Ultimate Big Island, Hawaii Travel Guide
Exploring The Big Island - a 4 Day Travel Guide
It offers you a more authentic and local feel than Oahu or Maui.
It’s what you might imagine Hawaii to have been like in the 60’s or 70’s, and yet here we are in the 21st Century. There are tons of local shops, restaurants, coffee plantations, breweries, gardens, hiking on hiking, and gorgeous beaches to top it off that will make your Hawaii dreams come true.
If you are at the “picking which islands” part of your Hawaii planning, this is your sign to include Hawaii Island.
With classic towns like Kona and Hilo, amazing beaches, coffee, beer and active volcanoes, this is your official guide to the Big Island. Let’s go
Check out our map with all our must go destinations on the Big Island. If you want these entire blog and Maui and Oahu with map locations, descriptions, and tips in one place check out our Hawaii Guide via the Thatch app.
Day 1: Settling in and Exploring Kona
How to get to Kona, Big Island?
The best way to get from Kona is to fly in. The Kona International Airport is located in Kona and is about 20 minutes from downtown Kona. I would recommend renting a car or taking a ride share to your accommodations.
It will be a short domestic flight from the other islands of Oahu or Maui and very much worth it! You will adore Kona!
If you are already in the Big Island you can drive to Kona. From Hilo it will be about 1 1/2 hours.
How to get around the Big Island?
The easiest way to get around the Big Island is to rent a car. This will allow you to easily travel around Kona, Hilo, and The Volcanoes National Park. If you want to explore the Big Island you will need a car.
You can rent a car through turo where you can get an affordable car rented by a local. Discover Cars is another great way to find rental cars.
How many days to spend on the Big Island?
The Big Island, is just that BIG. It is about 2 hours from one end to the other end of the Big Island.
From Kona to Hilo it is 1 1/2 hour drive. From Kona it is a 2 hour drive to National Park.
To give you time to explore each area you will want to spend part of your trip based near Kona and the other half near Hilo.
I would recommend a week on the Big Island, with 3-4 days in Kona and 2-3 days near Hilo.
If you have less time than a week in the Big Island and can only base yourself in one area I would stay in Kona.
Where to stay in the Big Island?
Kona, The Big Island
When basing yourself in Kona I would recommend staying near Ali’i Drive. Ali’i Drive is the main street in Kona which has shops, restaurants, bars, and is close to the farmer’s market and waterfront.
Our Favorite Kona Stays:
Where we stayed:
Oceanfrot Kailua- Kona Islander Studio- This is where we stayed in Kona and loved it! It was affordable while also being in an amazing location, walking distance from Ali’i Drive and had a kitchen and other necessities like beach chairs. This is not a luxury stay but is perfect for the budget travelers and was clean and in a great location- everything we want in our accommodations.
Hilo, The Big Island
When staying in Hilo we would recommend staying near Downtown Hilo. This is such a cute area with colorful buildings, adorable local shops, restaurants, and an all around lovely area of town. It is everything you dream of in a Hawaii town, laid back, colorful, tropical, and a hippie paradise.
Our Favorite Hilo Stays:
SCP Hilo Hotel- We love SCP Hotels because they donate to non- profits for each stay, use sustainable practices, and use local goods, among other ethical practices. They also have great workout areas and a mercantile of local goods which is too fun! They are all around nice hotels with modern decor and comfy beds!
Day 1: Settling in and Exploring Kona
INSIDER TIP: Fly into Kona and be sure to rent a car. Renting a car will give you flexibility to explore the Big Island which is after all a big island.
Ali’i Drive – Ali’i Drive is the main street in downtown Kona. This is where you’ll find all the shops, restaurants, and lots of cute coffee stands to enjoy the famous Kona Coffee we all dream about. This is also a great area to eat and shop to your heart’s content.
Eat at Kona Inn Restaurant – The Kona Inn Restaurant has been here since 1928, you can’t even make reservations.
Kona Brewery Tour – Kona Brewery is a must stop for us as brewery and craft beer lovers, And the brewery is honestly beautiful. You’ll feel like you’re having a craft beer in a Hawaiian Rainforest with all the lush foliage surrounding you. You can sit inside or outside, but when in Hawaii please NEVER sit inside, you’re just missing out. And the foot is wonderful as well, this is an oasis you can plant yourself at and enjoy the beautiful weather, craft beer, and delightful food.
Day 2: More Kona Exploring, Farmers Markets, Coffee Tours
Kona Farmers Market (closed Monday and Tuesday) – The Kona’s Farmers Market is a market lovers delight. All local venders selling local goods and products. There are probably anywhere from 20-30 tents set up to browse about. We bought a gorgeous basket (yes, Derek was stuck carrying this from airplane to airplane home) and a wooden turtle. This is a perfect place to get a souvenir and support the local community and do your part as a sustainable traveler.
Location:
Located across from Hale Halawai,
Corner of Alii Drive and Hualalai Road
Kailua-Kona HI 96740
Coffee Plantation Tour at Greenwell Farms – Head to Greenwell Farms for a coffee tour and tasting. This was one of our highlights as avid coffee drinkers. You get to go on a tour of the coffee farm and learn all about the growing of coffee plants, the production process, different types of coffee, and can even taste the coffee. You can buy coffee beans to take home with you which makes for the perfect souvenir or gift for a loved one.
Greenwell Farms gives free tours from 9 am- 4 pm (20 min drive). Tour times: 9am, 10am, 10:30am, 11am, 11:30am, 12pm, 12:30pm, 1pm, 1:30pm, 2pm, 2:30pm, 3:00pm, must arrive 10-15 min. early
Location:
81-6581 Mamalahoa Hwy, Kealakekua, HI 96750
You will hit the small town of Captain Cook that is worth a stop as well. We walked around and admired the street art and popped in and out of some shops, including a tie dye store called, “Tie Dye Hobo” being the most notable and groovy place to explore in Captain Cook.
Day 3: Hiking and Active Volcanoes
Head to the Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park! This is about two hours from Kona, if you are based there. We absolutely adored our time here and we went when there was no active lava flow so I can’t imagine how cool it would be with lava flow. Although I have a fear of volcanoes (I know, weird) so maybe having no lava flow was the best case scenario.
Location: Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, HI 96718
So, if you are wondering if it’s worth it without the lava flow the answer is YES!
You can hike the Thurston Lava Tubes which are basically tunnels created by hardened scolding lava. The area surrounding the lava tubes are lush with plant life and the sounds of birds and have great trails to explore.
After you hike the Thurston Lava Tubes, hike the Volcano Crater and maybe you’ll get lucky and see some lava flow!
We spent around three hours exploring the park area.
Hawaii Botanical Garden – The Hawaii Botanical Gardens is on hour from the National Park and looks stunning! We missed this on our trip but will be the first thing on our list when we head back to the Big Island. Check out the Hawai’i Tropical Botanical Garden website for pictures that will have you racing there. They have over a mile of trails surrounded by flora, waterfalls, streams and gorgeous views. It looks life changing.
Location: 27-717 Mamalahoa Hwy, Papaikou, HI
Day 4: Hilo
Hit the Road and depart to the island town of Hilo on the north side of the Island.
Hilo is an adorable little town filled with colorful buildings, local shops filled with art and handmade goods, coffee shops, restaurants, book stores, and antique shops to explore. I would recommend going in the morning or early afternoon. Many shops close around 4 p.m.
Some of our favorite shops were Wild Heartist, with was an art gallery and gift shop. It also had a coffee shop located within the shop with unique drinks! Another favorite is Turn the Page which is a quaint local book shop perfect for finding your next read.
Rainbow Falls is another great stop to see the falls and if you’re lucky a rainbow floating above the falls. It is beautiful and worth the time to check it out! It is easy to reach and has an outlook right by the parking lot!
The Big Island had everything we were looking for: gorgeous gardens, hiking, local markets, beaches straight from postcards, friendly people, and immersing ourselves in a culture and nature we only dreamt of.
Are you traveling to other islands in Hawaii? Check out our Ultimate Hawaii Travel Guide, Maui Travel Guide, Road To Hana Guide for all things Hawaii Travel!
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Check out this Hawaii Guide available via an app with map locations, important information, descriptions, and so much more- all at your fingertips!
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Our love list of Travel Resources:
Here are our favorite places to search and purchase all things travel from flights, rentals, accommodations, tours, and so much more!
Accommodations:
Booking– our favorite way to search for hotels, rentals, and hostels. When you book enough through booking you will earn a discount on all bookings which adds up quickly!
Hostelworld– our go to when searching for hostels
Vrbo– our favorite place to search for apartment and home rentals, it is usually cheaper than airbnb and has less hidden fees
Agoda– My new favorite for searching for accommodations, they have huge discounts making it a great place to search!
Tours and Activities:
Viator– book great tours and activities for your next trip, my favorite place for booking tours or travel activities. I love that they have such an easy app to keep all my tickets after booking.
Tripadvisor– Great place to buy and search for travel activities and tours
Get Your Guide– another great resource for searching for a huge variety of tours and attractions for your next trip
Tripadvisor– Great place to buy and search for travel activities and tours
We go Trip– Self guided tours you can access from your phone and explore on your own! A game changer. You can explore at your own pace but still have an informational learning experience of the places you visit, all at your fingertips.
Thatch– search for your own personalized and premade itineraries, with map locations, information for each activity, and your trip all planned for you that you can access through their app and take with you! Check out our thatch guides! There are tons of other great travel creators to explore too!
Rental Cars:
Discover Cars– Worldwide car rentals that allows you to compare different rental car companies to get the best price!
Flights:
WayAway– membership offering 10 % back on tickets, tours, and even hotels! Great way to find cheap flights.
Promo Code for 10% off membership costs: Seek Out Travel
CheapOair– great search engine for flights, hotels, and rental cars
Avisales– Cheap airfare through reliable agencies.
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