My gf and I are going to Hawaii for the first time this winter; we will be traveling from Dec. 24 - Jan.4 (so, 2 days of travel, plus 10 full days there)
We%26#39;ve decided to forego Honolulu (I%26#39;m curious about Pearl Harbor, but that%26#39;s about it) and we%26#39;re just going to visit the Big Island and then Kauai.
One thing we can%26#39;t figure out: how much time do we allot to each?
Right now I%26#39;m figuring a 50/50 split (5 days on the Big Island; flying into Kona and we would plan to spend 3 there and 2 closer to Hilo, with one full day dedicated to Volcano park)
Is this a good plan? (we would leave early Dec. 30 from Hilo to Lihu%26#39;e)
Just wondering, as we%26#39;d like to book that island-hopper flight and proceed to arrangements for accommodations.
I%26#39;ve noticed people always ask ';well, it depends what you like to do...'; etc, but that doesn%26#39;t help, because we really like a variety of things!
Ideally, our plan on Big Island is:
* at least one lazy day of beach time
* possible tour of agriculture/plantation/farmland
* at least a day to explore the volcanic region
For Kauai, I%26#39;m more foggy, though it seems astounding the variety of scenic and nature activities offered. We are considering:
* Kipu Ranch ATV tour
* Waterfall hunting
* Waimea canyon (of course)
* Some decent hikes (can be several miles long, but would prefer not to be too grueling -- we hiked Tongariro Crossing in New Zealand last year, and that was about the threshold of our ability)
Any suggestions for must-sees or must-dos are welcome, but mostly I%26#39;m just looking to see: a) if 5 days is too long to spend at the Big Island (I%26#39;ve heard a lot of people say 2-3, but it just seems like it has more to offer than that!); or b) if 5 days is too short for Kauai (from what I%26#39;ve seen of the activities offered, I doubt it would feel too long)
How to split 10 days in Hawaii - Kauai and Big Island?
Island Hoppers only operates tours from kona and Hilo... using single engine lite aircraft... they dont operate between islands.. you will need Hswaiian airlnes to do that. allow about 4-5 hours to fly from Kona to Kauai.. there are no direct flights...you will have to change planes in Honolulu.
Its going to be pretty wet n Kauai that time of year.
5 days is pretty short for the Big island. I would include 1 day in the Hawi area, one on the Hamakua coast and Waimea, a day in Kona,and place of refuge, and a day of snorkeling if you enjoy that... the big island has the best ocean of any of the islands
I think 6 days is pretty short...most like 7 to 9 days.....there is a lot of travel time as the island requires a lot of drving to get places Kauai is 1/10 the size and drivng very short distances
How to split 10 days in Hawaii - Kauai and Big Island?
We spent 5 nights on Kauai during our first trip to Hawaii this July and could have easily spent more than double that. But, the Big Island was not one we visited so I can%26#39;t compare. I%26#39;m guessing that since you already have a good list going, you can pretty much book any split and be able to fill in the time w/ activities and relaxation. In looking at your wish list, ask yourself if you would run out of time to do any of your ';must-do'; activities on either island. If so, add more days there. If it is the case for both, maybe keep your 5/5 and adjust the to-do list accordingly. I%26#39;m sure you will have a wonderful time no matter how you split your time in paradise!
Thanks for the feedback!
I didn%26#39;t realize there were actual ';Island Hopper'; tours; I was using the term like ';puddle jumper'; to refer to the smaller inter-island Hawaiian Air flight Hilo to Lihue. (although I WOULD, if possible, like to get up in the air for a scenic aerial view -- I%26#39;m thinking Birds in Paradise or Inter-Island Helicopters)
Well, it looks like I will definitely be booking the flight either for the morning of Dec. 30 (5 days on big island) or morning of Dec. 31 (6 days on big island)... I suppose I hadn%26#39;t really taken into account that Kauai is the wettest island, and I will be there during the wettest season. That doesn%26#39;t bother me, but it could get in the way of some of the activities, so perhaps I should book 6 Big Island (and trust me, I%26#39;m not JUST going to do Kona and Hilo... I planned to do to a trek from Kona, southward across the island, ending at Hilo but stopping at spots in-between) I%26#39;ve been looking into activities on Kauai and there are a ton, so I suppose I need to start seeing what is for offer on the big island so that I can really make a final decision [one person says do a nice long trip on the Big Island; one person says do a nice long stay on Kauai; this is what I was afraid of... that it%26#39;s ALL good!]
We have been to both islands and as others have said, you could most likely spend all your days on each island and have plenty to do.
Kauai is our favorite island because it is less commerical and very tropical. December is winter and will most likely provide quite a bit of rain but mostly on the N. Shore. If the islands didn%26#39;t have the rain they would be so beautiful and green. Also, rainbows come with rain!
If it were me, I%26#39;d plan 50/50 and enjoy each island for those 5 days!
Happy planning.
Keep in mind that you have 2 national holidays with large celebrations ... and holiday crowds.
I would focus on the Big Island for your entire stay and return to Kauai at another time, another season.
Any way you can extend to a full week?? You will get a better deal on your car rental and often on your lodgings as well when you book for a full week. Perhaps just stay a full week on one island . . . haven%26#39;t been to the Big Island, but I love Kauai. Both islands are rural . . . and I don%26#39;t think you could over stay either island. Big Island will involve lots of driving, Kauai is simpler to get around. Good luck! :)
Again, thanks for all of the advice!
Usually how we travel is we do some ';whirlwind samplers'; of places, if just to get a sense of what different areas are like. I know I could easily spend 7-14 days on each island and not get bored, and have a much more leisurely pace, but the fact of the matter is that we don%26#39;t know when we will get a chance to go back to Hawaii... plus, if we do, we%26#39;d like to know where to go back and visit.
So, although it might seem like scrambling all over the place sort of defeats the purpose of going to Hawaii to begin with, I think it will be good for us to get a feel for what is offered in different locations (last year we did New Zealand -- both islands, Auckland to Queenstown and Milford Sound -- in under 2 weeks; previously, we took a whirlwind tour of Europe, from Amsterdam to Paris to Barcelona to French Riviera to Florence, Siena, Rome, Venice ... all in under 3 weeks. Worked out great. Granted, we were in our 20s (now 30) and in decent physical shape, and we go on vacation more for exploration/advenute than relaxation, so it worked for us.
Ideally, I%26#39;d like to just get a good sampler of what Hawaii has to offer... and I know we won%26#39;t get to see it all, and things will pop out while we%26#39;re there that we wish me had more time for (isn%26#39;t that always the case?) Hopefully we%26#39;ll find some ';our spots'; that we%26#39;ll love so much we know we will want to return to in the future (like we have found in Prague, Amsterdam, and Tossa de Mar, Spain)
[I appreciate the advice to stick to one island for this trip, or to extend the length of the trip, and the point that there will be crowds because of the holiday season. Unfortunately, I always have to deal with crowds because I can ONLY travel during the peak holiday seasons, due to the fact that I am a teacher. On the other hand, my gf has a typical American job: only 10 days of vacation per year. So that makes things tough, as well.
I guess the bottom line for us was that both Kauai and the Big Island seem so wonderful that there%26#39;s no way we would be able to decide on just one to hit on this trip.]
Considering the size of the big island, and the rain factor of the winter season (dryer in Kona region), I think we may go with the first poster%26#39;s suggestion and do 6 Hawaii, 4 Kauai.
Either way, I%26#39;m sure it will be great, and I%26#39;m sure we%26#39;ll wish we had more time when it%26#39;s over!
I appreciate the replies (usually I do my own research by reading the rankings and reviews of hotels, restaurants, and activities on TripAdvisor for all of the trips we take... but for some reason, doing that with Hawaii seems much more difficult. Maybe because it seems like people are comparing apples to oranges... to pineapples to coconuts to bananas, and from what most people say, it%26#39;s all delicious!)
Just to offer more help, I would also post on those specific island forums, as they can be very helpful to you in your planning. :)
%26gt;%26gt; Kauai is the wettest island, %26lt;%26lt;
Not necessarily. I watched the weather carefully all last winter, and most of the time parts of the Big Island were wetter and colder.
Note that although Kaua`i CONTAINS the wettest spot on earth it is not the entire island, just up in the central mountains that are virtually inaccessible anyway. I get really tired of people (not the OP) passing on misinformation.
Hey mate,
I%26#39;m in a similar boat as you, and will be travelling to Kauai and the Big Island, starting this Sunday (very excited, can%26#39;t wait). My girlfriend and I are spending 6 nights in Kauai, and a further 5 in Kona and feel as if we can most likely do everything we%26#39;ll want to do within the allocated amount of time.
Now I%26#39;ve been to both islands a few times before, but it%26#39;ll be a first for my girlfriend for both islands. She%26#39;s pretty much leaving it all up to me to decide what sort of activities to do on each. Granted there is heaps to do on both, and if you tried to do everything you%26#39;ll run out of time, so having the knowledge of what was hit/miss from previous trips should come in handy.
Kauai:
Definitely see the Na Pali coast, be it by boat or foot, but it%26#39;s a must.
Additionally, don%26#39;t miss Waiamea Canyon. Hanalei Bay is a great area to visit as well, and snorkeling at Tunnels Beach is great (but not during the winter).
Use the rain to your advantage. Waterfalls will be rampant so, among other things, try to get up in a heli on a day where it had just or is slightly raining, and if the winds are right, you%26#39;ll get into the crater area of the mountains and have waterfalls 180 degrees around you. Pretty spectacular.
Big Island:
Of course the volcano is must see, and this is generally a day trip. I wouldn%26#39;t try to fit other activities into the same day, as you%26#39;re likely to be exhausted afterwards.
Depending on how much of an outdoorsman you are, making the trek up the mountain and/or hiking/biking is fun.
Of course, snorkeling can be done on either island, but during that time of year, with the increase in rain, you%26#39;ll have to judge where the surf and runoff is to find the best beaches. Locals should be able to point you in the right direction when you get there.
I%26#39;m sure I am leaving stuff out, but when it%26#39;s all said and done, you%26#39;re still in Hawaii. There%26#39;s not really a bad time of year, just a nice and nicer season. My only complaint about Dec/Jan. is the increase in crowds. I like my space, but it may not be as much of an issue for you.
Cheers!
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