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Honolulu, Hawaii – 7 days itinerary

Here is our 7 days itinerary visiting Oʻahu and BigIsland. 👇👇👇👇

Hawaii is archipelago of six major islands: Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Lānaʻi, Maui, and Big Island (also called The Island of Hawaii). Each has its own distinct personality. Oahu is more urban and metropolitan island and has the state’s capital Honolulu. Other islands have much of quiet solitude and raw nature. To have true Hawaiian experience, its good to visit more than one island to get a sense of Hawaii’s unique variety.

Here is our 7 days itinerary visiting Oʻahu and BigIsland. This itinerary was planned for our vacation in 2023, Winter.

Day 1: Diamond Head Monument.
Address: Diamond Head Visitor Center at 18th Avenue Honolulu, HI 96815 Oahu. (Phone: 808-954-8759 Open all days 6 am to 6 pm)
Early evening - Waikiki Beach
Heads up: Kids, don't forget to take Junior Ranger passport for “Diamond Head” stamping. Be prepared for moderate to strenuous hike.
Prep before visiting: Book parking and entry tickets:
Parking and entry fees must be purchased online only. Persons without a reservation will be turned away. Reservations may be made up to 30 days in advance. Parking slots sellout quickly, book reservations at least 2 months ahead of travel dates (as soon booking window opens) @ gostateparks.hawaii.gov/diamondhead. $10 for parking. $5 each person.
We booked for 2-time slots from from 10 am to 2 pm for parking. Each time-slot is only for 2 hours and 2 hours won’t be enough for hike. 2 slots will get 4 hours of time, enough to enjoy the view and leisure hike. To get particular time slot, try to book at the earliest / as soon as booking opens. Its good idea to carry lunch to have in Diamond head crater's park after strenuous hike.
Evening we planned for famous Waikiki Beach. If staying anywhere near Waikki or Ilikai area, its walk-able distance. If driving GPS parking address
1 - 2270 Kalakaua Ave GarageParking lot 2270 Kalākaua Ave
2 - Public Parking Public parking space, Kalākaua Ave
3 - Parking Jurassic Adventure Tour garage, 333 Seaside Ave· Ph-(808) 734-7559
Day 2: Pearl Harbor
Address: Pearl Harbor Visitor Center. Be watchful, entering “Pearl Harbor,” will get directions to the active military base. Depending on your reservations, give enough time to commute, because by car its 1 hour drive from city (check traffic conditions as well).
Late evening and Dinner at Ala Moana Beach or AlaMoana shopping mall.
Heads up : Kids, carry Junior Ranger passport for “Pearl Harbor” stamping. Only clear bags allowed, else $4 per bag to be paid in cash only at the entrance for locker. No beach dress permitted as it is memorial.
Prep before visiting: List interested attractions from pearlharbor.org.
This website has many tours and tickets. Our schedule was to finish Pearl harbor in first half of the day. So we didn’t opt for Passport ticket ($89.99/ adult 6-8 hrs) that included all attractions like USS Bowfin, Battleship-Missouri, USS Oklahoma, Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum, Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum. As tickets could be purchased at the counter on the premises of USS Missouri we kept it optional to add on if time permits. This is the site where Japanese surrendered ending World War II. If interested add this, which may take around 45 min to 1.5 hr. Missouri tickets are at $39/person, more info-https://pearlharbor.org/memorials/battleship-missouri-memorial/
Below are the attraction that we planned that can be covered in half day.
1 - Guided Multimedia Tour – 90 min $9.99
2 - ”Air Raid” and “Skies over Pearl” Virtual reality $9.99 each.
3 - USS Arizona: It is recommended to do reservation for USS Arizona Memorial @ https://www.recreation.gov ($1 per person including ferry) as standby line could be 2 hours wait. Tickets open 8 weeks before the program date – At 3:00 pm Hawaii Standard Time. These can go quickly so it’s best to plan early if you want to get these. Info-https://www.pearlharborhistoricsites.org/pearl-harbor/arizona-memorial
We reserved for 10.45 am slot, so that others can be planned accordingly. We reached Pearl Harbor Visitor Center at least one hour before our scheduled time for USS Arizona to ensure to park and pay and properly stow any bags at the baggage storage if not carrying clear bags.
We Checkedin at the counter @9 am to collect multimedia guided tour. First took ”Air Raid” and “Skies over Pearl” Virtual reality shows (15 min each) in open theater next to the counter. Then started the multmedia tour from the world map at the center for premises. Then headed to Arizona Memorial Theater line for movie. By this we were ready for 10.45 USS Arizona tour. After USS Arizona tour, follow multimedia guided tour to finish circle of memorial and reach the shuttle to Ford Island. Rode free shuttle from Pearl Harbor visitor center to Battleship-Missouri and Aviation museum. Its 10 min ride. Had lunch at the food truck at Battleship-Missouri.
If interested and time permits, you can buy tickets here and have internal tour of the historic ship where Japanese Surrendered World WarII. We skipped Aviation Museum reached back to visitor center. On ride, we finished the audio guide of museums “The Road to War” and “Attack,”. After reaching visiting center, headed to these museums. Information from audio guide, gave heads up to finish museums quite fast.
PearlHarbor_BattleShip_Missouri
Pic: Missouri BattleShip, PearlHarbor, Honolulu, Oahu
Day 3: East side Scenic Route

We followed approximately this route to feel the Hawaii Air! Stopped at many places on this way.
Alternatively west beaches are another option.
Other option is Trail- Kaiwa Ridge Trail
Elevation 625 Feet
Length 1.5 Miles Round Trip
Duration 60 to 90 Minutes
Address: Road side parking or Neares public parking
Located in: Kailua Beach Park
Address: 412-444 Kawailoa Rd, Kailua, HI 96734

West Route Plan

Nu’uanu Pali Lookout
Pokai Bay Beach, Waianae, Hi 96792
Makaha Beach Park
Keawaula Beach

East Route plan

Kahanamoku Beach, Honolulu, HI 96815
Honolulu Zoo, 151 Kapahulu Ave, Honolulu, HI 96815
Kahala Mall, 4211 Waialae Ave, Honolulu, HI 96816
HanaumaBay Parking
Lanai Lookout
STOP: Halona Blowhole Lookout, 8483 HI-72,
Sandy beach park
Makapu’u look out
Makapu’u beach park
Sea life park
Connect to HW 72 (Waimanalo beach)

Day 4:  Snorking / Atlantics Submaraine and Luau in the evening.
Book parking and snorkling tickets at
https://hanaumabaysnorkel.com/
https://purealohaadventures.com/adventures/hanauma-bay-guided-snorkel/
Alternate explore Submarine option at https://atlantisadventures.com/submarines
For evening (from 4 pm) Luau is highly recommended. Luau is polynesia clutural event. Its fun and new experience. Headsup its Hawaii style buffet.
Some options for Luau are
1 - Paradise Cove Luau
2 - SeaLife Luau
3 - Ka Moano Luau (If no time to drive far , this is 5 min drive from Waikki. (near Aloha tower)
Day 5 : Kualoa Ranch, Byodo temple and and Pali Lookout.
Address:
Kualoa Ranch: Kamehameha Hwy, Hawaii,Kualoa Ranch, Kaneohe, HI 96744. Phone:(808) 237-7321
Byodo temple: 47-200 Kahekili Hwy, Kaneohe, HI 96744
Pali Lookout: Nuʻuanu Pali Lookout, Nuuanu Pali Dr, Kaneohe, HI 96744

Kualoa Ranch is about 2.5 hrs drive from Honolulu, Very scenic drive and with less speed limit, plan as per actvity reservation timings. More info of ranch at https://www.kualoa.com/ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TX75q60KfzA).
We went for Jurassic Adventour, however Raptor UTV ride was fun.
After ranch, on way back stop by at Byodo temple and Pali Lookout point. The Temple Grounds are open 8:30am - 4:30pm daily. Last entry at 4:15pm.
Day 6:  Volcano National park, Hilo, Big Island.
We took flight from Honolulu to Hilo, Big island. Its about 1 hours flight. Not sure only if Hawaii Airlines runs between Islands. If taking Hawaii Airlines, note Hawaii Airlines is operated from terminal 2 (at the time when we traveled). Alternatively you can try multicity return tickets from Honolulu-Hilo-Home on Day 7 (last day of itinerary).
We reached Hilo at 11 am , took rental car and headed to Volcanoes National park. Its 45 min drive and planned for lunch in "Volcano House" restaurant inside National park. Note : Take Big Island map in Airport, fill gas and carry some food and water to national park as precaution.
Park is not that big. So we targeted to complete the park in ½ day. We followed below stops in National forest and took only 1 trail. We skipped long trails because last stop is HolieSea Arch. It is end of land. We wanted to reach this place before 5 pm. At 6.30 sun sets (in fall/winter/spring). We wanted more time to enjoy this serene place.
1st stop : Kilauea Caldera - From visiting center take west and stop at Kilauea crater.
2nd stop: Lava tube. - Head back to east and pass the visitor center. Just before the park entrance, take right towards crater Rim Drive. For Lava tube you can stop at Kilauea overlook and take tropical trail to Lava tube. Get to see Kilauea trail and crater. Not recommended-Kilauea trail is 2 mile trail and lava tube 20 min trail inside lava tube.
3 rd stop - At devastation junction, continue to Chain of craters road. Stop on-way at 1974 harden lava remains.
4th stop: Kealakomo Overlook - We had packed some coffee and snacks to spend time on this overlook.
5th stop: HoliSea Arch - Drive to end of road on harden lava. Drive towards Ocean.
VolcanoNationalPark_Kealakomo_Overlook
Pic : Kealakomo Overlook, Volcano National Park, Big island, Hawaii.
Day 7:  Visit Punalu’u Back sand beach. Its around 2 hrs drive (oneway) from Hilo. If time permits visit Green sand beach.
If flying back to Honolulu, plan this day to take last flight to Honolulu. Hilo is small airport. Reaching airport 1 hour before the flight should be good.
Next day we had return flight from Honolulu. So we booked hotel near HNL Airport (Best Western The Plaza Hotel, 3253 N Nimitz Hwy, Honolulu, HI). Its 5 min drive from airport. Hotel provides morning shuttle to airport.
Day 8: Fly back home. 
Airport is good place to buy souvenir, instead city center.

Accommodation prep before travel dates:
Honolulu is the state’s capital and Waikiki is a small city in itself or like downtown. There are dozens of good hotels to stay in Waikki, However check for hotel’s parking policy/rates, as parking is quite expensive. Some recommendation are Double tree, Ramada Plaza by Wyndham in Waikiki, Waikiki Marina Resort at the Ilikai.Alternate parking near Ilikai complex (if hotel is expensive or not providing) is Marina Parking Garage (1765 Ala Moana Blvd, Honolulu, HI 96815) at rate $28 per entry. Thanks for suggestion from one of employee that, at the kiosk we can top up the parking entry ticket with multiple entry pass for max 5days at $28 per day.

Here is some info if you are considering to stay around Ilikai complex. Ilikai is Waikiki’s landmark; its multistore building which has couple of resorts, apartments and condos. Resorts have per day resort fee. And some of the apartments and condos are on Vrbo and Airbnb for vacation rentals.

Commute prep before travel dates:
We tried to explore https://waikikitrolley.com/ and “This Bus - https://www.thebus.org” (public transport). Both were not convenient for most of site-seeings (example Diamond head required lot of walk with public transport). And last waikikitrolley bus was at 4pm. So we opted for airport pick and drop rental car.

OVERVIEW OF PEARL HARBOR

On December 7, 1941, at 7:48 am Hawaiian time, the Japanese launched a surprise military strike on Pearl Harbor. 353 Japanese airplanes attacked the US ships and that were anchored in Pearl Harbor. The attack lasted less than 2 hours.
During the attack, over 2,300 Americans were killed and over 1,100 were wounded. The majority of the fatalities were due to the explosion and sinking of the USS Arizona.
Of the eight US battleships in Pearl Harbor, all of them were damaged and four were sunk. A total of 21 ships were damaged in the attack, but since the water was so shallow, many of the ships could be repaired, so all but 3 were put back into service.
The USS Arizona, the USS Oklahoma, and the USS Utah could not be salvaged. The Arizona and the Utah remain underwater in Pearl Harbor.
In addition to attacking Pearl Harbor, within 7 hours, the Japanese also launched military strikes on other US bases in Guam and the Philippines. On December 8, the US formally declared war on Japan. World War II officially came to an end on September 2 aboard the Battleship Missouri. The USS Missouri is one of four historical sites that you can visit in Pearl Harbor.
The Pearl Harbor National Memorial draws almost 2 million visitors every year, making it one of Hawaii’s most popular tourist attractions.

PEARL HARBOR HISTORY (STARTING IN 1875!)
In 1875, the United States obtained Pearl Harbor in a deal known as the Reciprocity Treaty of 1875. Back then, Hawai‘i was one of the world’s leading producers of sugar cane, and the U.S. was looking for a naval base somewhere in the Pacific. The two came to an agreement: Hawai‘i would get the rights to sell their sugar (and other exports) in the United States duty free, and the United States would get Pearl Harbor and the opportunity to set up a base there. It was initially used as a coal and repair station.
After Hawai‘i became a U.S. territory in 1898, the military gradually increased its presence at Pearl Harbor and made adjustments, such as dredging the shallow entrance, to accommodate its fleet.
Some perspective that most people don’t initially realize: Hawai‘i was not even a state when Pearl Harbor was attacked in 1941. In fact, it wouldn’t become one until 18 years later in 1959. Though much of what happened at Pearl Harbor is tied to the United States and its history as a nation, it’s important to keep Hawai‘i’s position in mind as part of the bigger picture. You will certainly learn a lot about the historical and military history of the attack on Pearl Harbor, but you will also learn how it impacted the people of Hawai‘i through various exhibits.

Pearl harbor visitor center
There are two free museums at the Visitor Center: The Road to War Museum and the Attack Museum. The former lays out the road map of how Japan came to attack Pearl Harbor, and the latter shows, in great detail, what actually happened the morning their planes arrived on O‘ahu. Together, they give a great overview of the big picture and help you understand the gravity of what happened on December 7th, 1941 in regards to the attack on Pearl Harbor and the sinking of the U.S.S. Arizona. Both museums are free and do not require any ticket to visit.

USS ARIZONA MEMORIAL PROGRAM
The USS Arizona Memorial is built over the remains of the sunken battleship USS Arizona, the final resting place for many of the 1,177 crewmen killed on December 7, 1941, when their ship was bombed by Japanese Naval Forces. This loss of life represents over half of the Americans killed during the worst naval disaster in American history.

BATTLESHIP MISSOURI MEMORIAL
https://pearlharbor.org/memorials/battleship-missouri-memorial/
https://www.pearlharborhistoricsites.org/pearl-harbor/battleship-missouri

The USS Battleship Missouri is much more than one of the four Iowa-class battleships that served in the U. S. Army. It was the last US battleship to be built and the last to be decommissioned. Construction began in 1941 and she was commissioned in June 1944.
On September 2, 1945, World War II came to an end when Japan formally surrendered to the Allied Powers aboard the USS Missouri. The location is symbolized by a metal and glass plate at the exact location of the signature.
“Mighty Mo” will have seen many military operations such as the Second World War, the Korean War, or more recently the Gulf War. After 16 years of active service and 48 years in the Navy, USS Missouri bowed out in 1992, before returning to its final destination, Pearl Harbor, in June 1998 to become a floating museum. “When the USS Missouri was decommissioned for the final time on March 31, 1992, she was the last active battleship of any nation in the world.

The USS Bowfin
https://www.pearlharborhistoricsites.org/pearl-harbor/uss-bowfin-submarine
The USS Bowfin is accessible since 1981 in Pearl Harbor Bay to visitors who come to immerse themselves in the archipelago’s military past. The submarine, which was launched in late 1942, served mainly Allied interests in the Pacific before leaving for the Atlantic force between the end of the Second World War in September 1945 and February 1947, when it was placed in reserve.
It was only in July 1951 for the Korean War that it was reactivated to serve as a “school submarine” for two years, and again between 1960 and 1971 in Seattle. That year, the USS Bowfin bowed its bow as a memorial to Pearl Harbor. The USS Bowfin went on nine war patrols during World War II. Her commanding officers believe that she sank 34 large vessels and damaged many more.

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