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Big Island see + do
There's so much more to do on the Big Island than kick back at your luxury resort. Everyone makes the requisite pilgrimage to Kilauea Crater, one of the world's most active volcanoes. But with 10 of the world's 15 recognized climatic zones, the Big Island contains an astounding diversity of natural wonders. If you like driving, you could circumnavigate the island in one long, exhausting, and highly scenic day, but we recommending tackling it in sections over at least three days. There are black (and even green!) sandy beaches, great snorkeling, and some of the best diving in the state. Surfers used to the waves on Maui, Kauai, or Oahu might feel shortchanged, but hikers will be thrilled with the Edenic interior. A new trend on the island is agro-tourism, tours of private farms that give an insight into a growing aspect of the island's economy (www.hawaiiorganicfarmers.org).
Nightlife is next to nonexistent on the Big Island (unless you count bowling alleys and dive-y karaoke bars), so it's best to trade the boozing in for a night dive or a luau. But your absolute best bet for a moonlight activity is to find out where the lava from Kilauea is flowing into the ocean, and head there at sunset: In the darkness of night, you can see red-hot lava meet the cool blue depths of the Pacific, one of the most amazing sights on the planet.
Akaka Falls, 442 feet high, is one of several spectacular waterfalls along the Hamakua coast of the island. It's the easiest one to get to, and the trip there...more
Driving and hiking will get you close to the active flow, but only a helicopter can get you directly over the crater looking in. Absolutely worth the money,...more
Located eight miles north of Hilo at Onomea Bay, this lush garden is composed of easy-to-navigate nature trails running through a rain forest of rare and...more
If you had to have one defining reason to go to the Big Island, the erupting Kilauea crater would be it. Millions of people visit Volcanoes National Park each...more
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