Travel Blog - Big Island Part 1
I had the amazing opportunity to visit the Big Island this past month and I was able to document some of my favorite things that we did. My top 3 recommendations are below.
#1 - Black Sand Beach
If you go to the Big Island you HAVE to go to a black sand beach. Have to! The water and sky are bluer and more vibrant than anything I have ever seen, it is absolutely unreal.
Tip: The sand at a black sand beach is scorching (duh! ...I had no idea) so make sure to wear shoes or sandals that will keep you from getting to much burning hot lava sand on your feet. Your welcome.
#2 - Mauna Kea
Although I was not able to drive to the top of Mauna Kea (which I will be sure to do next time) I did have a pretty nice view of the mountain right outside of our condo! Based off of all of the blogs I have read and pictures I have seen Mauna Kea is a must-do! (I wouldn't choose Mauna Kea over the volcano and lava; which is why we did not do it).
Also, if you want to know what the majority of the Kona (west) side of the island looks like, this is it! It's the closest you are going to get to Mars and completely different than any other island in the string of Hawaiian Islands.
#3- Volcano
Volcano. Lava. Walking on the moon.
If you want to have an experience that is out-of-this-world then you MUST visit the Kilauea Volcano on the South side of the island. We rode bikes 4 miles in to the the entrance of the lava field but it is optional. You can choose to walk in which allows you to stay later (we had to return the bikes by 9:30pm). It is recommended that you visit the lava field at night so that you can see the lava better. After our bike ride we hiked across miles and miles of dried lava until we found the lava flow.
Tip: Pack food and plenty of water because it is a long, hot bike ride/walk there and back with a total of about 8 miles one way (depending on the location of the flowing lava at the time of your visit)
We still had a few hours to burn before it got dark and we could really see the lava so we decided to trail run across the lava field and hike up to the top of the volcano to see the lava from above. It was absolutely worth it! (I don't recommend it but it was worth it)
