Big Island

The Big Island has incredibly varied terrain, such that as you travel across the island from the Leeward (dry) side to the Windward (wet) side, the landscape goes from black with dry brown patches to open fields grazed by horses and donkeys to planted eucalyptus forest to lush tropical vegetation and rainforest.

• 🌍 Hilo — The largest city of the Big Island. The town is surprisingly diverse with cute old architecture and makes for an excellent base for trips to the many nearby botanical gardens and impressive waterfalls.
• 🌍 Honokaa — The gateway to the Hāmākua Coast, the chain of valleys to the North, including the regal Waipio valley, and the rolling slopes of Mauna Kea.
• 🌍 Kailua-Kona — The main town on the Leeward coast, more of a continuous strip of tourist-providers such as eateries, fancy shops and hotels, including Honaunau
• 🌍 Naalehu — The southernmost town in the United States, beating Key West by about 380 miles.
• 🌍 Pahoa — A small town between Hilo and Volcanoes National Park.
• 🌍 Volcano Village — A small town at the entrance to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, offering traveler services and a more diverse range of dining and lodging than that available in the park.
• 🌍 Waikoloa — A resort area on the Kohala coast, artificially landscaped atop black volcanic ground and containing shopping centers and golf courses.
• 🌍 Waimea — A small ranch town in the northern part of the island, home to the Parker Ranch.

• 🌍 Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail — a 175-mile trail corridor through hundreds of ancient Hawaiian settlement sites hat is being developed along the west and south coasts
• 🌍 Hawaii Volcanoes National Park — Home to the world's largest volcano, Mauna Loa, and to the world's most active, Kilauea, which erupted continuously from 1983 to 2018. Scenic sights include the massive two-mile-diameter Kilauea crater and steam vents, a huge lava tube, and active lava flowing into the ocean.
• 🌍 Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park — A park being developed with hundreds of archaeological features including three ancient fish ponds
• 🌍 Mauna Kea — The largest mountain in the world when measured from its base, this dormant volcano is a center for astronomy, with numerous observatories on the summit and a visitor center.
• 🌍 Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park — A fascinating site for those interested in ancient Hawaiian history, this place served as a sanctuary for those broke taboos if they could make it here. Cultural demonstrations are regularly scheduled and sea turtles can frequently be seen offshore.
• 🌍 Puʻukoholā Heiau National Historic Site — preserves the National Historic Landmark ruins of the last major Ancient Hawaiian temple, and other historic sites.
• 🌍 Captain Cook, Kealakekua Bay — the historic site where Captain James Cook landed and a protected area that is teeming with dolphins and other marine life.

The youngest and largest island in the Hawaiian chain, the Big Island contains five volcanoes, including Kilauea, one of the world's most active. It is an island with a long coastline of black, volcanic sand beaches where you may see leatherback turtles and a host of other marine life, and a large, sparsely-populated mountainous interior. Hawaii has a relaxed, rural and small-town atmosphere, and even the biggest city, Hilo, is neither very big nor heavily built-up. There are no freeways on the island, speed limits are low and drivers tend to drive under the speed limit. The Kona (west) side of the island, famous for its coffee, is the more touristy and drier side; the lush Hilo/Hamakua Coast (east) side gets about 180 inches of rain annually, the wettest in the 50 states, and is much less touristy, but the rain is often steady rather than torrential and may not last all day. In the interior, there is some great hiking, including the Kilauea Iki Trail in the unique Volcanoes National Park, where you can also safely peer into the caldera of Mt. Kilauea at night and see the lava glowing bright red and starting to solidify into rock as it's exposed to the air; also awaiting you in the interior is the unparalleled experience of viewing the Milky Way and the rest of the night sky from Mauna Kea, one of the clearest and least light-polluted locations in the world, though not without controversy, as many Native Hawaiians consider the Observatory on top of this dormant volcano to be a desecration of a place holy to Pele, the Volcano Goddess.

Kamehameha I, called Kamehameha the Great, who was born in Kohala in the north of the island, probably in the first half of the 18th century, and became the first King of Hawaii (not just the Big Island but the rest of the archipelago) by 1810. His name remains much celebrated today, memorialized in the Kohala Historical Sites State Monument near Upolo that includes his birthplace, a statue and park in Kapaau and numerous street names in this island which retains a strong Native Hawaiian presence (some 8.5% of the population, plus many mixed-race people).

Locals refer to elders as "Auntie" or "Uncle" instead of "sir" or "ma'am," and flip-flops are called "slippahs." People in Hawai'i are very friendly and always looking forward to talking about their island, their history and its culture.

On Big Island, you need a car in order to get to most of the interesting beaches, parks or other attractions, or to travel from the Kona coast to the Hilo coast. Places like the green or black sand beaches, or the Mauna Kea summit and astronomical observatories are only accessible by four-wheel drive. Car rentals tend to book months in advance, depending on the season. If the major rental companies in Kona or Hilo are fully booked, you can still hope to find a used car to rent via Craigslist. These are older cars, most with dings or other cosmetic blemishes, but they don't make you look like a tourist.

If you only plan to stay around one town, you can also rent a moped or bike. See Hawaii for moped/scooter regulations.

Getting around by local bus, bikes, or on foot works well if you're staying in one area. Many budget travelers are unpleasantly surprised by the extremely limited public transport on the Big Island. The county's Hele-On bus is free until 2025 (Per Hawaii News Now) though the usual is a $2 fare), but the schedules are mainly intended for commuting. There are some bus companies offering excursions from Hilo to destinations like Volcano, but they require reservations.

Hitchhiking is extremely easy and convenient on the Big Island. As most places are near the Mamalahoa Highway, you're never too far from a good hitching spot, and even the backstreets will have people willing to pick up a hitchhiker. As traffic generally flows from the Hilo side to resorts of Waikoloa Resorts in the morning, you can easily make it to the beaches without waking up at by 5:45AM to catch the Hele-On bus. As a large number of locals take the spirit of Aloha seriously, hitching is the best way to travel for free throughout the island. It's not just the usual crowd of young people picking up hitchers either: One visitor has reportedly been picked up by families, grandmas, and even the mayor of Honoka'a! The eastern end of the island is the most hitchhiker-friendly, and the far south and far north are harder to hitch due to their sparse populations. On the western end of the island many motorists picking up hitchhikers will only accept riders in the truck bed, which you may not want to do due to safety considerations.

If you're thinking about renting a Jeep, Alamo doesn't disable the four-wheel drive option in their Jeeps as some other rental agencies do. However, keep in mind that you are violating the rental contract by driving on "unpaved roads" (let alone some of the four-wheel drive-only roads). As long as you are careful and sensible about it, though, you'll be fine. You are "on your own" if you get in trouble while violating the rental agreement. If you're going to violate the rental contract by driving on unpaved roads, you have less of a chance of getting stuck if you have the ability to shift to four-wheel drive.

Harper Rentals has four-wheel drive vehicles that are allowed by contract to drive on unpaved roads. You will pay more for that right.

The Big Island has the usual array of sub-tropical island activities. While the Kona side has a number of white sand beaches, the coastline on the Hilo side tends to be rocky. This is due to the relative age of the coastline.

Wonderful fresh fruits are grown and gathered wild on the island. Look for them in farmer's markets in cities like Hilo and farm stands. Wonderful jams in many flavors are also available at the farmer's market and in specialized stores in small towns.

There is also beautiful artisanal bamboo jewelry for sale at craft markets, which may be associated with farmer's markets.

There is good spicy Thai food to be had in restaurants and a variety of other Asian cuisines are to be found in cities. Otherwise, you can refer to Hawaii#Eat for more information.

The Big Island is the only county in Hawaii that has no restrictions on the operation of vacation rentals. Before making reservations, it's best to review a map of the island and plan ahead, thinking about the activities and sightseeing you'll want to do. For those that don't have the budget for large hotels and resorts, there are many less expensive options that are still enjoyable, such as local bed and breakfasts, small hotels, and hostels where you can stay for as little as $35 a night. Camping is also readily available all over the island.

Dance, culture, and traditional crafts classes are available for long or short term students. Many resorts offer 1-3 day classes in hula or lei making. To learn about history, culture and the environment, visit the State and National Parks and speak with Rangers and other guides that reside there. Parks have many programs ranging from participation based programs, games, festivals, classes and more for visitors to learn about Hawai'i. The only state or national parks that charge an entry fee are Pu'u o Honaunau and Volcanoes National Park.

Hawaii's unemployment rates are among the lowest in the nation, and thus it is impressive that the Big Island boasts one of the lowest unemployment rates in the state. While tourism, military, and agriculture have typically been the largest employers, job growth has resulted primarily from a residential building boom. The astronomical observatories are another important group of employers.

Even solidified lava flows can still be very dangerous, as there are hidden flows of molten lava with only an overlying thin crust of rock in many places between Pu'u O'o and the shoreline. And of course there's the threat of methane explosions and lava bench collapses, so do not walk to the edge of the lava bench unless the rangers say it is safe to do so.

The usual disclaimers about the more active things to do apply. If you have a tour guide, they often have insurance premiums to be beholden to and as such make them more aware of safety issues. But otherwise the island is mostly remote and help can be far away. Know your physical limits.

Prepare for the area you are visiting. The Big Island has 8 of the Earth's 13 climate zones within its boundary, so you will visit many different areas. For instance, you may wear flip flops and bikinis in Kona, however you would want a full coat, boots, long pants and a hat while visiting Mauna Kea.

Hawai'i is an ever changing, adapting island chain. It is constantly eroding, creating and changing. Beware of drop offs, sharp edges, water safety and the land and ocean around you in general.

As much as you need to keep yourself safe, you need to keep Hawai'i safe as well. Please practice the Leave No Trace principles to make sure everyone can enjoy the islands. It's not only illegal to do things like feed or hassle wildlife, take rocks, sand or plants, but it's also immoral and detrimental to the Hawaiian Islands. They are the most isolated land mass on the globe and have many species and landscapes that are struggling to survive under the pressures of tourism. Respect the 'aina the best you can. Do not cut trails, litter, or desecrate natural or man made sites.

While Hawaii and the Big Island may sound like paradise to mainlanders, there are significant cultural and economic issues facing the islanders. The Big Island has a significant issue with methamphetamine addiction, which has been called the most serious threat to the local community and culture. While most drug-related personal crimes, such as assaults, occur between users, methamphetamine can make its users more uninhibited and more willing to harm strangers -- such as travellers. Take reasonable precautions, but keep in mind that the Big Island is still a beautiful place where the vast majority of people visit safely. If you yourself have a personal history of methamphetamine addiction, take special caution to make sure travelling to an area with a high rate of use doesn't hit any triggers that might jeopardize your recovery.

The construction of a new 1.4 billion US$ telescope on top of Mauna Kea, already home to 13 other telescopes, is dividing traditional Hawaiians and scientists on the island. For Hawaiians, the volcano is a sacred place they wish to protect and preserve; for scientists it has long been one of the best places in the world to observe the night sky. Peaceful protests against construction of the new telescope have been ongoing since 2014 and have since divided the public opinion in the northeast of the island. Both sides have very strong opinions on the issue, and it's better to avoid discussing the topic as a traveller.

While quite rare, as of 2017, there are a few cases of rat lungworm disease on Maui and the Big Island. This is an extremely serious parasitic disease that affects the brain and spinal cord, and can be fatal. Despite the name, very few, if any, victims acquire the disease directly from rats. Most often, it's food poisoning from uncooked or under-cooked snails, slugs, crabs, shrimp, or frogs. If you have a taste for these types of foods, make certain they are properly cooked and that produce such as lettuce (which attracts snails and slugs) is thoroughly washed.