The Big Island definitely lives up to its name! The Big Island is the newest island and is technically still growing due to its volcanic activity. The island is essentially divided into two different sides. On the West is the city of Kona, which is hot and sunny. The East side is Hilo, which is greener and receives more rain.
\We flew in and out of the Kona side and drove around to Hilo. On the Big Island we went swimming with mantas, cliff jumped off the southernmost point of the US, drove on the “steepest road in America,” and witnessed the power of a volcano.
Things to Do
Southernmost Point of the USA – Ka La Cliff Jumping
Through our USA Roadtrip, we were able to see the Eastern, Westsern, Southern, Northern (well kind of) and Central point of the contiguous 48 states. But while we were on the Big Island, we headed to Ka Lea to see the Southernmost point of all of America. It is believed that this is the first place that Polynesians landed in Hawaii back in 750 A.D. The blue water and sheer sea cliffs make for an incredible view.
This is also an awesome cliff jumping spot! The cliff is about 40 feet tall. Which means it is tall enough for some hesitation, but small enough to be safe for most novice cliff jumpers like us. It is really clear water, about 20 feet deep, and even has a ladder to climb back up. (When we were there the ocean was perfectly calm, but we have heard that it can get pretty rough which would make it a bad idea to jump then). It is pretty cool to say you jumped off America’s southernmost point!
Kai Tours
When researching for our trip to Hawaii, we found that the Big Island was the hardest island to plan for. Not only is it the biggest island (I wonder where they got the name =), but it is also one of the most diverse islands. To help get the most out of the island, we booked a tour with Kai Tours. Kai has led tours for everyone from third graders to the Prime Minister of Australia. The best thing about his tour was that he completely personalized it to our interests and schedule. Kai took us to waterfalls, giant banyan trees, and even into a cave made from lava. Kai told us what it was like living on the Big Island during the devastating lava flows of 2018. We finished our tour at a fish market for the most amazing poke!
That night, we also stayed in Kai’s amazing AirBnB. It was an entire 4+ bedroom, newly renovated house. My favorite addition was the outdoor shower made from a surfboard! We wished we would have had our families with us to enjoy the AirBnB and to spend more time with Kai. If you’re looking to go cliff jumping in waterfalls, swimming with manta rays, or just want to find some of the best places to eat from a Big Island local, definitely check out Kai Tours on AirBnB. Kai is also a photographer and took some awesome candid photos of us during the tour, a lot of which are in this post – thank you Kai!
Scuba Dive
When researching about the best places to scuba dive in Hawaii, people kept mentioning the Big Island, so we booked a tour with Pacific Rim Divers and are so thankful we did. Frank and Patrice are a husband and wife team that are super friendly and highly experienced divers. Right away, they really made us feel like part of their family. After diving with them, it is no wonder that the majority of their customers return for more.
This has been one of my favorite scuba diving experiences for seeing sea life! Even though it was during the day, we saw several different variety of eels swimming around out of their holes. There were some incredible octopus and a host of other amazing fish. It seemed as if the fish were out putting on a show just for us. Unfortunately I forgot my GoPro’s dive casing, so we don’t have any pictures of the incredible fish we saw. But Patrice, our divemaster, did a great job of explaining the local coral and fish to us while we were on the boat and then pointing them out to us under water. If we are ever back on the Big Island, I will definitely dive again with Pacific Rim Divers.
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park – Kīlauea Crater
For years, one of the most popular attractions on The Big Island was the flowing lava of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. However, after the devastating lava ruptures in 2018, there is currently (as of 2019) no longer any visible lava flow on The Big Island.
But just because there isn’t any lava doesn’t mean that there isn’t volcanic activity. A lot of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is still closed (in 2019), but we could still see Kīlauea Crater and smoke rising out of the fumaroles. We visited later at night so we didn’t have that great of visibility, but it was a unique experience walking near the grounds of a volcano.
Swim with Manta Rays
I’ve always thought that one of the coolest creatures in the sea are manta rays. The Big Island is one of the best places to witness manta rays feeding. So the first night we were on the Big Island, we headed out to see these incredible creatures. We booked a snorkel tour with Fair Wind Cruises, who made it a super easy experience.
As soon as it got dark, we put on our wetsuits and jumped in the ocean. We got to see several different manta rays. Unfortunately, manta rays are wild animals and most of the time they were further away at the bottom of the ocean, near the scuba divers. However, just as the boat captain let us know that there was about two minutes left of our tour, a giant manta ray came up to the surface about four feet away from us! It was an incredible feeling being so close to such a massive animal. After the tour, we climbed back into the boat and warmed up with some hot chocolate and warm soup! Not a bad way to kick off our time on the Big Island!
Star Viewing
A popular tour on the Big Island is to view the stars over Mauna Kea. Unfortunately, the nights we were there it was too cloudy and our tour was canceled. But if you are there during good weather, we have heard great things about seeing the stars on the Big Island.
Waipio Valley Lookout & Drive
Titled as one of the steepest drives in America, the drive down into Waipio Valley is quite an experience. The best view is actually at the top overlook, so you don’t have to drive or hike down the steep incline. It is a beautiful view of the valley, beaches, and mountains. But if you are looking for a little adventure and feel like braving the up to 37% grade road (25% grade on average), then the Waipio Valley drive is for you!
We weren’t brave enough to hike the road, but drove it instead. It was a beautiful valley! We had fun taking our jeep through the stream and seeing the lush green all around us.
A few notes: Only drive in a four-wheel drive vehicle. Also, most rental car companies specifically say that they do not allow you to drive this road. The road is steep and narrow, so take it slow and watch out for hikers and cars coming the other way. In the valley itself are people’s yards and houses, so make sure to be respectful and don’t trespass.
Places to See
Green Sand Beach – Papakolea Beach
Green sand beaches are pretty rare. According to Google, there are only four of them in the world. So if you are on the Big Island and cliff jumping at the southernmost point, you might want to check out Papakolea Beach, aka Green Sand Beach. Unfortunately, we didn’t have enough time to make it to the beach, but based on our research and talking to people from the area, there are three main ways to get there. First, you can hike in (2.5 miles from the parking area). Second, you can pay a local to drive you to the beach. Third, you can off-road in yourself with a four-wheel drive vehicle. (Note: Someone told us that driving up to the beach is not permitted. We didn’t go ourselves, but if you do go make sure to do your own research before taking the drive. This would not be allowed by most rental car agencies as it is off-roading).
Punalu’u Beach – Black Sand Beach
While in Hawaii, we saw two black sand beaches and Punalu’u Beach was our favorite. We went in the off season before sunset and there weren’t too many people although I imagine that it can get pretty crowded.
This is a great place to swim, lay out, or just explore. We even saw a sea turtle on the beach! There are bathrooms in the parking area too which is helpful ;) The green palm trees and blue water make a really cool contrast to the beach’s black sand.
Rainbow Falls
If you don’t have a lot of time to do a hike but still want to see a big waterfall on the Big Island then Rainbow Falls, close to Hilo, is a great choice. Less than 100 yards away from the parking lot is the 80 foot falls.
Rainbow Falls is named this because of the colorful rainbows that can be seen from the waterfalls. We didn’t see one but we heard the best chance to see them is early in the morning.
Akaka Falls State Park
My favorite waterfall that we saw in all of Hawaii is Akaka Falls in Akaka Falls State Park. It’s less than a half mile hike to see this 422 foot waterfall. Although you can’t get close to the falls, the beautiful landscaping of the state park and natural tree canopy in the valley make the falls a can’t-miss sight.
There are actually two falls that you can see on the short hike. The park costs $1 per person and $5 per car. There were hardly any people there in October, but we have heard that it can get busy during high season so you might want to show up early. I highly recommend going if you are near Hilo!
Places to Eat
Suisan Fish Market
Another great recommendation by our local Big Island guide Kai was Suisan Fish Market in Hilo. Although poke has become very popular throughout America, this was our first taste of it.
I’m pretty sure we set the bar way too high now for other poke. We’ve never had such fresh seafood! Located along the water, Suisan Fish Market isn’t a flashy restaurant, but a great place to grab some food for a waterfront picnic.
Transportation
Flights to and from the Big Island
For our flights to and from the Big Island, we booked our flights through Mokulele Airlines. This was one of the best flights ever! Mokulele Airlines is a smaller airline that specializes in inter-island flights, and it was an incredible experience flying with them.
The best thing about it was that they have their own commuter airlines terminal so we didn’t have to wait through any security check. Not my favorite thing to wait 45 minutes in security for a 45 minute flight! There were only six passengers on our flight so it was a very personalized experience and felt like we were taking a flightseeing tour. The views were incredible!!
Usually I can feel kind of sick on smaller planes, but this plane had a ton of legroom and plenty of airflow. Flying over the islands was an amazing experience! I just wish all of our flights were this short and easy! Mokulele Airlines flies to multiple locations on Maui, the Big Island, Oahu, Lanai, and even Molokai (the only main island they don’t fly to is Kauai). They were recently purchased by Southern Airways, which specializes in commuter flights throughout the East Coast and California. I have a feeling we’ll be flying more with them in the future!
Jeep Rental
While on the Big Island, we decided to rent a four-wheel vehicle in order to go exploring and do the Waipio Valley drive. Just be careful if you do decide to do any four-wheel driving to find an agency that will allow you to do this as it is often not allowed in the rental agreement. Also, the Big Island lives up to its name and is the island where we did the most driving, so depending on where you are going, you might want to get a car with better gas mileage. :)
It is amazing just how many jeeps the rental car companies rent out. Our guide Kai told us that pretty much only tourists drive around automatic jeep wranglers and mustang convertibles =) Haha we fully embrace our tourist status!
Places to Stay
My Hawaii Hostel
On the Kona side of the Big Island, we stayed at My Hawaii Hostel for a night. This was our first experience staying in a hostel and it would be awesome if all hostels were as clean, safe, and wonderful as this one!
The mattresses were super comfortable and there was AC, which we heard no other hostels in Kona have. Although we ate out for dinner, there was a big kitchen with a really friendly atmosphere. The hostel is also in a great location right in downtown Kona. We had a great experience!
AirBnB
As I mentioned earlier, when we were on the Hilo side of the island we stayed at Kai’s amazing AirBnB. It was awesome having the whole place to ourselves and getting to do our laundry!
It was a peaceful little get-away. We went to sleep to the sound of croaking frogs and woke up to the sound of wild chickens!
Final Thoughts
The Big Island was filled with an endless amount of things to do. There may not be as many luxury resorts as Oahu or Maui, but there is a little bit of something for everyone on this island. It is definitely the most diverse. Although there is currently no lava flowing, the Big Island is still definitely worth a visit! Check out the sunset as we were about to fly out :)
Here are our guides to Oahu, Maui, and Kauai if you plan to visit other islands in Hawaii!
