Hawaii: Oahu, the Big Island and Maui for three generations

1. Day 1: Arrive in Honolulu

   Honolulu airport (HNL) to Waikiki

   • Drive about 30 min
   • Welcome dinner at 5:30 pm
   • Stay in Honolulu
   Day 1 details

   Fly into Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) in Honolulu, ideally landing by about 2 pm. Our driver meets each family at arrivals, with booster seats ready for the children who need them, and takes you about 30 to 40 minutes to your hotel in central Waikiki, where we have asked for family or connecting rooms. If you arrive early, the calmest water for children is inside the Kuhio Beach breakwater, a shallow walled pool off the main beach with lifeguards nearby, and grandparents can sit in the shade of the banyan tree on Kalakaua Avenue. At about 4:30 pm your See Sight Tours guide meets the group in the hotel lobby: introductions for every generation, the plan for the week, the two inter-island flights and what to pack for a day at 3,000 m. The welcome dinner starts at 5:30 pm, a short walk away, so the youngest are in bed early. Most guests from Canada and the mainland wake early on their first morning, which suits tomorrow.

   Included

   • Arrival transfer from Honolulu airport (HNL) to your Waikiki hotel
   • Welcome meeting with your guide at 4:30 pm
   • Welcome dinner in Waikiki at 5:30 pm

   Free time: Afternoon free on Waikiki Beach before the welcome meeting

   Activity: Landing after 5 pm? Your guide catches you up at breakfast.

   

2. Day 2: Pearl Harbor and a beach afternoon

   Waikiki to Pearl Harbor National Memorial, past Iolani Palace, and back to Waikiki

   • Drive about 1.5 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Honolulu
   Day 2 details

   We leave Waikiki at about 7 am for Pearl Harbor National Memorial and one of the first USS Arizona Memorial programs of the day, before the coach tours arrive and before the heat. A short documentary explains the attack of 7 December 1941 in a way older children follow, then a Navy shuttle boat takes everyone out to the white memorial across the sunken battleship, where 1,177 of her crew died; drops of oil still rise from the hull, and children often spot them first. Back on shore there is time for the harbour-front museums, with benches in the shade. On the way back we drive past Iolani Palace, home of Hawaii's last monarchs, and the gold-cloaked Kamehameha statue, then sit down to lunch in Waikiki. The afternoon is for the beach or the hotel pool: no visits, no van. Grandparents who would like more history can take the optional Battleship Missouri tour in the morning instead of the museums.

   Included

   • Pearl Harbor National Memorial with the documentary and the boat to the USS Arizona Memorial
   • Harbour-front museums at the memorial
   • Drive past Iolani Palace and the Kamehameha statue
   • Sit-down lunch in Waikiki

   Optional experiences

   • Battleship Missouri Memorial tour at Pearl Harbor. Booked on request; the price and the minimum age are shown when you book

   Easier option: Watch the documentary and the memorial programme, then rest on the shaded benches by the water.

   Free time: Afternoon and evening free in Waikiki, beach or pool

   Activity: Bags are not allowed at the USS Arizona Memorial; bring only what fits in your pockets. Back in Waikiki by about 12:30 pm.

   

3. Day 3: Diamond Head and the North Shore

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

   • Drive about 4 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Honolulu
   Day 3 details

   The one climb on Oahu, at a gentler hour. Our entry slot at Diamond Head State Monument is at about 7 am, before the heat: the crater trail is about 1.3 km each way and 170 m up, paved and then rocky, with stairs and a short tunnel that children like, ending at an old summit bunker above Waikiki. Grandparents who would rather not climb wait on the crater floor with the guide's flask of coffee. Then the drive round the island, in stretches of 30 to 45 minutes: the Halona Blowhole, the Makapuu lookout, the green cliffs of the windward coast and Kualoa, where many films were shot. Lunch is in Haleiwa, the old plantation town, with shave ice for every generation. On the North Shore we stop at a beach where green sea turtles often rest on the sand, and at Waimea Bay. On the way back through central Oahu the children get the garden maze at the Dole Plantation. Back in Waikiki by about 4:30 pm.

   Included

   • Diamond Head State Monument crater trail, 7 am entry slot
   • Halona Blowhole and Makapuu lookout
   • The windward coast and Kualoa
   • Lunch and shave ice in Haleiwa
   • North Shore turtle beach and Waimea Bay
   • Dole Plantation with the garden maze

   Easier option: Stay on the crater floor while the group climbs Diamond Head, about 1.5 hours, then ride the whole island loop with a stop every half hour.

   More active option: Climb Diamond Head with the guide, then a swim at Waimea Bay in summer when the lifeguards say it is calm.

   Free time: Evening free in Waikiki

   Activity: The longest driving day: about 4 hours over about 190 km, never more than 45 minutes between stops, with toilets at each. Turtles are seen from at least 3 m; touching them is against the law. North Shore swimming is summer only; winter waves are for watching.

4. Day 4: Fly to Hilo, stars and waterfalls

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

   • Drive about 1 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Hilo
   Day 4 details

   A slow breakfast, then the transfer to Honolulu airport and the flight to Hilo on the Big Island, about 50 minutes nonstop, with your guide on board. Hilo is the island's old working town on the wet, green windward side, and the base for two nights. After lunch in town we go to the Imiloa Astronomy Center, where children sit through a planetarium show, a garden of native plants and the story of how Polynesian navigators crossed the Pacific by the stars, alongside the telescopes on Maunakea, which you can often see above the town. Then a short drive to Rainbow Falls, a few steps from the car park, where the Wailuku River drops about 24 m into a pool and a rainbow often forms in the spray on sunny mornings. To finish, an easy walk through the Japanese-style Liliuokalani Gardens and across the footbridge to Coconut Island, where children swim in the sheltered water. Early dinner is free in Hilo.

   Included

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

   Easier option: Every stop today is a short level walk from the van; Imiloa has seating throughout.

   Free time: Late afternoon and evening free in Hilo

   Activity: Imiloa is closed on Mondays; on those departures we visit it on the morning of day 6 before the flight. Hilo has showers in any month, so carry a light rain layer.

5. Day 5: Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

   Hilo to the summit of Kilauea, the steam vents, Nahuku and the Chain of Craters Road, back to Hilo

   • Drive about 3.5 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Hilo
   Day 5 details

   A full day in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site about 45 minutes from Hilo. We leave at 8 am and go first to the Kilauea Visitor Center, where every child collects a free Junior Ranger booklet and the rangers post what the volcano is doing that day. Kilauea has erupted in episodes at its summit since December 2024, so you may see a plume or a glow from the caldera overlooks, but nobody can promise lava. Then the steam vents and sulphur banks, a level walk, and the Kilauea Iki overlook above a crater that was a lake of lava in 1959. Lunch is in Volcano village. In the afternoon children lead the way through Nahuku, a lit lava tube about 180 m long, then we drive the Chain of Craters Road down the mountain past black lava fields to the coast at the Holei Sea Arch, with stops on the way. Junior Ranger badges are sworn in before we leave, and you are back in Hilo by about 5 pm.

   Included

   • Hawaii Volcanoes National Park entry
   • Junior Ranger booklets and badges for the children
   • Kilauea Visitor Center and the summit caldera overlooks
   • Steam vents, sulphur banks and the Kilauea Iki overlook
   • Nahuku lava tube
   • Chain of Craters Road to the Holei Sea Arch
   • Lunch in Volcano village

   Easier option: The overlooks, steam vents and the lava tube are all short walks; stay with the van at the Chain of Craters stops if you prefer.

   More active option: The Kilauea Iki trail with the guide, about 5 km, 120 m down to the crater floor and back up, for children 9 and up with a parent.

   Free time: Evening free in Hilo

   Activity: The summit area is about 1,200 m and cooler and wetter than Hilo: bring a fleece and a rain layer, and closed shoes for lava. Drives are in legs of 45 minutes or less.

   

6. Day 6: Fly to Maui and Iao Valley

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

   • Drive about 1 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Kihei
   Day 6 details

   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 with some steps leads to a view of the Iao Needle, a green spire about 370 m above the valley floor, and a stream where children can paddle at the bottom. In 1790 the valley saw the battle of Kepaniwai, part of Kamehameha's campaign to unite the islands, and your guide tells the story where it happened. Entry for visitors is by advance reservation, which we make. Lunch is in Wailuku, then we drive south to Kihei on the sunny, dry south shore, your base for three nights, close to the lifeguarded Kamaole beaches. By about 2:30 pm the afternoon is free for the pool, the beach or a nap for any generation.

   Included

   • 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

   Easier option: Take the lower path at Iao Valley and skip the steps to the upper lookout.

   Free time: Afternoon and evening free in Kihei, beach or pool

   Activity: If the nonstop is not flying on your date, we route via Honolulu and move Iao Valley to the morning of day 8.

7. Day 7: Haleakala by daylight

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

   • Drive about 3.5 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Kihei
   Day 7 details

   A day on Maui's great volcano, by daylight rather than at a 3 am sunrise, which keeps it a good day for a 9-year-old and a 70-year-old alike. We leave Kihei at about 8:30 am and climb the switchbacks into Haleakala National Park, about 1 hour 45 minutes with a stop halfway, to the summit area at 3,055 m. From the visitor centre the crater spreads below, a basin of red and grey cinder cones about 11 km long, and on most days the clouds sit underneath you. Children pick up the park's Junior Ranger booklet, and we look for silverswords, a spiky silver plant that grows almost nowhere else on earth. The short Pa Kaoao trail is about 0.6 km round trip for those who want it. We come down slowly to Kula in Upcountry Maui for lunch among the farms and ranches, with views across the isthmus, and are back in Kihei by about 3 pm for the pool.

   Included

   • Haleakala National Park entry
   • Summit area and visitor centre at 3,055 m
   • Junior Ranger booklets for the children
   • Silversword viewing and the Pa Kaoao trail
   • Lunch in Kula, Upcountry Maui

   Easier option: Stay at the visitor centre viewpoints, a few steps from the van, and rest inside if the wind is cold.

   More active option: Walk a short way down the Keoneheehee (Sliding Sands) trail into the crater with the guide and climb back slowly.

   Free time: Late afternoon and evening free in Kihei

   Activity: It can be near freezing and windy at the summit even at midday: bring a warm jacket, hat and long trousers for everyone. Ask your doctor before going to 3,000 m if you are pregnant or have heart or breathing conditions; anyone can stay lower in Kula instead.

8. Day 8: Turtles, reef and the Maui Ocean Center

   A morning snorkel off Kihei, then the Maui Ocean Center at Maalaea and back to Kihei

   • Drive about 45 min
   • Breakfast, lunch and dinner
   • Stay in Kihei
   Day 8 details

   The sea day. At about 8 am, when the water is usually flattest before the afternoon trade winds, your guide takes the group to a calm reef along the Kihei and Wailea shore. Masks, fins and float vests for every size are provided, children snorkel next to a parent or the guide, and non-swimmers can stand in the shallows or watch from the sand. Green sea turtles often graze on this reef: give them at least 3 m, as touching or chasing them is against the law in Hawaii. At about 10:30 am we drive 20 minutes to the Maui Ocean Center at Maalaea, an aquarium of Hawaiian reef life with a walk-through tunnel under the open ocean tank, where sharks and rays swim overhead, and it all makes sense of the morning's reef. Lunch is at Maalaea harbour. The afternoon is free; in winter an optional whale watch leaves from the same harbour. Farewell dinner at 5:30 pm.

   Included

   • Guided morning snorkel with masks, fins and float vests in children's sizes
   • Maui Ocean Center entry at Maalaea
   • Lunch at Maalaea harbour
   • Farewell dinner at 5:30 pm

   Optional experiences

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

   Easier option: Skip the snorkel and walk the beach path or join the children in the shallows; the aquarium is level and indoors.

   More active option: A longer snorkel along the reef edge with the guide, for confident swimmers.

   Free time: Afternoon free in Kihei

   Activity: Bring mineral reef-safe sunscreen; Hawaii bans sunscreens with oxybenzone and octinoxate. The guide decides on the morning if the water is calm enough.

9. Day 9: A last swim and depart from Maui

   Kihei to Kahului airport (OGG)

   • Drive about 45 min
   • Breakfast
   Day 9 details

   A slow last morning with no alarm. After breakfast there is time for one more swim at the Kamaole beaches or in the hotel pool, and for the family photo the children have been planning all week. Your guide is at breakfast to help with packing and flight questions. We check out late in the morning and drive about 30 to 40 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 seasonal flights to Canada, and we confirm your flight options home when you book, including connections that suit children and grandparents. Book a flight leaving after about 2:30 pm. If the family would like to stay on, we can add nights on Maui at the group hotel, or arrange a transfer to the west coast resorts at Kaanapali for a few days of pure beach.

   Included

   • Transfer to Kahului airport (OGG)

   Free time: Morning free in Kihei, beach or pool

   Activity: Book your flight home to leave Kahului after about 2:30 pm.

Wildlife and weather: Hawaii is warm all year: about 27 to 31 C by day on the coast in summer and 25 to 28 C in winter, with sea temperatures of about 24 to 27 C. Hilo is wet in every month, so expect showers on the Big Island days; Waikiki and Kihei are much drier. Green sea turtles are seen in all seasons. From about December to April humpback whales winter off Maui, and from about November to March big North Shore swells close beaches there to swimmers, so the stop becomes a wave-watching one. The Haleakala summit can be near freezing even at midday.

• Honolulu3 nights
• Hilo2 nights
• Kihei3 nights