Let's Go Hawaii Travel Planner - Hilo & Hamakua Coast Itinerary

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Kona is paradise for beach-goers and sunbathers. A must see attraction is the Kilauea Volcano located on the eastern (wind-ward) side of the island. A lot of visitors to the Big Island will spend all of their time at the beach and unfortunately miss out on many wonderful natural attractions in and around Hilo. The below itineraries help you plan your trip to the Volcano and the Hamakua Coast.

Kona to the Volcano (day 1)
EventTime	ElapsedTime	ActivityDescription
START	0:00	Depart Kona or Kohala Coast
2:30	2:30	Drive to the Volcanoes National Park (10$ entrance fee per vehicle) View road map
0:45	3:15	Stop at the Visitor’s Center, view exhibits and walk across street to the Volcano House and observation deck
1:45	5:00	Drive around Crater Rim Drive counter-clockwise stopping at these attractions: Sulphur Banks; Jaegar Museum; Halemaumau Crater; Thurston Lava Tube
2:00	7:00	Drive to the ocean via the Chain of Craters Road and stop at these attractions: Scenic Overlooks; Holei Sea Arch; end of road where lava flowed
2:30	9:30	Hike to scenic lookout to see the lava flow at dusk. The first scenic lookout is a short 30 minutes from the parking area, the distant lookout is about 3 miles hike over rough lava each way (add additional time for this hike)
		Spend the night at a hotel near Volcano or Hilo

Hilo / Hamakua Coast to Kona (day 2)
EventTime	ElapsedTime	ActivityDescription
START	0:00	Depart Hilo or Volcano area hotel
0:30	0:30	Pick up plate lunch or sandwich to-go
0:30	1:00	Drive north to scenic drive detour at Onomea Bay along the Hamakua Coast. View road map.
2:45	3:45	Visit Hawaii Tropical Botanical Gardens and Onomea Bay Trail
0:30	4:15	Stop at “What’s Shakin” Smoothee stand near the Botanical Gardens for refreshments
0:30	4:45	Continue north to Akaka Falls State Park
0:45	5:30	Hike short trail-loop and view Kahuna Falls and Akaka Falls
0:30	6:00	Continue driving north to the Waipio Valley Overlook
0:30	6:30	Enjoy the view from the overlook
0:30	7:00	Continue up the mountain to Waimea
1:00	8:00	Drive from Waimea, descending down to Kona
		You have just driven all the way around the Big Island of Hawaii!