Hawaii (Maui & Big Island), USA

Volcanoes, waterfalls, and 10 of the world's 14 climate zones on one island. Humpback whales December to April.

beachsurfvolcanohikingluxurywhales

Best time to visit

Month	High	Low	Rain	Season
Jan	23°	18°	94 mm	prime
Feb	23°	17°	102 mm	prime
Mar	23°	18°	118 mm	prime
Apr	23°	18°	105 mm	prime
May	25°	19°	75 mm	prime
Jun	25°	20°	62 mm
Jul	26°	21°	71 mm
Aug	27°	21°	84 mm
Sep	26°	21°	67 mm	prime
Oct	26°	21°	90 mm	prime
Nov	25°	20°	92 mm	prime
Dec	24°	19°	120 mm	prime

30-year averages (1995–2024) from ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo. Rain is the monthly total.

Serves travellers at Budget→Ultra-luxury level. Typically around $350 a day on the ground.

Ranges are typical costs, not quotes. Check the real price before you book.

A car on both islands, booked well ahead. Buses are minimal and the volcanoes, beaches and trailheads are far apart. The Road to Hana and the Mauna Kea summit road each come with their own vehicle conditions.
getting around · editorial
Kahului on Maui and Kona on the Big Island, reached direct from the US west coast or through Honolulu. The islands are linked by short flights only; there is no ferry between them.
getting there · editorial
Mauna Kea''s summit is near 4,200 metres up a steep unpaved road, and going there from sea level in a day makes people ill; most rental agreements forbid the road outright. Reef-safe sunscreen is required by law, and the Haleakalā sunrise needs a reservation made in advance.
know before · editorial
Cards everywhere, and tipping is expected as it is across the US. Keep cash for farmers'' markets, food trucks and roadside fruit stands.
money · editorial
Winter brings big north-shore swell that closes beaches to swimming, and it coincides with whale season, so rooms and rental cars are tightest then. Christmas and New Year are the hardest weeks of all to book.
when not to go · editorial
On Maui: Kihei and Wailea on the dry south side, Ka''anapali and Napili in the west, Paia for the north shore, Hana for isolation. On the Big Island: Kona for sun, Hilo for rain and waterfalls, Waimea in the cool uplands, Volcano village at the national park gate.
where to stay · editorial

The summit of Haleakalā
Three thousand metres. It is properly cold, and sunrise requires a reservation.
Hoʻokipa
The lookout where the windsurfers and the turtles share the same beach.
Kāʻanapali
The long beach on west Maui, with the cliff at the north end.
Kīlauea Crater
The caldera of the active volcano, inside the national park.
Punaluʻu
Black sand of ground lava, with green turtles resting on it.
Mauna Kea
The visitor station at two thousand eight hundred. The summit only with the right vehicle.

Eat poke from a fish counter, not a restaurant
Eat poke bought at a market, sitting on the beach
The market version beats the restaurant version. It always has.
Eat a plate lunch with two scoops of rice
Rice, macaroni and meat. It makes no sense and it is very good.

Start the Road to Hana at six
Watch the sun rise from above the clouds
Leaving before dawn, in a winter coat, in the tropics.
Stay quiet and watch a turtle come out of the water, ten metres back
Ten metres is the law, not a courtesy.

Snorkel a reef in the morning, while the sea is still flat
Before the wind arrives, around ten.