3 day Itinerary

If you are on a short visit to the Big Island, we suggest you circle the island! There is a lot to see in the Big Island, so the 3 day itinerary involves a lot of diving and is can be strenuous. Please adjust it to suit your needs and comfort.

The “must see” Big Island attraction, is the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. As most 2-3 day visitors are also visiting one or more other Hawaiian Islands.

As you are staying in Kona, “circle trip” starts with exploring the beaches and snorkeling in Kona, experiencing the Volcano and drive back over the stunning Hamakua coast.

If you’d rather take it easy, you can split your time between Kona and Volcano Village (1 night each). That itinerary allows you to spend more time out of your car (“on the beach”), but you would have to seriously consider coming back to the Big Island in the future to see all the things you missed this time.

  • Day 1: Hitting the beaches
  • Day 2: Lava and volcanoes
  • Day 3: Hilo and a scenic road trip

DAY 1: KONA AND THE BEACHES

If you visit the Big Island for three days (two nights), enjoy  your first day with outdoor activities around Kailua-Kona, and enjoy the sunset.

Start the day with exploring the village of Kona. Then drive further south to explore some of the beautiful west coast beaches. Stop at Kealakekua bay for some snorkeling and to check out the James Cook Monument, and then drive 4 miles south to Puʻuhonua O Hōnaunau (also known as the city of refuge or Honaunau bay).  This is the favorite snorkeling spot for many locals and was named “One of America’s best beaches 2004” by the Travel Chanel. Pick up some food and stay here to see the sun dip into the ocean.

Then, drive out to Volcano Village to spend there. We would suggest you drive to Jaggar Museum in the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park to finish your first day by seeing the glow of the Kilauea Volcano under the stars.In our opinion, Kilauea Volcano experience is not complete till you experience the glow of the volcano at night.

DAY 2: LAVA AND THE VOLCANOES

Get up early the following morning and drive to the national park. Check in at the Visitor center to get an update on the weather and lava viewing conditions, and spend your day till early afternoon exploring the lava tubes, sulfur banks and steaming calderas of the park (some of these sight are closed due to recent volcanic activity).

Then, drive down Highway 11 towards Hilo, and take the exit to highway 130 at Kea’au. This highway takes you into Puna, where you can explore the Lava Tree State Park and many picturesque roads. For an early dinner, go to the quaint town of Pahoa. From Pahoa it is a short (<45 min) drive to the parking at the lava viewing area. Make sure you arrive early enough to hike to the ocean entry (if there is one) to see the sunset!

The Issac Hale State park and Mackenzie State Park offer stunning views of the 2018 lava flow. Pohoiki black sand beach is one of the newest (August 2018) black sand beaches on the Big Island and is part of Isaac Hale Beach Park.

DAY 3: HILO AND A SCENIC ROAD TRIP

Start your day with breakfast on the Hilo Boulevard while watching the sunrise over the Ocean. Take a little stroll along the shops at the boulevard and/or visit the Tsunami Museum and/or their famous Farmers Market (open every day, but the Big Farmers Market is on Wednesdays and Saturdays).

Then get in your car and drive north over highway 19 via the Rainbow falls to the Hamakua Coast. Stop at either (or both) the ‘Akaka Falls State Park to see the most famous waterfall of Hawaii, or the World Botanical Gardens for a short hike through lush fern forests to stunning waterfalls that ends at the multi-tiered Umauma falls. You won’t be sorry!

Then drive further north to Honoka’a Town. This former sugar town has an interesting collection of shops and galleries and is a great place to grab some food. From here, it is a short drive to the Waipi’o Valley overlook at the end of Highway 240. This will give you a stunning view of the “Valley of Kings” and shouldn’t be missed!

Kohala Coast 5 day Itinerary