Ultimate Hawaii Itinerary 7 Days on The Big Island

What To Expect From Hawaii’s Big Island

The Big Island of Hawaii is the largest of all Hawaiian islands and often overlooked. With two active volcanoes and 8 ecosystems, it is one of the most diverse destinations in the world to visit. The white-sand beaches, the towering volcanoes, giant cliffs and lava beds come together for an incredible landscape. Driving around we felt like we were in a different country every 30 minutes. Rest assured if you have 7 days follow this active itinerary and you can see a ton and wont be disappointed!

GETTING AROUND The Big Island Of Hawaii

You will need a rental car for the Big Island. The island is huge and everything is spread apart. They do have a bus system if you are staying in the main centers but so much of the island is not accessible like this. We highly recommend just biting the bullet and getting a rental, you can just see so much more!

WHERE TO EAT On The Big Island Of Hawaii

Eating out can be pricey and the local stores in the resort areas are quite expensive. I recommend getting a place with a kitchen so you can make a lot of your meals. We did a big shop at Costco and went to Foodland (a local grocery store) which had the best poke ever.

WHERE TO STAY On The Big Island Of Hawaii

To get an understanding of how to plan where to stay, it’s important to understand how the island is situated. Most of the population lives in 2 areas: Kona and Hilo. Hilo is the rainy side so is more lush and jungly, whereas Kona is more dry, rugged and has lava fields. The best beaches are on the Kona side, so all of the main hotels are located there and up the Kohala Coast. We stayed in Waikoloa, but anywhere on this side would be great.

Pro Tip – For the average vacationer you want to stay north of Kona.

If you don’t have a car and are interested in more jungle based local experience Hilo can be nice. Personally we didn’t mind the drive and were happy to head across to Hilo from Waikoloa to see the waterfalls!

HOW IS THE WEATHER On The Big Island Of Hawaii

The big island has two distinct weather patterns. For the most part Hawaii is warm and tropical year round  75-85°F (23°C-29°C). Hawaii shares the same seasons as North America. Summer is known as the dry season and winter is the rainy season.

Kona side – Is generally drier and more arid with less rainfall. The terrain is more barren here and the volcanoes are visible. Most popular choice for a beach vacation.

Hilo Side – Slightly cooler, far rainier but very lush and green. The Hilo side is very wet but has a vibrant jungle and several waterfalls. Hilo is literally the rainiest city in the USA receiving 147.5 inches  (3.75 meters!) of rain per year (NOAA)

THINGS TO DO On The Big Island Of Hawaii

There are alot of attractions and the island is big, so plan your days. We had 10 and did a mix of relaxing and road tripping. Here is a rough guide.

Day 1 Hawaii Itinerary

• Pololu Valley Hike (5km 400m elevation)
• Keokea Beach
• Lapakahi State Historical Park
• Hapuna Beach- one of the nicest and biggest beaches

Meghan relaxing at Manini beach. This was one of our favourites.

Keokea beach

Keokea beach is a nice little semi rocky beach and lookout. A great place to stretch your legs after your drive up highway 270.

Polulu Valley

Polulu valley is a gorgeous valley at the very north end of the highway 270. The path is short and steep down to the valley but very beautiful. The walk down to the lovely black sand beach should take about 25 minutes. If you don’t feel like hiking there is great views at the lookout beside the car park.

Lapakahi State Park

If you are interested in some partially restored remains of traditional Hawaiian settlement lapakahi is a great little self guided hike

Day 2 Hawaii Itinerary

• Captain Cook monument snorkel
• Explore Kona- Kona brewing, shopping, dinner

Snorkeling At Captain Cook’s Monument

Captain Cook’s monument is an excellent snorkel spot. It is a rock cove in Kealakekua bay that is naturally a bit sheltered and has vibrant marine life and great coral.

Why is it called Captain Cook’s?

This spot in Kealakekua bay is the spot where Captain cook met his end. January 1779 he landed here to repair a broken mast. After a conflict with the native Hawaiian’s Cook attempted to kidnap the regional king and was chased back to this spot and stabbed. There is a white obelisk and plaque commemorating this spot. The obelisk area makes a great place to get ready to snorkel.

Kona Brewing

Why not check out the regional favourite brewery on your way back into town. There is tons of seating and distinctly Hawaiian vibe.

Day 3 Hawaii Itinerary

• Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park
• Green Beach and Black Sand Beach
• The Southernmost point of the US (also a popular cliff jumping spot)

Day 4 Hawaii Itinerary

• Beach day- Choose your resort!
• We were close to Waikoloa Beach and the Hilton
• The Fairmont
• 4 Seasons
• Mauna Loni
• For remote go to Manini Beach

You have been active so far its time to treat yourself to a beach day and enjoy some on vacation time.

Sunset walks with sea turtles just down from the Waikaloa beach.

Day 5 Hawaii Itinerary

• Waipio Valley Lookout
• Akaka Falls
• Explore Hilo
• Rainbow Falls

Rainbow Falls

Rainbow falls was incredible. Even though it was a bit busy it was still easy to find a spot where you could appreciate the waterfalls by yourself. No real hike required just drive up and admire!

Waipio valley Lookout

After an easy drive on a pretty road full of fruit vendors and locals you get to the Waipio valley Lookout. This lookout is fabulous and very easy to access. You used to be able to hike down the absolutely crazy road descending to the beach but it has been closed for locals only. I believe there is also geology and road stability issues.

Akaka falls

Akaka falls in another incredible waterfall in Hawaii you should not skip. This is a beautiful 0.4 mile loop around the 440 foot drop into the gorge. The area in incredible and deffinetly worth the $5 entry fee. You can read more on the state park site here.

Day 6 Hawaii Itinerary

• Kihilo Bay swimming and explore the Lava Fields
• Do a tour to Mauna Kea for sunset and star gazing

Kiholo Bay

The incredible Kiholo bay. This was one of the most contrasting places I have ever been. Bright blue green water and black volcanic rock all around. The walk down to Kiholo is about 4km or 2.5 miles each way. You do descend a little bit and the terrain is a bit tricky so I recommend good footwear. Kiholo is 100% worth the walk!

Mauna Kea Sunset Tour

Mauna Kea is an incredible dormant Shield Volcano on the big island that you can drive up. Mauna Kea is the tallest volcano on the island at over 4207 m or 13,800 feet. When you are up that high in the middle of the pacific ocean the sunset are pretty special. This is one of the best places to stargaze on the planet!

If you don’t want to pay for the tour and the experience you can drive yourself. I would not advise this if you are not experienced with elevation and narrow high altitude roads. I opted to do it in day time but took the tour at night.

Pro Tip – It gets very cold at 4000m or 13,000 feet. The average temperature at the summit is 0c or 32f. Make sure you bring pants and layers. You will actually need your jacket here even if it is hot down below.

Day 7 Hawaii Itinerary

• Beach day
• Go surfing
• Night time manta ray cruise and snorkel (highlight do not skip!)

This night time snorkeling was so cool. I don’t know why my expectations were low because this was amazing. The Manta’s get so close to you. I had one actually swim into me by accident right beside the lights!

Pro tip – If they offer you wetsuits take them. It seems dumb at the time because it always so warm out but there is a bit of a colder current where you watch for the Mantas. I wished I had grabbed the suit!

Day 8 Hawaii Itinerary – Extra day

• Secret waterslide hike (9km)
• Whale/dolphin watching
• Catamaran cruise
• Beach Walks
• Kona shopping day
• Snorkel tour to Captain Cook

If you are lucky enough to have an extra day on the Big island why not go for a hike!

Pat at the water flume. This hike was crazy and a total adventure. Officially I can not recommend this hike as it passes through private land and there are some safety concerns. At the time we hiked we asked for land permissions and were told to go for it. Do you research if you are considering this one.

Activity Ideas For The Big Island Of Hawaii

• Whale/dolphin watching
• Day time Snorkel tours
• Endless hikes
• Endless beach days
• Kona shopping day
• Boat trips
• Catamaran cruises

To see even more ideas check out our Top 10 things to do on the Big Island of Hawaii post.