"Oh god, the list is too long!..." Top 5 Page for this destination Hawaii (State of) Favorite Tip by diver-x

Favorite thing: Oh god, the list is too long! On the Big Island, if you are fit enough, do hike to the lava flow, but BE CAREFUL! It is not as easy as it looks and bring a flashlight for each person and extra batteries if you think you might be there in the afternoon.

Also, you must snorkel at Place of Refuge (Honaunau) and also kayak to the Captain Cook monument from the old wharf at Kealekekua Bay. Pull the kayaks in at the monument and snorkel or scuba there. What a blast!

Fondest memory: Well, I guess I'm biased because I got engaged while sitting on top of the cliff overlooking the lava flow at the water's edge at Volcano National Park, but hiking in and out of there was quite an adventure! We got to the flow in time for sunset and then hiked out (6 miles) after dark. We had 2 flashlights, but no spare batteries. Needless to say, the adrenaline was up after the first hour and a half or so, when we realized that there wasn't enough power for the both of us to have light for the entire hike back!

Thank goodness the night sky as clear because we were able to use the stars to navigate. And boy were they gorgeous! In some places we could see glowing lava on the mountainside above us, and were able to use the glowing patches as landmarks to check our progress. We got back to the car at around midnight.

The park service leaves a flashing beacon at the start of the 'trail' (pictured) and that was the most welcome sight I ever saw, let me tell you! Total hike time was 2 1/2 hours to get there and 3 1/2 hours to get back.