• Island of Hawaii - With audio guides that provide commentary based on your GPS location, you can customize your own itinerary along the tour routes to suit your interests and schedule.

Alternatively, you can use our trip planners for recommended half, full, or multi-day itineraries.

Here are some of the many highlights:

• Akaka Falls State Park - One of Hawaii’s most renowned waterfalls, the breathtaking Akaka Falls plunges 440 feet into a gorge.

The falls are accessible via a 750-foot trail through lush rainforest, bamboo, ferns, and some wild orchids, making it a popular spot. Consider hiking an additional 800 feet to Kahuna Falls, with the entire hike taking under an hour.

To reach the falls, we pass through the eclectic, former plantation town of Honomu, where we can stop for a baked Hawaiian treat, Big Island coffee, or even visit the goat dairy.

• Chain of Craters Road - This 19-mile drive takes us from the park entrance at around 5,000 feet elevation down to sea level.

Along the way, we can see the effects of once-active cinder cones and lava flows.

There are several excellent viewpoints offering both coastal and volcanic rock flow views.

A must-do drive while visiting Volcanoes National Park.

• Devastation Trail - Aptly named, this relatively easy walk along a paved trail takes us through a cinder field.

We get a nice view of the cinder cone, whose Hawaiian name translates to Gushing Hill. The cinder cone is no longer active.

As you walk, pick up a handful of cinders to feel how light and airy they are, and notice how crystals glisten in the sunlight.

You’ll also be struck by the determination of vegetation to grow in such a desolate environment.

• Hamakua Coast - What a drive! North of Hilo, on the windward side of the island, the Hamakua Coast is a stunningly beautiful scenic drive!

Abundant rain keeps the rainforest lush and the many waterfalls flowing.

The Hamakua Coast includes Akaka Falls and Kahuna Falls, the Onomea Bay scenic drive, tropical botanical gardens, and authentic towns like Laupahoehoe.

Not much has changed in this area since its plantation days, though you won’t see donkeys carrying sugar bags to the shore anymore!

• Hawi - Hawi and its neighbor Kapaau are the northernmost towns on the Big Island of Hawaii and are worth a visit if you’re exploring the entire island.

These small, unspoiled towns are filled with art galleries, boutiques, restaurants, and a popular ice cream stop, all set in plantation-style buildings from their sugar cane past.

Kapaau is home to the original statue of King Kamehameha the Great, considered the unifier of all the Hawaiian Islands.

• Hilo - Hilo is the largest town on the eastern side of the Big Island and enjoys a scenic setting on the bay shore, with wooden storefronts and ample green spaces.

It sees frequent rain showers and is therefore lush and green compared to Kailua-Kona on the opposite side of the island.

It’s easy to fill a day of sightseeing in Hilo, with key locations included in the Hilo loop drive, such as Rainbow Falls, Boiling Pots, and the Kaumana Lava Tube Caves. Allow 2 hours to enjoy the scenic driving loop.

You might be surprised to see which celebrities from the 30s, 40s, and 50s have visited Hilo over the years. In Hollywood, you get a star on the Walk of Fame, but in Hilo, you get a fig tree named after you on Banyan Drive. Cruise by to see the 50 trees and their plaques.

• Holei Sea Arch - Holei Sea Arch is a fitting final stop on the Chain of Craters Road.

It’s easy to see how lava flows have created a sea shelf and cliffs. The relentless pounding by ocean waves has created an arch formation.

Recent shifts and movements in the volcanic rock cliffs have led to the closure of the official viewpoint for safety concerns. However, the Holei Sea Arch can still be seen.

For your safety, always obey any closures set up to protect staff and the public in these unstable areas.

• Kealakekua Bay - Significant for several reasons, the bay is a marine preserve conservation area and a popular destination for kayaking, scuba diving, and snorkeling. It’s also listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with heiaus (temples) and archaeological sites.

Kealakekua is an important place in Hawaiian culture and history as it is where Captain James Cook met his demise after the first significant contact between Hawaiians and the western world. A monument marks the historic events that occurred here.

Be aware that there are some restrictions if you are kayaking. You must obtain a permit before coming ashore on the beach at Ka’awaloa. Consider a kayaking tour (check permits) for early access to the bay before many arrive.

• Kilauea Volcano - Kilauea Iki is a crater within the larger caldera area. Though inactive today, a half-century ago, a lava lake filled the crater, and sometimes eruptions would shoot lava 2,000 feet into the sky.

The Kilauea Iki Trail is a popular, moderately difficult hike that allows you to get inside the caldera wall.

• Kohala Coast - The Kohala Coast refers to everything north of the Kona Airport.

It is an incredibly spectacular area, both stark and harsh, yet amazingly inviting. Dry grasses take hold between lava rock outflows. On clear days, views extend to the top of Big Island giants, Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea.

Along the Kohala Coast, we’ll find most of the major resort properties. But there are also many cultural places to explore, and those resorts often restore and provide access to ancient trails, petroglyphs, and other historic sites.

Popular beaches along the coastal route include Hapuna, Beach 69, and Kua Bay. Continue following 270 north to visit the towns of Hawi and Kapaau.

• Kailua-Kona - Kailua-Kona is the main town on the western side of the island and has long been a popular central hub for visitors.

Located south of the Kona Airport, the historic waterfront of Kailua Bay is filled with stores, cafes, and restaurants to explore, providing the town’s energy.

Exploring south brings us to a fascinating mix of vacation accommodations, surfing beaches, historic churches, and cultural sites.

Visit Magic Sands Park to see whether the sand is “in” or if it has disappeared offshore again. There are many coves excellent for swimming and snorkeling.

• Liliuokalani Gardens - Located on a short triangular peninsula, Queen Liliuokalani Gardens are named for Hawaii’s last reigning monarch.

The gardens are of Japanese design and a tribute to Hawaii’s first Japanese immigrants, featuring arching bridges, fishponds, rock gardens, pagodas, stone lanterns, and a teahouse.

The setting is idyllic, with views back to Hilo, the Bay, and Mauna Kea on a clear day. It’s nice to either drive or stroll through the gardens.

• Pololu Valley Lookout - While exploring the northern tip of the Big Island of Hawaii, continue following route 270 past Hawi and Kapaau to the end of the road.

There, you’ll find the Pololu Valley Lookout, where the Pololu Valley and stream meet the ocean at a black sand beach. It’s beautifully scenic.

The hike to the beach is steep, and the trail is rough and often muddy, so make sure you’re prepared before setting out. The views from the top justify the driving detour on their own!

• Rainbow Falls - Located on the scenic loop drive around Hilo, Rainbow Falls is easily accessible, with ample parking and paved trails leading to the viewing platform.

Many of Hawaii’s waterfalls project rainbows in the fine mist spray, but these 80-foot falls, 100 feet across, are spectacular in both sunny and rainy conditions. The best rainbow effect occurs around 10 am on sunny mornings.

The falls are also an important cultural site and the location of Hawaiian legends surrounding Hina, mother of Maui, and a giant lizard named Mo‘o Kuna.

Continue the loop drive past Rainbow Falls to see the Boiling Pots and Kaumana Caves Lava Tube.

• Hawaii Volcanoes National Park - Allow a full day to visit the most popular place on the Big Island of Hawaii. On our way to Volcanoes National Park from the Kona side of the island, along Highway 11, we have time to review the volcanic forces behind the creation of the Hawaiian Islands, or you may prefer to embrace the Hawaiian legends version.

Please note that due to the volcanic events of 2018, areas of the Park are reopening in phases, and any closures still in place are to ensure public safety. The Jaggar Museum is unlikely to reopen at its original site due to the instability of the caldera walls, but viewpoints into the caldera and Kilauea Iki are open.

Driving the full length of the Chain of Craters Road is highly recommended, dropping 4,000 feet of elevation to ocean level. Along the way, there are fascinating stops and short walks at places like Devastation Trail, Kealakomo, the Pu’u Loa Petroglyph Trail, and Holei Sea Arch.

• Waipio Valley Lookout - Waipio Valley is a stunning and not-to-be-missed lookout atop a 2,000-foot sea cliff.

Simply spectacular! From the viewpoint, we can see where a 5-mile-long canyon meets the ocean from the mountains behind, as well as extended views of more sea cliffs.

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