We had an amazing 8 days on the Big Island in November last year. It's been such a long time since I took such a long vacation. Here's my trip report: https://ashwinbahulkar.wordpress.com...aii-in-8-days/ with our itinerary, tips, favorite places to travel and eat.

I would definitely like to come back sometime and spend some more time on different parts of the island. That said, 8 days was an optimal time to visit, we covered a lot of ground and pace was not too much. The visit to the VNP with a view of the eruption was the highlight of our trip, am really glad we were able to view the eruption.

Enjoy reading, and hope it helps everyone with their trip planning.

Did you have to use a zoom lens or binoculars to see the magma/eruption? Just wondering how easy is it to see from the walk on Devastation Trail?

A pair of binoculars would be great, it would help you see the lava more clearly, however, what we saw with our naked eyes was quite stunning indeed. You can see a good amount of the lava without binoculars, but don't forget your torch.

Thank you, good to know!