Heavenly Hamakua: From Kona

Your Heavenly Hamakua adventure begins as we leave the sun soaked shores of the Kona and Kohala Coasts towards the lush rain forests found in great abundance on the east side of the island. We’ll head up through the ranching town Waimea. Here we'll see the vast cattle ranches that not only make up a great deal of the history of this part of the island, but the pastoral landscape as well. Our first part of our journey ends with a breath taking view of Waipio Valley. Carved through thousands of years of erosion into the eastern flank of Kohala volcano. Waipio is one of the greatest valleys in all of Hawaii.

Following a delicious local snack of malasadas (Portuguese doughnuts) at Tex Drive in Honokaa, our journey along the Hamakua coast takes us to Laupahoehoe point, where 300 foot sea cliffs surround a peninsula on both sides. Here, the crashing windward waves of the pacific ocean carve rugged pinnacles into the coastline, greatly displaying the never-ending conflict between the land and the sea. After some amazing photo opportunities, we’ll continue south along the lush jungle roads to Akaka Falls State Park where a beautiful walk through a rainforest leads to a stunning waterfall that plunges 442 feet into the Kolekole gulch below. On our way back from the falls we will pass through the historic sugarcane town of Honomu, a town rich in charm as well as history, where we’ll have a picnic lunch of fresh local wraps and fresh fruit at Hilo Sharks Coffee. 

After Akaka Falls, we’ll head through the town of Hilo with it’s colonial era architecture. We'll check out Waianuenue, or as it is known in english, Rainbow Falls. The stunning 80 ft drop of Rainbow Falls has beckoned generations of visitors to Hilo and is a can't miss on any trip to the island's capital. Next, we will take a glance inside a once scorching conduit of molten rock from Mauna Loa volcano known as Kaumana Caves. Here we will discuss the importance of lava tubes in the creation of our beautiful island paradise.

The last part of our adventure takes us up and along famous Saddle Road back to the island’s west side. Reaching an elevation of almost 6,800 feet, we'll climb into the clouds through lush rainforests, cloud forests, high desert, and vast prairies passing through many of the Big Island’s microclimates. To top it all off we’ll be afforded stunning views of the towering Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa volcanoes. A fantastic way to end the day!