Hawaii (Big Island) Off The Beaten Path

  South point
by kyoub
 
  • South point
      South point
    by kyoub
  • Pololu road
      Pololu road
    by kyoub
  • Captain Roy
      Captain Roy
    by GracesTrips
  • Approaching Lava Flow area
      Approaching Lava Flow area
    by GracesTrips
  • Our initial launch into the water
      Our initial launch into the water
    by GracesTrips
 

Most Viewed Off The Beaten Path in Hawaii (Big Island)

1.

Beaches / Bays   Kailua-Kona

Beaches / Bays, Kailua-Kona

 6 Reviews  Panaluu black sand beach. It's pretty far south, but on the way to the Volcanoe National Park. Although we didn't snorkel there, I understand the snorkeling is very good there. Plus it's suppose to be... 

 See All 37 Off The Beaten Path in Kailua-Kona

2.

Waterfalls   Hilo

Waterfalls, Hilo

 3 Reviews  * Akaka Falls Rd * Off Hwy 19, Honomu, HI 96728 * My first day on the Big Island, my friend Kawika took me to these amazing sheer pits of 'awe' known as 'Akaka Falls. A 442 foot tall waterfall... 

 See All 18 Off The Beaten Path in Hilo

3.

Devastation Trail & Overlook   Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Devastation Trail & Overlook, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

 4 Reviews  We stopped at the Pu’u Pua’i Overlook & Devastation Trail. There was a picnic table here under shade so we decided to eat our packed lunches. The weather was perfect for a picnic and it turned out to... 

 See All 16 Off The Beaten Path in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

4.

Steam vents   Volcano

Steam vents, Volcano

 1 Review  Not really off the beaten path, but there were two very large steam vents here, with a huge amount of scorching steam coming out. One guy put his arm into it, and I can tell you, he jumped away... 

 See All 3 Off The Beaten Path in Volcano

5.

Ka Lae, Ka'u   Kailua-Kona

Ka Lae, Ka'u, Kailua-Kona

 5 Reviews  visit the boat docks at south point. Also on the way towards the volcano. I don't believe the hoists are used anymore. The water was an unbelieveable blue color here! We even saw snorkelers here.... 

 See All 37 Off The Beaten Path in Kailua-Kona

6.

Halema'uma'u Overlook   Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Halema'uma'u Overlook, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

 3 Reviews  Halema'uma'u changed greatly during the 20th century. In 1924 it was only 1,500 feet in diameter but was filled by a lake of molten lava that bubbled and boiled 2,100 degrees in Fahrenheit. There is... 

 See All 16 Off The Beaten Path in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

7.

Waterfalls   Kailua-Kona

Waterfalls, Kailua-Kona

 2 Reviews  On the windward, i.e. north eastern side of the Big Island, there are Akaka/Kahuna Falls. Not many people find the way to this beautiful spot with its well-paved paths through a tropical paradise.... 

 See All 37 Off The Beaten Path in Kailua-Kona

8.

Kipuka   Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Kipuka, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

 1 Review  Something that a lot of people look at, but do not really see, are the untouched lengths of land that were cut off from their normal environment when lava flowed all around them. When lava flows move... 

 See All 16 Off The Beaten Path in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

9.

Watersports   Kailua-Kona

Watersports, Kailua-Kona

 3 Reviews  Kayak through a historical sugar plantation on a guided cultural wilderness adventure - fun for the whole family! On hot summer days on the old plantations, the most daring kids would grab an... 

 See All 37 Off The Beaten Path in Kailua-Kona

10.

Churches / Altars   Kailua-Kona

Churches / Altars, Kailua-Kona

 3 Reviews  The Painted Church At St. Benedict's Painted Church you may find no one on duty and have the wonderful church all to yourself. The inside is colorfully painted and has many murals of biblical or... 

 See All 37 Off The Beaten Path in Kailua-Kona

11.

Pu'uhonua o Honaunau   Kailua-Kona

Pu'uhonua o Honaunau, Kailua-Kona

 3 Reviews  On the west coast, south of Kona, there is the 'City of Refuge' or Puuhonua O Honaunau, an ancient refuge for those who had broken tabus. Getting here was dangerous, but then again, getting caught... 

 See All 37 Off The Beaten Path in Kailua-Kona

12.

Mark Twain / Captain Cook   Kailua-Kona

Mark Twain / Captain Cook, Kailua-Kona

 3 Reviews  Mark Twain's Monkey Pod Tree If you have taken the trouble to fly thousands of miles and rent a car to reach this district of the Big Island of Hawaii then you might as well slow down to take a look... 

 See All 37 Off The Beaten Path in Kailua-Kona

13.

Island Tour / Exploration   Kailua-Kona

Island Tour / Exploration, Kailua-Kona

 2 Reviews  Want to know how to get up near the top of Hualalai (the volcano mountain above Kona)? Take Palani Road out of town (east). It winds a bit, and then straightens out. About a mile after the road gets... 

 See All 37 Off The Beaten Path in Kailua-Kona

14.

Kona trail   Kailua-Kona

Kona trail, Kailua-Kona

 2 Reviews  Travelling north from the sanctuary, you´ll go through 'coffee country' where the famous Kona coffee grows on the hills. The coffee farms invite visitors to come in. Whoever designed this logo... 

 See All 37 Off The Beaten Path in Kailua-Kona

15.

Volcanoes National Park   Kailua-Kona

Volcanoes National Park, Kailua-Kona

 2 Reviews  Volcano Winery. 96 miles from Kailua-Kona and 1 mile from Volcano National Park. Free Wine tasting. They even offer a wine made with honey instead of grapes.......very different. Well worth the detour... 

 See All 37 Off The Beaten Path in Kailua-Kona

Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Stand at the Southern Most Point in America!

by mattmiller82

This place is definitely off the beaten track. When I went here in August it was just my family, some cliff divers and I. The southern most point is this big rock face that overlooks the ocean. There is a blowhole right at the point, and if you look to your right you see this magnificent rock face carved by the wind. It's a very neat place. Also, a peculiar sight on the way there. The only way to get there is to drive down a road for 20 minutes from the highway. If you look on your right driving down you'll notice a massive wind farm that has these large windmills. However, this farm looks as if it has been left to rot by the company, and you'll see these big, rusty white towers with windmills with one, or maybe even no blades on it. This sight is a little of the route, but it is definitely worth seeing. There is also a beach with Green Sand if you turn left at the last fork in the road.

See a mountain's shadow on the clouds

by BlueCollar

You will not find much to do on the top of Mauna Kea. If you came here yourself, you had better have rented a four-wheel drive vehicle for your descent. You will need to lock it into 4WD-low range so you can use the drivegears to slow your travel down the mountain as opposed to dragging your brakes. Dragging brakes cause heat build-up and, eventually, brake failure. You may just end up making a straight path at the next turn in the road. Besides, every car rental contract I have signed while on this island forbid the vehicle to be operated even on Saddle Road (the way you get to the observatory access road).On top of that, the peak is almost at 14,000 feet. The air is thin and you may suffer oxygen deprivation. So be sure to stop at the turn-off from Saddle Road for about 30 minutes. Then stop at the visitor's center for about the same. You may climatize. If you cannot acclimate at this...

Tip Photo
Visit North Kohala

by GracesTrips

On the northern side of the island, it can easily be missed. It is not off the main highway. From HWY 19 approaching Waimea you could take 250 or 270 and there is a quaint little town where the 250 and 270 meet at Hawi Road and Akoni Pule Highway (270). A few artisan shops, galleries, restaurants and pretty good ice cream from the Kohala Coffee Mill shop.Worth a visit if you have the time!

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Hawaiian Vanilla Company

by GracesTrips

So, preparing for my upcoming trip and scouting out things I may want to see and/or do, I came across this interesting place. The Hawaiian Vanilla Company. Lunch, dinner, tea, gift shop, garden, tours all surrounding the idea of vanilla. Located on the northeastern side of the island. The luncheon sounds delectable!Unfortunately, we didn't get a chance to seek it out. If I ever get back to the Big Island, I use this tip as a reminder of something I missed out on last time.

Actually, No Path - See Lava Flows by Sea

by GracesTrips

We chose this option to see the lava flows is by sea! I found this tour at $150+tax per person. You can get much closer to see the lava flows than by air. This is a sunset tour because the lava flows are much more impressive to see towards the evening. Located at Isaac Hale Beach Park, Pohoiki Road and Highway 137. Check in 5:45pm, depart Harbor 6pm, arrive at Lava flows 6:40pm, Return to Harbor at 8pm.Sometimes, Captain Roy will do a second trip after he returns from the 6pm trip. I think timing is all dependent on how many people make reservations and during what part of the year it is that the sun might be starting to set.I highly recommend the tour by boat. We were able to get really close. See my Lava Flow travelogue for more pics and details.

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Actually, No Path - See Lava Flows by Air

by GracesTrips

Considering viewing the active volcanoes on the Big Island via helicopter. There are several helicopter tours to choose from with various lengths of time, premium seat observation, combined tours with ocean, waterfalls, etc. Sometimes those extra frills can add up to a costly excursion. I found one I may consider that was reasonable priced. So, I have noted this in my tips. $136.00 per person for 40-45 minutes in an ASTAR 350 B2-7 (I have no clue if this is a good or mediocre helicopter).

Kehena Beach

by leafmcgowan

Near Mile Marker 19, Off Highway 137, Near Hilo, Big Island, HawaiiOne of Big Island's unofficial yet very private nude beaches - not well known to tourists but very popular with the locals, especially of the 'counter-culture' variety. Located just off Highway 137 in a residential district, a climb down the cliffs, to a beautiful hidden black sand beach with places to sun as well as to hang out in the shade. Nude beaches are technically not legal or official, but this is one of the many places it is tolerated and overlooked. Its protected by shade trees and steep cliffs. The turf is a bit rough for swimming, even though people do. Be careful though, I was unaware, and my first dip in the buff into the waters met to some thrashing around on sharp lava rocks in the crashing waves. Its a beautiful beach and people appear to be friendly. Drumming and music in the background hints that there...

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Mauna Kea - Surreal at the Summit

by JetlagCity

Mauna Kea is the highest mountain on the island, and it takes awhile to drive there, so not many people do it. It's an inactive volcano. When we drove up there we felt so high above everything else, way above the clouds, that it felt very surreal, like being on another planet. It's rather desolate that high up (almost 14,000 ft.), with lots of red rock, with amazing views of sister mountain Mauna Loa. There's an observatory that's not open to the public, but for me it was worth the drive for the one-of-a-kind view. Many months out of the year there's snow up here.A Little Warning: you do need to be cautious about getting light-headed at this altitude! And about getting altitude sickness. Don't think that if you're in good shape you'll be okay - it has nothing to do with your physical fitness. You've probably just gone from sea-level to 14,000 ft. in about two hours, so have some respect...

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Horseback Riding in the Kohala Mountains

by JetlagCity

I'd actually never ridden a horse before, but I thought this would be a fun, interesting way to see another remote part of the island, and it was. A number of ranches around Waimea and Kohala offer guided horseback rides for riders of varying skill; the one I picked is called Paniolo Adventures, and is in the heart of the Kohala Mountains on the northwest Kohala Peninsula. It was great! They had a wide range of boots for you to borrow, and I enjoyed the views of the Kona and Kohala coasts from up there. Since I was a first-timer we only did a short two-hour ride that was really just a walk - they call it the "City Slicker" ride - and our guide gave us a crash course in directing our horses. They ask for your weight ahead of time (and there is a weight limit) and choose which horse you'll ride according to that and your skill (or lack of the same, in my case).I think the key to a good...

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Waipi'o Valley - The Edge of the World

by JetlagCity

Waipi'o is an amazingly beautiful, lush valley, all the way at the end of the Hamakua Highway, well off the beaten path. The view from the lookout at the top is tremendous, and many people just come here for the view alone. I come back to see it every single time I've been on the island (three so far).We've hiked down into it twice, and it was the steepest hike I've ever done - a 25% grade and very hard on the knees - but well worth it. At the bottom it's thick with tropical vegetation, and the Waipi'o River flows out to the sea past a black sand beach. It's about a mile wide at the coast, and if you walk across the shore you can hike all or just part way up a switch-back trail on the far side for different views of the valley. The sides are close to 2,000 ft. high. We ran into a local man on the far side trail who was backpacking over into the next valley with his son to hunt wild...

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Unique Places in Hawaii (Big Island)

Top 3 Hotels in Hawaii (Big Island)

Royal Kona Resort  Kailua-Kona

 5 Reviews and 883 Opinions  The hotel room I had, had a balcony. When I looked to the right, I had a view to the ocean. 

 Hotels in Kailua-Kona

Castle Hilo Hawaiian Hotel  Hilo

 5 Reviews and 602 Opinions  I have traveled to the Hilo side of the island several times this past year. I found an unexpected... 

 Hotels in Hilo

Volcano House Hotel  Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

 5 Reviews and 150 Opinions  When we were here, this hotel was closed for remodeling. It might have needed it - my sister visited... 

 Hotels in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

273 Hotels in Hawaii (Big Island)
 
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Off The Beaten Path: Cities in Hawaii (Big Island)
  1. Kailua-Kona Off The Beaten Path
  2. Hilo Off The Beaten Path
  3. Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Off The Beaten Path
  4. Pahoa Off The Beaten Path
  5. Volcano Off The Beaten Path
  6. Waipio Off The Beaten Path
  7. Captain Cook Off The Beaten Path
  8. Anaehoomalu Off The Beaten Path
  9. Waimea Off The Beaten Path
  10. Kawaihae Off The Beaten Path
  11. Kukuihaele Off The Beaten Path
  12. Honaunau Off The Beaten Path
  13. Hawaii, Island of Off The Beaten Path
  14. Kealakekua Off The Beaten Path
  15. Honokaa Off The Beaten Path

More Cities in Hawaii (Big Island)

 

Questions and Answers

cmillard profile photo

Q:  Hi guys, I notice 2 choices for flights from Maui to Kona. Hawaiian Airlines or Island Air. Is one better than the other?... 

Odinnthor profile photo

A: Aloha nui.....d:o) Hawaiian Airlines is a large carrier with large airplanes, whereas Island Air uses small aircraft (Dash 8), with only 37 seats. I am a small... 

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