The Big Island has 8 of the world’s 13 climate zones, more ecosystem variety than any other Hawaiian island. Humpback whales pass the coast from November through March, manta rays gather off Kona after dark, and green sea turtles rest on the beaches. Inland, the plant life sits in native forests and nearly ten botanical gardens.
Hawaiʻi has only two native mammals, the hoary bat and the monk seal, so most land sightings are birds. Each section links to a guide with the specific spots and the best time to see each one.
ps: if you are also interested in seeing nature and wildlife on the other islands, we recommend you bookmark our following guides:
- Seeing nature and wildlife on Oʻahu.
- Seeing nature and wildlife on Maui
- Seeing nature and wildlife on Kauaʻi
Marine life and coral reefs
The waters around the Big Island hold reef fish plus larger animals: humpback whales, spinner dolphins, manta rays, green sea turtles, and the endangered Hawaiian monk seal.
Snorkeling and marine-life watching can happen wherever there’s water, but some places are far better than others. You get the best odds of seeing variety at the Big Island’s protected marine areas.
The best spots on the Big Island to see tropical fish, coral reefs, and large marine animals:
- Fish and coral reefs
- Larger marine life (turtles, manta rays, dolphins, whales)
- Mokupāpapa Discovery Center
1: The best places to see fish and coral reefs
The Big Island has a set of marine conservation districts where tropical fish and other marine life thrive. The State manages these areas with fishing and boating limits to prevent overuse and protect the reef. They are good for snorkeling, kayaking, and in some spots, coastal walking.
The Big Island’s marine life conservation districts
Kealakekua Bay
Kealakekua Bay is a protected marine sanctuary. Depths run from 5 to more than 100 feet, and you can spot a wide variety of tropical fish here along with dolphins and reef sharks. In 1779, the British explorer Captain Cook was killed on the shore of the bay, where a monument now stands in his honor. There’s no drive-up access: you reach the bay by boat tour, by kayak, or on foot down the hiking trail.
More on Kealakekua Bay and how to reach it.
A coral formation in Kealakekua Bay on the Big Island of Hawaiʻi. Photo by Sarah Lee on Unsplash
Lapakahi
Lapakahi State Historical Park sits in the far north of the island and includes a protected marine area plus preserved ruins dating back to the 1300s. You reach the water for snorkeling over lava rock from two small, rocky beaches at Koaiʻe Cove, where many tropical fish live. A coral reef lies a bit farther offshore, at depths from 5 to 30 feet.
Old Kona Airport
The Old Kona Airport conservation district is popular for its easy access from Kailua-Kona. You enter the water straight off the beach, a mix of sand and coral pebbles, onto lava rock and coral reef below. You can also walk, sunbathe, swim, and tidepool along the long beach.
Waialea Bay
Waialea Bay is another North Kona marine conservation district, but access is less certain than the three areas above. You drive a rough road to reach it, and winter surf erodes much of the beach. Summer is the better bet, with good snorkeling and scuba diving in the bay between ʻŌhai Point and Kānekanaka Point.
More on visiting Waialea Bay (Beach 69).
Waialea Beach is a somewhat “off the beaten path” beach in between the Waikoloa resorts and Hāpuna beach
2: Larger marine animals
Whales, dolphins, monk seals, and turtles are the large marine animals you are most likely to see on the Big Island, and many are protected by law. Federal law requires you to stay at least 100 yards (91 meters) from humpback whales and 50 yards (46 meters) from spinner dolphins. Stay at least 10 feet (3 meters) from sea turtles and 50 feet (15 meters) from Hawaiian monk seals, on land or in the water; these are NOAA guidelines.
Where and when to see whales
Humpback whale season in Hawaiʻi runs every year from November to March. During these months more than 10,000 humpback whales travel from Alaska to Hawaiʻi to give birth, and they are very easy to see, with shore sightings common.
Whale watching tours are available for those that want to get a closer look at the whales and their activity, which include breaching and tail slapping. Most boat tours leave from either Honokōhau Harbor, Kailua Pier, or Keauhou Harbor.
More on whale watching (DIY and Tours).
A humpback whale breaches the surface.
Where and when to see turtles
Turtles are perhaps the easiest large marine animals to spot, since they return to their favorite places again and again. Here is where you can count on seeing them on the Big Island:
- In the water: encounters can happen anywhere, but you’ll see far more at some spots than others. For the best odds, head to Kahaluʻu Beach Park, where turtles show up reliably.
- On land: head to Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historic Park just north of Kailua-Kona, or Punaluʻu Black Sand Beach on the Big Island’s southeast coast. At both, turtles haul out on the sand to rest.
Where to see turtles and how to behave around them.
A Hawaiian green sea turtle (Honu) swimming off the coast. Credit: Island of Hawaii Visitors Bureau (IHVB) / Tyler Schmitt
Where and when to see manta rays
Giant manta rays live in Hawaiian waters, and the Big Island is the best place to see them. They gather off the Kona coast at night, and an evening boat trip out of Kona for a manta snorkel or dive is the surest way to see them up close.
Sunset Manta Ray Night Snorkel at Keauhou Bay
Reef manta rays feed under a lighted float at Manta Village, off Keauhou Bay, on 85 to 95 percent of nights year-round. You hold still on the float while they pass; this is a fixed-position snorkel, not a free swim.
from:
$130
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.Our manta ray dive/snorkel guide covers the tour companies we recommend.
During most manta ray snorkels you will hold onto a floating raft to best see the manta rays. Image: Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) / Kirk Lee Aeder
Where and when to see dolphins
The Big Island is a strong place to spot wild dolphins. The best way to get a look is a boat tour, and many dolphin tours leave from Kailua-Kona, most pairing dolphin watching with snorkeling for a half-day trip. Spinner dolphins turn up often in Kailua Bay right off Kailua-Kona, and in Kealakekua Bay as well.
Read more: Before choosing your boat tour, read our advice about seeing and swimming with dolphins.
Spinner dolphins swimming off the Kona coast. Credit: Island of Hawaii Visitors Bureau (IHVB) / Julie Hotz
Where to see the Hawaiian monk seals
Hawaiian monk seals are endemic to Hawaiʻi and the hardest of these animals to encounter, simply because there are so few. The species is endangered and protected by law, with a total population of around 1,600, most of them on the uninhabited islands northwest of the main chain. Seeing one hauled out on a beach is rare. They favor quieter, less-visited beaches, and people have spotted them at Hoʻokena, Kipolo, and Magic Sands. Finding one is never guaranteed, so the more beaches you visit, the better your chances.
A Hawaiian monk seal resting on the sand. Photo by Sebastian Coman Travel on Unsplash
3: Where to learn more about the Big Island’s marine life
For a closer look at Hawaiian coral reefs and monk seals, visit the Mokupāpapa Discovery Center in Hilo:
Mokupāpapa Discovery Center
The center opened in 2003 “to interpret the natural science, culture, and history of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands and surrounding marine environment.” Those islands sit far from the main Hawaiian chain, with almost no human influence, so their coral and marine life develop undisturbed. The center’s exhibits show what these reefs look like and cover reef preservation in Hawaiʻi today, and cover other marine-life topics, including a Hawaiian monk seal exhibit.
Native plants, trees, and flowers
As one of the most isolated island chains on earth, Hawaiʻi has roughly 11,000 native and 10,000 endemic species across the state. That includes about 3,000 kinds of plants, roughly a third of them endemic to Hawaiʻi.
Our blog covers Hawaiian native and endemic species; read it before your trip. Once you are on the ground, you can explore the island’s plant life at botanical gardens, natural reserves, and on nature tours.
1: Botanical Gardens
Botanical gardens are easy to overlook in Hawaiʻi. The islands already feel like one big garden, tropical flowers and trees everywhere. That’s fair for a casual trip, but if you care about tropical plants, a botanical garden is worth a spot on your itinerary. They hold hundreds or thousands of species in a small area, and most add educational and cultural context through tours and signage.
There are nearly ten botanical gardens on the Big Island, and you can browse them, with a map, on our botanical gardens page. Our favorite is the Hawaiʻi Tropical Bioreserve & Gardens in Hilo: it doubles as an easy hike or scenic drive and has more than 2,000 species of tropical plants.
The 1-mile self-guided tour in the Hawaiʻi Tropical Bioreserve & Gardens is one of our favorite short hikes on the Big Island
2: Hiking in Natural Reserves
The best way to see the Big Island’s ecosystems up close is on a hiking trail in one of its many natural reserves. Some show up in our favorite Big Island hikes, but there are plenty of other good trails across these areas. A few worth looking into:
- Kahaualeʻa: On Kīlauea, the youngest of the Hawaiian volcanoes, you walk through young forests regenerating after recent eruptions. You will see pioneer vegetation on the lava flows (such as the ʻŌhiʻa tree), lowland rain forest, and mesic forest that gets steady moisture. It butts up against Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park and has plenty of hiking options.
- Kipāhoehoe: This reserve runs down the slopes of Mauna Loa toward South Kona in a narrow strip. Public access is very limited for lack of roads, but you will drive through it on Highway 11 in South Kona.
- Laupāhoehoe: On the windward (east) slopes of Mauna Kea, between 1,600 and 4,600 feet, this reserve holds five distinct ecosystems and butts up against the Hilo Forest Reserve. Trails include Kaluakaukua, Peneki, and Spencer. You can see a trail list and map here (pages 26-29).
- Manukā: On Mauna Loa in South Kona, The native Hawaiian hoary bat lives at Manukā. For a good introduction, walk the Manukā Nature Trail, a two-mile loop through native Hawaiian forest and lava flows of different ages.
- Mauna Kea Ice Age: This reserve sits high on Mauna Kea, above 10,000 feet. Reaching it takes a 4×4, but it holds the only alpine lake in Hawaiʻi along with a rare alpine aeolian desert ecosystem. Always check the weather first, since it gets snow in winter. There are several trails that cross the reserve.
- Puʻu Makaʻala: A top birding spot, Puʻu Makaʻala protects large wet forests on Mauna Loa’s slopes above Kahaualeʻa and Volcano Village. Drive up to the reserve and explore its hiking trails.
- Puʻu O ʻUmi: For the Kohala Mountains, it covers the Kohala Mountains, with big ferns, mountain bogs, and long views. Experienced hikers only, since there are few maintained trails. Hiking routes follow paths set by hunters.
- Kaʻū Forest Reserve: There are no official trails here, but there are established hunting trails and vehicle access. You will find many native plants and native birds.
3: Nature Tours
For help getting out into nature, link up with Hawaiʻi Forest & Trail, our pick for the best outdoor tour operator on the Big Island. Volcano hikes, upcountry forest hikes, waterfall excursions, bird watching, forest restoration, and stargazing atop Mauna Kea are just some of what they run.
Land animals and birds on the Big Island
Because the Hawaiian Islands are among the most isolated on earth, only two native mammals live in Hawaiʻi: the Hawaiian monk seal and the hoary bat. Everything else was introduced over the centuries. With the monk seal at sea and the bat nocturnal, the wildlife you watch on land is mostly birds.
Hawaiʻi has 294 species of birds, 63 of them native.
1: Bird watching on the Big Island
The Big Island is one of the best places in the state for bird watching. Many of the natural reserves above hold native birds, as do the state parks and Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. A good place to start is the Hawaii Birding Trails website, with an interactive map of hotspots and birding trails plus printable checklists.
For a guided option, look at the bird watching tours from Hawaiʻi Forest & Trail, or one from Hawaiʻi Bird Tours.
The Hawaiʻi Island Coast to Coast Birding Trail is a 90-mile driving route from Kona to Hilo, linking a varied set of stops for bird life, nature, geology, history, and scenic views. Image from the Hawaii Birding Trails website.