Hawaii—the land of beautiful beaches, dramatic landscapes, and blossoming rainbows
Hawaii tips:
Be prepared for wild weather changes—sun, rain, wind, and temperature swings are all possible at any moment when you’re on a tiny island in the middle of the ocean
Keep your eyes peeled for rainbows! Even if it hasn’t rained where you are there are constantly rainbows around that are a real treat to spot.
The islands are very small and you can see a lot in a small amount of time. It’s also really quick and easy to fly between islands, so don’t limit yourself to just visiting one.
Try to get an open jaw flight so you can fly into one island and out of a different one
Two things you may potentially want to do that I did not:
Whale Watching Tour: I did not visit during whale season in Hawaii, but if you are there particularly January-March that is peak whale watching time. I’ve seen a lot of whales in my life and they are magical—highly recommend prioritizing this if you’re there in season.
Coffee Tour: Everyone has probably heard of Kona coffee, and Maui coffee is becoming more popular as well. There are plenty of coffee farms and estates you can tour and taste to see how the coffee bean process works on several of the islands. I have experienced this quite thoroughly in Central America and decided I was all set for more coffee deep dives, but I wanted to put it on your radar as another potentially great thing to do in Hawaii.
I visited the Big Island, O’ahu and Maui, and below are all of recommendations for those three islands. The only other island I contemplated visiting was Kauai to see Waimea Canyon State Park and Nā Pali Coast State Wilderness Park, but since it is such a small island and there is not much out there I decided to spend another day on Maui instead.
Waipi’o Valley
The Big Island (AKA The Island of Hawai’i)
I would recommend 3 full days to explore the entirety of the island, starting and ending your loop in Kailua-Kona.
‘Akaka Falls Trail: This impressive waterfall is reached by a half mile long trail with a few sets of stairs. Kahuna Falls is also along the trail but the view can be overgrown. It is a nice, paved trail that takes about 20 minutes to complete. The entrance fee to the state park is $5 per person, and it is $10 to park, but you can skip that by simply parking alongside the road outside of the gate.
The Hive: An adorable café located in Honomu on the road to ‘Akaka Falls. They’re open for breakfast, lunch and coffee and everything is delicious. Highly recommend!
Mauna Kea: The highest point in Hawaii! You can go up the volcano from either Hilo or Kona, but the Hilo side is a bit closer. The visitor center is at 9,000ft elevation and there are a couple of short trails with nice views here.
Mauna Kea Visitor Center Pu'u Kalepeamoa Trail: A short 1.2 mile long trail up a steep hill to a beautiful viewpoint of Mauna Loa. You are up above the clouds and it is stunning. This is also a popular spot for sunset. It takes about 25 minutes to complete.
You’ll need a 4x4 if you want to drive to the summit, and to take some time to adjust to the altitude at the visitor center. You can also hike up, though this is a very strenuous trail. There are summit tours for sunset and stargazing as well.
Green Sand Beach (Papakolea): There are two options for visiting the famed Green Sand Beach—hike or ride in a local’s pick-up. I hiked the 5 mile long, mostly flat trail out to the beach which took about an hour each way. You essentially walk along the 4x4 path on the coast to the pretty beach. It is quite exposed to sun and wind, so prepare accordingly.
I would highly recommend going in the morning before anyone else is out—including the trucks which I would imagine get noisy and chaotic. Even though this is a beach hike I would recommend hiking boots or tennis shoes for the rocks. Keep your eyes peeled for dolphins!
If you want to have someone drive you out, arrive from ~9am onwards and there will be locals with trucks waiting to take folks out for $20.
The Southernmost point in the US is also right around the corner from the parking lot—it’s about a 10 minute walk down the rocky coast to the marker.
Punalu’u Black Sand Beach: A famed black sand beach right off the highway worth stopping at.
Honua’s Coffee House: A convenient stop for coffee, breakfast, or lunch between the green sand beach and black sand beach.
Waipi’o Valley: A sacred, fertile valley with a beautiful overlook. Visitors cannot enter the valley aside from a shuttle which runs Monday-Saturday. You cannot hike into the valley either—it is overlook or shuttle only.
Kaya’s Kawauni: A nice little café off the highway. They open early and the team is super friendly.
Thurston Lava Tube
Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park:
The ideal time to visit this park is when there is visible lava flowing, which is obviously impossible to time. Check the park’s website to stay up to date on if there is any chance to see flow while you’re on the island.
The entrance fee is $30 if you do not have a National Park Pass. The park is undergoing construction until ~2026 so expect some closures and modifications.
Kilauea Overlook: A cool viewpoint with three overlooks of the crater
Thurston Lava Tube Trail (Nāhuku): A quick, very unique trail through a lava tube. Highly recommend! It is just about 10 minutes and .4 miles long and mostly flat.
Kīlauea Iki and Crater Rim Trail: This trail is 3.4 miles long with 741ft of elevation gain and takes about an hour and a half to complete. It takes you down into and across the crater then back up along the rim. I did this trail backwards, and would highly recommend that way to have less uphill at the end—start going left from the Lava Tube parking lot.
If you’d like to skip the hike, the view at Kīlauea Iki Overlook captures everything quite well and is neat!
Chain of Craters Road: As you might imagine, this is a chain of a variety of craters along the road. It is 20 miles each way out to the coast and back.
For a unique experience, stay at this Airbnb on a lava field at the base of the volcano. This tiny home is off-grid and was a very fun place to stay about an hour from the National Park. For a more traditional stay after visiting the park I’d recommend nearby Hilo.
Kailua-Kona
Ola Brew Co: A nice spot with tasty beers, seltzers, hard juices, hard teas, and a food menu. They also have a location in Hilo.
Stay at Outrigger Kona Resort & Spa: This is a very expansive property with two pools, two restaurants, tennis courts, yoga, and more. They also have a Giant Manta Ray viewing deck to be able to seasonally view these huge, smart fish. It is one of the few spots to see these unique creatures!
Kona Brewing: A full restaurant-style brewery with a pretty patio space. The beer is mass produced and average at best.
On The Rocks: A bar and restaurant on the water with great happy hour specials and validated parking.
Hilo
Rainbow Falls: A nice large waterfall right near town in Wailuku River State Park
Makuʻu Point: A great spot to watch sunrise with waves crashing along the rocks.
Popover: A solid little bakery with sandwiches and donuts
Wailuku Brew Works: This brewery is located in Keeau, just outside of Hilo. It is a small spot that is quite popular. They have a large tap list, cocktails, and a small food menu from Uncle Bob’s BBQ. The beer is pretty average.
Manoa Falls
O’ahu
It’s a quick 30 minute flight from the Big Island to O’ahu. O’ahu is most folks least favorite Hawaiian island and I would echo that—I wanted to go to despite this reputation to see a few key things, and I would still recommend visiting overall, just spend the least amount of time here. A day or two is perfect.
Traffic can be awful and Honolulu is just an average big touristy city essentially, but there are still some gems!
Manoa Falls Trail: This is a moderate 1.9 mile long trail that is relatively steep at points with 577ft of elevation gain up to a pretty waterfall. It can be muddy so proper footwear is key, and it is a very popular trail so expect many other folks. The trail takes just about an hour to complete and parking is $7.
Howzit Brewing: Great beers at this little industrial taproom in Honolulu. They occasionally have food trucks as well. Parking is awful.
Stay at Wayfinder Waikiki: A nice hotel a few blocks inland from the beach. They have a beautiful saltwater pool, a delicious onsite restaurant Redfish Poke, and nice amenities. Parking is valet only, but it looks like if you put some effort in you could find street parking.
Visit Pearl Harbor National Memorial. This is a heavy experience, knowing the tragedy that took place here, but a must. Reserve your USS Arizona experience in advance to take a quick boat ride out to see the memorial. There is a standby line if you don’t get a reservation in advance as well. Note that bags are not allowed into the memorial and parking is $7
Ka’iwa Ridge Trail (Lanikai Pillbox Trail): You can go as far up and out for this trail as you’d like—to different viewpoints, the first pillbox, the second pillbox, or beyond. It is a very steep trail with loose rocks and dirt, so be prepared and know your limits. It’s rated moderate but I would say that is not accurate, it is a difficult trail. The view of the coastline from above is beautiful. To hike to the first pillbox and back is 1.5 miles and takes about 45 minutes. Note that you cannot park at the trailhead itself, it is a private road, but there is street parking down the hill.
Inu Island Ales: A tiny spot with a wide variety of beers in Kaneohe.
The Sunrise Shack: This is a cute spot for açaí bowls and smoothies. They have multiple locations—the one in Kailua is on the way to Lanikai.
Nu’uanu Pali Lookout: This is supposed to be a beautiful viewpoint, but I tried 3 times to visit it and each time the clouds blocked the view. Good luck!
Diamond Head Crater Summit Trail: This is a popular 1.9 mile long relatively steep trail with 515ft of elevation gain. Reservations are required, and the latest you can enter is 4:30pm with gates closing at 6pm. I had a reservation but ended up skipping it because the weather was not cooperating—I am still including it on my suggestions because I had planned to hike it and have heard good things.
Haleakalā National Park
Maui
It’s a quick 20 minute flight from Honolulu to Maui. I would recommend 3-4 full days to explore the entirety of the island. If you like boujie-beach filled vacations you can definitely do that on Maui, but my recommendations will focus more on the adventure aspects of the island.
Kanaha Beach Park: A nice beach behind the airport with some shade from the trees. A good beach to spot sea turtles at!
Tiffany’s: Delicious restaurant for Asian fusion eats. Great vibes and really fantastic eats. It is a popular spot, so you can join the waitlist online ahead of time if needed. Located in Wailuku, not too far from the airport.
Esters Fair Prospect: A really cute cocktail bar serving up killer drinks with a few snacks as well. Located on the main strip of Wailuku.
Take a helicopter tour! I went with Air Maui, but there are several companies offering very similar tours. I did the West Maui and Molokai Tour which was neat—Molokai is the neighboring island that has virtually no tourism so it was awesome to get to drop into the valleys full of waterfalls and see such remote areas.
Air Maui has a single seat special where you can call the day before to see what single seats they have left open and get added to the tour for just $100 (saving hundreds of dollars!). Huge win for solo travelers.
Pa’īa
A nice little town 10 minutes from the airport—wander the shops and restaurants along the main strip. The Road to Hana also starts/ends here (depending on your route).
Wabisabi Soba & Sushi: A solid spot for Japanese eats with outdoor dining
Baldwin Beach Park: Beautiful beach with ample parking
Haleakalā National Park
This National Park has two sections: Summit & Kipahulu. There is not a road through the park to connect the two. Kipahulu is along The Road to Hana, so more on that later. For the Summit section there are just a handful of trails and overlooks here, so I would say a half day is plenty of time to tackle this section.
The entrance fee is $30 if you do not have a National Park Pass.
Watching the sunrise at the summit is the most popular thing to do in the park. Reservations are required to enter between 3-7am and the summit visitor center parking lot has limited spaces so go early to snag a spot. Don’t give up hope—most of the folks that were there the day I was left because it was cloudy but about 10 minutes after the sun actually rose it burned off all the clouds and it was stunning.
The summit is at 10,000ft so it can be cold and windy, especially before the sun comes up, so be sure to dress appropriately. The weather changes rapidly at that elevation so you never know what to expect!
Leleiwi Overlook Trail: This is a quick .3 mile trail out to a nice viewpoint where you can see the crater, the coastline, and the summits on the Big Island. There is a cozy little shelter at the trail end to block the wind.
Sliding Sands Trail (Kéonehe’ehe’e): This trailhead is at the summit visitor center goes out downhill across the crater—you can do a few different things here: hike out as far as you’d like a turn back, hike to Kapalaoa Cabin, or hike point to point and hitchhike back. Just keep in mind you are starting this trail at 10,000ft of elevation gain so it can be tough on your body.
The Upcountry
Mahalo Aleworks: A solid brewery in Makawao. The upstairs patio has nice views. They partner with Upcountry Sausage and neighboring Marlow for food.
There is also a food truck park across the street with Maui Pizza Truck which is delicious!
MauiWine: A lovely winery in Kula offering tastings, glasses, and bottles in a little cottage. The winery is all quite tasty. Make reservations in advance to avoid a wait.
Ocean Distillery: A great spot for food and drinks with beautiful views. Vodka is their primary liquor distilled here, but they have a robust menu offering. They also offer tours.
Sun Yet-Sen Park: A little roadside park with a nice view, especially for sunset.
I stayed at this Airbnb which was a nice little studio. It’s a half hour from the National Park entrance and has pretty sunset views.
The Road To Hana
The Road to Hana
The famed Road To Hana is a must while on Maui. It is a scenic drive full of 620 curves with roadside waterfalls, state and national parks, beautiful views, and more!
I would recommend downloading the Shaka Guide ahead of time for nice narration through your drive and recommendations on where to stop. I don’t normally pay for things like this but it was a good tool for this unique path + gave lots of history and context to what you are seeing.
I did the reverse loop starting with the backside of the road which is desolate and beautiful—most folks miss this part and just drive from Paia to Hana and back which is fine, but there are some great stops after Hana and why drive the same route twice if you don’t have to? It took me about 7 hours to do the drive from Kula to Paia with lots of stops and hikes along the way. Some recommendations:
Kipahulu section of Haleakalā National Park: There are just a couple of trails here on this rainforest-y side of the park and very few folks. The Seven Sacred Pools Trail (‘Ohe’o Gulch) is a .6 mile long mostly flat trail out to the famed pools along the coast and takes about 20 minutes to complete.
Wailua Falls: A really big waterfall right off the road not far after the park
Skip Venus Pools: This is a muddy overgrown path out to swimming hole and rocky beach about 5-10 minutes from road
Hana is a nice little isolated town with a few amenities
Waiʻānapanapa State Park: This is an awesome area with a black sand beach, sea arch, blowhole, and lava tube along a rugged coastline. Reservations are required to visit.
Don’t miss the lava tube cave off the side of the road not too far after the state park
Pua'a Ka'a State Wayside Park: Home to a nice little waterfall and stretch break
Keep your eyes peeled for Rainbow Eucalyptus and Banyan trees along the route after the park
Twin Falls: This is one of the most popular attractions on the road and the last one before Paia. I found it to be the most overrated and wouldn’t return. It’s $10 to park and enter with 3 waterfalls here and folks swimming in each. After spending most of the day on my own discovering these unique views and hidden waterfalls it felt very toursity and meh to me.
West Maui
Waihe’e Ridge Trail: This trail is 4.5 miles long with 1,591ft of elevation gain and is rated hard. This trail is on the tropical side of the island so expect hot, humid, and potentially rainy conditions making this trail incredibly muddy and pretty steep at times. There is a picnic table at the summit to sit and enjoy the views—but be prepared that a lot of the times the summit is covered in clouds and the best views are from a bit lower. It takes about 2.5 hours to complete.
The backside of West Maui from Waihe’e Ridge to Kapalua is a wild ride—literally. It is a one lane road for long stretches with blind curves along the cliffside. The drive is not for the faint of heart, but it is quite beautiful and definitely a unique experience!
Olivine Pools: This is an interesting little viewpoint of the pools below—be extremely careful here, the trail is very slick and folks have died on the trail getting down to the pools. I’d recommend just stopping at the rock cliff where you can see the pools below to be safe, especially if it has rained and the trail is slippery.
Nakalele Blowhole: This is another unique stop on the route to a large blowhole. Keep in mind this is a naturally phenomenon and not a waterpark—be careful.
Slaughterhouse Beach: This is a really nice beach with good waves and soft sand.
Dragon’s Teeth Trail: A short .8 mile long trail that is mostly flat out to Makaluapuna Point and a labyrinth with sharp jagged rocks that are “teeth” sticking up on the shoreline. It takes about 20 minutes to complete and I would recommend proper footwear for the rocky terrain.
Kapalua Bay Beach: A small but really nice beach popular for snorkeling because the water is so clear.
Island Vibes Café: A delicious little spot for breakfast and lunch. Good vibes indeed!
Miso Phat Sushi: This popular sushi restaurant has two locations in West Maui. The eats are delicious and they are BYOB.
Maui Brewing: This brewery has 5 locations—3 on Maui and 2 on O’ahu. They have full restaurants with each and very different settings. The Kahana location is not the vibe. It’s hot, dark, there’s no outdoor seating, and the food is mediocre—so try one of the other taprooms while you’re visiting.
Kayak: Hawaii in general but also West Maui is a popular spot to kayak—most tours are a combination of kayaking and snorkeling, some on clear kayaks. My booking got cancelled due to high winds, but would definitely recommend checking it out.
Kahekili Beach Park: Another great beach with plenty of parking, super clear water and beautiful views of Lanai and Molokai
Maui Fruit Ninja: This pop-up moves locations and has crazy acai bowls and yummy juices. Definitely recommend!
Leoda’s Kitchen and Pie Shop: Super cute shop for delicious pies and lunch items, plus a farmers market is next door.
Papawai Scenic Lookout: Pretty spot popular for whale watching in the winter months.
Lahaina: Previously a popular town in West Maui that was destroyed by wildfires. They’re working quickly to rebuild so perhaps in the future it will be somewhere to visit again.
‘Īoa Valley State Monument: I would not recommend going out of your way for this—there is one trail the lao Needle Lookout Trail and Ethnobotanical Loop which is a quick and easy .6 of a mile that takes about 15 minutes to complete with a couple of lookout points. Reservations are required, but you can actually skip paying for parking in advance and park in the road outside the gate.
