Top Things to do While on Big Island

One of my favorite things about living on the Big Island is how diverse and large this island is. You can go from the top of Mauna Kea (over 13,000 feet) to snorkeling lively coral reefs all within the same day. But when you are visiting, having so much natural beauty to see and experience can be a little overwhelming.

As a brunch server on Ali’i Drive (shout out to Papa Kona – great food, view & service) , I’ve become a bit of an amateur tour guide. People love to ask a “local” what they should do and see while they are on the Big Island and I love to be able to share that with guests. So, this blog post is for the visitors to Hawaii island who want to know the best things to see and do while they are visiting the Big Island.

Visit Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

I know, I know! It’s a 2+ hour drive from Kona and Madam Pele is hard to predict, but this National Park is well worth the drive, even if Kilauea isn’t erupting!

If you are staying in Kona, I recommend getting a really early start to the day to make the drive over. Pack plenty of snacks, water, a rain jacket and your hiking shoes. If you drive the south way to get to the park, you can make a few stops along the way! I love checking out South Point. It’s about a 45 minute detour (just the drive), but it’s really cool to go to the Southern Most Point in the Entire US. From South Point, continue towards Volcanoes National Park. You’ll go through the cute town of Na’alehu and pass right by Punalu’u Bake Shop! It’s a great place to stop for lunch, malasadas and a clean bathroom break!

Check out the Kilauea live cam here to see if Kilauea is active!

Once you get into the main entrance of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, you should keep to the right on Crater Rim Drive West and stop by the visitor center first. From there, drive past the steam vents and up to the Kilauea overlook. When Kilauea is erupting, this can be a phenomenal viewing location.

After you check out the overlook and the steam vents, head back toward park entrance and on to Crater Rim Drive West to access Kilauea Iki Crater, Nahuku Lava Tube, and the Keanakako’i Overlook. Kilauea Iki is an incredible crater formed by a 1959 eruption. There is a 4 mile hike across the floor of the crater. Download the Kilauea Iki trail guide here to reference during your hike. You’ll also want to check out the Nahuku Lava Tube. Plan to spend 30-90 minutes checking out the Lava Tube. After you leave the lava tube, you may want to check out the Keanakako’i Overlook. This location can be another great viewing spot for the recent Kilauea eruptions. It’s about a one and a half mile hike from the Devastation Trail Parking lot.

After checking out Kilauea, I recommend driving the 19 mile long Chain of Craters Road all the way to the end of the road. Along the way are many places to stop where you can check out lava craters and old lava flows. You likely won’t have cell phone service on this road and there are no places to stop for food, gas, or water along the way. Some highlights to see along Chain of Craters Road are Pauahi Crater, Pu’uloa Petroglyphs, and the Holei Sea Arch. Learn more about all of the stops along Chain of Craters Road here.

*As of the writing of this blog post, the visitor center is closed due to construction. However, you can talk to park rangers at the temporary visitor’s center located in the Kilauea Military Camp.

Do SOMETHING on the water

When on an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, you should 100% enjoy the ocean. A few words of caution though: never turn your back on the ocean. Even at seemingly calm beaches, unexpectedly large and strong waves are always a possibility. Also, only use reef safe sunscreen. Coral reefs are extremely sensitive to the chemicals found in American sunscreens. In the state of Hawaii you can only buy reef safe sunscreen. Please, please, please be sure you use reef safe sunscreen if you have brought some with you from home.

Night Snorkeling with Manta Rays

There are many reputable companies who will transport you to and from beautiful locations that are favorite feeding grounds of manta rays. It’s such an incredible experience to float and snorkel along the surface while giant manta rays swim and feed on plankton underneath you.

Fishing Charters

Kona is home to incredible fisheries. From shallow reef fish to giant pelagic fish, there is fishing for everyone. I’m partial to blue marlin fishing since that is what my husband does for work. They are incredible fish and are generally caught for sport on charter boats, although some people do harvest them for food. If you want to catch a blue marlin, check out The Benchmark here.

Snorkel

The reefs in Hawaii are lively, active, and beautiful to see while snorkeling. You can hike down to the Captain Cook monument and snorkel there. You can also book a kayak or boat tour to Kealakekua Bay to snorkel under the monument. Two Step at Honaunau is also a phenomenal place for snorkeling and is located near Pu’uhonua O Honaunau National Historic Park.

Winter Whale Watching

In the months of November-March, humpback whales migrate to the warmer waters around Hawaii for breeding and calving. You can sometimes see whales breeching from the beach, but I recommend booking a whale watching tour. Being on a boat means you are mobile, so you can move to different locations for a better chance of seeing the whales breech.

Learn About the Hawaiian People & Culture

Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park

Learn how Hawaiian people lived makai (near the ocean) as well as how the geography of the area shaped life for Hawaiians. There are hiking trails, hale, and fish ponds to explore

Pu’uhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park

Also known as the Place of Refuge, Pu’uhonua O Honaunau is another historical park where you can learn about the place where those who broke kapu (sacred laws) and families seeking saftey during times of war could seek refuge here.

Hulihe’e Palace

In the heart of “town” on Ali’i Drive is Hulihe’e Palace, once a favorite vacation home to Hawaiian royalty. It’s now on the National Register of Historic Places and showcases Victorian era artifacts from Hawaiian royalty. Tours are available Wednesday-Saturday. Reservations are recommended for these tours.

Shaka Guide

One of my favorite things to listen to while driving around with visitors to the Big Island is Shaka Guide. These driving tours are affordable, connect right into your car’s audio system and your phone’s GPS, and tell you all about the history of Hawaii while guiding you to some incredible locations. I can’t recommend this app enough!

Book a Sunset & Star Gazing Tour on Mauna Kea

Trust me, book the tour. As much as I am a DIY kind of girl on vacations, this is one of those tours that is well worth the money and worth being with a group of strangers for. Most tour companies provide jackets, a light meal, hot beverages, and tons of knowledge. They also plan out the timing of your tour so you don’t have to worry about having enough time at the Visitor’s Center to acclimate to the altitude before heading to the summit to watch the sun set. The guides are also incredibly knowledgeable about the significance of Mauna Kea to the Hawaiian people and the star gazing portion of your tour.

Visit a Coffee Farm

If you are a coffee drinker, I highly recommend touring one of the over 650 independent coffee farms located within the Kona coffee belt. Not all farms offer tours, but the 40 or so that do offer tours are wonderful sources of knowledge about Kona coffee. A few of my favorite farms to tour are:

• Mountain Thunder Coffee – Nestled in the cloud forest at over 3000′ elevation, Mountain Thunder offers free coffee farm tours every 30 minutes, 7 days per week. I recommend going early in the day, before the clouds and rain settle on the farm.
• Kona Coffee Living History Farm – For those that want to learn more about the history of Kona coffee. The tours are self-guided on Tuesdays-Fridays from 10am-2pm. The Kona Historical Society does charge admission to enjoy the farm.
• Greenwell Farms – Hosts free tours throughout the day that highlight the history and process of growing Kona coffee. I love that this tour is inspired by the Napa Valley Wine Tour.

Final Thoughts

So whether you’re going to be on the Big Island for 3 days or 3 weeks, a well thought out trip will help you to enjoy your time. Don’t fall into the trap of not leaving your resort or AirBnB – get out there and enjoy all that the Big Island has to offer!