Hawaii: Oahu, the Big Island and Maui

1. Day 1: Arrive in Honolulu

   Honolulu airport (HNL) to Waikiki

   • Drive about 30 min
   • Welcome dinner
   • Stay in Honolulu
   Day 1 details

   Fly into Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) in Honolulu, ideally landing by about 3 pm. 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. 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.

   Included

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

   Free time: Afternoon free before the welcome meeting

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

   

2. Day 2: Pearl Harbor and royal Honolulu

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

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

   We leave Waikiki at about 6:45 am to be at Pearl Harbor National Memorial for one of the first USS Arizona Memorial programs of the day, before the coach tours build up. A short documentary sets the scene for the attack of 7 December 1941, then a Navy shuttle boat takes you out to the white memorial built across the sunken battleship, where 1,177 of her crew died; small drops of oil still rise from the hull. Back on shore there is time for the museums on the harbour front. 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. You are back in Waikiki by about 3:30 pm, with the evening free.

   Included

   • 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

   Optional experiences

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

   Free time: Evening free in Waikiki

   Activity: Bags are not allowed at the USS Arizona Memorial. Iolani Palace tours run Tuesday to Saturday, so departures are set for day 2 to fall on one of those days.

   

3. Day 3: Diamond Head and around Oahu

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

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

   An early start for the one climb on Oahu. We are at Diamond Head State Monument when it opens at 6 am, with our entry slot booked, to walk up the crater trail before the heat: about 1.3 km each way and 170 m of climbing on a paved, then rocky path with stairs and a short tunnel, ending at an old summit bunker that looks straight down on Waikiki. 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.

   Included

   • 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

   Easier option: Stay on the crater floor while the group climbs Diamond Head, about 1.5 hours, then join the island loop.

   Free time: Evening free in Waikiki

   Activity: Total driving today is about 4 hours over about 190 km, in stretches of 30 to 45 minutes between stops. Diamond Head entry for visitors is by advance reservation, which we make. The North Shore surf is biggest from about November to March; swim only where lifeguards say it is safe.

4. Day 4: Fly to Hilo on the Big Island

   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

   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. 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. 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.

   Included

   • 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

   Free time: Evening free in Hilo

   Activity: Imiloa is closed on Mondays; on those departures we visit it on the afternoon of day 6.

5. Day 5: 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

   • 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' drive from Hilo. We leave at 7:30 am to reach the summit of Kilauea before most day tours arrive from the Kona side. At the Kilauea Visitor Center 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, but nobody can promise lava. Then a choice of walks: the Kilauea Iki trail, about 5 km down through a forest of 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, 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.

   Included

   • 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

   Easier option: The Crater Rim Trail past the steam vents, mostly level, about 2 km.

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

   Free time: Evening free in Hilo

   Activity: Walks are on uneven lava and can be wet; wear closed shoes and bring a rain layer. The summit area is about 1,200 m and cooler than Hilo.

   

6. Day 6: 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

   • Drive about 3.5 h
   • Breakfast and dinner
   • Stay in Hilo
   Day 6 details

   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. 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.

   Included

   • 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

   Easier option: Stay in Hilo for the evening instead of going up the mountain.

   Free time: Afternoon free in Hilo

   Activity: 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.

7. Day 7: 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 7 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 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. 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.

   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

   Free time: Afternoon and evening free in Kihei

   Activity: An early night helps: tomorrow's pickup is at about 3 am.

8. Day 8: Sunrise on Haleakala

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

   • Drive about 3.5 h
   • Breakfast and dinner
   • Stay in Kihei
   Day 8 details

   The early start of the trip, and the reason for it. 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. In winter a whale watch leaves from Maalaea, 20 minutes away, in the afternoon. Farewell dinner tonight.

   Included

   • 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

   Optional experiences

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

   Easier option: Stay in the warm vehicle while the group walks to the viewpoints.

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

   Free time: Late morning and afternoon free in Kihei

   Activity: Bring every warm layer you have. Not advised in pregnancy or with heart or breathing conditions.

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

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

   • Drive about 45 min
   • Breakfast
   Day 9 details

   A last morning on the south shore. 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.

   Included

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

   Easier option: Skip the snorkel; breakfast and the beach path instead.

   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. Hilo is one of the wettest towns in the United States, so expect showers on the Big Island days in any month; Waikiki and Kihei are much drier. From about December to April humpback whales winter around Maui, and from about November to March big swells reach Oahu's North Shore, which closes some beaches to swimmers. On Maunakea and Haleakala it can be near freezing at night and dawn in every season.

• Honolulu3 nights
• Hilo3 nights
• Kihei2 nights