ʻAkaka Falls drops 442 feet, a short walk from the parking lot, and it sets the tone for Hilo: the green, rainy side of the Big Island where waterfalls run year-round and you will use a light raincoat. Helicopter tours leave Hilo Airport and reach the windward falls, plus the eruption site when Kīlauea is active, in under an hour. The same flight costs more out of Kona.
What you do here comes down to how far you want to drive: the downtown sights and the farmers market, 200-plus vendors on Wednesdays and Saturdays, sit within a few blocks of each other, and everything else spreads out along the coast and up the volcano. Start near downtown and work outward as the day allows.
Table of contents
- Sights and destinations that are specific to Hilo.
- Outdoor activities that you can enjoy around Hilo, and also at other places on the Big Island.
If this list is too much, start with our Hilo highlights.
Sights and destinations in and around Hilo
The sights in and around town lean cultural and easygoing. You can take in Hawaiian culture and astronomy at the ʻImiloa Astronomy Center, island history at the Lyman Museum and Mission House, rainforest animals at the Panaʻewa Rainforest Zoo, and local produce and crafts at the Hilo Farmers Market. None of it sits far apart, so this side of Hilo is easy to cover in a relaxed half day.
- See the 442 ft ʻAkaka Falls
- Get culinary with coffee, tea, chocolate, and other farm tours
- Take a break at Coconut Island
- Explore the scenic Hāmākua Coast
- Get geeky at the ʻImiloa Astronomy Center
- Walk where once rivers of lava created the Kaumana Caves lava tube
- Catch an early morning rainbow at the Rainbow Falls
- Visit the rainforest-set Panaʻewa Zoo
- Go shopping at one of the seven farmers markets
- Take a step back in history with a visit to the Lyman House
ʻAkaka Falls
A short paved loop (0.4 miles) leads to the 442 ft ʻAkaka Falls, the most famous waterfall on the Big Island and the centerpiece of the state park a few miles north of Hilo. Non-residents pay $5 per person plus $10 parking, card only.
The 442 ft tall ʻAkaka Falls on the Big Island of Hawaiʻi are a pleasant stop on your way to or from Hilo
Read more about the ʻAkaka Falls.
Coffee, tea, chocolate, and other farm tours
Coffee, vanilla, tea, and chocolate farms in the Hilo district run tours of 1 to 2 hours that include a tasting.
Vanilla Experience Luncheon & Farm Tour
Experience a delicious vanilla inspired luncheon and walking tour through a Hawaiian vineyard with vanilla vines. Learn about the vanilla cultivation process and rich history while enjoying homemade vanilla offerings.
from:
$90
What is a suggested tour?Our suggested tours are hand-picked tours that receive consistent good reviews, give back to the community, and work hard to minimize their impact on the environment. Read more about these tours on our website.Read more about the Farm Tours near Hilo.
Coconut Island
Update (2025): the pedestrian bridge to Coconut Island collapsed on November 14, 2025, and access is currently not possible. Repair estimates put a reopening at late 2027, so plan around it for now.
Coconut Island (Mokuola) in Hilo Bay is normally a relaxed place to swim for a few hours, with clean restrooms, two small beaches, a grassy area, picnic tables, and a 20 ft tower to jump from.
Learn more about Coconut Island.
Mokuola (Coconut island) is a small park in Hilo just offshore from Liliʻuokalani Park and Gardens. There is a beach, a tower to jump from into the ocean, and picnic tables
Hāmākua Coast scenic drive
The Hāmākua Coast is a 40-mile scenic stretch that connects Hilo to Waipiʻo Valley. Waterfalls and rainforest-lined canyons come one after another the whole way.
Read more about exploring the Hāmākua Coast.
Lots of rain and tropical weather make the Hāmākua coast north of Hilo on the Big Island of Hawaiʻi a striking place to explore
ʻImiloa Astronomy Center
The ʻImiloa Astronomy Center is the pick if you (or your kids) want the connection between Hawaiian culture and astronomy. Exhibits and a full-dome planetarium cover both.
Read more about visiting the ʻImiloa Astronomy Center.
The ʻImiloa Astronomy Center of Hawaiʻi in Hilo, the Big Island. Photo credits: Brewbooks on Flickr under a CC BY-SA 2.0 licence
Kaumana Caves
Kaumana Caves Park is a skylight in a 25-mile long lava tube that was created by the 1881 flow from Mauna Loa. You can explore a short way in both directions before the tube enters private property.
Climb down a steep ladder to get to the lava tube entrance of the Kaumana Caves
Read more about exploring the Kaumana Caves.
Rainbow Falls
Rainbow Falls sits within Hilo itself and is worth an early morning visit, when rainbows form in the mist. The falls pour over a lava cave said to be the home of Hina, the Hawaiian goddess of the moon.
The volume of Rainbow Falls (or Waianuenue) changes on a daily basis. This is what the falls look like after a good rain upstream
Read more about the Rainbow Falls.
Panaʻewa Rainforest Zoo
The Panaʻewa Rainforest Zoo & Gardens is the only zoo in the United States set inside a tropical rainforest. It keeps spider monkeys, lemurs, nene geese (the Hawaiian state bird), and over 80 other animal species, and is open daily from 10am to 4pm (last entry 3:30pm; closed the first Thursday of each month).
Learn more about visiting the Panaʻewa Rainforest Zoo.
Hilo Brewing Company
The Hilo Brewing Company, once Hawaiʻi’s largest independently-owned craft brewer, has closed. Read more on our page about what happened and where to drink instead.
Farmers markets (7)
Over 200 local farmers and artists sell produce, tropical flowers, and crafts at the Hilo Farmers Market on Wednesdays and Saturdays, at an outdoor market that recalls the plantation days of early Hilo.
Read more about the Hilo Farmers Market (+6 others) in and close to Hilo.
Market day at the Farmers Market in Hilo, Hawaii.
Lyman museum and mission house
The Lyman Museum gives a bite-sized history of the island of Hawaiʻi and its culture. The staff is well educated, and there is a good selection of videos. The Lyman family home next door has the story of Hawaiʻi’s education and is included in the museum ticket. Read more about the Lyman Museum and Mission House.
Outdoor Activities in and around Hilo
Beyond the town itself, the activities spread across the wet windward coast and into the districts next door. Close by you can hike and take scenic drives, reach the waterfalls of ʻAkaka Falls State Park and Rainbow Falls, and find snorkeling spots toward Pāhoa. The neighboring areas worth a detour are Pāhoa, for hot ponds and lava viewing in Puna, and Volcano Village, for Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.
- Go fast and get muddy with an ATV ride
- Explore the black sand beaches of Hilo
- Take in local plants and flowers at the Botanical Gardens
- Jump on a bike to explore the Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park
- Go Camping
- Take to the sky on a Helicopter Tour
- Go out and experience nature with these hikes
- Soak in a volcanically heated hot pond
- Stay up late to go lava viewing
- Rappel down waterfalls and splash through rivers
- Road trip Get out and explore one of our scenic drives
- Snorkel in the warm and tropical waters of Hawaiʻi
- Visit Mauna Kea to go stargazing
- Stand Up and Paddle along the scenic coast (SUP)
- Ride a wave at the birthplace of Surfing
- Check out even more waterfalls
- Zip at 40 mph and zipline through tropical treetops
ATV Tours
ATV tours reach spots that are otherwise hard to get to. Tours run a 10+ mile drive through private lands, with stops at scenic points and historic sites. Close to Hilo you can take an ATV tour + swim under a private waterfall at the triple-tiered Umauma Falls.
Umauma Deluxe ATV Waterfall and Swim Experience
Five and a half miles of private ATV trail on the Hamakua coast, muddy by design, with ocean views and a waterfall swim to finish. Good for mixed groups: the Side x Side UTVs seat up to four.
from:
$229
What is a suggested tour?Our suggested tours are hand-picked tours that receive consistent good reviews, give back to the community, and work hard to minimize their impact on the environment. Read more about these tours on our website.Read more about ATV Tours on the Big Island.
Umauma Falls on the Big Island. Image credit: Anirudh Rao
. Shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 licence.
Beaches
There are no white sand beaches on this side of the island, but there are plenty of black sand beaches and beach parks. When the sun is out, they are good places to snorkel and spend a few hours.
Read more about the Beaches in and around Hilo.
The protected bay at Carlsmith Beach Park in Hilo keeps the water calm for kids
Botanical Gardens
The Hilo and Hāmākua coasts are one long stretch of rainforest and waterfalls, and the botanical gardens near Hilo put that rainforest within a stroll. Our favorite garden in the whole state, the Hawaiʻi Tropical Botanical Garden, sits just a few miles north of Hilo.
Read more about Botanical Gardens close to Hilo.
A walkway through the Hawaiʻi Tropical Botanical Garden, a few miles north of Hilo.
Biking
Downtown Hilo has a bike-share program for a spin through town, and GPS plus audio guided e-bike tours run through Hilo and Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.
Put on your helmet and read more about Biking on the Big Island.
Camping
There are a few campsites and beach parks in and around Hilo where you can pitch a tent. Most need reservations, especially those in and around Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.
Read more about Camping on the Big Island.
The Namakanipaio Campground in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park contains cabins and campsites (not shown).
Helicopter Tours
Hilo is the most popular departure point for helicopter tours: flights from Hilo Airport reach the tropical waterfalls, and the eruption site when Kīlauea is active, in under an hour. This short flight-time makes the tours that depart from Hilo cheaper than the lava helicopter tours from the west (Kona) coast of the Big Island; Hilo departures start around $439 for a 50-minute flight.
Two companies fly from Hilo Airport:
If the lava is flowing a helicopter tour is a safe and simple way to see it from a front-row seat
Read more about Helicopter tours from Hilo.
Hiking
The green, wet country around Hilo makes for some excellent hikes: a 30-minute garden stroll up to a waterfall, the crater-floor crossing of Kīlauea Iki, and, when Kīlauea is active and viewing areas are open, longer hikes that end within sight of the glow.
Read more about Hiking in the Hilo vicinity.
Both of those are on our list of favorite short hikes on the Big Island.
Overview of the Kīlauea Iki crater, which hosts one of the best (and moderately easy) hikes on the island
Hot Ponds
The 2018 Puna eruption buried ʻAhalanui and the Kapoho tide pools, leaving the warm ponds at Pohoiki as the one easily accessible hot spring left. With a week or more on the island, it’s worth the Puna detour.
Learn more about hot ponds in Puna (close to Hilo).
The five hot springs at Pohoiki (Isaac Hale Park) in a January 2020 USGS aerial, taken while the new black sand beach from the 2018 lava flows was still growing. Image credit: USGS (public domain)
Lava Viewing
Both Hilo and Volcano Village work as a base for seeing lava. Hilo is closer to lava flows if they happen in the Puna district, while Volcano Village is right next to Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park and good for viewing the lava lake in the Halemaʻumaʻu crater. Eruptions come and go, so check the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory status before you plan around seeing lava.
Read more about lava viewing.
The night glow over Halemaʻumaʻu crater, seen from the rim in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. Whether there is a glow depends on eruption activity: check the USGS update before you drive out.
Rappel down waterfalls and splash through rivers
A family group on the rocks beside the falls, partway through the Umauma rappel tour. Image: Island Mountain Guides.
Waterfall rappelling sits somewhere between ziplining and rock climbing: you descend the cliff face next to the falling water. On the Big Island there are 2 waterfalls you can rappel down. You also scramble over rocks, wade through the fast-flowing river, and jump down a small waterfall.
Rappel down the Triple-Tier Umauma Waterfall and swim the pools between
Great for adventurous families: navigate 5 waterfalls and swim the pools between. Includes 4 rappels, a down climb, and jump off a waterfall
from:
$399
What is a suggested tour?Our suggested tours are hand-picked tours that receive consistent good reviews, give back to the community, and work hard to minimize their impact on the environment. Read more about these tours on our website.Scenic drives
Two scenic drives sit close to Hilo: the Onomea scenic drive and what remains of the Kapoho-Kalapana road (the red road). The 2018 lava buried the red road’s Kapoho end, so you drive it out and back.
Read more about Scenic drives in and around Hilo.
The Kapoho-Kalapana road (the red road) runs under tree tunnels along the Puna coast. Since 2018 the buried Kapoho end makes it an out-and-back drive
Snorkeling
Snorkeling around Hilo is possible at the beach parks north of town and along the Puna coast, though the best Big Island snorkeling is on the Kona (west) coast.
Your best option near town is Richardsons: read more about this beach park in our article on Hilo snorkeling spots.
Richardsons Beach Park, in Hilo on the Big Island of Hawaiʻi. This beach is one of the best places to snorkel on the Hilo side
Stargazing
Hilo is well suited for stargazing: it’s home to the ʻImiloa Astronomy Center, and the Mauna Kea visitor center, one of the best stargazing spots on the island, is about a 50-minute drive away. The naked-eye stargazing there beats the summit’s, and free reservation-only telescope evenings run most months.
Maunakea Summit, Sunset, and Stargazing Tour
A small-group tour from Kona to the 13,796-foot summit of Maunakea: dinner at 9,200 feet, sunset above the cloud layer, and a private star show with an 11-inch telescope. Saturn, Jupiter, and the Milky Way on a clear night. 8 to 9 hours.
from:
$315
What is a suggested tour?Our suggested tours are hand-picked tours that receive consistent good reviews, give back to the community, and work hard to minimize their impact on the environment. Read more about these tours on our website.
The sunsets from Mauna Kea are a reason on their own to make the trip to the summit
Read more about Stargazing on the Maunakea summit.
Stand Up Paddle boarding (SUP)
Stand up paddle boarding (SUP), hoe heʻe nalu in Hawaiian, has Hawaiian roots. Hilo has board rentals and lessons.
Read more about SUP on the Big Island.
Surfing
Surfing, like most water activities here, is better on the west coast. There are still good surf spots in and around Hilo. Be modest in the lineup, and treat the ocean and locals with respect.
Read more about surfing in and around Hilo.
Waterfalls
The wet north and east coasts of the Big Island are where the waterfalls are. 4 of our 5 favorite waterfalls on the island are close to Hilo, and they are among the easiest to reach.
Read more about waterfalls close to Hilo.
Ziplining
The ziplines around Hilo are strung high over ravines, rivers, and treetops, with runs of up to 40 mph.
Umauma Falls 9-Line Waterfall Zipline Tour
Nine lines and 2 miles of ziplining above 14 waterfalls on the Hamakua Coast, with a guest-only viewpoint above Umauma Falls that no public trail reaches.
from:
$249
What is a suggested tour?Our suggested tours are hand-picked tours that receive consistent good reviews, give back to the community, and work hard to minimize their impact on the environment. Read more about these tours on our website.
The 9-line Umauma zipline course runs above the pools and waterfalls of the Umauma River.
Read more about Ziplining in Hilo.