5 Day Big Island Itinerary

This Big Island Hawaii Itinerary outlines every detail to have an amazing 5 day Big Island vacation visiting beaches, waterfalls, and the best hikes.

24 pages of expert advice to help you navigate Big Island and maximize your experience. The guide includes the best things to do in Big Island, including recommended hikes, beaches, things to do, where to stay, and recommendations on where to eat. It also includes the driving route, mileage and time it takes to drive between them, packing lists, and tips on where to fly into and what kind of car to rent.

Where the Big Island Itinerary Goes: This itinerary explores the Island of Hawaii, also known as Big Island.

This Big Island Itinerary will take you to: 

• Kona
• Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
• Hilo
• Big Island beaches 

Get ready to explore Big Island! You're entering the home of Kilauea volcano, one of the world's most active volcanoes. Big Island is also known for its magnificent white sand, black sand, and green sand beaches. Whether you're craving an adventurous snorkeling expedition with the local Manta Rays in Kona, wanting to hike across a caldera floor in Volcano, or simply lounge at a beautiful black sand beach with the sea turtles in the background, Big Island has many adventures awaiting you.

Last Updated: January 2025

Before you take this trip, listen to our Big Island podcast episode!

How this Big Island Itinerary will help you

This itinerary makes planning a trip to Big Island a breeze! We include recommendations on daily activities, how to structure your day, mileage between destinations, how much time to allot for driving, and how much time to allot for activities.

Big Island Map

The exact route to take each day including mileage between destinations, how much time to allot for driving, and how long to allot for activities. 

• Kona to Volcanoes National Park 
• Volcanoes National Park to Hilo 
• Hilo to Kona

Where to Stay 

Recommendations on where to stay in Big Island that are centrally located as well as information on where we stayed.

• Where to stay in Kona
• Where to stay near Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
• Where to stay in Hilo

Big Island Attractions & Extras

Planning a trip to Big Island can be overwhelming, that is why we include everything in this itinerary that you need to just show up and have fun! There are so many things to do in Kona, Volcanos, and Hilo and this itinerary includes Big Island beaches, best hikes in volcano national park, and some of the best waterfalls of Big Island. We also share packing lists, helpful squad tips, where to eat in Big Island, and general travel tips. Here are some of the highlights of what you’ll do on this trip:

• Manta Ray Night Snorkel in Kona
• Visiting White Sand, Green Sand and Black Sand Beaches 
• Hiking across a caldera 
• Chasing Waterfalls