Hawaii's Big Island: Volcanoes, Hilo and the Kona Coast

1. Jour 1 : Arrive in Hilo

   Hilo airport (ITO) to Hilo, then the bayfront

   • Environ 15 min de route
   • Welcome dinner
   • Nuit : Hilo
   Détail du jour 1

   Fly into Hilo (ITO) on the wet, green, windward side of the Big Island, ideally landing by about 3 pm; from Canada most flights connect in Honolulu. Our driver meets you at arrivals for the ten-minute drive to your hotel near the bayfront. Hilo is the island's old working town, on a bay struck by tsunamis in 1946 and 1960, which is why much of the waterfront is park rather than a street of shops. If you land early, walk the Japanese-style Liliuokalani Gardens and the footbridge to Coconut Island, or look round the Pacific Tsunami Museum downtown. On a clear afternoon Maunakea stands above the town, often with snow on its summit in winter; you will be on its slopes at sunset on day 3. At about 6 pm your See Sight Tours guide meets the group in the hotel lobby to talk through the week, then we walk to a welcome dinner nearby. Hilo is your base for three nights, so you unpack once.

   Compris

   • Arrival transfer from Hilo airport (ITO) to your hotel
   • Welcome meeting with your guide
   • Welcome dinner in Hilo

   Temps libre : Afternoon free before the welcome meeting

   Activité : Landing after 6 pm? Your guide catches you up at breakfast.

   

2. Jour 2 : Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

   Hilo to the summit of Kilauea, Kilauea Iki or the Crater Rim Trail, Nahuku when open and the Chain of Craters Road, back to Hilo

   • Environ 3.5 h de route
   • Petit-déjeuner, repas du midi et repas du soir
   • Nuit : Hilo
   Détail du jour 2

   A full day in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site about 45 minutes from Hilo. We leave at 7:30 am to reach the summit of Kilauea before the day tours arrive from the Kona side. At the Kilauea Visitor Center the rangers post what the volcano is doing that day, and we join the morning ranger-led walk where one runs. Then a choice: the Kilauea Iki trail, a loop of about 5 to 6 km (3 to 4 miles) down through tree ferns and across the floor of a crater that was a lake of lava in 1959, or an easier stretch of the Crater Rim Trail past steam vents and sulphur banks. After lunch in Volcano village we walk through Nahuku, a lit lava tube, when the park has it open, and drive the Chain of Craters Road down about 1,100 m to the sea at the Holei Sea Arch. When Kilauea is erupting we have an early dinner in Volcano village and return to the caldera overlooks after dark to watch the glow; when it is quiet, dinner is still in the village and we are back in Hilo by about 7:30 pm.

   Compris

   • Hawaii Volcanoes National Park entry
   • Kilauea Visitor Center and a park ranger-led walk where one runs
   • Kilauea Iki trail or the Crater Rim Trail and steam vents
   • Nahuku lava tube when open
   • Chain of Craters Road to the Holei Sea Arch
   • Lunch and dinner in Volcano village
   • The caldera overlooks after dark when the eruption is glowing

   Option plus facile : The Crater Rim Trail past the steam vents, mostly level, about 2 km.

   Option plus active : The Kilauea Iki trail, about 5 to 6 km, 120 m down to the crater floor and back up.

   Activité : Walks are on uneven lava and can be wet; wear closed shoes and bring a rain layer and a warm layer for the evening. The summit area is about 1,200 m. Nobody can promise lava: Kilauea erupts in episodes that start and stop without notice.

   

3. Jour 3 : Akaka Falls and sunset on Maunakea

   Hilo to Rainbow Falls and Akaka Falls on the Hamakua Coast, a free afternoon, then the Saddle Road to the Maunakea Visitor Information Station

   • Environ 3.5 h de route
   • Petit-déjeuner et repas du soir
   • Nuit : Hilo
   Détail du jour 3

   A later start after yesterday's long day. First Rainbow Falls on the edge of town, where the Wailuku River drops about 24 m into a deep pool and a rainbow often forms in the morning spray. Then 30 minutes up the Hamakua Coast to Akaka Falls State Park, there by about 9 am, where a paved loop of about 650 m with steps leads through rainforest to the falls, dropping about 135 m into a gorge. Back in Hilo by late morning, the afternoon is free: the farmers market, a long lunch, or a rest before a late evening. At about 4 pm we drive the Saddle Road between Maunakea and Mauna Loa and turn up the mountain to the Maunakea Visitor Information Station at about 2,800 m, roughly 1 hour 15 minutes from Hilo. We watch the sun set above the clouds and eat a packed supper, then your guide shows you the night sky, with a telescope where the station or a local partner runs one. We do not go on to the 4,207 m summit. Back in Hilo by about 9 pm.

   Compris

   • Rainbow Falls
   • Akaka Falls State Park entry and loop walk
   • Sunset at the Maunakea Visitor Information Station, about 2,800 m
   • Stargazing with your guide, with a telescope where one runs
   • Packed supper and hot drinks on the mountain

   Option plus facile : Stay in Hilo for the evening instead of going up the mountain.

   Temps libre : Late morning and afternoon free in Hilo

   Activité : Days 2 and 3 are the two fullest days back to back, each about 3.5 hours of driving and back in Hilo in the evening; if you want a quieter night, take the easy option and stay in Hilo. It is often near freezing after sunset at 2,800 m; bring a warm jacket, hat and gloves. Not advised in pregnancy or with heart or breathing conditions.

   

4. Jour 4 : Round the south to Kona

   Hilo through Kau to Punaluu, then Puuhonua o Honaunau and Kailua-Kona

   • Environ 4 h de route
   • Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
   • Nuit : Kailua-Kona
   Détail du jour 4

   Today we cross from the wet side of the island to the dry one by the southern road, about four hours of driving in all, which is why it is broken into four stretches of about an hour. We leave Hilo at 8:30 am and pass the volcano again on the way into Kau, the island's quiet, ranching south. At Punaluu the beach is black sand made where lava met the sea, and green sea turtles often rest on the shore; give them at least 3 m. Lunch is a sit-down meal in Kau. In the afternoon the road climbs round the southern flank of Mauna Loa and drops into South Kona, where coffee and macadamia farms line the slopes. At Puuhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park a ranger or your guide explains the place of refuge, where those who broke sacred law could be spared if they reached its great stone wall; carved wooden images stand over the rebuilt temple. We reach Kailua-Kona by about 5 pm, in time for sunset over the sea. Kona is your base for three nights.

   Compris

   • Punaluu black sand beach
   • Lunch in Kau
   • Puuhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park entry and walk

   Activités en option

   • Luau on the Kona coast. Booked on request for this evening; the price is shown when you book

   Temps libre : Evening free in Kailua-Kona

   Activité : Total driving today is about 4 hours over about 205 km, in stretches of about an hour between stops. Puuhonua o Honaunau is a sacred site: stay on the paths and do not climb the walls.

5. Jour 5 : Kealakekua Bay and Kona coffee

   Kailua-Kona to Keauhou Bay, by boat to Kealakekua Bay, then a coffee farm in the hills above

   • Environ 1.5 h de route
   • Petit-déjeuner, repas du midi et repas du soir
   • Nuit : Kailua-Kona
   Détail du jour 5

   An early breakfast, then a short drive to Keauhou Bay to board a licensed snorkel boat for the trip down the coast to Kealakekua Bay, a marine conservation district and state historical park. The water is usually flattest in the morning, before the trade winds rise. The bay is where Captain James Cook landed in 1779 and was killed the same year; a white obelisk marks the spot on the far shore. Below it the reef drops into clear, deep water, and spinner dolphins often rest in the bay; boats keep their distance, as the law requires. Masks, fins and flotation are provided, and non-swimmers can stay on board with a view through the glass. Back on land by about 1 pm, we drive up into the coffee belt on the slopes of Hualalai and Mauna Loa for lunch and a visit to a small farm, with the harvest and roasting explained and a tasting. Back in Kailua-Kona by about 4 pm. Farewell dinner tonight, since tomorrow evening is on the water.

   Compris

   • Morning snorkel boat from Keauhou Bay to Kealakekua Bay, with masks, fins and flotation
   • Kona coffee farm visit with tasting
   • Lunch in South Kona
   • Farewell dinner in Kailua-Kona

   Option plus facile : Stay on the boat and watch the reef from the deck while others snorkel.

   Temps libre : Late afternoon free in Kailua-Kona

   Activité : Spinner dolphins and green sea turtles are protected: give dolphins at least 50 yards (45 m) and turtles 3 m (10 ft). Use only mineral reef-safe sunscreen.

6. Jour 6 : Free in Kona, manta rays at night

   Kailua-Kona at leisure, then the manta ray night snorkel off the Kona coast

   • Environ 45 min de route
   • Petit-déjeuner
   • Nuit : Kailua-Kona
   Détail du jour 6

   A free day, with nothing booked until late afternoon. Swim or snorkel at Kahaluu Beach near Keauhou, where green sea turtles graze on the reef; walk Alii Drive past Hulihee Palace, a summer home of Hawaii's royal family, and Mokuaikaua Church; or take a long lunch by the sea. Your guide can suggest a route for any of them. At about 4:30 pm we drive to the harbour for the manta ray night snorkel with a licensed local operator. The boat anchors at a feeding site as the light goes, and after dark, holding a floating light board at the surface, you watch reef manta rays, which can be wider than 3 m, rise from below to feed on the plankton drawn to the lights. Sightings are frequent but never certain, and the operator gives a second chance on another night where it can. Masks and wetsuits are provided, with drinks and a light snack where the operator provides them. Back at the hotel by about 9 pm.

   Compris

   • Manta ray night snorkel with a licensed operator, with wetsuit, mask and light board
   • Transfers to and from the harbour

   Option plus facile : Ride along on the boat and watch the mantas from the deck.

   Temps libre : Morning and early afternoon free in Kailua-Kona

   Activité : The manta snorkel suits confident swimmers; the operator sets a minimum age, which we confirm at booking. Seasickness tablets help if you are prone to it.

   

7. Jour 7 : Depart from Kona

   Kailua-Kona to Kona airport (KOA)

   • Environ 15 min de route
   • Petit-déjeuner
   Détail du jour 7

   A slow last morning after the late night on the water. Take a final swim or coffee on Alii Drive, or walk to Kamakahonu, the small bay beside the pier where King Kamehameha spent his last years and where the rebuilt Ahuena temple stands on its stone platform. We check out at about 10:30 am and drive about 20 minutes north across the lava fields to Kona airport (KOA), arriving by about 11 am, where our service ends. The terminal is open-air, so there is little waiting indoors. Kona has nonstop flights to the US West Coast; we confirm your options home when you book. Book a flight leaving after about 1 pm, or stay on: we can add nights in Kona at the group hotel, or link the trip with our Oahu and Maui itineraries.

   Compris

   • Transfer to Kona airport (KOA)

   Temps libre : Morning free in Kailua-Kona

   Activité : Book your flight home to leave Kona after about 1 pm.

Faune et météo : The Big Island has two climates a few hours apart. Hilo, on the wet windward side, gets showers in every month, which is why the falls and gardens are so green; the Kona coast is dry and sunny most afternoons. Coastal days run about 26 to 30 C all year. The volcano summit at about 1,200 m is cooler and often misty, and Maunakea is near freezing at night in every season. Humpback whales pass the Kona coast from about December to April, and reef manta rays feed off Kona all year, though sightings are never guaranteed.

• Hilo3 nuits
• Kailua-Kona3 nuits