Kona · Hilo · Volcano · Waipiʻo · Kohala
Manta rays under the lights at Keauhou, lava country at Kīlauea, sunset above the clouds on Maunakea and the waterfalls of the Hilo side. Seventeen trips we would send our own family on, with real prices, honest fine print and both sides of the island covered.
The list
Ranked by what guests rave about, not by who pays the most. The ocean on the Kona side, the volcano, the mountain, and the waterfalls and farms of the Hilo side. One operator per activity, each one we know well.
Keauhou · Kona
The manta ray night snorkel off Keauhou, three minutes by boat from the bay, with 17 guests max and guides in the water the whole time. You float on a lighted board while mantas feed a few feet below your mask.
Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park · Volcano
A full day from your Kona or Waikoloa hotel to Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park and back, with a coffee farm and a black sand beach on the way. You reach the park toward dusk and stop for stars on the drive home.
Keauhou · South Kona
Two and a half to three hours on a Navy-SEAL-style Zodiac from Keauhou Bay to the Captain Cook Monument reef in Kealakekua Bay. Sea caves and lava tubes on the way, spinner dolphins most days, and whales in winter.
Hilo · Maunakea
Sunset from the 13,803-foot summit of Maunakea, above the clouds and among the world's largest collection of research telescopes. Then hot drinks and a private star show through a professional telescope on the way down.
Honomū · Hāmākua Coast
A 2.5-hour guided hike to waterfalls on private land in Honomū, 20 minutes north of Hilo and a few minutes from ʻAkaka Falls. Rainforest, waterfall views without the crowds, and ages 4 and up.
Waipiʻo Valley · Hāmākua Coast
A 10-hour day from your Kona or Waikoloa hotel to the Waipiʻo Valley lookout, a swim at a private waterfall and a tropical garden. The easy way to see the Hāmākua Coast while the valley road stays restricted.
Kona Airport · Kona
Two private hours in the air from the Kona airport: Kīlauea's summit crater, Hilo, the waterfall-streaked Hāmākua Coast and the deep valleys of Kohala. Just your party aboard, and everyone gets a window seat.
Hāwī · North Kohala
About two hours zipping tree to tree through a towering private forest above Hāwī, with sky bridges, a rappel and views to the Kohala Coast. Two certified guides, nine guests at most, and no long walks between lines.
Hōlualoa · Kona
A small-group brewing class on a working coffee farm in Hōlualoa, high in the Kona coffee belt. You brew with French press and pour-over, cup four coffees side by side, and leave knowing how to make a better cup at home.
Kawaihae · Kohala Coast
Two hours on a small raft-style boat from Kawaihae, straight into the humpback nursery off the Kohala Coast. Low to the water, a hydrophone to hear the whales sing, and the harbor is minutes from the Waikoloa resorts.
Hilo · Hilo
A relaxed afternoon cruise from Hilo along the Onomea sea cliffs, where waterfalls pour straight into the ocean. Small group, stories of old Hawaiʻi and the sugar era, and dolphins on many trips.
Honokōhau Harbor · Kona
Ninety easy minutes on the water off Kona as the sun goes down, with a full bar and light bites. It leaves from Honokōhau Harbor just north of town, and there is a beach departure from Waikoloa too.
Honokōhau Harbor · Kona
A two-tank morning dive out of Honokōhau Harbor along the Kona coast, with lava tubes, arches, turtles and some of the clearest water in Hawaiʻi. The crew holds a perfect 5.0 rating across more than 7,700 reviews.
Mountain View · Puna
Two hours on ATVs across a working family ranch in Mountain View, between Hilo and Volcano. Green pasture, rainforest edges and plenty of mud, with free cancellation and ages from 3 up.
Hilo · Hilo
An electric bus ride through the cacao orchards in the hills above Hilo, with fresh cacao fruit straight from the tree and a look at how beans become chocolate. Short, easy and rated 4.9 by more than 2,500 guests.
Kaloko Mauka (above Kona) · Kona
A 2.5-hour guided walk through misty montane jungle high on Hualālai, above Kona. Native birds and plants, cool air and a small group of no more than 16.
Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park · Volcano
Three hours on fat-tire e-bikes through Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, covering many miles with little effort while a volcano-savvy guide explains the geology. Ages 15 and up, groups of up to 12.
#1 on the Big Island
Only in Kona
Every night off Keauhou, manta rays with wings up to 16 feet wide come to the lights to feed. You float face down on a lighted board while they barrel-roll inches below your mask. It is the one thing on this island you cannot do anywhere else.
Get your bearings
The Big Island is bigger than all the other Hawaiian islands combined. Kona to Hilo is two hours over the saddle between the two mountains, so where you stay decides what is an easy morning. Tap a pin to open that trip.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Tap a pin to open that adventure.
Kona Manta Ray Night SnorkelKona · from $99 · ★ 4.8
Volcanoes National Park Twilight TourVolcano · from $249 · ★ 4.9
Kealakekua Bay Snorkel TourSouth Kona · from $95 · ★ 4.8
Maunakea Summit Sunset and StargazingMaunakea · from $269 · ★ 4.8
Hilo Waterfall HikeHāmākua Coast · from $140 · ★ 4.9
Waipiʻo Valley Lookout and Waterfall SwimHāmākua Coast · from $249 · ★ 4.9
Big Island Helicopter TourKona · from $1,680 · ★ 4.9
North Kohala Canopy ZiplineNorth Kohala · from $210 · ★ 4.9
Kona Coffee Brewing WorkshopKona · from $65 · ★ 4.9
Kohala Coast Whale WatchKohala Coast · from $95 · ★ 4.9
Hilo Waterfall CruiseHilo · from $159 · ★ 4.7
Kona Sunset SailKona · from $139 · ★ 4.9
Kona Scuba DivingKona · from $99 · ★ 5
Hilo-Side ATV Ranch TourPuna · from $119 · ★ 4.9
Hilo Chocolate Farm TourHilo · from $16 · ★ 4.9
Kona Cloud Forest WalkKona · from $60 · ★ 4.9
Volcano Fat-Tire E-Bike TourVolcano · from $189 · ★ 4.8
Kailua-Kona · Keauhou · Hōlualoa · Honokōhau
The dry, sunny side and the ocean side. The manta snorkel, the Kealakekua Bay boats, scuba, sunset sails, coffee country and the airport most visitors fly into.
Kona guide →Hilo · Honomū · Hakalau · Waipiʻo
The green, wet, waterfall side. ʻAkaka Falls, the Hilo waterfall hike, the Onomea sea-cliff cruise, chocolate farms, and the road to the Waipiʻo Valley lookout.
Hilo side guide →Volcano · Kīlauea · Pāhoa · Mountain View
Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, 45 minutes from Hilo and 2.5 hours from Kona. Crater rims, steam vents, lava tubes and, when Kīlauea is erupting, a glow on the horizon after dark.
Volcano guide →Waikoloa · Kawaihae · Hāwī · Waimea
The resort coast and the green north tip. Whale watching out of Kawaihae, the island's only full canopy zipline at Hāwī, and ranch country in Waimea on the way to Waipiʻo.
Kohala guide →Timing matters
The Big Island runs all year, but the whales only come for a season, Maunakea can get snow, and the Hilo side gets more rain from November to March. Here is how to plan around it.
December to April
Thousands of humpbacks winter in the warm, shallow water off the Kohala Coast, peaking January to March. The whale watch boats run out of Kawaihae, and every Kona boat trip doubles as a whale trip.
Every night of the year
The mantas feed off Keauhou year round, the volcano never closes, and the skies over Maunakea are some of the clearest on earth. These are the trips to build the week around.
April to October
The flattest water for snorkeling Kealakekua Bay, the driest weeks on the Hilo side for waterfalls and ziplines, and long summer evenings for the sunset sail.
The other side
Most visitors land in Kona and never cross the island. The east side is where the waterfalls, the rainforest, the volcano and the old-town Hawaiʻi are. Spend at least two nights over here.
Hilo · Maunakea
Sunset from the 13,803-foot summit of Maunakea, above the clouds and among the world's largest collection of research telescopes. Then hot drinks and a private star show through a professional telescope on the way down.
Honomū · Hāmākua Coast
A 2.5-hour guided hike to waterfalls on private land in Honomū, 20 minutes north of Hilo and a few minutes from ʻAkaka Falls. Rainforest, waterfall views without the crowds, and ages 4 and up.
Waipiʻo Valley · Hāmākua Coast
A 10-hour day from your Kona or Waikoloa hotel to the Waipiʻo Valley lookout, a swim at a private waterfall and a tropical garden. The easy way to see the Hāmākua Coast while the valley road stays restricted.
Hilo · Hilo
A relaxed afternoon cruise from Hilo along the Onomea sea cliffs, where waterfalls pour straight into the ocean. Small group, stories of old Hawaiʻi and the sugar era, and dolphins on many trips.
Mountain View · Puna
Two hours on ATVs across a working family ranch in Mountain View, between Hilo and Volcano. Green pasture, rainforest edges and plenty of mud, with free cancellation and ages from 3 up.
Hilo · Hilo
An electric bus ride through the cacao orchards in the hills above Hilo, with fresh cacao fruit straight from the tree and a look at how beans become chocolate. Short, easy and rated 4.9 by more than 2,500 guests.
Why trust this guide
Most "things to do on the Big Island" lists are written by people who have never stood at Keauhou Bay at sunset or driven Saddle Road in the dark. We know the crews and guides behind every trip on this list.
trips on the list. Each is the top-rated option in its category, not a paid placement.
minimum rating across hundreds or thousands of verified guest reviews. Most picks are 4.9 or 5.0.
operator per activity. We tell you who to book instead of handing you a ten-way comparison table.
sides of the island covered properly. Kona for the ocean, Hilo for the waterfalls, and the volcano and the mountain in between.
Plan smarter
October 28, 2026
Our day-by-day week on the Big Island: four nights on the sunny Kona side, three on the green Hilo side, with the tours that fit each day.
October 28, 2026
Whales, mantas, rain on each side, Maunakea snow, Merrie Monarch and prices, month by month, plus which tours to book when.
October 28, 2026
Sunny Kona or green Hilo? A side-by-side table, real drive times, which tours suit each base, and the split stay we recommend.
