One week in Hawaii: The Perfect Itinerary to See the Big Island and Kauai

Hawaii is often considered THE dream destination, and there’s a reason for this. The lush rainforests, exotic black sand beaches, volcanoes, delicious pokes, and unforgettable sunsets… Hawaii definetly makes a perfect destination for several days. This was my second trip to the islands, having visited Maui before.

Planning a trip to Hawaii and don’t know how to fit it all in? This 7-day itinerary covers two of the most beautiful Hawaiian islands — Kauai and the Big Island — with tips on what to do, and how to make the most of your time. Explore with me these destinations with my 7 days in Hawaii guide!

Itinerary

Day 1 – Arrival to Kauai + Poipu beach & Turtle watching

We landed in Kauai airport in the afternoon after a pleasant 5 h flight from San Francisco. In the airport, we got a convertible Ford Mustang as our vehicle, which seems to be the most typical car to rent in Hawaii, and after quickly leaving our luggage in the hotel, we headed towards Poipu beach. Poipu beach is in the south of the island, famous for being a great spotting place of sea turtles. It did not disappoint! When we arrived, there were several turtles lying on the beach. Since it is illegal to touch or interfere with the turtples, they were surrounded by a protective strip. Nonetheless, we were really close to them, and they didn’t seem to mind the tourists taking photos of them at all.

We walked a bit around the beach, and found Hawaiian monk seals also lying on the sun. They looked really chill.

A bit tired from the flights, we went back to the hotel and walked on the beach right next to it, which was a wonderful place for sunset.

Day 2 – Napali Coast Flight + North Shore Beaches + Luau

Kauai is overall not very well-developed. Most of the island is a private land, with the State of Hawaii being the biggest owner followed by the Robinson family and the Grove Farm, so not all places are accessible. Additionally, there’s also no road that goes around the island, so you’ll need to choose whether you’re driving to the north or to the south part of the island. The most forest-dense areas are only accessible by foot.

Panoramic flight

Given the challenges of visiting Kauai (especially in a short period of time) and my objective of seeing the Napali coast, I spent some time thinking how to visit the island. Between a boat and a flight, I ended up choosing a flight, as it seemed to offer better views. Then, my question then was: helicopter or flight? I read quite some about which to choose, with the advantages and disadvantages of each, and opted in for the panoramic flight with Wings over Kauai.

The day of was pretty windy, and I was afraid that there would be strong turbulences. Nothing further from how it was! Our pilot was very professional. He explained that he trained to fly commercial flights and ended up moving to Kauai with his family, where he’s doing these touristic flights. The flight went really smoothly, no difference with a standard commercial flight. Additionally, despite the initially bad weather, the sun came out and we got to see some rainbows!

Takng a flight was well worth it, as we got spectacular views from the island in just one hour. I would highly recomment it!

Haena and Tunnel beaches

After enjoying the flight, we drove to the North coast. Initially, we just wanted to stop in Tunnel beach directly, but there’s no parking there, so the best is to drive further to Haena beach and take a walk towards Tunnel beach. Both beaches are nice and they are close to each other, so it’s only a short walk. Additionally, right in front of the parking there is a cave – not very deep but very wide – and it’s a cool short stop. While the beach was nice, I didn’t find it more special than other beaches in Kauai.

Kilauea

Our initial idea was to visit the Kilauea National Wildlife Refuge, but we arrive late and it was closing – be aware that it closes relatively early, at 16:00. Sad, but that happens sometimes. We could see the lighthouse from the outside of the park, but otherwise there was not much more to do.

Luau

No visit to Hawaii is complete without seeing a Luau. We booked tickets the Ahi Lele Fire Show in Kilauea – a great experience! First, we were offered dinner, where one could choose from a traditional pork meal or a vegetarian option. Then, we went to our seats (first come, first served), from where we enjoyed the show. The show itself had two parts. During the first part, a musician was singing traditional and self-composed songs, while a woman was dancing hula. The second part started slow, with the narrator making jokes and him and another guy doing silly dances and playing with fire. It got progressively more active, with a dancer group of men and another of women performing engaging and risky dances with fire. It was a great spectacle to go to!

Day 3 – Waimea canyon and flight to the Big Island

Waimea canyon

Of course, before leaving Kauai, we had to visit the Waimea canyon. The Waimea canyon is a 16 km canyon, accessible from the south of the island. The Kokee Road leads to different viewpoints of the canyon (some more official than others). We drove until the Pu’u Ka Pele Lookout, from where you could see part of the Napali coast. As is tradition now, the place was covered by a cloud when I was there, but we got to see some of the views. There is another lookout, Pu’u Hinahina, but it was closed when I was in Hawaii in November 2024.

Salt Point Beach Park and Hanapepe

On our way to the airport, we stop at the Salt Point Beach Park, where we saw more monk seals. From there, we drove to Hanapepe, where we enjoyed a shaved ice and a tasty poke at Ku’uleis Gourmet.

After our lunch, it was already time to fly to the Big Island, a flight that takes around 1 h.

Day 4 -Kona area: Kiholo Bay and Mauna Kea

Kiholo Bay

In the morning, we headed towards Kiholo Bay, which seemed like a great place to swim. We initially drove to the Kiholo trailhead, as indicated by Google maps. However, even early in the morning, it was really hot. We saw a woman returning from the bay on our way there, and she recommended us to drive about a mile to the south and enter into a dirt road. At the end of that road there was a small free parking lot and you can walk along the beach towards the Kiholo Bay. It was much more pleasant than the hike from the trailhead, which had no shade and seemed rather uneventful.

Kaloko-Honokahau National Historical Park

We then drove to Kaloko-Honokahau National Historical Park, a nice combination of beach and history. There are two entrances to the park. The first leaves you in a rocky area, from which you can walk until the beach. This is the entrance where Google maps will lead you. However, if you don’t feel like walking in the heat, you can also drive approximately a mile towards the south and turn right, towards a port area. You can leave the car there for a fee and access the beach area of the park directly.

There were quite a few turtles swimming near the shore, really cool to watch!

Mauna Kea

This was another of the trip’s highlights: seeing the sunset from Mauna Kea. Mauna Kea is a dormant volcano and a very tall mountain: if counted from the base (located under the ocean) it is taller than the Everest. The mountain has also a great astronomical value (it has multiple telescopes on top) and a high cultural significance for the local population. This has created frictions between astronomers and locals, with locals resisting the construction of new telescopes to preserve what they say are ancient burial sites. I recommend reading more about this controversy in the Wikipedia page, as it shows the less idyllic part of Hawaii.

The views from Mauna Kea are spectacular. I totally recommend breaking the bank to do this experience, it was truly unforgettable. Our tour also included stargazing and the guide was really good at explaining what we were seeing. Unfortunately, it was the middle of the month, which means the moon was too bright and we couldn’t see the Milky Way, but that must be a spectacular experience.

How to get up Mauna Kea?

There are several ways to go up. Many people choose to drive to the middle parking using their own car. Regular 2W cars are not allowed to go the whole way to the top, so if you rented a regular auto, you’ll have to park there and hike up. This is a very tall mountain and it has less oxygen than sea level, so hiking up may be less easy than with other mountains. If you have a 4W, you can go to the top of the mountain and enjoy sunset from there. We chose the third option, which was to go up the mountain using a tour (our company was called Minshuku). This one is obviously the most expensive option, but it was worth for us. We didn’t need to drive at night on a mountain and we didn’t need to get any warm clothes with us. And believe me, it’s really cold up there! Even with the winter jackets, pants and gloves that the company lended us, we were happy to get back into the car after a while.

Day 5 – Exploring Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

On this day we headed towards Hilo – and we could see how the weather changed. From warm sunny days, we entered into a tropical rain front. It was extremely rainy. Nonetheless, it was our day to see the Hawaii Volcano National Park, so there we went. We still got lucky, and could do most of the points without rain. Unfortunately, Kilauea (the volcano, not the village in Kauai) was not active, which was a bit disappointing, but that’s how nature works.

We drove to the Crater Rim Drive West to look at the Caldera of Kilauea and from there we walked part of the Crater Rim Trail. We got to see some steam vents, but some areas were closed. It was surprisingly quite a green area, with many plants. From there, we drove to Nahuku, the lava tube, which is a very different type of cave to what we’re used to. We then drove through the Chain of Craters Road, doing some of the stops that looked most interesting to us. The lunar landscapes we saw were really desolated – the namings are really on point. We finally reached the Holei Sea Arch, a really cool area where the lava met the ocean.

The rain cut our day a bit short, so we had to return to the hotel.

Day 6 – East coast of the Big Island

Akaka falls

Hawaii is not green without a reason – it’s beause it rains, a lot. So when we woke up it was still raining. Don’t let that stop your activities! We went to the Akaka falls despite the rain and could enjoy the nice views. Additionally, the waterfall was full of water. This small state park’s parking costs $10 per car, and the entry fee is $5 per person.

Kaumana caves

We arrived to a small parking lot that was across some stairs leading downwards. From there, there was a cave entrance to the left and to the right. Each was an individual cave, and you need a good headlight to really explore it (phones are not providing enough light). The caves are cut short because they go into private property. They were relatively slippery since it had been raining the whole morning. The access to the park is free.

Pe’epe’e falls

Since they were nearby, we opted to see the Pe’epe’e falls. However, we were disappointed. The trails towards the falls seemed to be closed and there was only a platform to look at them, but you barely could see anything. Only worth if they reopened the trails. There was a rather large free parking, so I think they must reopen some time soon.

Tropical Botanical Garden

I love visiting botanical gardens, and tropical botanical gardens are a delight to the eyes. The variety of plants that we saw was marvelous. The garden is located near the water, so you can enjoy watching the plants hearing the waves from the ocean. The price is a bit steep, $32, but if you like plants it’s totally worth it.

Punalu’u Black Sand Beach

As rain has been slowly increaring in intensity, we opted to move towards the west side of the island, which is drier. An excellent place for that is the Punalu’u Black Sand Beach. It’s a beautiful beach, with palm trees next to the water, and a pleasant breeze. It didn’t seem to be the best place to swim, however, as the waves were pretty strong. There were a few facilities nearby and also several turtles were relaxing on the beach.

Day 7 – Green Sand Beach and Honaunau National Historical Park

Green Sand Beach

This is another must-do activity in the Big Island. This beach contains olivine, which gives it its green color. It’s located quite south of the island and to reach it you need to do a 3-miles hike. It’s not a difficult hike, as it’s mostly flat until the very end, when you need to descend to the beach, but it can get hot. There are illegal vehicles operating and bringing tourists from the parking to the beach. These cars are eroding the landscape, so please consider walking to the beach to protect this beautiful place.

Honaunau National Historical Park

I was impresed about how much I linked this park. It’s close to the airport, so it can be a great first or last stop. The entrance is $20 if you come by car or $10 per person, if you come without. Honaunau has a great historical significance: it was the place where people who broke ancient laws would come to save themselves from death penalty. The park features multiple points, in which some history is explained. Overall, the views are awesome.

Kona

Our last stop was Kona, the second largest city after Hilo. Kona has quite some touristic shops and restaurants. However, what interested us the most was the manta ray tour. We entered into the boat once it was already dark, and then we headed to the area where we were supposed to see the manta rays. It’s pitch dark and you’re in the middle of the ocean (well, not really, it was rather close to the shore, but still), so some people were a bit nervous. However, the activity was really easy. The tour guides gave us a pool fry, and we held ourselved to a blue light meant to attract the plancton that serves as food for the manta rays. We had to wait for a while, but at some point the manta rays started coming towards the light. It was so impressive! The mantas are huge (up to 5 m in diameter) and they have a very big mouth. These are not electric manta rays, so they are not dangerous. It was quite interesting how good they were at avoiding touching people.

Personal highlights

Everyone has different tastes, intersts, and previous experiences, so if you like traveling, visiting as much as you can is good. I like nature, art, and interesting architecture, so I’m generally more drawn to these places. From this trip, I would personally highly recommend:

• Napali Coast Flight: this was my main reason to visit Kauai and it did not disappoint.
• Mauna Kea: I’ve seen sunsets from mountains before, but I never get tired of it. It’s always so special!
• Honaunau National Historical Park: when I imagined Hawaii before coming, that’s what I was picturing. Palm trees, blue waters, and wood-carved idols.
• Manta Ray Tour: I was quite neutral about this activity and couldn’t understand why everyone was hyping it so much. However, floating in the water in the dark and having these magestic animals come close to you certainly became a highlight of the trip.

Is it expensive to travel to Hawaii?

Short answer, yes. While flights might be relatively cheap (I booked a 5 h return flight for a little more than $200 per person), it’s all the expenses on the island that sum up pretty fast. Accomodation and traveling are the most expensive, but food doesn’t fall short behind (even if bought in the supermarkets), and obviously activities as well. Kauai is more expensive than the Big Island, and the Kona side of the Big Island is more expensive than the Hilo side.

How safe it is?

I didn’t feel unsafe at any moment. As always, be aware of your surroundings. If going hiking to more remote areas, let someone know where you are and when you expect to be back, or consider getting a satellite phone. While I read that there may be car break ins, we didn’t see such occurences, so it’s definetly much less common than in San Francisco.

Practical tips

Connectivity

For travelers coming from outside of the US, I recommend maya.net for an eSIM. I’ve used it in multiple trips and I’m super happy with it! They offer an option to top up as well, and the prices are very reasonable.

Cash or card?

I used a card payment everywhere I went. I recommend bringing some cash for tipping the tour guides.

If you’re an international traveler, I can recommend the wise.com card to avoid exchange fees. It’s very economic to get, and you can use it as a standard debit card after topping it up. You can also budget your trip by only transferring what you want to spend.

Do I need a car to visit Hawaii?

I know that it is possible to access to places by bus, but, like almost everywhere in the US, it’s not convenient. The US is a car-centric country, so if you want to enjoy everything the islands have to offer, it’s better to rent one. If you plan to stay nearby the large cities or only visit what is accessible with tours, then a car is not needed.

Is it worth going to Hawaii outside of high season?

Absolutely! Unless you plan to lay on the beach your whole vacation, there is plenty to do in Hawaii outside of high season. There’s some additional advantages to traveling at less popular times: cheaper accomodation and less people at touristic attractions. When I visited in November, there was nothing booked out and we could always park at all the places we went to. I can imagine that this is not the case during high season.

The disadvantage is that the weather is not always the best. Kauai was quite uncertain, with some showers here and there, but overall good. In the Big Island, Kona had an excellent weather – warm but not hot -, but rain was intense in Hilo. If planning to come outside of the high season, add some flexibility to your trip to adapt to the weather conditions.