Hawaii is one of the most popular winter destinations, and for good reason! It’s within easy reach of the continental United States, offers a dizzying amount of things to do, and is stunningly beautiful to boot. Interested in finding out more of what this famous archipelago has to offer? Here’s just a short list of activities you can find here: festive luaus, lei and floral shows, surfing, kayaking, caving, ecological tours, snorkeling, scuba diving, hang gliding, dolphin swims, and so much more!
Read the following ideas from the trips of RealTravelers who’ve traveled to the Hawaiian islands, and it will give you plenty of inspiration to start planning your trip:
Natural Wonders:
Thom visited Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and, later, Rainbow Falls State Park:
“It was a scenic drive (of course, every drive we made in Hawaii was scenic) that led us down into what seem to be a tropical rain forest. The admission was $10 per vehicle (nice) and there was a information center with maps and educating films about the volcanic activity. Deeper into the park, we found awesome views and heavily wooded trails. We walked through a lava tube which is basically a tunnel that was cut through a mountain by flowing lava. Eventually we drove down the Chain of Craters road to the Southeast shore of the island. From here we could see miles of lava rock (looked like burnt brownies). In the distance, we could also see lava creating this huge geyser of steam as it poured into the ocean.” (more…)
Wildlife Viewing:
Eco-friendly interactions with animals can be a great way to have close encounters with animals in nature without jeopardizing their safety. Nick N Lizzi found out the joys of swimming with wild dolphins and seeing other wildlife:
“We got up at 4.45am to drive to the west of the island and catch a boat to snorkel with spinner dolphins. These dolphins can only be found in the wild and literally jump and spin out of the water, it was pretty awesome. Unfortunately we didn’t spot any whales we spent too long on the dolphins so instead we were taken to another bay to snorkel and spotted 5 sea turtles!! Not tired enough by that we hiked up to Manoa falls playing at being in ‘Lost’ along the way…another day Nick planned a 61/2 hour hike over 2 mountains. The ridge along the top was beautiful and the scenery was constantly changing due to the various climates on each side of the mountain.” (more…)
City Life:
From Honolulu to Waikiki, Hawaii’s cities offer great cuisine, nightlife, and culture surrounded by their lovely oceanside landscapes. Aaron & Katy had a romantic getaway and explored the city sights of Waikiki, including a local art festival, watching surfers, and seeing sunrise on the beach:
“What a great city it is! High-end boutiques to kitschy tourist stores, well known restaurant chains to cheap eateries, and all the modern conveniences you expect in a big city line the main street of Kalakaua Avenue. Yet, if you turn your back to all of this you have in front of you– Waikiki Beach!! There are few cities in the world, I imagine, where it is perfectly normal to don swimwear and tote your surfboard down the streets.” (more…)
Family Fun:
With so many fun attractions, Hawaii is the perfect family destination. The Zackowski’s spent a “suntanned Christmas” last December:
“We were successful in enjoying snokelling/shoreline cruise tours, surf lessons, luaus, guided van tour of the ‘road to Hana’ which included receiving a birds eye view of the ‘valley island’ in a helicopter and a visit to the Maui Aquarium. One of the highlights for me was a family hike into the jungle where we played in the waterfalls on the north shore. Another highlight was the ‘bike down the volcano’ tour that Dustin & I did. This adventure started with a Hotel pick up @ 2:30am…you heard right! After a 2+ hr trip up the volcano & an absolutely spectacular sunrise on top of Halalakalua (10,000′), we processed to ride our mountain bikes 34 km down the side of the volcano ending our adventure in the small surf community of Piai for breakfast at Willy Nelsons place, ‘Billy’s.’ Jacqueline & the boys picked us up & we proceeded to enjoy the rest of the day surfing & boogy boarding on the beaches of the north shore…unbelievable great day, one for the record books!!” (more…)
More Hawaii Travel Blogs:
Sarahh29
ddbartley
Aaron & Katy
Sticky Rice
garbdoubt19
Resources:
Calendar of Hawaiian Events by Month
Hawaii Travel Guide
Hotels in Hawaii
Luxury Travel in Hawaii
Top Spots in Hawaii
