The Big Island of Hawaii was next on our itinerary. Similar to Oahu, we decided to drive the Grand Circle on our own and see this part of Hawaii from a local’s perspective.
Last updated: November 27, 2024
A Complete Guide to Visiting the Big Island of Hawaii
Big Island… For once I was speechless. Instead of lush Hawaiian vegetation, black, hardened lava greeted us outside Kona International Airport. Resemblance to Death Valley National Park, in particular the Ubehebe Crater area, was undeniable. But what else could we expect from the Big Island of Hawaii, home to the world’s largest active volcano.
Behind the black blanket that tightly covers up most of the western side, the Big Island brims with coffee and macadamia orchards, roaring waterfalls that plunge from colossal cliffs all year round, and a spectacular coastline with abundant marine life and pristine beaches. The latter are mostly black, the aftermath of previous volcano eruptions.
With such natural diversity and not lastly the size of the area, one Big Island itinerary can drastically differ from the other. You can dash through the center of the island and get from Kailua-Kona to Hilo (two largest cities) in about an hour. For those who long to see different facets of the Big Island of Hawaii, a grand circle trip is the best place to start.
Considering our rather non-traditional approach to travel, we opted for the latter. A self-guided grand circle to explore Big Island’s many historic sites and less visited landmarks.
THE BEST THINGS TO DO ON THE BIG ISLAND OF HAWAII: GRAND CIRCLE TRIP
1. Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park
Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park is as black and barren as the rest of the coastline near the airport. Small shrubs are scattered between black lava rocks, adding some rare green touches to the dark palette.
An important part of the history of the Big Island, Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park may look uninviting. It’s hard to imagine that at one point it was a thriving ancient Hawaiian settlement. A place where native Hawaiians harvested fish from the ocean and two fishponds, grew local crops, and even raised pigs and chicken.
Today only many archaeological artifacts attest to the heyday of the former Honokohau Settlement. Many of these historic relics can be seen along a 4-mile trail that loops around the park.
2. Kona Coffee Tour: Greenwell Farms
Agricultural at its core, the Big Island of Hawaii is home to hundreds of coffee farms. The majority of them are located in the Kona District, which spans nearly two-thirds of the entire West Coast of the island.
Not a big coffee drinker, but always fascinated and interested in various ways of using resources at hands to improve the quality of life, I ached to see one of these coffee sanctuaries.
After some consideration and by the will of fate as it was very close to the place we were at that moment, we stopped at Greenwell Farms. Voted Hawaii’s Best Farm Tour for three consecutive years, it looked like the best place to immerse yourself into the history and culture of the world-famous Kona coffee.
A 45-minute guided tour walks you through all aspects of harvesting local coffee, from planting trees to picking beans, and drying, roasting, and shipping the final product. The excursion ends with complimentary coffee sampling that we couldn’t resist. Even Dylan had a sip or two of the premium Hawaiian coffee. At the end, he settled for a more gentle taste of chocolate granola bar.
Admission: Guided tours at Greenwell Farms on the Big Island of Hawaii are free of charge. Tips to a guide, however, are welcome. Groups over 15 people and those who want to dive deeper into the coffee making process can contact the farm to arrange private guided tours or attend coffee brewing classes.
READ MORE: Kamokila Hawaiian Village: Kauai’s Way to Preserve the Past
3. Kealakekua Bay State Historical Park
None of the other Hawaiian Islands told and showed us as many historic landmarks and artifacts as the Big Island. Hundreds of well-preserved ancient sites dot the coastline and valleys of the area.
Ancient settlements that perished due to the natural course of life or natural disasters. Postcard-perfect landmarks that still loudly announce why they were chosen as homes of ancient Hawaiians in the first place.
Kealakekua Bay State Historical Park marked its significance in the history of the Big Island and the entire Hawaiian Islands as a place of meeting of Kamehameha, the first ruler of the Hawaiian Kingdom, and Captain James Cook. The month-long interaction would be remembered as the first prolonged cultural contact between Hawaiians and Westerners.
4. Pu’uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park
Normally, I write a few words or short sentences about a potential place we may want to see while planning our itinerary. The list is tentative and short, about five sites or less per day. If we are running out of time, we skip some of these places and focus only on those that are of most importance to us for one reason or another.
As the first day of our self-guided Grand Circle of the Big Island trip was getting to an end and some unforeseen issues with obtaining the America the Beautiful pass at the entrance to Pu’uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park (ours had expired just a few days before), it was tempting to turn back and head farther down the west coast.
Somehow we decided to stay, and it was one of the best decisions we made during this Oahu-Big Island trip. Pu’uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park looked postcard-perfect. A place that you want to put on the first page of a travel guide.
Nestled at Honaunau Bay in South Kona, Pu’uhonua o Honaunau unveils a part of Hawaiian culture related to taboo and kapu. Breaking kapu, or sacred laws, had severe consequences. Death was often imminent.
The only chance for survival a lawbreaker had was to escape to a pu’uhonua, a sacred place of refuge, and perform a ceremony of absolution. Only then, the outcast was able to return home.
Pu’uhonua o Honaunau on the Big Island remains one of Hawaii’s most sacred historic places up to this day. The 180-acre national historical park preserves and protects the ancient Great Wall, 12-feet high and 18-feet thick, and the Hale o Keawe Heiau, a sacred temple that sheathed the bones of 23 chiefs.
5. Ka Lae (South Point) – The Southernmost Point of the Big Island of Hawaii
We had to hurry up at this point if we wanted to catch the golden hour at America’s southernmost point. Ka Lae or the Southernmost Point of the Big Island of Hawaii is located out of the Grand Circle way. It’s a side trip that can take an hour or longer if you wish to fish or jump off the cliff (dangerous!).
Similar to the isolated coastline, the road leading to the South Point is more deserted than any other areas. Probably due to its bigger territory or agriculture-oriented nature, the Big Island hardly feels overwhelmingly crowded like Oahu and some popular areas of Maui.
Another thing that the Big Island never fails to display is its diversity, from lush tropical jungles to beaches blanketed with jet-black sand and barren lands, vast and empty like untrodden terrains of Texas or Wyoming.
Mostly uninhabited, but pleasing to the eye, desert-like landscape spread on both sides of the road to the South Point. The southernmost tip of the U.S. also looked deserted, but not as unvisited. A small group of locals fished right from the cliff that overlooked the unmerciful ocean.
Fascinated by this whole, almost otherworldly scene, Dylan asked one of the boys to show him how to fish. And that was the beginning of the first ever fishing lesson for a 7-year old boy.
The South Point on the Big Island is also famous as a cliff jumping area. Mostly for daredevils, though. The place is too rough and the ocean is too ferocious and unforgiving for the majority of the Big Island’s visitors and even locals.
6. Punaluu Black Sand Beach
Punaluu Black Sand Beach is just one of the peculiar beaches on the Big Island of Hawaii. The black sand here is nothing else but basalt, created by lava that flew into the ocean and exploded as it reached the contrasting cool.
As an integral part of the Grand Circle route, Punaluu Beach is more popular than some other black beaches on the island. Yet if you choose the right time, normally early in the morning, you can have the entire area all to yourself. Or almost all to yourself if you don’t count large honu (Hawaiian Green Sea Turtles), soaking up the first sun rays.
Interestingly enough, we had been looking for sea turtles all over Oahu, but fortuitously stumbled upon them on the Big Island, on Punaluu Black Beach. By 9 in the morning, when more people popped up, the turtles moved into the ocean, swimming and flopping the surface with their large flippers for a while before disappearing into the big blue.
7. Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
Living, breathing, having its own mind, and erupting on its own terms, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park in the southeastern part of the Big Island is everything you know and don’t know. For many, it’s a place of wonder where a barren caldera coexists with a lush tropical jungle, home to a network of lava tubes. For some locals, it’s a sacred place where they go to pray in their deepest distress.
It’s almost impossible to explore the Big Island’s most famous landmark in one day. On one side, the area features a classic depression with narrow trails inside and around it. Hot vapor escapes the underground caverns along the caldera rim and releases fluffy clouds with the strong rotten egg odor.
On the other side of the national park, a series of pathways run through the jungle and descend into underground tunnels, such as the Thurston Lava Tube.
No, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is not Yellowstone. Yet these active volcanoes stretch their boiling-hot lava hands over the southeastern part of the Big Island every two-three years, probably to instill awe and showcase their power.
8. Hilo
Nestled on the northeastern side of the Big Island of Hawaii, Hilo is one of the two largest cities along the Grand Circle route. The capital of the Island of Hawaii, Hilo is a place where convenience meets old Hawaiian style. It’s an area where contemporary narrative peacefully lives with ancient tales and hula never stops.
On the outskirts of Hilo, some of the Big Island’s most dazzling waterfalls gush down from imposing cliffs surrounded by tropical greenery and lava tubes spread their dark, hollow fingers in every direction.
9. Waipi’o Valley Lookout on the Big Island of Hawaii
Many places on the Big Island have been shaped by the western lifestyle with all its conveniences and disturbances in one way or another. Many but the Waipi’o Valley.
Ok, this is not entirely true. A sacred valley where King Kamehameha I spent his childhood, “The Valley of the Kings” is indeed the epitome of the unspoiled tropical beauty.
Adorned with a pristine black sand beach, gushing waterfalls, including the tallest waterfall in Hawaii, lush forests, and steep walls submerged in dense vegetation, the Waipi’o Valley is rightfully considered one of the most spectacular places in the state.
Access to this resplendent part of the Big Island, however, is suspended to mitigate road’s conditions. Only less than 100 residents and some tour shuttles still freely enter the dramatic valley. Outsiders can get a sneak peek at the natural opulence of the region from the Waipi’o Valley Lookout located at the end of the Hamakua Heritage Corridor Drive.
With that being said, the Waipi’o Valley, a spot where they say old Hawaii still exists, was the only place on our Big Island’s Grand Circle route inaccessible for self-guided exploration.
10. Pu’ukohola Heiau National Historic Site
The legacy of Kamehameha the Great and his incontrovertible impact on the history of Hawaii are remembered and celebrated at Pu’ukohola Heiau National Historic Site. One of the largest and last heiau (temple) built in Hawaii, the place was contracted between 1790 and 1791 to fulfill a historic prophecy. Kamehameha was going to unite the Hawaiian Islands and become the first king.
The restored site on the Kohala Coast of the Big Island, the Pu’ukohola Heiau preserves the remains of several other historic places. Take a slow walk along a 0.5-mile trail to rediscover all of these landmarks for yourself.
Plan to stay longer on the trail during the winter and spring months. Pu’ukohola means “hill of the whale” in Hawaiian. And sure enough, humpback whales often breach near the northwestern coast of the Big Island.
11. Kailua-Kona
We ended our self-guided Grand Circle tour of the Big Island where we had started, in Kona. One of two main cities on the island, Kailua Kona offers a mix of historic sites, vibrant downtown area, spectacular beaches, and abundant marine life.
Our first order of business was to find food. With almost an hour flight back to Oahu and the late arrival in Honolulu, it looked like it was going to be both our lunch and early dinner. The food was neither bad, nor exceptionally good. Too sweet, portions were too big. I could never imagine saying that, but yes, the servings were humongous.
To burn some calories before boarding our return plane we headed to Kailua Pier where locals and visitors hang out and kids swim in the water like fish.
Watching local kids fishing and plunging into the ocean was contagious, to that point that Dylan insisted on staying on the Big Island. Snorkeling, watching fish, and swimming all day every day. Maybe one day we will make it a part of our lives, and maybe it won’t be on the Big Island. But for what it offered us during this trip, we are grateful.
