Hi,

Appreciate it if you could look over my tentative itinerary for BI and suggest any changes. I can still be flexible as I haven't booked hotel for all the days yet. Thanks all for your help throughout my planning (from deciding whether to go to BI and everything else)!

6 nights/6 days in Hawaii.

1) 11/24 (Thanksgiving).
* Arrive in Kona 8 p.m. Pick up rental car (standard car) from Avis.

* Check into a Kona hotel. Haven't booked it yet. Considering Outrigger Keauhou Beach Resort or Royal Kona Resort.

2) 11/25 (Friday)
* If staying at the Outrigger Keauhou, snorkel Keauhou in a.m.. Drive to Place of Refuge. Snorkel at Two-Step. Check out Kona in evening.

* If Royal Kona Resort, snorkel Captain Cook in a.m. Need to rent a kayak and do it on our own. Too much hassel on 1st day there? Do Place of Refuge in afternoon w/ snorkeling at Two-Step.

Question: If we have to drop a snorkeling place, which one to drop? Keauhou, Captain Cook, Two Step?

3) 11/26 (Sat)

* If staying at Outrigger, snorkel Captain Cook in a.m. Try to rent kayak the afternoon before. Afternoon drive to Volcano NP. See lava flow at night.

* If staying at Kona Resort, depart for Volcano NP in a.m. Tour around in daylight and see lava flow at night.

Question: Where to stay in Volcano? Any opinions on Volcano Inn on 2nd? Not same as the other more famous Volcano Inn. We just want a convenient, clean, safe place to crash for the night, nothing fancy.

4) 11/27 (Sun)
* Do some other must-sees in Volcano NP -- hike lava tube, etc.
* Afternoon drive to Hilo. Check out town, see waterfalls, etc.

* We might consider driving to Mauna Kea visitor center ourselves today. Easy to do so w/ standard car from Hilo side? We might see if we could hitch a ride w/ someone w/ a 4WD to the summit. How long is the drive?

Question: Hilo's Botanical Garden worth seeing? Better than the one in Honolulu? We'd rather see things in the wild than man-made. Where to stay in Hilo?

5) 11/28 (Mon)
* Drive along Hamakua Coast counter clockwise. Stop to sightsee and do light hiking. Any recommended must-not-miss? Haven't done any research in this area.

* Waipio Valley. Hike down and wander around. Afternoon ok? Safe to leave our luggages and stuff in car there during the hike?

* Check into Marriott Waikolla for 2 nights in South Kaholo .

6) 11/29 (Tues)
* Snorkel at beach in front of Marriott (Ana something?). Relax
* Afternoon depart for Mauna Kea summit tour with Summit Tour Adventure. Any other recommended summit tour companies?

7) 11/30 (Wed)
* Relax in Marriott. Check out Hapuna Beach. Maybe snorkel again.
* Flight is at 9:30 p.m! What last thing to do??

Sorry for the long writeup. But please throw in your suggestions and must-sees/ must-do's. Thanks!!

Just returned from a 4 island 16 day tour starting on BI. Stayed 2 nites at Old Hawaiian B&B in Hilo near Rainbow Falls. One of our first stops was the Hawaiian Tropical Botanical Gardens which is located in a gorgeous area of this island. Highly recommend it, but can't compare it since we didn't do any gardens on Oahu. If you don't do it at least drive route that passes it & have a smoothie at What's Shakin' at the N end of the scenic drive. One day we drove around the Puna area where the heated pond and tidal pools are. I loved the Hilo area much more than the Kona side because it is less crowded and not touristy. Spent an afternoon & evening at the Volcano Park. The drive down Chain of Craters road is worthwhile and give of great view of the blue ocean on the S shore. The only tricky part is walking over the hardened lava. Places to eat: great panackes at Ken's House of Pancakes. For dinner we ate at Thai Thai in Volcano & Hilo Bay Cafe. Both were excellent. We did a snorkle cruise with SeaQuest out of Keauhou. The best snorkling is at the base of the Captain Cook monument. Highly recommend the raft trip. Stopped at Bayview Farms, Place of refuge, ate at Kona Brewing Company. Average Food. I would go somewhere else in the future. Stopped at Hapuna Beach: nice but much better beachs on Maui, Kauai & Oahu. Stayed at Hilton 2 nights. Ate at Merriman's in the Kings Shops. Very good meal. We personally do not like these types of places: I won it on priceline. Would suggest you stay in the Kona area. We are in our mid 60s, but active & our interests may be different from younger people.

You can also find decent snorkeling off a couple of beaches, so you don't need to make reservations with a tour, etc. I think the Mauna Kea has a good beach with access to snorkeling. There is another one, I think below Disappearing Sands (??), just north of a hotel on the point there. It has a decent outdoor patio lunch/smoothie bar, plus a covered public picnic spot above there. Hapuna Beach, as you note, is a very pretty beach. Not so much for snorkeling, I think too much sand churn. I could be wrong.
We've been to the Big Island several times--it's our favorite Hawaiian island for a long stay. My two cents' worth is also to allow plenty of downtime to just relax and enjoy being there. One of the best things about Hawaii is its slower pace, IMHO. Personally, I'd cut some driving out of your itinerary. You can't see the entire BI in six days.

Thanks all for your replies and helpful info.

Yeah, my itinerary looks pretty intense, like bootcamp already. Any suggestions on what to cut out?

Also, at Waipio Valley, is it safe to leave our car full of luggages and stuff in the trunk while hiking down the valley? In general any annoyances and dangers we should be wary of?

Thanks!

You really are cramming in too much. This island is the size of Connecticut.

Friday--Try for the Outrigger Keauhou.
You will have great snorkeling next door at the Kahaluu Beach Park. Visit the Place of Refuge for sure, and swim or snorkel there, too.

Saturday-- Head for the Volcano first thing in the morning. Do the park's Crater Rim Drive when you get there, rest and have a very early dinner, then head down Chain of Craters Road around 4 PM. It's 20 miles, about 35 minutes, to the end, where you'll turn around and park single file heading away from the activity. Be sure to take one flashlight apiece, plus water to carry and water to have in the car after your hike. Jeans will protect your legs if you fall. Contact "My Island B&B" or Kilauea Lodge for a place to stay.
**That weekend, the artists in Volcano Village are having open house (studio) sales, to start your holiday shopping. Maps available all over Volcano area.

Sunday--Start the morning with a hike in the Bird Park, about 2-3 miles S of VNP, on Mauna Loa Road. It's an ancient forest encircled by an old lava flow. No pavement, no cages, just a 1-mile dirt path, old forest and lots of birds, mostly in the canopy. Very peaceful. Then drive down to Hilo and stroll around Liliuokalani Gardens (free) along Hilo Bay, maybe walk across to Coconut Island. Most stores and museums in Hilo are closed on Sundays, but there's plenty to do outside. Go up the coast to the 4-mile scenic drive, then a couple miles further to Akaka Falls. Yes, the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Gardens are worth the price, but allow about 2 hours there. I suggest staying at the Shipman House B&B in Hilo. Great place to relax and slip into a bygone era. Wonderful breakfasts, too.
--As for going up on Mauna Kea, do it yourself from the Hilo side (45-55 minutes). Star-gazing is available to the public every evening from 6-10 PM, free, at the visitors' center. No need to pay for a tour, as regular cars can get to the 9,000' level. On Saturdays, if you are up there by 1 pm, there is a program until 2, then everyone piles into their 4WDs and goes to the summit. You must stay at the visitors' center for an hour to acclimate first. If you get altitude sickness, turn around and go back down--which isn't going to work if you're on a tour.

Monday--If you wish to do Waipio ("Y-P-O") Valley, consider staying at Waipio Wayside or another B&B in the area. Then you can take your time hiking in and out, and Jackie can tell you where to go down there. You may enjoy hiking into the valley, then relaxing on the black sand beach. Be very cautious of the ocean currents there. ...Or tour the valley by shuttle or on horseback. I would not leave anything in the rental car at the top of the valley.

Tuesday--Go back to the Waikoloa area, swim and relax. You've earned it.

Warning: Do not go into the Waipio Stream. The health department says that is one of the worst carriers/sources of Leptospirosis on the island, contracted when infected water gets in through a cut or mucus membrane. It can be deadly. This warning applies to all freshwater streams & waterfalls statewide. Nor should you swim at the mouth of any stream.

We've snorkeled at each of the spots you've mentioned, and liked them all. What we have found is that snorkeling in the afternoon is generally less enjoyable than in the A.M. The waves start to kick up more in the afternoon, making visibility less clear, and making snorkeling more of an effort. We also took a snorkeling trip with SeaQuest to K-Bay and had a great time. You might consider this if you find you are pressed for time. SeaQuest goes to two snorkeling spots; Kealakekua Bay (Captain Cook's) and Honaunau (Two-Step or Place of Refuge). Doing the snorkel trip would give you two of your snorkel spots in one morning.
We stayed at the Keauhou Beach Resort and enjoyed it. We like the location, with Kahalu'u Beach next door. There is a shopping center just up the hill with a grocery, a couple of casual restaurants, and a Long's Drugs. The Veranda Bar at the Keauhou is a fabulous place to watch the sunset.
DO NOT leave any belongings in your car. There are many incidents of break-in's on every island. Take the extra time and take your bags to the Marriott. Even if it's b/f check-in time, they will hold your bags until you return.

Thanks all for the wonderful suggestions! I have a couple more questions before taking off next week! Yippee!

Is it worth stopping by the Black Sand Beach on the drive from Kona to Volcano? Can you normally see turtles there? How much time it would take for this detour?

Is Pololu Valley worth a hike? Or the Waipo Valley hike is enough?

Can you snorkel with the Manta Rays at night, rather than diving? Has anyone done this? Where can you do it? Can you just do it on your own w/o going w/ a tour?

Thanks!

Several black sand beaches are on the east side of the BI. One of the largest, Punaluu is directly off the main highway, so detour time is essentially zero. Definitely worth a stop if you've never seen one. Turtles frequently sunbathe here.

A more exotic black sand beach is at Kehana, complete with resident wild red macaws and naked sunbathers, but it's more of a detour off the highway.

If you've you done Waipio there's not much point in hiking down into Pololu. The Pololu overlook is still impressive, though.

Manta ray dives take place off both the Kona and Kohala coasts. Some hotels such as the Mauna Kea turn on bright floodlights at night, which attract plankton, which in turn attract mantas that feed on it. It's purely hit or miss whether you'll actually see any mantas this way. Snorkeling excursions are more reliable, but best of all are the nighttime scuba manta adventures offered by several tour companies on the island. Mantas feed 10-20 feet underwater, and being under them instead of looking from above is much more of an experience. You can certainly scuba on your own, but the tour companies know exactly where and when to go, and they also provide the bright floodlights to attract them.

We are heading to BI too and had some questions. Is it better to take the shuttle/wagon to Waipio valley or can you drive/hike there on your own? Also, how difficult is the drive to Mauna Kea summit without a 4WD? Can I combine Waipio valley and Mauna Kea the same day/night? Please help, Thanks.

it's better to take the shuttle/wagon down, the hill is almost straight up or down depending on where you're looking and you do need 4 wheel drive and high clearance, not a subaru wagon or similar...it's not an easy hike down or up. DO NOT leave valuables in your car if you hike down. you can drive to the visitor center at Mauna Kea with a rental but not to the top unless you have 4wd. unless you are on a package, you can't get into the observatories anyway, and the visitor center has telescopes set up nightly. yes you can combine waipio valley and mauna kea on the same day, i think the shuttle/wagon tour is only about an hour or two. i prefer pololu valley-easy 20 minute hike down and up and it's beautiful down there and you can take your time there (though too rough to swim) and do stop at punaluu black sand beach and see the turtles.