big island

We explored the trichotomy of the volcanic rock, ocean, and lush rainforest that this island has to offer in the Summer of 2022! We spent our time on the wet, Hilo side of the island, as well as the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

Hawaii, USA

SEE/ DO

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (We enjoyed a guided hike with a park ranger, which allowed us to explore more than we could do on our own. When we were there, we could see lava in the crater at sunset.)
Punalu'u Black Sand Beach (Turtles!)
Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden (the most beautiful, lush jungle walk. We took pictures of pretty much every flower and plant, as it was THAT beautiful.)
Rainbow Falls
Pe'epe'e Falls
Umauma Falls ($10 viewing is worth while)
Champagne Pond
Banyan Drive
'Akaka Falls

EAT

There were limited food options near us. However, I jotted down a few places we enjoyed:

What's Shakin' Smoothies
Tin Shed Bakery
Pele's Kitchen

STAY

We chose to stay in Pahoa, as it was in the middle of the things we wanted to see. We found an awesome Airbnb on Mauna Nut Street, which was a jungly neighborhood. We even saw wild boars at night.

Tips

The Big Island is as the name describes - it is large. It takes time to drive to different parts of the island, which is why we didn't make it to the Kona side (other than for the airport).
We love Andrew Doughty's blue Hawaii guidebooks for visiting the Hawaiian Islands.
Check the volcano eruption update at hawaiirevealed.com before going on the trip.
The snorkeling spots we had read about had been covered up by lava flows, so be sure to also refer to the internet in addition to guidebooks to verify the snorkeling spots still are good.
Water shoes are helpful for the black sand beaches