Things to do on the Big Island

Take a night snorkeling tour out of Keauhou Bay and experience a once in a lifetime swim with the manta rays.  As you hover on the surface with you snorkel gear, the manta rays will come to feed on the plankton.  These magnificent 8 - 15foot rays will literally come within inches of you.

Schedule one of these manta ray tours as early as possible since they tend to fill up very quickly.  Tours are in the early evening and last for approximately 2 hours.

There are 100+ beaches on the Big Island of Hawaii.  Both the Kona and Hilo side of the island have some of the most beautiful beaches in the world.  If you're looking for White sand, Green Sand, or Black Sand beaches they are all here.  

If you're looking for giant sea turtles, they can be found on many beaches.  A short 2 mile drive to Kahaluu beach is your first stop.  Check out the Aloha book in the Kona Cabana condo for a more detail list of beaches or go online and you'll find a comprehensive list of the Big Island beaches.

The Big Island has some great snorkeling that gets you up close to colorful tropical fish, beautiful corals, and if you're lucky maybe even some giant turtles.  As you explore the West side (Kona side) of the Big Island you'll find dozens of beautiful beaches that have great snorkeling.  

A short 2 mile drive or trolley ride from the condo, gets you to Kahaluu beach park an excellent snorkeling spot.  South of the condo is another well-known snorkel spot called Two-Step, which is very close to the City of Refuse.  

The Kona and surrounding area is rich in the history of old Hawaii.    Historical points of interest like the City of Refuse, the Painted church, the Captain Cook monument, and the Palace in downtown Kona are a few places not to miss.  

Another fun activity is to visit one or more of the farmers and crafters markets that are going on several days a week in the Kona area.  You'll see many local artists with hand-made items that really show the Hawaiian culture.

Volcanoes national parks is a rare place where you can see the wonder and power of an active Volcano.  The park has a nice visitors center, numerous hikes, a rain forest, lave tube tour, and a historic volcano house restaurant with a view.   

It's a 1.5 hour drive south of the Kona Cabana condo.  On the way it's worth a couple stops at some interesting places on the south end of the island:  South point cliffs, the Black Sand beach, and the Punaluu bakery with their famous malasadas.  If you're adventurous, you might try a tour to the green sand beach.

Kona is the Big Marlin fishing capital of the world.  There are dozens of fishing charters that you can book at the kona Marina, in between Kona and the kona Airport. 

!/2 Day and full day shared or private charters can be reserved online.

In the winter months, whales migrate through the warm Hawaiian waters on their way south from the Gulf of Alaska.  These magnificent animals can be seen from the shore or if you want an up-close look book a whale watching charter.  In additional to whales, pods of Dolphins are also quite common in these waters

These charters take off from both the main pier in Kona as well as from the marina North of downtown Kona

You'll find some of the best golfing in the world on the Big Island.  There are dozens of courses to choose from on Kona side of the island.  One of the most stunning courses is the course right off your lanai at the Kona Country Club.  Three of the holes are actually right along the ocean front, one with its own personal blow hole.  Since your condo is right on this golf course, don't forget to ask for the Ohana "family" rate.

Several of the Big Island courses are Championship courses and are truely amazing.

The Big Island is Home to some of the largest telescopes in the world.  Both the Subaru and Keck Telescopes are on the Summit of the 13,000+ ft Mauna Kea Mountain.  

At the 9000ft elevation on the Mauna Kea access road there is a visitors center that does night sky programs that are open to the general public.  They bring out several telescopes and set them up and take visitors through a nice night time sky tour of the stars and planets.  If you want a more guided experience, you can book a Mauna Kea star gazing tour that provides a full-service experience that takes you to both the visitor's center as well as a stop all the way to the top of the mountain.  They supply jackets and a nice meal as part of the tour. 

Watching the sunset over the tops of the clouds at 13,000+ft on top of Mauna Kea is magical.

Taking a tour through one of the Kona Coffee farms is a great way to spend a couple hours during the day.  Kona is the only place in the world that grows this premium coffee.  It only grows in the volcanic soil at just the right elevation on the slopes of Mauna Loa.

Many of the tours will let you actually sample the varieties of Kona coffee they are growing at the farm.  If you're lucky and tour during the right season. you might even be able to watch them harvest and roast the coffee beans.

The East  (Hilo) side of the Big Island is home to quite a few breathtaking water falls.  The Hilo side of the island is the wettest place on earth with Hilo getting 130+ inches of rain on average every year.  With all this rain, you'll find some awesome waterfalls.

Aka Falls is probably the most well know falls.  It makes a great trip to do some sightseeing in Hilo and then head North up the coast and do some hiking at Aka falls, Rainbow falls, and the Botanical gardens on a day trip to the east side of the Big Island.