Big Island of Hawai’i is packed with activities to do and if you are looking to cover this huge Island in 4 days, you have landed on the right page. This 4 day Itinerary for Big Island covers the highlights of this Island on a budget!
We were on Big Island for 3 and a half days. We flew to Maui in the evening of the 4th day. I call our itinerary as Itinerary 1 in the post. I have also included an alternative Itinerary 2 which I feel is a little better planned and includes more places.
Day 1
We reached the Kona International airport on the west coast of Big Island, Hawaii around 9 30 am. Remember there are two big airports in Big Island, one on the east and the other on the west. Read more here – Big Island Travel Guide to understand the Island and the places to check out!
We checked-in early into the Manago Hotel in Kailua-Kona. Our plan for Day 1 was filled with activities and hence with no time to waste, we started ticking them off one by one, typical us.
We had our breakfast at a place known as Herbivores and headed to the places below!
Itinerary 1:
Green Sea Turtle Beach
Kaloko-HonoKōhau National historical park is known for its two unique fishponds and the green sea turtle beach, which is a nice little hidden beach with less crowd. Once you get to the beach, you don’t need to walk much to find the turtles, most of them are in shallow waters and some on the sand.
We spent well around 2 hours watching the turtles, walking along the coast with no one around us. This was most of our morning.
Farmers Market
Farmers Market was a must do on our list. Kona Farmers Market was a perfect spot for our afternoon. Fresh tropical fruits, vegetables and everything local. Gorged on as many fruits as possible, tender coconuts and local hawaiian treats. Spent our whole afternoon in the Market, bought some souvenirs and sun bathed on a bench nearby.
Sunset Manta Ray Snorkel
The most exciting part of our trip. Our evening from 6 pm till 9 pm was booked for the sunset boat tour and Snorkelling with the Manta Ray in the dark ocean. We went with Kona Snorkel Trips and had a fantastic time watching the sun go down the horizon as we sailed fast on a raft boat. Snorkeled with Huge Manta Rays just inches away from our face. Check out more on top 10 things to do on Big Island.
Day 2
Day 2 for us was filled with uncertainties and a change in our itinerary due to a cancellation :(. We had booked a Mauna Kea night tour, where we could gaze up at the night sky from 14000 ft., above the clouds. The tour got cancelled due to a local protest. Here is what we did instead after our breakfast at Kailua.
Itinerary 1:
Snorkelling at Kealakekua Bay
Famously known as Captain Cook Monument, is one of the best spots to snorkel on Big Island, Hawaii. We went with Kona Snorkel Trips, snorkeled and had a great tour of the lava caves while heading back to the shore. This took up all our morning.
There is also an option of snorkeling with Dolphins, which is offered by other companies. However, if you snorkel early in the morning, like we did, you might just catch them by your boat!
Drive to Pololu Valley
We finished Snorkeling pretty early in the day around noon and had our lunch at a great Indian food truck – Swami’s Dosa Grill, read more here – Big Island Travel Guide. Pololu Valley is the northernmost valley about 1 hour 30 minutes from Kailua Kona. We reached the lookout late afternoon and decided not to hike down the valley to the beach. If you reach there early and are equipped well, you can hike down this slightly treacherous trail.
Night Snorkel with Manta Ray
Since the Mauna Kea tour got cancelled and we got to know our previous night video with the Manta Rays was bust, we decided to Snorkel with the Manta Rays again! This time we took the late night one at 8 pm till 10 pm with Kona Snorkel Trips. It was great as usual!
Itinerary 2:
If you don’t want to repeat the Manta Ray activity, drive to Hilo from Polulu Valley and stay the rest of the trip in Hilo to cover the rest of the island which is closer from Hilo.
Evening in Hilo could be used to explore the town which is bigger than Kailua and drive around the Banyan trees.
Day 3
Started early morning to cover the eastern and middle part of Big Island after a quick breakfast at Kailua. Another fun filled day!
Itinerary 1:
Volcanoes National Park
Couldn’t miss the Volcanoes when we were on Big Island. You can keep one whole day for this park or half a day at least to cover all the interesting spots. Experienced all kinds of weather, hiked a short trail to watch the volcanoes fume and drove around to see the craters.
Hilo Banyan Drive
Hilo is a bigger town compared to Kailua and has a lot of Banyan trees. We Spent our afternoon driving around the town, exploring the restaurants and taking a chill pill.
Quick visit to Waipio on the way back
We stayed in Kailua the whole time we were in Big Island. While heading back from Hilo in the late afternoon, we drove via Waipio Valley. Unfortunately this wasn’t the right time to visit since dusk fell soon. We still had half a day more in Big Island and decided to visit the valley again.
Itinerary 2:
Finish Volcanoes National Park and use the late afternoon to catch the beautiful waterfalls around Hilo. Check out the waterfalls list here.
Day 4
Itinerary 1:
Waipio Valley finally! Started early in the morning from Kailua towards Waipio Valley. The Valley was gloriously showing off in the bright morning sun. Since our flight was in the late afternoon, we decided against hiking down to the black sand beach. Relaxed at the lookout and took in all the beauty around us.
Itinerary 2:
Waipio Valley from Hilo is just an hour away, so staying in hilo the previous night would help you reach the valley early in the morning. You can even cover the hike down to the black sand beach!
Hope the above Itinerary tips help you plan your trip! Check out Big Island Travel Guide and Top 10 things to do on Big Island for more! Enjoy and thanks for reading 🙂
