US · Hawaii · 19.60°N 155.50°W

hawaii island

Volcanic craters, black-sand beaches, coffee farms and two very different coasts.

Best time
April–May and September–October are comfortable and outside the holiday crowds. Hilo gets rain all year; winter brings bigger surf, and the high summits are cold at any time.
How long
5–7 days
Getting there
Fly to Kona or Hilo with two stops, usually via Tokyo, Osaka or Seoul and then Honolulu, about 19–23 hours all in. Kona airport is 15–20 minutes from Kailua-Kona. Hawaii is 18 hours behind KL all year. Malaysians need a US B1/B2 visitor visa, usually with an interview at the embassy in KL; ESTA isn't open to Malaysian passports.
Save postcard
US · Hawaiihawaii island19.60°N 155.50°Wgowherelah.com
Dear group chat,Volcanic craters, black-sand beaches, coffee farms and two very different coasts.— gowherelahTo: whoever’s drivingHawaii IslandUS, Hawaii
KLhawaii island
≈ 11,227 km from KL, as the crow flies
Punaluu Black Sand Beach Park, with coconut palms — island of Hawai’i. Kevin Parekh, Anyone may use this image.

Photo: Kevin512 at English Wikipedia · Public domain

1 / 3

Photos: Wikimedia Commons, credited on each.

Hawaii Island, the Big Island, really is big: crossing it is a day's drive. Sunny Kona, rainy green Hilo and the volcano country around Kīlauea each deserve their own time.

Makan

  1. Kona coffeeGrown on the volcano's western slopes and sold straight from the farms.Map ↗
  2. Loco mocoRice, a burger patty and a fried egg under gravy, invented in Hilo in the 1940s.Map ↗
  3. Fresh fishAhi, ono and mahimahi, grilled or as poke.Map ↗

Things to do

  1. Hawaii Volcanoes National ParkCrater rims, steam vents and old lava fields around Kīlauea, one of the world's most active volcanoes. How much eruption you see varies week to week.Map ↗
  2. Punaluʻu BeachA black-sand beach on the south coast where green sea turtles haul out to rest. Keep your distance.Map ↗
  3. Kona coffee farmsSmall farms on the slopes above Kona offer tastings and tours.Map ↗
  4. ʻAkaka FallsA short rainforest loop to a 135-metre waterfall north of Hilo.Map ↗

Good to know

  • Split your stay between the Kona side and Hilo or Volcano village to avoid long drives back and forth.
  • Halal is very limited here; a place with a kitchen and the fish counters at local supermarkets help.

Last checked October 2026. Things change, so check opening times, fees and transport before you go.