5 Days Self-Drive in Big Island, Hawaii.
12:59:00 AMThe Big Island of Hawaii, name as it is, being the largest and most exciting of all Hawaiian islands. The interesting part about this island is that it stills grows every day because of the most active volcanoes in the world : The Kilauea volcano.
Big Island is an island with so much beautiful nature and so many cool activities that it is almost impossible to fit everything in your vacation – even if you stay more than a month! Many residents move to live in Big Island from Oahu as they say they would rather suffer in the heaven.
5 days truly wasn't enough to discover this beautiful island, but it's however still doable for those who has limited time as me. We did it from fly in to Kona and fly out through Hilo, well you could do it in a reverse way.
Day 1 - Manta Ray Snorkeling.
As we arrived 8am early in the morning, after picking up our rental car, we drove to our hotel to check in first before we could start our day exploring Kona.
We booked our manta ray snorkeling at 4pm, right before this time we spent some time along the coast of Kona visiting a few beaches.
Day 2 - Highlight of the day : Mauna Kea
Started the day with a drive up to Waipio Valley, however we couldn't make it to spend much time with this beautiful valley. If you have enough time, you are strongly suggested to hike in to the valley to see the amazing waterfall.
Just a few kilometers drive and we visited Honokaa Historic Town, a small town featuring shops and boutiques with their own local flavor. We had our lunch over here.
Then, we continue our journey to the Saddle road before we could reach Mauna Kea.
In order to reach the peak of Mauna Kea, you will need to rent a 4WD car. Otherwise, you are not allow to drive through to the peal. Always check with the rangers about the weather, and the peak may be closed due to bad condition.
Sunset up on the peak of Mauna Kea is stunning!
Day 3 - National Volcano Park.
This is the day where we will spend the whole day in the Volcano Park, be sure to book your accommodation in advance!
Drive along the chain of crater road until the end of the lava field. We were told to take as much photos as we can as the Volcano Park changes from time to time due to the active lava flow from Kilauea volcano.
Day 4 - Kalapana Lava Flow
Started the day early in the morning drove to Hilo and check in our hotel. And then we continue our drive to Kalapana Lava Flow, a must do in Big Island to see a live lava flow!
This is a lifetime experience that you will not find it anywhere else, and be sure to go as soon as possible as no one could expect a date when will Kilauea Volcano stop flowing, it could anytime from tomorrow.
Read more about Kalapana Lava Hunting.
Day 5 - Depart from Hilo to Honolulu.
Nothing much to do on this day as we were flying back to Honolulu very early in the morning.
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