Hike
Kīlauea Iki Crater Loop
Four miles down through dripping fern forest, then straight across the floor of a 1959 lava lake — still cracked, still venting steam from its seams.
The youngest and largest Hawaiian island, still building itself. Fresh lava fields run down to white and black sand, coffee grows on the volcano's flank, and the sky above Mauna Kea is among the clearest anywhere.
Where you'll base yourself
Kailua-KonaHiloWaikoloaVolcano Village
Things to do
Mornings
Coffee
Kona Coffee Farm Morning
Greenwell Farms in Kealakekua runs free walking tours through the orchards, explaining the wet mill and the cupping, before the pot at the end.
Snorkel
Kealakekua Bay Snorkel Sail
Fair Wind II leaves Keauhou Bay mid-morning for the marine reserve below the Captain Cook monument — deep, glassy water thick with butterflyfish and often spinner dolphins.
Beach
Hāpuna Beach Swim
Half a mile of pale sand on the dry Kohala coast, with a shore break that gets serious in winter. Non-residents pay $5 each plus $10 parking, card only.
Nature
ʻAkaka Falls Loop
A short paved circuit through bamboo and heliconia to a 442-foot ribbon dropping into a mossy gorge above Honomū. Wet underfoot most mornings; card-only entry.
Market
Hilo Farmers Market
Downtown Hilo at Mamo and Kamehameha: rambutan, apple bananas, ulu, orchids and poi by the bag. Busiest and biggest on Wednesday and Saturday.
Hike
Pololū Valley Lookout
The end of the road in North Kohala, cliffs stacking into haze. A steep, rooty switchback drops to black sand. Barely a dozen parking stalls — come before nine.
Afternoons
Scenic Drive
Chain of Craters Road
Nineteen miles from rainforest to sea, crossing decades of lava flows that buried the road itself, ending at the Hōlei Sea Arch on a black cliff.
Beach
Punaluʻu Black Sand Beach
Ground basalt sand backed by coconut palms in Kaʻū. Green sea turtles often haul out to bask here — stay well back; they are legally protected.
Views
Waipiʻo Valley Lookout
The rim overlook above the Valley of the Kings — taro terraces, a black beach, cliffs beyond. The access road itself is closed to visitors.
History
Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau
A restored place of refuge on a lava shelf: carved kiʻi, a great mortarless wall, canoe hale and tide pools. Rangers explain the kapu system it served.
Gardens
Hawaiʻi Tropical Bioreserve & Garden
A boardwalk descends a ravine on the Onomea scenic route past palms, gingers and a waterfall to a rocky bay. Humid, dense, wonderfully overgrown.
Gardens
Liliʻuokalani Gardens
A Japanese garden on Hilo Bay with stone lanterns, arched bridges and a teahouse, plus the footbridge out to Coconut Island for the view back.
History
Puʻukoholā Heiau
Kamehameha I built this vast stone platform above Kawaihae in 1790–91 to fulfil a prophecy of unifying the islands. Free, exposed and quietly enormous.
Evenings
Snorkel
Manta Ray Night Snorkel
Boats run after dark from Honokōhau and Keauhou to lit stations where plankton gathers and mantas come to feed. Wild animals — sightings are likely, never guaranteed.
Stargazing
Mauna Kea Sunset & Stars
The visitor station at 9,200 feet is open till 9pm and sits above the cloud layer. Rental contracts forbid driving higher; its telescope nights are monthly and book out.
Views
Crater Rim After Dark
Uēkahuna and Kīlauea Overlook face Halemaʻumaʻu. Kīlauea has been fountaining in episodes lasting hours, weeks apart — glow is possible, never scheduled. Check USGS that day.
Stroll
Aliʻi Drive Sunset Walk
The Kailua-Kona seawall past Mokuʻaikaua Church and Huliheʻe Palace, with the sun dropping straight into the channel and shave ice all along the way.
Dining
Kona Brewing Pub Evening
The original brewpub on Pawai Place, open till nine, with a shaded lanai, wood-fired pizza and tank-fresh beers that never leave the island.
Culture
Island Breeze Lūʻau
On the royal grounds of King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel beside the pier — imu ceremony, kālua pig, hula and Polynesian dance. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays only.
Views
Sunset at Ka Lae (South Point)
The southernmost land in the United States: wind-bent grass, mooring holes drilled by ancient fishermen, and cliffs dropping into a hard blue current. Nothing south but ocean.
