Hawaii: Oahu, the Big Island and Maui

Arrive in Honolulu

Honolulu airport (HNL) to Waikiki

• Welcome dinner
• Nuit : Honolulu
• Environ 30 min de route

Matin

Many approaches pass low over the mouth of Pearl Harbor, where you will be tomorrow morning, so take a window seat if you can. Our driver meets you at arrivals and takes you to your hotel in central Waikiki, about 30 to 40 minutes away depending on traffic. If you land early, leave your bags and walk the beach along Kalakaua Avenue towards the outline of Diamond Head, or swim inside the Kuhio Beach breakwater, where the water is calm.

Soir

At about 6 pm your See Sight Tours guide meets the group in the hotel lobby to talk through the week, the two inter-island flights and the two very early starts, then we walk to a welcome dinner nearby. Most guests from Canada and the mainland wake early on their first morning in Hawaii, which suits tomorrow's start.

Compris

• Arrival transfer from Honolulu airport (HNL) to your Waikiki hotel
• Welcome meeting with your guide
• Welcome dinner in Waikiki

Pearl Harbor and royal Honolulu

Waikiki to Pearl Harbor National Memorial, then Punchbowl and downtown Honolulu

• Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
• Nuit : Honolulu
• Environ 1.5 h de route

Après-midi

Then up to the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Punchbowl Crater for the view across the city, and a sit-down lunch downtown. In the afternoon a guided tour of Iolani Palace, home of Hawaii's last two monarchs, King Kalakaua and Queen Liliuokalani, then a short walk past the Kamehameha statue and the State Capitol.

Soir

You are back in Waikiki by about 3:30 pm, with the evening free.

Compris

• Pearl Harbor National Memorial with the documentary and the boat to the USS Arizona Memorial
• National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Punchbowl Crater
• Iolani Palace guided tour
• Downtown Honolulu walk: the Kamehameha statue and the State Capitol
• Sit-down lunch downtown

Activités en option

• Luau or Hawaiian cultural evening in Waikiki. Booked on request; the price is shown when you book

Diamond Head and around Oahu

Diamond Head, the southeast shore and windward coast, the North Shore and Haleiwa, back through central Oahu

• Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
• Nuit : Honolulu
• Environ 4 h de route

Soir

Then the long loop around the island, about four hours of driving in the day, broken by a stop every half hour or so: the Halona Blowhole and the Makapuu lookout on the southeast shore, the fluted green cliffs of the Koolau range along the windward coast, and the North Shore, where winter swells bring big waves to Sunset Beach, the Banzai Pipeline and Waimea Bay. Lunch is in Haleiwa, the old plantation town, with time for shave ice. We return through the farmland of central Oahu to Waikiki by about 5 pm.

Compris

• Diamond Head State Monument crater trail at the 6 am opening
• Halona Blowhole and Makapuu lookout
• The windward coast below the Koolau cliffs
• North Shore surf beaches: Sunset Beach, the Banzai Pipeline and Waimea Bay
• Lunch in Haleiwa

Fly to Hilo on the Big Island

Honolulu airport to Hilo (ITO), then Imiloa, Rainbow Falls and Liliuokalani Gardens

• Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
• Nuit : Hilo
• Environ 1 h de route

Matin

After breakfast we fly from Honolulu to Hilo, about 50 minutes nonstop, on the wet, green, windward side of the Big Island. 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.

Après-midi

Lunch is in town, then the afternoon starts at the Imiloa Astronomy Center, which tells the story of Polynesian navigation by the stars alongside the work of the observatories on Maunakea, where we go on day 6. At Rainbow Falls the Wailuku River drops about 24 m into a deep pool, and on sunny mornings a rainbow often forms in the spray.

Soir

To finish, an easy walk through the Japanese-style Liliuokalani Gardens and across the footbridge to Coconut Island, with Maunakea above the town on a clear evening. Hilo is your base for three nights, so you unpack once.

Compris

• Transfer to Honolulu airport
• Flight from Honolulu (HNL) to Hilo (ITO) with one checked bag
• Imiloa Astronomy Center
• Rainbow Falls
• Liliuokalani Gardens and Coconut Island
• Lunch in Hilo

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

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

• Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
• Nuit : Hilo
• Environ 3.5 h de route

Après-midi

After lunch in Volcano village we walk through Nahuku, a lit lava tube, and drive the Chain of Craters Road, which drops about 1,100 m in 30 km to the coast at the Holei Sea Arch. Back in Hilo by about 6 pm.

Compris

• Hawaii Volcanoes National Park entry
• Kilauea Visitor Center and the summit caldera overlooks
• Kilauea Iki trail or the Crater Rim Trail and steam vents
• Nahuku lava tube
• Chain of Craters Road to the Holei Sea Arch
• Lunch in Volcano village

Akaka Falls and sunset on Maunakea

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

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

Matin

A slow morning, then a 30-minute drive up the Hamakua Coast to Akaka Falls State Park, where a paved loop of about 650 m with steps leads through rainforest to the falls, dropping about 135 m into a gorge.

Soir

Back in Hilo by lunchtime, the afternoon is free: the farmers market, the Pacific Tsunami Museum 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 stop there to adjust to the altitude, watch the sun set above the clouds and eat a packed supper, then your guide shows you the night sky once it is dark, with a telescope session where the visitor station or a local partner runs one. We do not go on to the 4,207 m summit, which needs a four-wheel-drive vehicle and is not advised for everyone. Back in Hilo by about 9 pm.

Compris

• 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

Fly to Maui and Iao Valley

Hilo airport (ITO) to Kahului (OGG), Iao Valley and Wailuku, then Kihei

• Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
• Nuit : Kihei
• Environ 1 h de route

Matin

We fly from Hilo to Kahului on Maui this morning, about 40 minutes on the nonstop flight, which we confirm for your date when you book. From the airport it is a short drive up into the West Maui Mountains to Iao Valley State Monument, where a paved path and steps lead to a view of the Iao Needle, a green spire rising about 370 m from the valley floor. In 1790 the valley saw the battle of Kepaniwai, part of Kamehameha's campaign to bring the islands under one rule. Entry for visitors is by advance reservation, which we make.

Après-midi

Lunch is in Wailuku, Maui's old county town, then we drive south across the isthmus to Kihei on the sunny, dry south shore, your base for two nights, a short walk from the beach and restaurants. The rest of the day is free to swim, and your guide briefs the group on tomorrow's very early start.

Compris

• Transfer to Hilo airport
• Flight from Hilo (ITO) to Kahului (OGG) with one checked bag
• Iao Valley State Monument entry and walk
• Lunch in Wailuku

Sunrise on Haleakala

Kihei to the summit of Haleakala for sunrise, then Upcountry Maui and back to Kihei

• Petit-déjeuner et repas du soir
• Nuit : Kihei
• Environ 3.5 h de route

Matin

We leave Kihei at about 3 am, the exact time set by the season's sunrise, and climb the switchbacks into Haleakala National Park in the dark, about 1 hour 45 minutes, to the summit area at 3,055 m. Sunrise needs a park reservation or a licensed operator's permit, and we hold one. The sun comes up over a sea of cloud and lights the crater below, a basin of red and grey cinder cones about 11 km long. It is often near freezing at dawn; we bring blankets and hot drinks. After sunrise there is a short walk to a viewpoint and a look for the silverswords, a plant that grows almost nowhere else. Breakfast is in Upcountry Maui among the farms and ranches of Kula, and you are back in Kihei by late morning to sleep or swim.

Après-midi

In winter a whale watch leaves from Maalaea, 20 minutes away, in the afternoon.

Soir

Farewell dinner tonight.

Compris

• Haleakala National Park entry and sunrise reservation
• Sunrise at the summit area, 3,055 m, with blankets and hot drinks
• Breakfast in Upcountry Maui
• Farewell dinner

Activités en option

• Whale watch from Maalaea, December to April. About 2 hours in the afternoon; the price is shown when you book

A last swim and depart from Maui

A morning snorkel off Kihei, then Kahului airport (OGG)

• Petit-déjeuner
• Environ 45 min de route

Matin

A last morning on the south shore.

Après-midi

At about 8 am your guide takes anyone who wants to snorkel to a calm reef along the Kihei and Wailea coast, when the water is usually at its flattest before the afternoon trade winds. Masks and fins are provided, and green sea turtles are often grazing on the reef: give them at least 3 m, as touching or chasing them is against the law in Hawaii. Others can take a slow breakfast or walk the beach path. We check out late in the morning and drive about 30 minutes to Kahului airport (OGG), arriving by about 12:30 pm, where our service ends. Kahului has nonstop flights to the US West Coast, and we confirm your flight options home when you book. Book a flight leaving after about 2:30 pm, or stay on: we can add nights on Maui at the group hotel.

Compris

• Guided morning snorkel with masks and fins
• Transfer to Kahului airport (OGG)