Hawaiʻi travel guide · Big Island live now
The best of Hawaiʻi, planned & booked.
Honest, island-by-island advice on the tours worth your money, the beaches worth the drive, and where to stay — starting with the Big Island.
Choose your island
Four islands, four very different trips
We’re building Hawaii Best one island at a time, and only publishing what we’ve checked. The Big Island is live; Maui, Oʻahu, and Kauaʻi are next.
Live nowBig Island
Volcanoes, manta rays, and summit stargazing
Start planning
Coming soonMaui
Haleakalā sunrise and the Road to Hāna
Coming soonOʻahu
Waikīkī, Pearl Harbor, and the North Shore
Coming soonKauaʻi
The Nā Pali Coast and Waimea Canyon
Big Island · Book these first
The bookings that make the trip
Each one sells out in peak season. We compared every option on reviews, group size, and price, so you can book in minutes.
Manta Ray Night Snorkel
Float at the surface under the lights while reef mantas loop and barrel-roll beneath you. It’s the Big Island’s signature night out — here’s how to choose the boat.
Compare 5 tours
Volcano Tours
Kīlauea’s summit is about 4,000 feet up and a long drive from the Kona resorts. A guided tour handles the driving, the timing, and the park’s ever-changing list of closures.
Compare 7 tours
Maunakea Stargazing
Watch the sun set above the clouds beside some of the world’s largest telescopes, then stargaze through a telescope on the mountain astronomers chose for its skies.
Compare 6 tours
Captain Cook Snorkel
The most protected snorkeling on the Kona coast lies off the white obelisk of the Captain Cook Monument — and the easiest way to reach it is by boat.
Compare 7 tours
Big Island Luaus
Dinner, mai tais, hula, and a fire-knife finale at sunset — here’s how the island’s luaus actually differ, with honest ratings.
Compare 5 toursHelicopter Tours
Kīlauea’s lava fields and the waterfall valleys of Kohala are easiest to see from the air. Where you take off decides what you’ll see.
Compare 6 toursTraveler favorites
Thousands of reviews can’t all be wrong
The most-reviewed tours on the Big Island, all with verified Viator ratings.
Where to base yourself
Pick the right side of the island
The Big Island is bigger than all the other islands combined, so where you sleep decides what you’ll see.
Where to stay
Stays we’d book again
Luxury resort Kohala Coast areaMauna Kea Beach Hotel
Beach purists who want the island's best resort beach
The hotel was built around the beach, and Kaunaʻoa is the best resort beach on the island. With more than 500 restored works from the Rockefeller art collection on the walls and a Manta Ray Moonlight Swim on the activity list, no other Kohala resort has this much history or soul.
Resort Kohala Coast areaHilton Waikoloa Village
Families with kids who want the resort itself to be the entertainment
For kids, this is a theme park in the best sense: a 175-foot waterslide, a protected lagoon and dolphins. It's huge and dated in places, so come for the fun, not the polish.
Boutique & lodge Kona areaPacific 19 Kona
Independent travelers who want style and walkability in Kona town
It's a smart, modern base in walkable Kona town, across the street from the Courtyard King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel and its Kamakahonu beach. The hotel is built for people who'll be out snorkeling by 8 a.m., not lounging by the pool all day.
Getting around
You’ll want a rental car.
Public transit is limited and the best sights are hours apart. Pick up at Kona (KOA) or Hilo (ITO) and compare every major company in one search.
Beaches
Beaches worth the drive
Swimming BeachesKohala Coast
Hāpuna Beach
Wide, soft, and watched by lifeguards, it's the easiest big-beach day on the Kohala Coast. Come early, when the water is calmest and the lot still has room.
Read moreSnorkel SpotsSouth Kona
Two Step (Hōnaunau Bay)
There's no sand and there are no facilities, yet this is some of the best shore snorkeling in Hawaiʻi. On a calm morning the visibility is remarkable.
Read moreSwimming BeachesKohala Coast
Kaunaʻoa Beach (Mauna Kea Beach)
This is the postcard Kohala beach: a gentle slope, soft sand, and resort polish, all without a room key. You just have to show up early enough to get a pass.
Read moreLatest guides
Plan like you’ve been before
Beaches · 5 min read
The Best Big Island Beaches (2026): White, Black & Green Sand
The Big Island beaches worth the drive — for swimming, snorkeling, black sand, and hike-in solitude — with 2026 fees, safety notes, and current closures.
Read the guide
Trip planning · 5 min read
Best Time to Visit the Big Island: Weather, Whales & Crowds
When to visit the Big Island for dry weather, humpback whales, calm beaches, and fewer crowds — plus the festival weeks and 2026 storm notes to plan around.
Read the guide
Trip planning · 5 min read
Big Island Itinerary: The Perfect 5 or 7 Days
A day-by-day Big Island itinerary that splits your nights between Kona, the volcano, and the Kohala Coast — with a 5-day version and the bookings to make first.
Read the guideVerified, then published
Tour ratings, reviews, and prices come straight from Viator and are dated. Places are checked against official sources.
Picks, not paid placement
No operator pays to appear. We recommend what fits the trip — including the free sights you don’t need a tour for.
Transparent about money
We earn a commission when you book through Viator or Booking.com, at no extra cost to you. That’s how the guide stays free.
Photo: Braden Jarvis via Unsplash