Seeing the manta rays from land is NO comparison to doing a snorkel trip!

Seriously, I would put this at the top of our 3 best HI experiences - Manta Ray evening snorkel; Helicopter flight with Blue Hawaiian and going to VNP [at night to see the caldera, hiking along the steam vents during the day and hiking the end of the Chain of Craters road to watch the lave enter the ocean at night- don't think you can do this now.

The caldera at night and Chain of Craters drive (all the lovely stops and short walks along the way, plus Thurston Lava Tube near the headquarters, etc.) are IMO much more rewarding than the helicopter flight. It's 25 minutes from Hilo to VNP, and frankly the lodging choices in Hilo are not great. You could seem some sights along the coast, get to VNP later in the day, see the glowing caldera in the p.m., and spend the morning the next day doing stuff in the park. Go a different route back to the Fairmont later that afternoon with a late lunch/early dinner stop (for example, north up the Hamakua coast and then through Waimea back to the Orchid if you want different scenery than Saddle Road; you could check out the Waipio Overlook, too).

I haven't done the night Manta Ray tour yet, but my son (scuba and snorkeled) thought the snorkel trip in particular was a fantastic experience, and has been nagging us to do it.

I would not bother indulging the one person's wish for a one-day separate island trip: a full day of waiting in airport security each way (etc.; think rental car logistics, too) to visit the Arizona Memorial? Do you really have the time and energy (and patience) to spare?

Remember that Akaka Falls is a pretty brief stop, one you'd combine with other stops nearby (Lapahoehoe park, botanic gardens, etc.)

Thanks Sylvia. All valid points and I had noticed Hilo was a little short of overnight options, but if any one has a great suggestion, I will certainly be happy to look at that. When I searched hotels ear Hilo, I kept getting Akaka Falls Hawaii Paradise . Is that a hotel? It keeps popping up in my hotel search? Anyone ever heard of this? I think it must be a link error because the reviews are all for the falls. I appreciate the route suggestions as well.

Only the boys would be taking the Oahu trip as they are the only ones with a burning desire to see the memorial. I have already been there and my daughter is very disturbed by images and stories of war and devastation as she should be. She is more interested in Hawaiian history and finds that troubling enough.

Thanks again to all.

We used AirBnB for our stay in Hilo. Got a beautiful condo for very reasonable price.

Thanks Debnm. I wasn't aware that you could do just a night through them. I'll check it out.

It all depends on the owner. Worth a look. We stayed 3 nights.

I would do my search within Volcano Village if you'd like to stay for a night. It places you moments away from the caldera at night - all night, and you can explore the area early morning before the daytrippers arrive.

Question - last time we were on the Big Island was 1978 or 79, and at that time, you could drive up and hike on active lava flows, literally stepping over the red glow making its way to the ocean. You could park up by the caldera and peer over, waiting for it to erupt again.

Is it worth doing what is being described above, if you've had the best view ever once in your life? (kind of like how the first time we saw the Mona Lisa, you could walk right up and touch it nose-to-nose --- it was never the same once they "enclosed" it).

"hike on active lava flows, literally stepping over the red glow"

I envy you that experience. But, you can't do that these days. Still worth it to see from a (safe) distance.

Sf7307- that would have been something. I won't share your experience with my kids. They'll be so jealous. Nevertheless looking forward to what we can do. Silly question. Is there a particular spot to shoot for the best night viewing?

"Fdecarlo- the Mauna Kea Hotel has night time manta ray viewing from the shore? How does that work and would my daughter likely be disappointed in the night time snorkel?"

It works moreless the same way as the boat excursions: a bright spotlight is put on the ocean, the light attracts plankton, which in turn attract the manta rays to feed. If you have a Q-Beam or similar you can do it yourself and make your own private show. :) But not much is visible from above, so it's better to be in the water if possible.

IMO the answer to your other question is probably not. If your daughter is into marine life it should be a great experience for her either way.

"Is there a particular spot to shoot for the best night viewing?"

In VNP, there is only one viewpoint/parking lot for the night viewing, at the rim of the caldera (Jaggar Museum, which also has bathroom facilities).

From http://www.nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/lava2.htm:

"The eruption of Kīlauea volcano continues at two locations. In the park, the vent within Halema'uma'u Crater is easily viewed from the overlook at the Jaggar Museum. The second location is the Pu'u 'Ō'ō vent located 10 miles (16km) east of the summit, on the remote east rift zone of Kīlauea. This area is not accessible to the public. There is no lava flowing into or towards the ocean."

Having the rays literally swimming right up to you and around you and LOTs of them, at that, cannot be duplicated from the shore watching or even in the water [assuming this is from the beach].

It really was a very, very special thing to do.

DebitNM, if you remember the name, do you have a recommendation for a particular company for the manta tour? (Did you have to wear a wetsuit, or could you get away without doing that?)

Sylvia - thanks for that information on the night viewing. Are there specific areas I should be looking for overnight accommodations? On airbnb as suggested above I found a couple of really lovely possibilities, but both are in Pohoa (?) which seems to be a bout an hour from VNP and we were trying to avoid such a long drive after the night viewing. I hear it can be hair raising. I have also looked at Volcano Village and found a couple,but they are running a little more than we wanted to spend on an additional hotel night ( 300-400 a night) We are all ready booked the 12- 19th at the fairmont Orchid as part of a package. Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance.

I just plugged in a random date above. There are many more rentals available if you adjust your search.

http://sunlightonwater.com

<i>"All equipment is provided: short wetsuits, snorkel gear, flotation if needed, as well as water/sodas and dry snacks. All you need to bring is a towel and light jacket or windbreaker. Rx masks are available in a limited range and by request."
</i>

If you book ahead online, it's $87 pp.

We like Jack's Dive Locker for the Manta Ray dive. Check them out.

You should be able to find a place in Volcano for about $100-$150/night. Have you looked on vrbo? Volcano Lodge, Kiluea Lodge, Volcano Inn, Rainforest Lodge, etc. There are loads of places. The Tripadvisor Big Island forum has a long list of places in Volcano. Check it out.

We used Jack's Diving Locker for the Manta Ray dive. Can't recommend them enough. They even fitted me with a double wetsuit as I tend to get cold in the night time waters. In all the times I have been to the Big Island, snorkeling with the mantas was definitely the highlight. So surreal!

http://www.jacksdivinglocker.com/sno...night-snorkel/