What is the Best Island to Visit in Hawaiʻi?
From visitors looking to explore Hawaiʻi’s stunning, world-class trails to those looking to relax and get some sun on the beach, I truly believe that each island in Hawaiʻi has something special to offer every type of traveler!
For this reason, answering this question entirely depends on what type of traveler you are, and it’s why this article is all about the best things to do on each of the main Hawaiian Islands, with the intent of providing the most accurate information and expectations to hopefully help answer the question: What is the best island to visit in Hawaiʻi—specifically, the best island for you?
Why Should You Trust to My Recommendations?
Hawaiʻi is my home!
Many articles that you will find when searching for Hawaiʻi-related topics are written by people who don’t—and never have—lived in the islands.
Be that as it may, I pride my Hawaiʻi articles to be the best things to do on each Hawaiian Island through the perspective of lived experiences, using only my own photos and insights.
I never have and never will write my content with AI or stock photos, which is why I truly believe this is the best Hawaiʻi content that you will find!
What is the Best Island to Visit in Hawaiʻi?
The following list is written in no particular order of best or worst.
More importantly, I have personally been to all six of the main Hawaiian Islands many times to give you my best and honest recommendations about each island!
Kauaʻi
Kauaʻi is the best island in terms of scenic hiking trails, the best overnight backpacking trips, scenic drives, and the best açaí bowl that you will find across all the islands!
To add to this, I recommend planning a trip to Kauaʻi if you love to hike! I can honestly say that out of all the traveling I’ve done around the world, Kauaʻi trails stand alone as some of the best hikes on the planet!
I recommend Kauaʻi for some of the best sunset hikes, a number of the best backpacking trips, and the best waterfall hike across all the islands!
That said, it’s important to keep in mind that Kauaʻi is called the 'Garden Isle' for a good reason. It can rain a lot on Kauaʻi—especially during the wet winter season!
However, don’t let the rain discourage you from visiting, as Kauaʻi will rain all throughout the year, and it’s typical for showers to be quick, passing rain, instead of large weather systems.
All this to say, there’s obviously so much more to Kauaʻi, including beautiful beaches and the stunning boat and helicopter tours along the iconic Nāpali Coast. This is why, if you’ve never been to Hawaiʻi and know yourself to be the outdoorsy type, I think the choice is very obvious, as Kauaʻi truly is a hiker’s paradise!
Read My Separate Post: Best Things to Do on Kauaʻi
Oʻahu
Oʻahu is the best island for learning how to surf, enjoying tourist attractions, such as Pearl Harbor, the largest variety of hiking trails, the largest variety of food from around the world, nightlife, and the best shark diving tours of any island in Hawaiʻi!
That said, Oʻahu is where the people are, it’s where the jobs are, and it’s inevitably the island that attracts the most visitors.
This is not to say that you should avoid visiting Oʻahu because of this, as there is truly so much to see and do on account of Oʻahu having the most people.
In any case, many who visit Oʻahu for the first time come solely because Pearl Harbor is on their bucket list. However, apart from this one tour, there is so much more to see and do on all sides of the island!
When it comes to restaurants, Oʻahu has some of the best hole-in-the-wall food from around the world, which I talk about extensively in my separate post. In addition, while Kauaʻi may have some of the best hikes in the world, Oʻahu has countless amazing ridge trails that shouldn’t be overlooked.
I say this because one of my favorite things about Oʻahu trails is how accessible they are on all sides of the island, which is great because there’s truly not one best side of Oʻahu that I recommend booking your stay.
This is all to say that if you want the culture of the big city, while being backed up against the mountains with some of the most beautiful ridge hikes across Hawaiʻi, then Oʻahu is the island for you!
Read My Separate Post: Best Things to Do on Oʻahu
My Print - Oʻahu
Maui
Maui is the best island in terms of unique beaches, which includes black and red sand, one-of-a-kind hiking trails in Haleakalā National Park, scenic drives (Hāna Hwy), the best resorts, the best whale tours in Hawaiʻi, and the only island where you can take a helicopter tour around the tallest sea cliffs in the world (Molokai)!
Yes, Molokai sea cliff tours leave out of Maui, not Molokai.
In my opinion, Maui is the best island for couples and families because there is really something for everyone of all abilities to enjoy!
What I mean is that many of the best things to see don’t require an extensive amount of hiking, making Maui a great choice to explore with kids!
However, don’t let that be the only thing that comes to mind, as Maui has some of the tallest waterfalls in Hawaiʻi, with tons of adventures along the scenic Road to Hāna and within the Haleakalā Crater.
That said, in order to truly see it all and enjoy the best of what Maui has to offer, I highly recommend booking places to stay on all different sides of the island, as this is the best way to break up a vacation on Maui. To learn more about why I say this, read the opening section of my separate article linked below.
With all this in mind, I like to say that Maui is truly the island where you can have as relaxing or as adventurous of a vacation as you want, meaning that if you have a rental car and the desire to drive around the entire island, there’s certainly no shortage of things to see and do!
Read My Separate Post: Best Things to Do on Maui
Island of Hawaiʻi (The Big Island)
The Island of Hawaiʻi is best known for being the only island where you can see lava (Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park)! However, beyond this, there are unique black and green sand beaches, wide-open scenic drives, the tallest point in Hawaiʻi (Mauna Kea), the stunning Kohala Mountains, and the renowned Kona Coast.
That said, the Big Island is truly a stand-alone topic in terms of how different it is from the islands talked about thus far.
By this, I mean that when you think of the Big Island, think youngest! The Big Island is the only island in Hawaiʻi that’s still actively forming, which is exactly why it’s the island with the least amount of erosion.
Unlike Kauaʻi at the end of the island chain where erosion has formed steep and dramatic ridges, the Big Island is by and large 'less dramatic.'
This also means that the Big Island has less beaches than the other islands. However, there are beaches, and the beaches that the Big Island does have are some of the most unique in the world, with Papakōlea Green Sands being my favorite!
Considering all this, I believe that whether you spend more time on the wetter Hilo side for the Kīlauea Volcano or the drier West Side for the famous Kona Coast, Hawaiian coffee, and beautiful year-round sunsets on the beach, there’s truly something for everyone, of all abilities, to enjoy on the Big Island, as adventures span from sea level to near 14,000 ft. (4,267 m) atop the highest summits in the state!
Read My Separate Post: Best Things to Do on Hawaiʻi Island
Molokai
Molokai is the best island in Hawaiʻi for a quiet vacation, meaning the fewest visitors of any island and an authentic small-town Hawaiʻi experience. That said, Molokai is all about making your own adventure. From the trails to the beaches to the restaurants and more, you’re not going to see a lot of people on Molokai compared to the other islands—similar only to Lānaʻi.
For this reason, if you like a slow, do-it-yourself vacation, Molokai may be for you!
I say all this because I believe that Molokai is the best island for splitting your time in Hawaiʻi with another island, like Oʻahu or Maui, as many of the best things to do on the island can be seen in just a few days. Therefore, if you want to make the most of your time, you may only want to spend two or three days on Molokai, with plans to visit another island before or after.
This is why, when I wrote about Molokai, I wrote about how I don’t believe the island is meant for everyone—and I said this because Molokai really is that quiet!
Businesses close early, they may not be open on certain days of the week, there’s not a lot of people that visit or live there, and because of all this, there’s simply not a lot going on!
However, this is what gives Molokai its charm, and it’s also why Molokai is really all about making your own adventure, finding secluded private beaches, and enjoying Hawaiʻi for how peaceful it can truly be!
Now, this all goes without saying that Molokai and its remote peaks and valleys are some of the most stunning across all the Hawaiian Islands, and in my opinion, Molokai has the single most beautiful hike across all the islands: the Pēpēʻōpae Bog!
For all these reasons, Molokai is certainly worth the effort it takes to visit, but I write all this and continually stress how quiet Molokai is not because I want to discourage people from visiting, but rather to provide realistic expectations for those who choose to.
Read My Separate Post: Best Things to Do on Molokai
Lānaʻi
Lānaʻi is Hawaiʻi’s hidden gem! By this, I mean that Lānaʻi is best known for its stunning trails, the best drive-up beach in all of Hawaiʻi, the best diving tours of any island, the otherworldly landscape that is Keahiakawelo (Garden of the Gods), and the best and most beautiful small town in all of Hawaiʻi—Lānaʻi City.
I may be biased, but the towering Cook Pine trees and the cool, wet Hawaiʻi mornings make Lānaʻi City the best of any small town in Hawaiʻi—not to mention, there’s is not a single traffic light on the island!
Having said all that, one can’t talk about Lānaʻi without first discussing the cost to visit.
Yes, there is a sentiment that Lānaʻi is only for the rich and famous, and the prices for accommodations will certainly reflect that. However, don’t let that be your reason to skip Lānaʻi. There’s the option to split the cost with friends, take the first flight in, stay one night, and take the last flight out the next day—or even just visit for one day.
All I’m saying is, find a way to visit because Lānaʻi is incredible, and there’s so much to enjoy over a couple of days on the island—especially the beautiful, secluded beaches!
Read My Separate Post: Best Things to Do on Lānaʻi
Native Plants in Hawaiʻi
I wanted to include this last section on this post because this is a subject that’s personal to me.
The native plant biodiversity in Hawaiʻi is insane, and I say this because 90% of the native plants that you will see around the islands are found nowhere else on Earth, which I mention for two reasons.
The first is that I ask that you please do everything you can to minimize your impact on Hawaiʻi’s trails, as many native plants across the islands at risk of extinction. The second is that if you have a personal interest in the subject or may be curious about something that you found, I wrote a separate post entirely about native Hawaiian plants, which hopefully can help to identify anything that you might be curious about!
For example, this tree in the photo below can only be found on the Island of Oʻahu and nowhere else on Earth!
Read My Separate Post: Native Hawaiian Plant Guide
