City guides
United States of America
Hawaii
Things to do in Big Island
There's always plenty to see and do on Hawaii's biggest island. With no shortage of natural beauty, many holidaymakers spend their stay exploring the breath-taking scenery in Volcanoes National Park, Waipi`o Valley, Akaka Falls, and the slopes of Mauna Kea. There are also several beautiful botanical gardens around Hilo.
The beaches of Big Island, while not as famous as Waikiki, are also worth seeing as they're made up of white, black and green sand. Kua Bay, for one, is a stunning white-sand beach with good facilities.
Visitors who want to get up close and personal with nature can go on dolphin and whale-watching trips, and The Hilton Waikoloa Village offers a swimming with dolphins experience.
For a glimpse into life on Big Island, several coffee farms offer tours, and travellers will enjoy a trip to the Hawaiian Vanilla Company, which is one of the only vanilla farms in the US.
Lapakahi State Historical Park offers another perspective as a partially restored fishing village dating back 600 years. Pu'uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park is also a must-visit to learn about Hawaiian heritage, though it's often crowded with tourists.
Hilo
Overlooking beautiful Hilo Bay and dominated by two volcanoes (the active Mauna Loa and dormant Mauna Kea), Hilo was a trading centre for native Hawaiians in ancient times, and bec…
Hilo
Overlooking beautiful Hilo Bay and dominated by two volcanoes (the active Mauna Loa and dormant Mauna Kea), Hilo was a trading centre for native Hawaiians in ancient times, and became an important port once westerners discovered that the area was ideal for growing sugar cane. Hilo also bore the brunt of two tsunamis; one in 1946 and another in 1960. However, the hardy citizens of Hilo cleaned up their city after each disaster, and the high-water marks of these devastating events are now a tourist attraction, along with the Pacific Tsunami Museum on the corner of Front and Kalakaua Streets.
Although reminders of the past are everywhere in the architecture and attractions, Hilo remains a young city with a small-town feel. It's home to the University of Hawaii and the Merrie Monarch Festival, which celebrates hula dancing annually in the week after Easter. Another of the hottest happenings in Hilo is the Farmers' Market, which is held on Wednesdays and Saturdays along Front Street, when more than 100 vendors set up their stalls and sell everything from fresh produce to Portuguese pastries and native crafts.
The downtown area of Hilo contains Hawaii's largest collection of historic buildings, dating back to the turn of the century. There are plenty of restaurants, museums, a rainforest zoo and the beautiful Nani Mau Gardens to explore.
Hulihe'e Palace
The stately mansion of Hulihe'e is situated on Alii Drive in Kailua Kona on the west coast of Hawaii's Big Island. It was built in 1883 and served as the holiday home of Hawaiian r…
Hulihe'e Palace
The stately mansion of Hulihe'e is situated on Alii Drive in Kailua Kona on the west coast of Hawaii's Big Island. It was built in 1883 and served as the holiday home of Hawaiian royalty until 1925, when it was turned into a museum. It now houses a collection of ancient Hawaiian artefacts and personal memorabilia of the Hawaiian royal family. A bust of King Kalakaua, who was known as the Merrie Monarch for his patronage of Hawaiian music, dance and culture, presides over the entrance hall, and a beautiful Koa dining table carved from a single log of wood graces the Kuhio Room. Little touches such as the only queen regnant and last sovereign monarch of the Hawaiian Kingdom, Princess Ruth's, hatbox, which was made from the trunk of a coconut tree, and the cradle of Prince Albert, son of King Kamehameha IV and Queen Victoria's godson, bring a sense of history to life in the house.
Website daughtersofhawaii.org
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
The Hawaii Volcanoes National Park surrounds the earth's largest volcano, Mauna Loa, and visitors can actually watch lava flow into the sea from Kilauea, the still active on-site v…
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
The Hawaii Volcanoes National Park surrounds the earth's largest volcano, Mauna Loa, and visitors can actually watch lava flow into the sea from Kilauea, the still active on-site volcano. Park rangers direct visitors to the daily eruption activity on a dramatic burnt landscape, which transforms the landscape with the ongoing eruption. The park is located 30 miles (48km) southwest of Hilo on Highway 11, on the southeast coast of Big Island, and is a designated International Biosphere Reserve and UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Website www.nps.gov/havo
Pacific Tsunami Museum
Hilo has been destroyed several times by tsunamis. The first-hand oral testimony of tsunami survivors is now preserved along with some other fascinating information in the Pacific …
Pacific Tsunami Museum
Hilo has been destroyed several times by tsunamis. The first-hand oral testimony of tsunami survivors is now preserved along with some other fascinating information in the Pacific Tsunami Museum, located on Kamehameha Avenue in the town. The museum features a series of permanent exhibits that interpret the tsunami phenomena, the Pacific Tsunami Warning system, the history of tsunami in the Pacific Basin, tsunami of the future, myths and legends about tsunami, and public safety measures for tsunami disasters.
Website www.tsunami.org
Pu'uhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park
This important Hawaiian cultural and historical site on the black-lava Kona Coast of the Big Island contains some forbidding-looking giant idols, although it was in fact built as a…
Pu'uhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park
This important Hawaiian cultural and historical site on the black-lava Kona Coast of the Big Island contains some forbidding-looking giant idols, although it was in fact built as a refuge for ancient Hawaiians who had violated kapu (social taboo) or as a sanctuary for defeated warriors. The surrounding area outside the huge enclosing wall was home to several generations of powerful chiefs. The 182-acre park also boasts other archaeological sites, including some temple platforms, royal fishponds and the ruins of ancient villages. The Hale o Keawe temple, which contains the mortal remains of 23 Hawaiian chiefs, and some thatched buildings have been reconstructed.
Website www.nps.gov/puho
Kona Coffee Museum and Farm
For a taste of the coffee industry that flourished in the early 20th century on the Big Island, visitors can tour the Uchida Coffee Farm, south of Kealakekua town on the Kona Coast…
Kona Coffee Museum and Farm
For a taste of the coffee industry that flourished in the early 20th century on the Big Island, visitors can tour the Uchida Coffee Farm, south of Kealakekua town on the Kona Coast. Tour guides in period costumes show off the original farmhouse, bathhouse, coffee mill, and drying platforms. The Kona Historical Society Museum is only a few miles away and is housed in the old Greenwell family store, where photographs, ranching and coffee farming exhibits are on display. The store was built in 1875 by an aristocrat, Henry Greenwell, after he left England to pursue a new life.
Website www.konahistorical.org