Just in case you’re planning a big trip to the Big Island of Hawaii and Maui, I’ve got a pretty sweet recap to either inspire you or give you ideas for what to incorporate into your plans. Remember, I would with a lot of destinations and tour operators to experience things, so recreating our itinerary in full isn’t practical and won’t be relaxing at all. We did an absolute ton of hiking and tours while on the Big Island and Maui, and if you were to plan a trip that did all of what we did in 11 days, you’d be in Hawaii for a month. We had a blast doing the work, but is was NOT a vacation at all. (I love my job!)
And now for our crazy itinerary. We had a ton of fun and saw some really incredible things, so pick and choose what you’re interested in, and then make your budget to match what’s most important to you! If you have any questions about our activities and tours, check out our other articles, leave a comment or send us a note. We’re always happy to share more!
8 Day Big Island Itinerary
This specific itinerary is jam packed with tours and hiking. We did this specifically so that we could share the details of the experiences so that YOU can choose what you want to enjoy on your Aloha trip. It’s neither relaxing nor financially plausible to do ALL of the tours and guided experiences we did during this trip, but as you read more deeply and check out the individual articles about each activity, you can cherry pick what you’re up for.
Arrival to Kona and Waimea
Day 1 – We flew into Kailua-Kona (KOA) and picked up our standard rental car, a convertible mustang, to drive up to the town of Waimea to the Waimea Country Lodge. I love upcountry on the Big Island and so few visitors make it up there. And if you’re wondering about getting a sporty car vs a Jeep for Hawaii, you really don’t need something hardcore unless you’re visiting places meant for locals. Part of visiting Hawaii respectfully is understanding that not every area is for tourists.
Day 2 – Starting our day at the Waimea Farmers Market, we got some snacks for our adventures and then headed to Hapuna Beach Recreation Area to test each beach area (Waialea Bay / Beach 69) and work our way down the Kona Coast to the Kailua Pier for whale watching with Body Glove Hawaii. So many humpback whales and flying fish! We ended Day 2 at the Hawai’iloa Luau at the Fairmont Orchid in Waikoloa. I loved it with its beautiful setting and focus on ancient Hawaiian history and dances. Really cool experience.
Kailua-Kona Activities
Day 3 – An early start to the day, we got out on the water again with Body Glove Hawaii, but this time on the Super Raft for an ocean safari and snorkeling. The most amazing part was coming upon a super pod of pan tropical spotted dolphins. Amazing! After some chill time in the afternoon at our cool Kona hotel, the Pacific 19, we did one more trip with Body Glove Hawaii on their historic dinner cruise. I didn’t know what to expect, but it was awesome with great food, a local musician, and an a narrator sharing the history of both the Hawaiian people and the specifics of the Kona Coast. I was very surprised by this trip in many ways (read about it on the blog!).
Day 4 – I was really looking forward to this day of our trip because it was our Kohala Waterfalls hiking day! I’ve been out with Hawaii Forest & Trail before (we did the Hualalai Volcano hiking with them), so I knew what the experience was like doing guided hikes on protected lands, but hadn’t been up to Kohala, the fifth mountain that makes up the Big Island. It was awesome and we got to learn a but about history and geology, and then we got to swim in two waterfalls. We ended with a picnic on a cliff overlooking the north shore of the Big Island. To wrap our day, we went to Kaloko Honokohau National Historical Park (one of my favorite places) to enjoy sunset and hanging out with the honus at the beach.
Big Island South Shore and Hawaii Volcanoes NP
Day 5 – Today we departed Kailua-Kona heading for the Hamakua Coast (the east side) but not before stopping at several Kona Coffee farms. Coffee tastings and beach stops added to our drive time, but they were all worth it! We visited the town of Milolii and Naalehu and saw a ton of wildlife at Whittington Beach Park and the estuary. The big plan for the day was hiking in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (my fav) with dinner at the Rim Restaurant. As we entered Volcano House Lodge for our dinner, we looked across the caldera of Kilauea and the hillside turned red before our eyes. We got to be looking at it the moment eruption episode #10 began. After dinner we did the hike out to Keanakako’i Overlook and took photos of the eruption (which was small) and the Milky Way. Eventually we made it to our favorite Hilo hotel, the SCP Hilo (4th time staying here).
Day 6 – This was supposed to be our day of chocolate agronomy, but I messed up the schedule so we turned it into a beach day visiting beach parks around Hilo before heading up to Volcano. We visited the Volcano Winery (unique to say the least) and then went back into the National Park for hiking. I really enjoyed doing both the Kilauea Iki Overlook and Crater trails. Hiking to the crater floor was awesome! After hiking we had dinner with family in Kea’au and then headed back to our hotel for bed. We got in bed, ready to sleep and randomly Kelly checked the Kilauea webcam… ERUPTION!!! A massive eruption had started just minutes before so I threw on my clothes, grabbed my camera and drove back up the mountain. 400-600 foot lava fountains were erupting, glowing, ROARING. It was amazing.
Umauma, Mauna Kea and Ending in Kona
Day 7 – Because one waterfall swim isn’t enough, we partnered up with the Umauma Experience just outside of Hilo for a morning of ziplining over waterfalls and canyons, and an afternoon of swimming a Umauma Falls and relaxing in the sunshine. Going non-stop for seven days, a relaxing afternoon like this was needed (it’ll be live on MyAlohaTrip.com this week). On our way back over to the Kona side, we stopped at Mauna Kea for a birdwatching hike. We saw so many apapane bird and an i’iwi, but still no pueo (Hawaiian short eared owl). Ending the day, we enjoyed one more luau: the Island Breeze Luau at the King Kamehameha Hotel. Another beautiful production with great storytelling, good food and wonderful music!
Day 8 – Today was intentionally left blank so we could have some recovery time. Despite how busy we were on this trip, we actually had 3 activities fall through at the last minute, so those paired with intentional relaxation was great. Our low-key day was still full of fun, but just not on a schedule. We started with a birding hike on the Jurassic Trails on Hualalai (one of the volcanoes). From there, a cloud forest Kona Coffee stop at Mountain Thunder and then fish tacos in Kailua. Our afternoon was spent at Old Kona Airport Park where we strolled the botanical garden, laid on the beach and explored the amazing tidepools. It was a great last day on the Big Island.
Three Day Maui Itinerary
Our time on Maui was short during this trip, but we did a lot and saw some beautiful sights. I really enjoyed the mix of time at Haleakala National Park with farm tours and snorkeling. Maui is a great destination (even though it’s not my top pick of the islands) and we enjoyed these three jam packed days!
Pineapples and Haleakala National Park
Day 9 – Time to depart the Big Island of Hawai’i and head to Mau’i. The 21 minute flight from Kona to Kahului was quick and easy. We got an Uber to Paia where we picked up our camper Jeep (yes, we camped on Maui) and then headed to the Maui Gold Pineapple Farm. I think agritourism is really important for everyone to experience, whether it’s UPick blueberries at home or pineapples in Hawaii. This tour was fun, informative and we got to eat fresh pineapple in a field on the slopes of Haleakala. A quick stop at Foodland to get our camping supplies and we headed up to Haleakala National Park to camp at Hosmer Grove. This is, hands down, the best bird watching in Hawaii. So many i’iwi, apapane and amakihi birds. Beautiful!
Day 10 – We were up at 4:30 am to head to the summit of Haleakala for the sunrise. The astrophotography was great and the temps were freezing. Sunrise was gorgeous and then we enjoyed coffee and doughnuts looking out over West Maui. Before noon we did both the Sliding Sands trail into the crater and the Halemauma’u Trail to Rainbow Bridge. One more roll through Hosmer Grove for the birds and we started down the mountain for our next camping spot. But due to a washout, we couldn’t access the Kipahulu Campground at Haleakala, so we had to scramble. Oliver had researched Oluwalu last time we were on Maui and whaddya know, Camp Oluwalu had one spot left for us! An evening of snorkeling and chillin’ at camp was great after a stressful afternoon scramble.
Oluwalu and Lahaina
Day 11 – Thanks to the road closure and new camping location, we were already near Lahaina when we woke up. We watched sunrise OVER Haleakala, relaxed at camp and then headed to Lahaina for some beach time. We visited the different parts of Kaanapali Beach before heading up the hill to the Maui Chocolate Tour. I’ve done cacao farm stuff before, but this chocolate tour was done like a wine tasting. It was totally different. For the afternoon, we did more snorkeling at Oluwalu and saw several honu, and then wrapped our sightseeing at Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge. We returned our camper Jeep, Uber’d to the airport and then had a smooth red eye flight back home. Such a great trip!
Really, cramming so much into 11 days is not recommended, but this was an unforgettable experience. Spending time hanging out with local tour operators and farmers was great. It was wonderful to get to talk about what travel in Hawaii is like and how visitors can really support the communities they’re visiting. It was such a privilege to take on this massive Big Island and Maui itinerary, but we came out on top with some great stories and experiences.
If you have any questions about putting together your own trip that covers several islands or have questions about any of our specific activities, please leave a comment or send us a note. We’re always happy to share more!
