Which Hawaii island should I go as a first timer?

 

Hawaii is a beautiful place to go to. The islands are all beautiful in different ways. You won't go wrong going to any of them. In this article, I will talk about what I like about each island, and I will give my personal suggestion on which island you should go as a first timer. 


Note: I will only mention the islands with direct flights from the mainland.

Summary

  • Oahu

  • Maui

  • Kauai

  • Big island

  • My thoughts

Oahu

Overall, even though Oahu is the most developed of all the islands, it still offers a lot of opportunities for hiking and snorkeling.

  • The Waikiki area is very well developed. There are many nice hotels, restaurants and shops in that area. 

  • If you love music and want to learn more about the culture in different Polynesian islands, you would love visiting Polynesian culture center. They also offer a Lūʻau and wonderful shows. 

  • There are also lots of good snorkeling places, hiking places, waterfalls, etc on this island.

  • If you are into the history of World War II, you can also visit the USS Missouri and Pearl Harbor.

Maui

The two sides are very different. 

  • West side is well developed. You can stay in nice hotels, enjoy good food and go shopping.

  • The west side also has wonderful beaches and snorkeling locations.

  • Then you can drive on the road to Hana, which takes you across the island to the east side of it. Along the road you will see many beautiful waterfalls. 

  • On the east side, there is a black sand beach, red sand beach, and Haleakalā national park with a bamboo forest.

Kauai

Kauai is the most green island in Hawaii. 

  • It has the Grand Canyon of the Pacific - Waimea canyon. 

  • The Na Pali Coast tour will take you along beautiful, and otherwise inaccessible, mountain ridges. 

  • There are many waterfalls, beaches for snorkeling, and hiking trails on this island.

  • The largest city on Kauai is Lihue, but generally Kauai is one of the least developed major islands.

If you are into hiking and nature, you would enjoy your time in Kauai.

Big island

The landscape is very different from the others. 

  • The Volcanoes national park is a giant park with lava beds, lava tubes, craters and petroglyphs. 

  • There are also lots of lava tubes, including the biggest lava tube in the world - Kazumura Cave.

  • Like Kauai, the Big Island is also less developed compared to Oahu and Maui. The area around the national park is particularly underdeveloped, which is good for nature but makes the food somewhat more expensive than you will find elsewhere in Hawaii.

You will definitely love the big island if you are into geology.

My thoughts

A lot of first timers like to go to Oahu because it has so many different aspects of things to offer. 

I think it will definitely make you fall in love with Hawaii. 


If you are a person who loves nature, I think Maui and Kauai are good choices too.


Check out the itineraries for Hawaiian islands:

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