Things to do · Big Island (Hawaiʻi) · United States
19 best things to do in Big Island (Hawaiʻi)
19 sights and experiences ranked for a first visit, with honest notes on time, cost and crowds.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Pictured: Maunakea, Big Island (Hawaiʻi) · Photo: Vadim Kurland, CC BY 2.0
Quick answer
The essential sights in Big Island (Hawaiʻi) are Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, Maunakea and Hāpuna Beach. Of the 19 picks below, 7 are free, 3 work on a rainy day and 7 suit children. Allow about 8 days to see the highlights without rushing.
Key facts
- Top sight
- Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park
- Free sights
- 7
- Good on a rainy day
- ʻImiloa Astronomy Center
- Time to see the highlights
- 8 days
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At a glance
| Sight | Area | Time needed | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park | Volcano | A full day | Mid-priced |
| Maunakea | Maunakea | Half a day | Free |
| Hāpuna Beach | Kohala Coast | Half a day | Low cost |
| ʻAkaka Falls State Park | Hāmākua Coast | 1 hour | Low cost |
| Kīlauea Iki Trail | Volcano | 2–3 hours | Mid-priced |
| Chain of Craters Road | Volcano | 2–3 hours | Mid-priced |
| Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park | South Kona | 1.5 hours | Low cost |
| Kealakekua Bay | South Kona | Half a day | Mid-priced |
| Manta ray night snorkel | Kailua-Kona | 2–3 hours | Expensive |
| Punaluʻu Black Sand Beach | Kaʻū | 1 hour | Free |
| Papakōlea Green Sand Beach | Kaʻū | 3–4 hours | Free |
| Rainbow Falls (Waiānuenue) | Hilo | 30 minutes | Free |
| Liliʻuokalani Gardens | Hilo | 1 hour | Free |
| Hilo Farmers Market | Hilo | 1 hour | Free |
| ʻImiloa Astronomy Center | Hilo | 2 hours | Mid-priced |
| Pacific Tsunami Museum | Hilo | 1 hour | Low cost |
| Kona coffee farm visit | South Kona and Hōlualoa | 1–1.5 hours | Low cost |
| Huliheʻe Palace | Kailua-Kona | 45 minutes | Low cost |
| Puʻukoholā Heiau National Historic Site | Kohala Coast | 45 minutes | Free |
The 19 best things to do
Nature · Volcano
1.Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park
The park protects Kīlauea and much of Mauna Loa. Crater Rim Drive and its overlooks look into the summit caldera and Halemaʻumaʻu crater, where eruptions in recent years have sometimes produced visible lava; steam vents, sulphur banks and short walks are nearby. Conditions change constantly, so the visitor centre and the park website give the latest on eruption activity and closures.
Visit the caldera overlooks after dark if there is an active eruption, when any glow is most visible, and bring a warm layer because the summit is cool at night.
- Time needed
- A full day
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- Nature
- Kids
- After dark
- Photo spot
Nature · Maunakea
2.Maunakea
The island's highest peak is a sacred mountain in Hawaiian tradition and home to major astronomical observatories at its 4,207-metre summit. The Visitor Information Station at about 2,800 metres has stargazing programmes on some evenings, and the summit road beyond it requires a four-wheel-drive vehicle.
Stop at the visitor station for at least 30 minutes to acclimatise before going higher, and do not go to the summit with children under 13, if pregnant, or with heart or lung conditions.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Views
- After dark
- Nature
- Free
Beach · Kohala Coast
3.Hāpuna Beach
A long crescent of white sand on the Kohala Coast, often ranked among Hawaiʻi's finest beaches, with lifeguards, picnic shelters and good swimming and bodyboarding in calm conditions.
Arrive in the morning for parking and calmer water; winter swells can create strong shorebreak and currents.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Low cost
- Kids
- Outdoors
- Iconic
Nature · Hāmākua Coast
4.ʻAkaka Falls State Park
A paved loop of under a kilometre leads through bamboo, ginger and heliconia to ʻAkaka Falls, which drops about 135 metres into a gorge, with the smaller Kahūnā Falls on the way. It is about 25 minutes north of Hilo.
Combine it with the Hāmākua Coast drive and a stop in the old sugar town of Honomū.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- Book ahead
- Non-residents pay an entry and parking fee; check the state parks website before you go.
- Nature
- Kids
- Photo spot
- Iconic
Nature · Volcano
5.Kīlauea Iki Trail
A loop of about 6.4 km descends through rainforest onto the floor of the Kīlauea Iki crater, which was a lava lake in 1959. You walk across a cracked, steaming crust of solidified lava before climbing back up the rim.
Start early before tour groups arrive, and walk anticlockwise for the most gradual descent onto the crater floor.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Active
- Nature
- Outdoors
- Photo spot
Viewpoint · Volcano
6.Chain of Craters Road
This road descends about 1,100 metres over roughly 30 km from the summit to the coast, past pit craters, recent lava flows and the Puʻu Loa petroglyphs, ending near the Hōlei Sea Arch. There are no services along the way.
Fill up with fuel and carry water before you start; the descent and return take at least two hours with stops.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Views
- Nature
- History
- Photo spot
Historic site · South Kona
7.Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park
A place of refuge where people who broke kapu (sacred law) could be spared if they reached its walls. The park has a reconstructed temple guarded by carved kiʻi images, a massive stone wall and royal grounds, and green sea turtles often rest on the lava shoreline.
Snorkel at Two Step, the lava-ledge entry just north of the park, before or after your visit.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Kids
- Photo spot
Nature · South Kona
8.Kealakekua Bay
A marine life conservation district below high cliffs, with some of Hawaiʻi's clearest water and coral at Kaʻawaloa near the white Captain Cook Monument, which marks where James Cook was killed in 1779. Spinner dolphins often rest in the bay in the mornings.
Reach the monument snorkelling area on a permitted boat or kayak tour, or by the steep Kaʻawaloa trail; do not chase or approach resting dolphins.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Nature
- Active
- History
- Outdoors
Experience · Kailua-Kona
1.Manta ray night snorkel
After dark, boats anchor off the Kona coast and shine lights that attract plankton, which in turn draws manta rays with wingspans that can exceed three metres. Snorkellers float holding a lit board while the rays feed beneath them.
Choose a small-group operator that follows the manta-viewing guidelines, and take seasickness tablets if you are prone to it.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Expensive
- Book ahead
- Tours fill up in peak seasons; book a few days ahead.
- After dark
- Nature
- Couples
- Active
Beach · Kaʻū
2.Punaluʻu Black Sand Beach
On the south coast between Kona and the volcano, this beach of jet-black sand is a regular basking spot for green sea turtles. Cold freshwater springs seep into the bay and the swimming can be rough.
Stay at least 3 metres from resting turtles, and do not take any black sand; removing it is prohibited.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Nature
- Photo spot
- Kids
Beach · Kaʻū
3.Papakōlea Green Sand Beach
One of only a few green-sand beaches in the world, its olive tint comes from olivine crystals eroded from a cinder cone. It is reached by a walk of about 4.5 km each way across exposed, windy coastal plain near South Point.
Bring plenty of water, sun protection and sturdy shoes; there is no shade, and the climb down into the cove is steep.
- Time needed
- 3–4 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Active
- Nature
- Photo spot
Nature · Hilo
4.Rainbow Falls (Waiānuenue)
On the Wailuku River just above Hilo, this wide waterfall flows over a lava cave, and on sunny mornings the spray often creates rainbows. The viewing platform is a few steps from the car park.
Come around 9–10am on a clear morning for the best chance of rainbows, then continue up the road to Boiling Pots.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Kids
- Nature
- Photo spot
Garden · Hilo
5.Liliʻuokalani Gardens
Built in the early 20th century as a tribute to Japanese sugar-plantation workers, these Edo-style gardens on Hilo Bay have stone lanterns, arched bridges and koi ponds. A footbridge leads to Mokuola (Coconut Island) for views of Maunakea on clear days.
Visit early on a clear morning, when Maunakea is often visible across the bay before clouds build.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Outdoors
- Couples
- Photo spot
Market · Hilo
6.Hilo Farmers Market
At the corner of Kamehameha Avenue and Mamo Street, this market sells tropical fruit such as rambutan and lilikoʻi, orchids, baked goods and crafts. Wednesdays and Saturdays are the main market days, with far more stalls.
Go early on a Wednesday or Saturday, try fruit you do not recognise, and bring small bills.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Food
- Free
- Shopping
Museum · Hilo
7.ʻImiloa Astronomy Center
On the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo campus, ʻImiloa links Maunakea astronomy with Hawaiian navigation and creation traditions, with interactive exhibits, a planetarium and native plant gardens. It is a good rainy-day alternative to the summit.
Check the planetarium schedule when you arrive and plan your visit around a show.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Rainy day
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Museum · Hilo
8.Pacific Tsunami Museum
Housed in a former bank building on Kamehameha Avenue, this small museum tells the story of the 1946 and 1960 tsunamis that devastated Hilo's waterfront, with survivor accounts and exhibits on tsunami science.
Pair it with a walk along the bayfront, where open parkland now stands on land cleared after the tsunamis.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Rainy day
Experience · South Kona and Hōlualoa
9.Kona coffee farm visit
Small farms along the Māmalahoa Highway on the slopes above Kona grow coffee in volcanic soil and offer tours explaining picking, pulping, drying and roasting, followed by tastings. Harvest runs roughly from August to January.
Look for '100% Kona' on labels; 'Kona blend' may contain only a small share of Kona beans.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Food
- Couples
- Outdoors
Palace · Kailua-Kona
10.Huliheʻe Palace
Built in 1838 as a summer home for Hawaiian royalty, this two-storey palace on Aliʻi Drive is now a museum run by the Daughters of Hawaiʻi, displaying koa wood furniture, royal portraits and artefacts on Kailua Bay.
Look across the road at Mokuʻaikaua Church, Hawaiʻi's oldest Christian church, built of lava stone and coral mortar.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Architecture
- Rainy day
Historic site · Kohala Coast
11.Puʻukoholā Heiau National Historic Site
Kamehameha I built this massive stone temple in 1790–91 to fulfil a prophecy that he would unite the islands. A short trail from the visitor centre passes the heiau, and blacktip reef sharks are sometimes seen in the bay below.
Walk the short path to the overlook in the early morning, when the lava stone is cooler and the light is soft.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- History
- Free
- Photo spot
Pick by interest
| Interest | Best picks |
|---|---|
| Art and museums | ʻImiloa Astronomy Center and Pacific Tsunami Museum |
| History | Chain of Craters Road, Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park, Kealakekua Bay and Pacific Tsunami Museum |
| Views | Chain of Craters Road and Maunakea |
| Outdoors and nature | Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, Maunakea, Hāpuna Beach and ʻAkaka Falls State Park |
| Food and markets | Hilo Farmers Market and Kona coffee farm visit |
| After dark | Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, Maunakea and Manta ray night snorkel |
| With children | Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park, Hāpuna Beach and Punaluʻu Black Sand Beach |
| On a rainy day | ʻImiloa Astronomy Center, Pacific Tsunami Museum and Huliheʻe Palace |
What to book ahead
- ʻAkaka Falls State Park: Non-residents pay an entry and parking fee; check the state parks website before you go.
- Manta ray night snorkel: Tours fill up in peak seasons; book a few days ahead.
Plan the rest of your trip
Questions travellers ask
+What is the number one thing to do in Big Island (Hawaiʻi)?
Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. The park protects Kīlauea and much of Mauna Loa.
+What can you do for free in Big Island (Hawaiʻi)?
Maunakea, Punaluʻu Black Sand Beach, Papakōlea Green Sand Beach, Rainbow Falls (Waiānuenue) and Liliʻuokalani Gardens. More free things to do.
+What is there to do in Big Island (Hawaiʻi) when it rains?
Head indoors to ʻImiloa Astronomy Center, Pacific Tsunami Museum and Huliheʻe Palace.
+What is there to do in Big Island (Hawaiʻi) at night?
Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, Maunakea and Manta ray night snorkel are best after dark.