Best Attractions and Activities on the Big Island Hawaii

The Island of Hawaii, also known as the Big Island, is the largest in the United States. It has a total area of 4,028 square miles. The Big Island is also one of the most visited destinations in the country. A major tourist destination, it offers a variety of places to explore. Tourists come for the beautiful beaches, incredible natural attractions and everything that this place has to offer.

A huge island with plenty of interesting attractions, the Big Island is a fantastic destination to spend time. It also has a number of great accommodations where travellers can enjoy their stay. The island has quite number of options, from budget to luxury hotels. If you’re after to experience that ultimate dream vacation, choose any of the Big Island Villas. Staying at any of these vacation rentals and luxury resorts is surely an amazing travel experience. But let’s go to the exciting part of coming to the Big Island with these things to do.

Things to Do on the Big Island

The Big Island is famous for its many natural wonders. Here are some of the best attractions to visit and activities to enjoy.

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

A volcanic in origin, the Big Island is an interesting place to visit for volcanoes. Discover awe-inspiring natural wonders during a trip to the Big Island by visiting Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. The most popular tourist destination on the Big Island, it contains two of the most active volcanoes in the world, Mauna Loa and Kilauea.

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is an amazing place to see the earth creating new land everyday. Here, tourists can see forces of nature in action where ongoing geological processes are also easily observed. Visitors can witness active lava flows and see lava glow at night. Excellent spots are also provided to view the crater. The park also provides opportunity to see overwhelming lava deserts, steaming craters, lava tubes and ancient rainforests.

Big Island Beaches

The beaches are one of the main attractions of the Big Island. It includes beautiful white sand beaches, black sand beaches, and even a green sand beach. One of the top beaches is Hapuna Beach. It’s a half-mile long golden sand beach and is considered one of the finest on the Big Island. The beach is excellent for swimming and for some watersport activities.

Another popular on the Big Island is Manini’owali Beach. It has fine white sand and beautiful clear turquoise water. The beach is good for swimming and also has some decent spots for snorkeling. Makalawena Beach is also a pretty beach to visit. It is picturesque and relaxing. The area is often uncrowded. It’s a 20-minute hike to reach it. The beach has soft sand and clear water perfect for swimming and sunbathing.

A sight to behold on the Big Island, Punalu’u Beach is a famous black sand beach. The black sand was due to the volcanic basalt rock. The swimming area is very rocky though at Punalu’u Beach and it can be dangerous to swim. But it’s a unique and beautiful place to visit. You can also spot some sea turtles come up and rest here since this is a favorite resting place for them.

These are just some of the beaches to see on the Big Island. There are still a lot around. Get around the island and discover the amazing character and charm of the Big Island beaches.

Scuba and Snorkeling in the Island of Hawaii

The abundance of sea life in Hawaii makes the Big Island a perfect destination for scuba diving and snorkeling. The underwater world around is a top destination for Scuba divers worldwide. It is a paradise itself. Some of the best locations for diving are on the Kona side and those on the Hilo side.

There are dive shops around the island offering rentals for offshore scuba diving and tour agencies offering tours for snorkeling and other water activities.

Pu’uhonua o Honaunau National Historic Park

This historical park contains the Puuhonua, a sacred place of refuge for those who had broken the laws, known as kapu. These law-breakers faced certain death unless they could reach this space behind the 5-metre thick Great Wall. The offender would then be absolved by a priest and freed to leave. This place was also served as a refuge for defeated warriors and non-combatants during the times of battle.

The park also contains numerous archaeological sites, royal grounds as well as other temples and coastal sites. This place is worth a stop if you want to know more about the island tradition and ancient Hawaiian society.

Akaka Falls State Park and Kahuna Falls

If you love nature and outdoors, the Big Island also offers many wonderful attractions for that. One of which is the Akaka Falls State Park. The park is home to two gorgeous waterfalls, Akaka Falls and Kahuna Falls. It can be seen in one short hike along with beautiful lush plants and trees. There’s a paved trail but it has many steps. Following the path, visitors will see the 100-foot Kahuna Falls. Continue the trail until seeing the towering Akaka Falls free falling 442-feet.

Luau and Hula Performances

Experience an evening of delicious food and authentic Polynesian entertainment with an unforgettable luau and hula show on the Big Island. A Luau is a traditional Hawaiian party usually including food and entertainment. It’s a celebration of Hawaiian culture and is one of the most popular vacation activities on the Big Island. Most Luau shows happened in resorts and held in a gorgeous setting.

Pololu Valley Lookout

The Big Island also features a number of impressive lookouts and scenic views. One of those is the Pololu Valley Lookout. It’s a beautiful overlooking located off the northeastern coast of the island. The lookout provides spectacular scenery of the verdant cliffs of Pololu Valley and the dramatic northeastern coastline.

These are just some of the best attractions and activities on the Big Island. It’s certainly a wonderful destination that has lots of sights and fun things to experience. With bounty of tropical adventures, tourists coming to the Big Island will never run out of activities to enjoy.