Hawaii Tours & Activities: Plan Your Island Trip
Hawaii is a bucket-list destination — and there are countless ways to experience it. Island-hop between four very different islands, snorkel vivid reefs, soar over waterfalls by helicopter, drive the Road to Hana, stand on the rim of a live volcano, learn to surf, or feast at a luau as the sun goes down. Below you will find featured tours across the most popular experiences, plus links to every category. Wherever you start, one tip applies almost everywhere: the best boat trips, flights and drives sell out early, so booking ahead makes the biggest difference to your trip.
Start with Your Island
Hawaii is not one destination but several. Oahu is the most visited, home to Honolulu, Waikiki and Pearl Harbor; Maui pairs resort beaches with the Road to Hana and Haleakala; Kauai, the lush “Garden Isle”, is all coastline and canyon; and the Big Island has active volcanoes, coffee country and the famous manta ray night dive. Oahu is the easiest to tour without a car, so it is where many first-time visitors begin.
Featured Oahu tours
On and Under the Water
The ocean is the heart of a Hawaii trip. Most visitors start with snorkelling, whether off a Waikiki catamaran or Maui’s famous Molokini Crater. Certified divers can go deeper on a scuba tour, while the Big Island’s manta ray night snorkel is unforgettable. Swim with dolphins, come in winter for whale watching, or get active with kayaking and paddleboarding. To sit back, book a sailing tour or a sunset dinner cruise; for a thrill, go parasailing; to stay dry, descend on a submarine tour; and on Oahu, take a first surf lesson at Waikiki.
Featured snorkelling tours
The Great Drives and Landmarks
Maui’s Road to Hana is one of the world’s great drives, a day of waterfalls, rainforest and black-sand beaches, and sunrise on Haleakala is a bucket-list moment. On Oahu, a circle island tour loops the coast, Pearl Harbor is living history, and Diamond Head rewards a short climb. On Kauai, Waimea Canyon is the “Grand Canyon of the Pacific”, and everywhere the islands’ cascades draw visitors on a dedicated waterfall tour. In Honolulu, a hop-on hop-off bus links the main sights on one ticket.
Featured Road to Hana tours
Hawaii from the Air
Some of Hawaii’s most spectacular scenery can only be seen from above. A helicopter tour hovers over the Na Pali Coast on Kauai and the volcanoes of the Big Island, reaching hidden valleys and waterfalls no road can. For a longer reach at a lower price, a small plane air tour covers more ground and can take in several landscapes, or more than one island, in a single flight.
Featured helicopter tours
Volcanoes and Land Adventure
The Big Island’s Hawaii Volcanoes National Park lets you walk among craters and lava fields on one of the planet’s most active volcanoes. For more adrenaline, fly through the canopy on a zipline, churn up the backcountry on an ATV or UTV, reach waterfalls and ridgelines on a guided hike, or ride through ranch country on a horseback tour.
Featured volcano tours
Culture, Food and Farms
To understand Hawaii beyond the beach, start with a luau or cultural show, a feast of local food, music and hula. Taste the islands by day on a food tour, from poke to shave ice, and head into the countryside with a farm and plantation tour or a Big Island Kona coffee farm tour. Whatever you choose, pick the format that suits you: a private tour with your own guide, a sociable small group tour, or a family tour for all ages — and round off the day with a sunset or evening tour.
Featured luaus & shows
Not Sure Where to Start?
On Oahu, pair Pearl Harbor with a circle island tour and a surf lesson. On Maui, do the Road to Hana, a Molokini snorkel and sunrise on Haleakala. On Kauai, see the Na Pali Coast and Waimea Canyon; on the Big Island, walk the volcanoes and book the manta ray night snorkel. Whichever island you choose, booking the popular boat trips, flights and drives well ahead is the single smartest thing you can do to make the most of your time in Hawaii.