From the first “Aloha!” Hawaii holds a stunning array of unforgettable vacation spots. Travelers who want to get the best of Hawaii will want to give themselves sufficient time to visit some of the 50th State’s most stunning sites.
1. Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, The Big Island (Hawaii)
The number-one choice of island visitors is Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island. Home of Kilauea and Mauna Loa volcanoes, the park draws some 3 million visitors each year. Photographers will relish the opportunity to get pictures of ever-erupting Kilauea, the world’s most active volcano. Nature lovers will be stunned by immense Mauna Loa, the world’s largest volcano. The Kilauea Visitor Center offers the latest information on opportunities for camping and hiking, plus road conditions and safety precautions. If sightseeing times limited, take the scenic Crater Rim Drive, an 11-mile road around Mauna Loa’s summit. Whatever you do, be sure to stay clear of “Pele’s hair.” That’s the Hawaiian term for streams of glowing lava, which original Hawaiians thought were the tresses of their fire goddess, Pele, who lives in volcanoes.
2. The Polynesian Cultural Center, Oahu
The Polynesian Cultural Center in La’ie, about an hour’s drive from Honolulu near the North Shore, offers what every visitor wants: a genuine Polynesian luau. In addition to its exotic food including teriyaki ribs and its entertainment, the cultural center boasts seven different Polynesian villages to give guests good insights into the life of Hawai‘i, Samoa, Fiji, Tahiti, the Marquesas, Tonga and Maori New Zealand (Aotearoa), people.
3. The island of Oahu
Home to fabled Honolulu, Oahu is often the first stop for many visitors. Besides the vibrant cultural mix that is Honolulu, Oahu is home to such legendary attractions as Waikiki Beach, Pearl Harbor and Hanauma Bay, known around the world as a prime snorkeling site. Visitors can interact with marine life at Sea Life Park at Makapu’u Beach, or reflect on World War II history at the Arizona Memorial. For those with a hankering for more contemporary pastimes, Honolulu is known for its shopping, dining and entertainment establishments.
4. The island of Maui
The magical island of Maui draws people to it for all sorts of reasons. Some come in the winter to view humpback whales at play. Artists revel is events such as the Maui Film Festival and the Maui Writers Conference, while party animals head straight for Lahaina with its first-rank stage shows and exquisite restaurants. Athletes will find Maui the perfect spot for windsurfing, kite-boarding or a vigorous round of golf. Adrenaline junkies can jump into a canyon on a zip line, bike down a volcano or pilot a personal sports sub underwater. Those with a mystical bent won’t want to miss Haleakala, well known among holistic healers and followers as the strongest natural energy point in the United States.
5. The NaPali Coast, Kauai
No trip to Hawaii would be complete without a visit to the stunning NaPali Coast on the island of Kauai, the oldest and fourth largest of the main Hawaiian Islands. NaPali’s wild and uninhabited cliffs symbolized the unspoiled natural beauty of Kauai. Besides NaPali, Kauai boasts all kinds of natural wonders, from mountaintop rain forests to coral reefs and uncrowded golden beaches along its 111-mile coastline. Geologists estimate that Kauai emerged from an undersea volcano in the Pacific some five million years ago. Today it has one of the wettest places on earth, Mt. Wai’ale’ale, which gets an average annual rainfall of 460 inches. Don’t bother with an umbrella, though; rain showers are brief, followed by glorious “sun breaks” often accompanied by rainbows.
