Travel Destination: The Big Island of Hawai’i

Travel

Home of the most active volcano on the planet, the longest and tallest continuous slope in the world and two international airports, the big island of Hawai’i offers more than hula dancers and leis.

The diversity of any island is always a surprise to me and Hawai’i is no exception – in fact the big island may be one of the most diverse islands one can visit – at least from a climactic point of view. A tour to the top of Mauna Kea will take a traveler through 11 of the earth’s 13 climactic zones excluding only Saharan desert and Arctic tundra. The tour also offers the visitor a primer on the cultural history of the island, the geological events that created the Hawaiian Islands, the flora and fauna of the island as well as information about the heavens above.

The big island of Hawai’i also has much of what you might expect of a tropical island. Beautiful coastlines, extremely pleasant temperatures both in the water and on land and many places to simply lie on the sand or under the shade of a palm tree and let the world coast by.

Do you like rain, waterfalls, rain forests and everything that goes with them without snakes and super-sized bugs? Head to the Hilo side of the big island and explore the small villages and hiking trails. If dry climates are more your thing, head to the Kona side of the island – the area around Waikoloa is generally dry and offers an otherworldly type of landscape.

As for activities, many are available including the previously mentioned Mauna Kea tour. You can also go for a snorkel tour, go hiking in Hawaii’s Volcanoes National Park, take a helicopter tour of the island, take a stroll through downtown, enjoy manta ray viewing from one of many hotels near the coast or simply take time away from the stresses of your life and enjoy being on island time.

Will @ November 24, 2008