I may be bias because I’ve only been to Hawaii once, and that was on the Big Island, but I think that the Big Island is the best island of Hawaii. The reason I think this is because it wasn’t the usual tourist-y place you would expect of Hawaii. Instead, it was more of an adventure all around, and you got to interact with the locals. Here is a list of my top ten must-dos if you visit the Big Island of Hawaii:
- Pololu Valley hike – This was an absolutely STUNNING hike down a steep trail built into a cliff. It took us about 30 minutes to go down and about 15 minutes coming back up, but believe me, it was worth it. at the bottom, we were met with a 100% black-sand beach, a beautiful blue ocean (which we believe we saw a whale in), and the view of two majestic waterfalls to the right.
- Ride The Rim – This is a guided tour on ATVs to the rim Waipio Valley, where we stopped and took a lunch break, looking down at two beautiful waterfalls and a local farming village. You can ride an ATV alone, with a friend, or have one of the employees drive you in a four-person buggy.
- Petroglyphs – Take a hike on one of many petroglyph trails and visit the ancient Hawaiian’s drawings.
- Chill out and go to a beach – Snorkel or even walk along the shore, and you may be visited by adorable sea turtles.
- Volcanoes National Park – DEFINITELY pay a visit to the volcanoes of Hawaii. I suggest setting a whole day aside for this, so you can visit the volcanoes, hike down the Kilauea Iki crater, explore and visit the lava tubes and arches, come back to the volcanoes at night time to see the glowing lava.
*also a MUST-do: eat LILIKOI (passion fruit) shave-ice or juice!*
