The Ultimate Guide to The Big Island of Hawaii - Everything You Need to Know and More!!

hey there folks Scottdale travel chick sidekick here to present our ultimate Visitor Guide to the big island of Hawaii in this video we'll cover all the top things you want to see and do along with details of how to get around where to stay the best times to visit and all the top sites called out on maps so you'll know where everything is once you get there and we'll throw in a few Pro tips too just to make you feel special you're not going to see a better guide on the big island than this I guarantee it so sit back grab some popcorn and let's get into it first up just a bit of background on the big island of Hawaii the big island is of course the largest of the Hawaiian islands and it's bigger than all the other Hawaiian Islands combined and it's still growing thanks to kilaa volcano on the east coast of the island another fun fact the big island is officially called the island of Hawaii but since most tourists think of the overall island chain as Hawaii the biggest of the islands is typically referred to Simply as the Big Island although it's big it has the least population density of any of the islands here there's a total popul of less than 200,000 people spread out across the entire Island the biggest town is actually Hilo on the less visited East Coast with a population of just 45,000 people and the next biggest town is Kona on the west coast with a population of less than 20,000 another key point to the big island is that each side of the island is pretty distinct the eastern half of the island has Lush rainforests multiple famous waterfalls the best hikes on the island as well as the very popular Hawaii Volcano National Park while the western side of the island has more sun but is also much more Barren with large expanses of flat lava Fields everywhere but with some absolutely beautiful beaches thrown in along the coast taken as a whole though if you like Adventure and getting outside in the Great Outdoor in addition to lazing around on some gorgeous beaches then this island is for [Music] you how to get there and how to get around unlike the other Hawaiian Islands the Big Island actually has two international airports the Kona International Airport on the west coast in the Hilo International Airport on the East Coast the vast majority of tourists arrived to the Kona Airport on the west coast but our Pro tip is to not forget about the Hilo airport there are multiple direct flights from the US Mainland to Hilo and flying into one airport and out of the other is a really great way to more easily explore the entirety of the Big Island once you've arrived how best to get around well there's really only one answer you need to rent a car car there's really no way to experience all the big island has to offer without driving it and they don't call it the big island for nothing in general driving between the East and West coasts takes about 2 hours and driving to the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park from the more popular West Coast resort areas will also take you about 2 hours so be prepared there will be a lot of driving if you want to see all the big island has to offer what about the best times to visit the Big Island well just like the rest of Hawaii the weather is warm and pleasant year round with highs typically in the 80s and lows in the 70s so there's really no true bad time to visit but if we were forced to pick the best months we'd say visit in April and May or September member or October as these periods have fewer tourists the weather is still great and it's just a bit less expensive during these slightly off peak times and if you're curious about the ocean temperatures it's always about 75 to 80° F year round so you can swim comfortably either in July or January now let's talk just a little bit about where to stay there are really three main areas to consider on the big island the West Coast or leeward side has two the Kona or kyua area and the woa area further north almost all the major tourist hotels are on this side of the island and you'll pay top dollar for the privilege of staying here Kona is the primary town on this side of the island but it's still a very small small charming and idealic experience staying in this area here you'll find mostly smaller homey lodging options at least compared to the W coloa area further north the W coloa area and the Kahala Coast are where the big dogs run here is where you'll find some of the most expensive resorts in all of Hawaii along with multiple larger master plan communities and high-end golf courses if you're curious about one of the most famous options check out our separate video review of the Hilton W coloa Resort the third area to consider staying is Hilo on the Eastern side of the island although a bit wetter this area does have its advantages and to be honest we actually prefer this side the best first up it's much less expensive to stay on this side of the island perhaps half the price or less compared to the Kona Coast and you're are much closer to many of the big Islands best attractions such as the Volcano National Park and the popular aaka Falls finally you'll simply get a more authentic experience of the real Hawaii on this side of the island if you do decide to stay on this side just note though there are no big Resorts here the closest option you'll have to a resort will be the Hilton Double Tree Grand nanoa which is a relatively quaint old school experience nonetheless we do really like this place and if you want to learn more about that property check out a dedicated review of it just search Hilo Double Tree okay with all that out of the way let's get to all the top things you'll want to see and do on the big island of Hawaii and when I say all I'm going to give you tons of ideas here more than any other travel guide you watch I guarantee it and I'll group everything into two main East and West areas which you can consider independently however there's a lot to cover on the big island so if you don't have at least a week or more to see everything I'll talk about you'll certainly need to pick pick and choose among all the choices first up are the sites along the Kona Coast or the west side of the island I start on this side as most tourists base themselves on this side of the island and I'll cover the sites from north to south as you might do on your own day trip but again be aware there are too many sites even just on this side to see in one day first up on the North End of the island is the Kohala Coast in poo Valley poo Valley is at the very end of the road and the primary sight here is simply the drive out and the view from the polaro valley Lookout if you have a bit of energy once you get here you can also do the short but steep 6 mile or 20-minute hike down to a beautiful black sand beach surrounded by 500t Cliffs it's one of the best short hikes on the Island and note that this hike to the beach is just the first part of a more extensive Trail you can hike into the adjacent Valley if you're up for the challenge the next site moving south from poo Valley is the small town of kapu and its famous King Kamehameha statue it's one of two identical Kamehameha statues with the other being in front of the Hawaii state courthouse in downtown Honolulu be sure to check out the interesting story on this one which was recovered from the bottom of the ocean next up is the laaka historical fishing Village this park has a very nice 1em Loop hike through the remains of a partially restored Hawaiian fishing Village dating back more than 600 years there's some very beautiful coast line to take in as well as some interesting history here and it's not well known but we'd really recommend to stop here particularly if you have kids continuing with the history theme the puu Kohala Hao site is next it's one of the largest and the last sacred Hawaiian Hao built prior to Western influence and it has a very nice Visitor Center here covering quite a bit of Hawaiian history along with a short interesting movie you can watch and pro tip just below this site is Spen beach with shade trees white sand calm Waters and good snorkeling this is a Hidden Gem few people know about next up is famous Hapuna Beach it's the largest white sand beach on the island and it's also one of the most popular there are entry and parking fees here of $5 and $10 respectively but you'll get a small Cafe with food and drink plenty of soft sand good swimming or or surfing when the water is more rough and even some nice snorkeling to the South and there's a piece of the alaka hake Coastal Trail which runs from the north side of this beach up to Moana Kay Beach which is another Beauty worth checking out next up heading south is the large master plan community of woa here you have the massive Hilton Resort along with a Marriott and tons of time share VRBO properties in addition to the Hilton's private Lagoon and dolphin Quest where you can swim at Dolphins there's another short hike here we'd recommend it's the Y coloa Petroglyph Reserve hike or King mamal laoa Petroglyph Trail it's an easy hike and has one of the best preserved Petroglyph sites on the island continuing down the Kona Coast you'll next come to kiholo Bay this is a great place that few people visit a nature Conservatory manages the area where you can take a short hike to the Bay which has a small black sand beach a freshwater bathing cave and a man-made water channel to a very large 2m long 1800s Hawaiian fishing pond bonus here the fish pond is largely reconstructed and you are bound to see some turtles when the Min aali Beach and Kua Bay are next this is another mile long white sand beauty that tends to be less visited than most so if you looking for a great beach with less people this should be one of your top choices continuing down the coast we now come to another popular site kikaha Kai State Park it's a free park and it's one of the better sites on this side of the island [Music] plus it's a twofer as there's a nice hike to the north to maaaa beach this one is a little bit longer at 2 and 1/2 mil round trip and you'll hike past some older ruins in a really cool little palm Oasis then across an expansive lava field through some unique sand dunes to finally reach that secluded and beautiful Macalana Beach okay let's stop with the beaches for a bit huh next up is a secret lava tube but this really shouldn't be secret as it's right on the Main Road Route 19 and it's just north of the airport there are a couple of small nondescript signs here but thousands go by it every day without thinking twice however we recommend you take a quick stop here and check it out particularly if you don't have time to do the more impressive impressive kamana caves on the other side of the island so this is the lava tube you might be able to see a little bit of light at the other end so it actually goes out to the other side at this point you'll now be passing the airport and you'll next come to the coko honokoa National Historic Park this 12,000 acre park has a visitor center to explore and some interesting Hawaiian history with petroglyphs and multiple hayout make it to the beach to also see some of the historic fish ponds and a traditional thatched roof building and I can almost guarantee you'll see turtles here I know I say that a lot but I would say this beach is probably the best on the island for routine Turtle sightings if you look closely you can count six Turtles floating in the water here next up you'll come to the biggest town on this side of the island Kona once you visit you'll see what I mean by big as in not very the main area along the ocean has a quaint little village feel with some great local dining and shopping options as well as two historic sites to see moku I Kawa I think church is one of them this is Hawaii's oldest Christian Church founded back in 1820 and it's free to visit juli he's Palace is another one and it's one of only three Royal homes in the United States built in 1838 this was a vacation spot for many of Hawaii's royalty today it's a museum showcasing Victorian era artifacts with a $6 admission in this area around Kona you'll also have a number of farm tour options I'm not going to mention all of them here is there's too many but let me just quickly say there are at least three coffee plantation tours as well as a sea salt Farm a bee farm and even an octopus Farm take your pick and enjoy it moving further south you'll come to three more popular beaches first up is kahaluu Beach this is a wide protected Bay just a few mil south of kona town and offers some of the Island's best and most easily accessible snorkeling the next Beach is a famous one but not an easy one to get to Captain Cook Bay and Monument this area is a protected marine conservation Zone where you'll have only two options to get there one is a somewhat strenuous 4M roundtrip hike and the other is to hire a Boat Company to take you there we'd recommend the boat option and note that this is one of the most popular tours on the island so check out our links below the video if you want to see a couple of our recommendations on the best providers the third Beach here is another big one Honan Bay and twostep Beach be aware that this one's quite popular so it's almost always crowded and I use the word Beach literally for this one is it's largely just lava rocks everywhere but it's another great snorkeling area and it's quite convenient for those staying in the Kona area and right next door is p now oh now National Historic Park but unlike many of the parks here this one has an admission fee of $20 per vehicle here you can take a self-guided walk and Hike another portion of that ancient Hawaiian Coastal path I've mentioned after this site there aren't any more notable sites until you get to the very bottom of the island so you can either turn around and call it a day or you can drive another 1 to 1 and 1/2 hours to see three more popular sites at the very bottom of the Kona Coast some people try to cram these in to a day trip to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park or with some of the sites I've already mentioned but honestly our recommendation is to group these three sites as a separate day trip just to the South part of the island South Point here is the southernmost point on the island and the southernmost point in all of the United States to get there it's a 12m or 20 minute drive off the Ring Road to a wind swept Plateau sitting on cliffs above the ocean fun fact this South po Point area is thought to be the landing place of Hawaii's first inhabitants of course there are incredible views here in an ancient hayow to explore but one of the most popular things to do here is a daring Cliff jump I came down here just to do this but the ocean was a little bit too rough and no one was making the jump on the day I went there how about you would you do this jump also down this road to South Point is one of the most famous beaches on the island papaia green sand beach it's one of the most Instagram popular beaches in Hawaii but it's not easy to get to it's either a 5em roundtrip hike or you pay a local 25 bucks for them to take you down in the back of their truck honestly I'd say this is overrated but a lot of people do it as it's one of only four green sand beaches in the [Music] world finally the last site on the Kona side of the island and the third site in this area is another popular trendy Beach Puna Lulu's black sand beach it's another 15 M or 25 minutes past the turnoff to South Point and it's said to be the best black sand beach in Hawaii so I guess it's a must se but swimming here isn't easy and this place tends to be crowded if you want to just take a quick peek here at this beach and not do any of the South Point sites it is possible to do this on your way from Kona to the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park phew with that I have finished all the top sites on the Kona Coast or West Side of the island and now we're off to the other side of the island and a couple of top sites in the in the middle but before I get there just a quick shout out to say if you're enjoying this video please give us a thumbs up a comment too or even better forward this to some of your friends and please consider subscribing to our channel to receive more fun informative travel videos just like this one and if you're interested in comparing the big island to other Hawaiian Islands be sure to check out our other toprated ultimate guides to both Kawaii and aw wo as well as our top rated day trip guide to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and Pearl Harbor okay onward we go as I did on the west coast I'll cover all the top sites on the Hilo Coast or the east side of the island running from north to south but before I get over there let me just cover two big sites kind of in the middle of the island one is monaa volcano in Observatory I'd say this is definitely one of the must dos on the island and it's only a 15-minute detour off the Saddle road going between Kona and Hilo it's possible to drive all the way up to the 13,800 ft Summit if you have a 4x4 but our suggestion is to Simply make it to the visitor center at around 10,000 ft and arrive Just Before Sunset spend a little time checking out the little Museum they have here then head up the hill across the street to see one of the most incredible sunsets of your life if you catch the day right it will take your breath away after Sunset wait around a little bit and then do some stargazing with volunteers who show up here every [Music] evening the other big site around on the center of the island is the biggest attraction of them all on the big island it's Hawaii's volcano National Park and really it's more a part of the Hilo side of the island but I put it here separately as it absolutely deserves a full day of your time if not more this is often the main reason people come to the big island and you won't find something like this anywhere else in the world the bad news though is that but I'm not going to cover it in detail here but the good news is we have a top rated day trip Guide to the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park check that out to learn everything you need to know about doing the perfect day trip to the park and just for fun here's a bonus pick from way back now we're ready to cover the best sites on the Hilo or east coast side of the island with its bio diverse rainforests rugged Untamed coasts Charming Plantation towns and the quaint Hilo this side of the island is a great option for nature lovers looking to see a more Lush and untouched Hawaii starting from the very North we come to the Haka coast and wepo Valley this area is famous for its rugged Coastline waterfalls and stunning scenery and the wipo valley at the very end of the road here is famous for being the boyhood home of King kamea the today it remains a lush Valley surrounded by steep Cliffs home to cascading waterfalls small local farms and a rich history it's not easy to get down into but it is possible to take a tour of this Valley with the right provider next up moving south is the small MOA tea Farm here you can explore a green tea farm and experience a tea ceremony lots of Japanese and Zen feelings here check their website for booking details and it's by appointment only next up is the kalopa state park this is a little known Park but it has a really great hike here number one you'll likely be the only ones there and number two it's a short less than a mile Loop hike and great for a family hike through a breezy rainforest at a 2,000 FT elevation moving further south you'll come to lapah hoo point this is a very Scenic spot with crashing waves and great views up the coast but this site also has some tragic history related to a devastating tsunami in 1946 you can learn more about it on the placards around this park after this you'll next come to one of the biggies on this side of the island a cocka fall State Park here you have a short but beautiful rainforest Loop hikee through a small Canyon in Bamboo Grove to a very nice waterfall it's definitely worth a stop but this one is not free it's $5 per person and $10 per vehicle to park just check out our drone shot of this park which don't you want to hike here onomia Scenic Drive is next and this is a 4M detour along a rural historical road the road takes you underneath jungle canopies through old cane Fields passing waterfalls Crossing Creeks as well as local swimming holes it's a really great treat in itself and along the drive there are also two special sites worth considering one is the the onomia trail or donkey Trail it's a short 15-minute hike through the Lush rainforest and down along the coast past two bays this one really is one of the best hikes in the island in our opinion so do consider giving it a [Applause] stop the other site here is the Hawaii tropical gardens there is unfortunately a size of $30 per person admission fee so consider if it's worth it to explore a nature preserve with more than 2,000 different types of plants flowers and trees along with the three tiered onomia Falls and a butterfly Sanctuary next you'll come to the biggest town on the big island Hilo Hilo started out as a farming and fishing Village and quickly grew into a bustling town during during the sugar Plantation era of the 1800s and the most appealing thing about Hilo Beyond its natural beauty on a great Bay is the surroundings of the town here you'll have choices of waterfalls volcanic history caves rainforests and more here are just some of the options within the town or within a short 5minute drive away Lily uo colani Gardens in the adjacent coconut Island are directly in town and on the bay here you can visit a pleasant Japanese garden and picturesque Bridge see some absolutely huge banon trees and even do a small jump into the ocean if you're up for it and every Wednesday and Saturday Hilo has a farmers market with not only fruits vegetables and local drinks but also locally made knickknacks you can buy as souvenirs if you're looking for some local history both the Pacific tsunami Museum and the Lyman Museum in Mission House are here too within a 5-minute Drive of town you also have three very family-friendly beaches to consider you'll notice these are very different from the West Coast beaches I talked about earlier but I think these are just as nice in their own way particularly if you have kids first up is the Oni kahaa kahaa Beach Park it's a mellow option with a protected ocean area and a depth of only 3 to 4 ft along with a Sandy Bottom and an easy stepped entry next up after that are two more nice beaches right next to each other Carl Smith Beach and then Richardson Beach they are both great for just chilling out and relaxing and Richardson has perhaps the best snorkeling on this side of the island just outside Hilo in the nearby area you have three more popular sites Rainbow Falls and boiling pots are first these two sites are within the wuku River State Park Rainbow Falls is very easy to get to as it's only 40 yards from the free parking lot and it tends to display a rainbow in the mornings hence its name it's not a tall waterfall but it does flow over a natural lava cave boiling pots or P Falls is just after Rainbow Falls and this one is a series of smaller waterfalls which sometimes look like boiling pots of water when the flow is high kamana lava tube cave is next in our opinion it's one of the best free things to do on this side of the island if you're up for some Adventure here you can free really hike on your own through a large lava tube in two different directions be sure to bring a flashlight and don't just count on your cell phone here and I'll mention another lava cave later if you'd prefer to have a guided tour so we're at Kam on caves this costell travel chick is going to go down down here this cave goes for about 3 miles left and right and you're only limited by your daringness and the flashlight you [Music] have it's not lit like the one at the Volcano National Park so this is depending upon again what you have as a flashlight you can see some people in here than everybody finally wanoa macadamia nut factory tour is just south of Hilo here you can taste various flavors of nuts learn how they are harvested and processed and see their manufacturing process and action through some observation Windows we're going to look at this packing facility now after all the Hilo sites I'll group the last section here into what I will call the Puna coast drive for perspective just this portion of the East Coast will likely take you most of a day so consider if you really want to combine this with something else or not we recommend not anyway way along this drive you'll see some of the most beautiful Coast on the island and the drive is an awesome experience all by itself first up as you drive south from Hilo you'll come to that other lava cave I mentioned earlier it's called kilaa caverns of fire and here you can book a tour with a guide check their website directly as the tours need to be booked in advance next up will be the Bohemian town of pooa this small downtown still has its historic Century old plantation era buildings and it's worth a quick stop for a shave ice or a bite to eat fun fact this town has the highest concentration of historic buildings in all of Hawaii from pooa you'll drive 15 minutes more and come to your first Beach kaimu black sand beach this used to be be one of the most beautiful black sand beaches in the world until a 1990 eruption covered the entire Bay and surrounding area with lava up to 50t thick while adding almost 1,000 Acres of new land to the island the new kaimu beach is an interesting site to explore and while you're doing that it's also interesting to think that for many people visiting the land and the beach here are younger than they are [Applause] Kenna black sand beach is next along the drive but it's maybe not a stop for the kiddos as this small black sand beach has long been known as a clothing optional Beach the Scottdale travel chick seems to fancy checking this place out every time we visit I wonder why moving further along the drive you'll next come to a small pulloff area for LA the land Beach this is not really a beach but it's a beautiful piece of the Coast with flowing palm trees and it's said to be one of the most photographed spots on the island after laala land you'll next come to McKenzie State Park here you can experience some dramatic Sea Cliffs along a rugged piece of the coast watch the waves crash against the cliffs here and take a short but Scenic hike to the South finally at the very end of the road you'll come to POI Bay and hot springs at Isaac hail Park this was at one time another nice black sand beach until another eruption this time in 2018 covered the beach and all the land to the north what is left today are some small hot springs which are surprisingly the only public hot springs on the Big Island this park is worth checking out as well as the end of the road here just think the road continued on from here for miles but it's all now covered by lava 10 to 20t deep when you take this road you can see it dead ends in kind of a spectacular way and you're not going to go any farther once you get to here huh [Music] well this video is getting pretty long at this point so I need to wind things down but I'd be remiss if I didn't speak at least briefly on a couple of the top tours to consider while you're on the big island of course the most popular tour here and famous the world over is the manor Ray night tour who wouldn't want to go out and pitch black water and see 12T Manor Rays swim directly up into your face face we absolutely did this and we loved it we really think it's worth it and check out our links Below on a recommended tour [Music] provider next up would be whale and dolphin watching tours if you're visiting during the whale season roughly from January through late March then this is another great tour there are many tour providers but again check our recommendations in the comment section below finally the third top tour I'll mention is the captain cook Bay tour I touched on earlier this is another good one to a secluded snorkel Bay and it's quite popular plus you'll very likely see whales on this tour too if you go between January and March well there you have it folks our ultimate Visitor Guide to the big island of Hawaii we hope you enjoyed I certainly covered a lot but did we miss any of your favorites or do you have a secret tip you'd like to share with others please let us know in the comments section below and please consider subscribing to our channel for more fun informative travel videos just like this one until next time see you [Music] later this

Channel: Scottsdale Travel Chick

Views: 69,130

Keywords: big island, hawaii vacation, island of hawaii, big island hawaii, big island things to do, hawaii things to do, akaka falls, hawaii, hawaii family vacation, hawaii travel, things to do hawaii, big island activities, big island kid stuff, big island family activities, hawaii family things, big island travel guide, big island hawaii things to do, hawaii travel guide, which hawaii island to visit, things to do in hawaii, hawaii volcanoes national park, island of hawaii guide

Id: RfE4oZ0YXWg

Length: 37min 58sec (2278 seconds)

Published: Sat Feb 24 2024