Hawaii — The Big Island

A Mini Travel Guide
from Hawaii Travel Experts
 

The Island of Hawaii is dominated by the twin peaks of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa, volcanoes over 13,000 feet high, divided by ski slopes. Mauna Kea is only the tip of a submerged mountain; at 32,000 feet from sea floor to sky, it could be called the tallest mountain in the world, over a mile taller than Mount Everest.

The Big Island is the youngest of the eight Hawaiian Islands, a baby of one million years old and still growing with eruptions and lava flows. It is one of the few places on Earth where you can see an active volcano. Along the island's eastern edge, the desolate moonscape of Volcanoes National Park is home to Kilauea, a fiery volcano that erupts periodically.

Visit the charming port town of Hilo, the flower capital of the world, lined with black and white sand beaches. The Kona Coast, world famous for coffee plantations, offers stunning views of the vast Pacific Ocean from its powdery beaches and sharp cliffs.