Scheduled to arrive on The Big Island in just over two weeks. The original plan was to spend two days in Volcanoes National Park, hiking, biking, exploring a lava cave, and viewing lava. However, the park is closed indefinitely, and I'm not optimistic it's going to reopen in time for our visit.

Because the island is so big, I split our stay between an Airbnb house on the east side of the island and a resort on the west side. There is no reason to change our Airbnb reservation, and it's too late to do so anyway, but I am looking for alternate activities to do on that side of the island should the park remain closed.

So far I have the following ideas: Hike Waipio Valley (and maybe do an ATV tour), visit the various waterfalls on that side (Rainbow Falls, Akaka Falls, etc), spend some time at one of the farmer's markets in the area, and we already have ziplining booked.

Any other ideas? We enjoy off-the beaten path/unique type stuff and will have a rental car. I already have snorkeling with manta rays and a trip to the Mauna Kea Summit scheduled for when we move to the west side of the island.

TXTransplant said:

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. I already have snorkeling with manta rays

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Then you're all set! But seriously, don't do this on your last night there. Try to do it earlier in case the current is strong and the rays are chasing plankton. My wife and I did the trip and had over an hour with about 6 rays to ourselves. We liked it so much that we booked an outing the next night and we took our son out with us. Not one ray. They asked if we wanted to come back and try it again free of charge but we left the next day so no luck.

Other than that, book a snorkel at Captain Cook, snorkel at Two Step, and find a few other spots to snorkel. Lots of good places there.

I'm not much help on the east side (or north) except for VNP.

Pe'epe'e Falls is near Hilo and is awesome. Go to the boiling pots, jump over the rock barrier, cross the river, and walk to your left. Tourists aren't typically there because it's not one of the easiest places to access.

Also, if you're in to cliff jumping, South Point is good fun.

I got about 1/4 mile from the Akaka falls before my wife badgered me enough to turn around and head back to the airport. She was paranoid we'd miss our flight. We spent 3 hours sitting at the airport instead. I dont' let her live it down. Make sure to visit them.

I would say Volcano Winery, but considering it's proximity to the summit of Kilauea, that may not be an option. It was a fun little tour for us - not bad wine either, we've since ordered more. I wanted to go to the Waipo Valley as well, but time didn't permit it. Supposed to be absolutely beautiful views.

The big island is kind of neat - one side of the mountains is rain forest, the other side is desert. The observatory is there as well, though I"m not sure how it's being affected by the recent eruption either.

Oh yeah! I have a full itinerary that I can post for you tomorrow.. I think If you do a search you can find it.. there is so much to do.. we thought VNP was the least favorite thing to see and do so you really aren't missing that much.. we stayed in Kona

More to come...

Thanks to everyone who posted and extra thanks to nosoupforyou! Everyone's suggestions are exactly what I was hoping for!

Cliff jumping at South Point is crazy! Saw a YouTube video recently of heavy waves

End Of The Workd jump is similar but safe.. try that!

I forgot, the botanical garden north of Hilo is a nice walk. Humid, but nice.

Oh, and the coffee shop in the little town of Honopu on the way to akaka falls has some of the hairiest armpit women I've ever seen. I never finished that cup she poured me. (Thumbs down for hairy armpit coffee women)

Thought I'd follow-up here with our experience the past 9 days, in case anyone else wants to reference.

VNP was closed due to the eruption during our visit, but here are the hits and misses from our trip:

Hits:

Big Island Candy - great place to spend an hour or so on a rainy day in Hilo. And they will let you sample anything you want.

Hilo farmers market - ok for a quick stop and/or to get lunch.

Scenic drive off Hwy 19 just north of Hilo - reminded me of the road to Hana. This short (~ 4 mile) detour is definitely worth it, if you are traveling that road anyway.

Pacific Tsunami Museum - very informative (if not a little bit scary).

Akaka Falls and Rainbow Falls - both beautiful! We also went to the boiling pots, since it's right up the road from Rainbow Falls, but we weren't brave enough to jump the fence to get a better view of Pe'epe'e Falls (which is underwhelming from the boiling point lookout).

Lava boat tour - missed the ocean entry at the Kapoho tide pools by 24 hours but got great views of the fissure 8 lava fountain.

Waipi'o Valley hike and ATV tour with Ride the Rim - hike was tough but awesome, and the ATV tour is tons of fun. Ate at an awesome farm to table cafe after the hike called Waipi'o Cookhouse - some of the best food I've ever had.

Ziplining at Umauma Falls - great experience but is $$$.

Fairmont Orchid - stayed here for 5 nights (other 4 were at a gorgeous Airbnb house on the water in Pahoa). By far the best hotel beach we've stayed at in Hawaii (better than the Grand Hyatt Kauai and The Grand Wailea in Maui). Snorkeling at the Fairmont was great. Had drinks at the Residents Beach House and dinner at the Four Seasons, and the Orchid is a much better resort (especially when it comes to the beach) for less than 1/2 the price.

Snorkeling with Manta Rays with Manta Ray Dives of Hawaii - an all around awesome experience and was also really affordable (compared to most excursions on the island).

Misses:

Obviously, VNP being closed was a bummer. We were supposed to go on a hike to a lava cave, but that was cancelled.

Sunset at the summit of Mauna Kea with Mauna Kea Summit Adventures - I think this actually would have been an outstanding experience, BUT quick-moving clouds rolled in while we were stopped at the visitors' center. By the time we got to the summit (13800 ft), we couldn't see 30 ft in front of us. Park rangers closed the road (it was raining and they were worried about snow and ice). Tour guide says conditions are that bad only 3-4 times a year...lucky us. The tour company gave us all but $25 per person of the cost back, though. I wouldn't hesitate to book it again.

Definitely want to come back to the island again. If you haven't been, it's well worth the visit! I've visited Kauai, Maui, Oahu, and now the Big Island, and Kauai and the Big Island are my favorites and places I want to return to.

This is all great information! I'll be heading to Kona in mid July with the wife and our three kids.

Thanks for all the info in this thread! My soon to be wife and I are going there for our honeymoon in 2 weeks!

Research and ask questions! Happy To help

Thanks! We have actually read about most of the things posted on here at least for the Kona side. We are only going to be on the big island for 3 nights, so we don't have a lot of time there. We're going to fly to Kauai for 4 nights after that, and while my research on the big island has been pretty thorough, my knowledge on activities in Kauai needs work.

fightintxag13 said:

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Thanks! We have actually read about most of the things posted on here at least for the Kona side. We are only going to be on the big island for 3 nights, so we don't have a lot of time there. We're going to fly to Kauai for 4 nights after that, and while my research on the big island has been pretty thorough, my knowledge on activities in Kauai needs work.

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Kauai for 4 nights? You'll have plenty to do to keep you busy. Go to Waimea Canyon, do some hikes there if possible. Spend time at Kee and Tunnels up north and spend evenings in Hanalei for dinner. Take a boat tour of Napali from Hanalei too.

We went to Kauai last year. The boat trip around the Napali coast is amazing, and we also went zip-lining with Kauai Backcountry Adventures. They also offer a tubing excursion through some old sugar plantations. Kauai is beautiful!

Definitely take a helicopter ride. The view is spectacular - we flew through a double rainbow. Hopefully they're still flying in spite of the volcano eruption.

AggieMom7779 said:

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Definitely take a helicopter ride. The view is spectacular - we flew through a double rainbow. Hopefully they're still flying in spite of the volcano eruption.

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They are. In fact, you can take a helicopter to see the eruption. I saw pictures from some people staying at our resort that were just amazing. We opted for the lava boat tour instead. I'm not keen on helicopter rides in general, much less one over flowing lava.

Great info here. My 1st trip to Hawaii is in July (hopefully). 5 nights on Big Island. Still open on the other 3 nights.

awesome - hope they open up flights! See my note on 5/18 and let me know if you have any questions - happy to help you see all that you can possibly see with your short window

fightintxag13 said:

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Thanks! We have actually read about most of the things posted on here at least for the Kona side. We are only going to be on the big island for 3 nights, so we don't have a lot of time there. We're going to fly to Kauai for 4 nights after that, and while my research on the big island has been pretty thorough, my knowledge on activities in Kauai needs work.

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How was your trip? What all did you do on Big Island? Any reviews or feedback to share?

Also - we hope to go to Kauai one day - would love your recap there as well for my own planning

I've posted on Kauai a few times. We go every other year (except last year when the floods had closed the north road past Hanalei). We are booked to go in July. We'll see what happens...

now that we can post pics, I wanted to share a few of my favorites from our trip to Big Island



Sunsets every night from Kona area were so great


My first time to Parasail - stunning!


Dinner at the Sheraton was great - these boats are getting ready to do the Manta Ray night dive - do it!


Hike down to the beach at Pololu Lookout


One of the many views along the White Road Hike - if you REALLY want adventure - ask me for how to get there

Those sunsets are gorgeous. We didn't get to see any good ones because of the eruption. Saw some pretty sunrises on the Hilo side, though.

Anyone going this summer will likely need a very recent negative Covid test or be tested at the gate with one of the rapid tests.