal preference. Do YOU prefer hotels or bed and breakfasts. Do you want to eat out every meal or cook your own food? Do you want to have your vacation in a place that feels like home or do you prefer a hotel where everything is done and provided for you? see what I’m getting at here? Me, I like condos because you can save money and eat healthier stuff but I like hotels because you can forget about all that cooking and cleaning cr– and concentrate on playing. I like vacation rentals because you are hanging out by yourself away from all the other visitors but I like hotels because there are lots of other people around
- As for budgeting yourself per day - well, what is your budget? Do you have $10,000+ to spend on this trip, or only $4500? This will make a big difference. There are books that will show you how to make the most of a budget - Frommer’s Hawaii on $80 a Day is one of them. I don’t know how relevant it is to today since it was written in 2005, but it will get you started I think.
- As for what to do - you could out your daily itinerary before you go down to the very last activity (this is what my husband does) by doing a google search for Maui activities (if that’s the island you’ll be staying on) and seeing what comes up or you could just fly to Maui and see what looks fun to you (this is what I do)
I hope this helps get you started, write me again if you have more questions. Aloha, Lisa