Planning a Big Island itinerary means packing more variety into one island than almost anywhere else in Hawaiʻi. In five days you can stand at the edge of an active volcano, sip coffee grown on the slopes above Kona, snorkel a white-sand bay, and watch the sun set from a black lava coastline — all without leaving Hawaiʻi Island. Here's how to spend five days doing it right.
Day 1–2: Volcanoes and Lava Landscapes
Start on the volcano side of the island. Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park is the heart of any Big Island itinerary — walk the Kīlauea Iki crater trail, drive the Chain of Craters Road down to the coast, and watch steam rise from the caldera at dusk. Give this park a full day, then spend a second morning exploring nearby lava fields and steam vents before heading toward Kona.
Day 3: Kona Coffee Country & Stargazing on Mauna Kea
The slopes above Kailua-Kona are home to the only coffee grown commercially in the United States. Tour a family farm, taste a fresh cup, and learn how volcanic soil and cloud cover create Kona coffee's signature flavor. As night falls, head up Mauna Kea — at nearly 14,000 feet, its summit offers some of the clearest stargazing on Earth.
Day 4: The Beaches of the Kohala Coast
Trade lava rock for white sand along the Kohala Coast. Hāpuna Beach and Kua Bay are two of the island's best for swimming and snorkeling, with calm, turquoise water most mornings. It's the perfect day to relax — and to wear the island home with you.
Day 5: History and Ocean Life
Spend your last day at Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau, a sacred place of refuge with tide pools, palm groves, and centuries of Hawaiian history along the shoreline. If you're visiting between December and April, watch the water offshore — humpback whales pass close to the Kona Coast during their winter migration.
- Base yourself in Kailua-Kona for easy access to beaches, coffee farms, and Mauna Kea.
- Rent a car — distances between the volcano side and the beach side are long, and public transit is limited.
- Pack layers: it can be 80°F at the beach and near freezing at the Mauna Kea summit on the same day.
However you spend your five days, the Big Island rewards travelers who go slow enough to notice the contrast — black lava fields giving way to green rainforest, then to blue water. Browse our Big Island Tees collection for a way to carry that contrast home with you.
Bring the islands home: Explore our Big Island Tees collection — original designs from our Native Hawaiian–owned studio in Kailua-Kona, Hawaiʻi. Here are a few of the newest additions:
Mauna Kea Stargazing Tee — a tribute to the island's clearest night skies.
Volcanoes National Park Tee — for the traveler who stood at the edge of the caldera.
Kīlauea Volcano Tee — a nod to the volcano that never sleeps.