Is 3 days on the Big Island enough?
 

A friend and I are in the beginning stages of planning a trip to HI leaving Orlando on Thanksgiving Day. We're thinking about spending 3-4 days on the BI and 4-5 days on Oahu. Is that enough time on the BI or should we just stick to Oahu? We'd love to see the volcanoes, waterfalls and black and green sand beaches!

You should come to the Big Island, even though 3-4 days isn't really enough time.

If you only see Oahu, you won't have that sense of the outer islands that is so special, that in many ways defines Hawaii.

You'll have enough time to see some of the highlights, and can make plans to come back or visit another island on a subsequent trip.

Aloha, beatofhawaii.com

I'd minimize time on Oahu, 3 days max. Oahu seemed to be jam-packed with non-Hawaian immigrants who are not particularly friendly. You just don't get the aloha spirit on Oahu. That was strongest on Maui. Kauai and the Big Island were nice, too.

Don't forget to go to coffee plantations, the Painted Church and the Place of Sanctuary at Honaunau on the Kona side of the BI. Honaunau has fantastic snorkeling, and you can see huge sea turtles swimming there and basking on the rocks.

By the way, don't take a tour to the volcanic sights. Just drive. You can do it on your own.

Also, don't take a tour to the Pearl Harbor USS Arizona memorial. It's free, including the boat ride out. In fact, unless you're going out on a dive or some such thing, do it on your own.

You might look into the pass that you can buy for entrances into Oahu sites, if you're spending more time there.

Whoa! Nightbird, technically, anyone who is not descended from the indiginous native Hawaiians are non-Hawaiian immigrants, which is all over the state. Your statement is quite offensive, and a bit inaccurate.

If you stick to only touristy places on Oahu, then yes, you will encounter larger crowds. You can visit the North Shore, Byodo-In Temple, hike Diamond Head....as well as historical sites like Iolani Palace and Aloha Tower, while learning about the history of Hawaii at the Bishop Museum. Of course you must go to Pearl Harbor, but that will be crowded with many tourists. Longtime poster dusty will be here shortly with his very useful list for you.

My reasoning for staying longer on the Big Island is different--you might want to stay 4-5 days there instead because the island is SO big, it takes a while to get to various places. You could easily stay 2 weeks there and not do everything there is to do.

p.s. As we jogged around Diamond Head this morning, we looked out at the water and sucked in our breath because it was absolutely gorgeous.

Don't minimize Oahu.

There is more to see & do on Oahu than any other island.

You have it about right. 3-4 days on Big Island & 4-5 days on Oahu.

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Thanks for your replies! I lived on Oahu from 1977-1980 and graduated from Moanalua HS. Army Brat. My friend has never been to HI and I've never been to any other island. I am ashamed to admit I don't remember a lot about it...but then again, I barely remember last week must less 28 years ago! LOL! Sure, I remember PCC, some of the beaches, Pali Lookout, the Blow Hole, The International Marketplace, Pearl Harbor,etc.

We never went to Diamond Head. I never went in an outrigger canoe. Lots of stuff. I think I'll appreciate it a lot more now. I'm older, not as shy and a lot more adventurous.

We're going to try to work out a way to see both islands. I am getting unreasonably excited about this trip!

As always, it depends on what you want to do.

If you are going to primarily just drive around the island with stops no longer than a couple hours here and there, then 3-4 days on the BI should be fine.

If you are into long hikes, lots of water sports, etc., then probably not. I know some folks who spend a couple days just at the Volcano. For us, 2-3 hours is plenty.

Melissa, while you are accurate that anyone who's not a native Hawaiian is an immigrant, I stand by my comment about the surly Honolulu residents. I went to school at Pacific University with a lot of Hawaiians and was pretty shocked at the people I ran into on Oahu. I met a few nice people too, but we ran into problem people in every aspect of our stay on that island, over and over, and that's something you remember. I've exchanged notes, and I'm not alone in this. Fortunately, all was redeemed on the other islands.

Peepjr, here are a few more comments from my posting on a conversation thread called "multi island advice". I am far from being a Hawaiian expert (one trip of island hopping), but we I did a lot of research and we covered a lot of ground. Not much sleep, but a lot of fun. We went last June.

Oahu:

Polynesian Cultural Center - do the Horizons Show and the villages, avoid the luau; it's like a cattle call, and no alcohol at the PCC. What's a luau without umbrella drinks?

The Pearl Harbor memorial is free, including the boat ride out to it - get there early (7 am), though, for a ticket, and go back later at the time specified, or you might not get a ticket. Look for the drops of oil rising to the surface from the sunken USS Arizona, and spreading out in a rainbow slick, like teardrops, one at a time.

Stop at a fruit stand along North Shore. The farther away from Honolulu you go, the cheaper the fruit, and the nicer the people. Avoid the first several.

See the lighting of the torches at night on Waikiki.

Stop for a look at the palace in Honolulu.

Head down the coast, past Waikiki, for one of the best snorkeling beaches in the world.

Drive up to Diamond Head then hike the rest of the way to see the sunrise/sunset.

The Dole Plantation. Take the train ride. Do NOT miss the tacky plastic pineapple full of the most wonderful fresh pineapple sorbet you've ever tasted. I dream about that sorbet. You can stop and buy the sorbet without any entrance fees. Pineapple ice cream doesn't sound that great, but trust me on this one. We didn't have time for the garden tour and maze, because we had to get back for our time-slot at Pearl Harbor, so I can't comment on it.

Big Island:

Hilo Side:

Take the car up to the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Do the overlook at Volcano House. Hike through the Thurston Lava Tube. Drive along the rim to see where the steam is seeping/pouring out of the ground. Go down the Chain of Craters Road, if it's open.

Drive to Rainbow Falls and Boiling Pots.

Stop at the Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut factory.

Kona Side:

Drive to see the Painted Church and stop at a coffee plantation. We stopped at the Holualoa Coffee Company.

Leave plenty of time for snorkeling at Honaunau and the historical site there (the place of refuge). Huge sea turtles swim and bask there, and tons of tropical fish. If you get there early in the day, you might see dolphins.

Have fun!

n2, i agree with mel, the whole state is a melting pot. it’s because honolulu/waikiki is a mini la, you see more of it. i only know of three native-hawaiian families, including us, in my own neighborhood here on kauai. have you been to nanakuli or waimea (oahu)? i’ve been passenger plenty times, while my cousins/nephews yell, “go home _____!” it’s embarrassing and the reality is we are the minority.

back to the op, i think 3-4 days on bi is enough. i’d stay in hilo and focus on activities re volcano (subject to pele’s mood), you can also drive up to waipio and hike down to the black sand beach there. the rest do/see stuff on oahu.