Last updated: 01/08/2022
Everything you need to know to set up your Hawaii Itinerary, to have an incredible trip to this American paradise with beautiful beaches, unique culture and many interesting attractions!
ITINERARY IN HAWAII: WHERE TO START
In the post "What you need to know before traveling to Hawaii“, we made a summary with some important information that you should know to visit the archipelago, how is the displacement between the islands, curiosities, relevant data, among others. They exist 4 main islands and other small islands, few of them inhabited. If you only have a few days to explore Hawaii, we recommend that you focus on just one island to enjoy the best of what each one has to offer. It's better to do an island well than to run around madly to see everything and end up doing nothing right, isn't it? We've already visited all 4 main islands, and Oahu, the main one, we've been twice.
And how do you decide which islands to visit if you're short on time? Try to focus on islands more in line with the profile you would like to visit: Oahu (super urban, where the capital Honolulu is full of shops and attractions, excellent infrastructure), Maui (the most romantic, but most expensive of the islands), Kauai (considered the most rustic and “green”, ideal for those who love trails), Big Island (great option for those who like adventures, waterfalls and active volcanoes). You can get all the information you need in the posts dedicated to each one of them here on the Viajonários blog. In addition to itineraries, we give tips on accommodation, restaurants, attractions and much more!
HOW MANY DAYS TO STAY ON EACH ISLAND
How many days should I reserve to visit each island? Below you will find suggestions for how long to stay on each of the islands. This doesn't mean it's the ideal number of days, but an idea of how to distribute your script. We know people who love nature and want to spend a little time on Oahu, where the capital Honolulu is located because it is much more “urban”, or people who don't want to spend a lot of time in Kauai because they find it too quiet, with no nightlife. The best person to know how many days it is worth staying on each island is who is putting together the itinerary, who will be able to adapt it according to tastes, preferences, needs and interests. Our suggested distribution of days on the island is as follows:
- KAUAI: 3 to 4 days – Hawaii: What to do in Kauai – 3-Day Itinerary
- OAHU: 4 to 6 days – Hawaii: What to do on Oahu – 4-Day Itinerary
- MAUI: 4 to 5 days – Hawaii: What to do in Maui – 4-Day Itinerary
- BIG ISLAND: 5 to 6 days – Hawaii: What to do on the Big Island – 6-Day Itinerary
- OTHERS - LANAI & MOLOKAI: 2 days each (combine with a visit to Maui)
ITINERARY SUGGESTIONS: 7, 10, 15, 20 DAYS OR MORE
Below, check out some suggestions we give to create a nice and efficient trip to the Hawaiian Islands.
- 1 WEEK: Ideal would be to stay in only 1 island to make the most of it and have time to relax and enjoy, including the resort's attractions, should you decide to stay in one of them. But if you like fast-paced travel, choose, maximum 2 islands to discover, combining Oahu with Kauai or Oahu with Maui or Maui with Kauai.
- 10 DAYS: The ideal would be discover 2 islands to have time to enjoy the places more calmly. But you can “squeeze” the script to get to know, maximum 3 islands and it would be pretty cool. I don't recommend it any more than that!
- 15 DAYS: A nice time to meet up to three islands (Oahu, Kauai and Maui) or two islands, if one of them is Big Island, the island that houses the Volcanoes National Park. As it is big, the travel time is longer and you need to take this into account when planning the script.
- 20 DAYS: With 20 days, it is already possible to think about placing the 4 main islands on the roadmap (Oahu, Kauai, Maui and Big Island). Big Island is very big and you will need more than 1 hour by car to cross the island. Therefore, even the leanest itineraries demand a lot of travel time.
- Have more time? It would be perfect to have more days to enjoy all major islands of hawaii with more tranquility. With at least 25 days, you can go to the 4 main ones, knowing everything more calmly or also take the opportunity to discover the smaller islands of Lanai and Molokai. One suggestion would be to stay 6 days on Oahu, 4 in Kauai, 5 in Maui, 6 on Big Island and 4 between Lanai and Molokai.
INFORMATION ABOUT THE ISLANDS
To help you organize your itinerary through the Hawaiian archipelago, below are several posts that we publish each of them to help you from choosing a hotel and tours to restaurant suggestions. We separate the tips for each of the islands:
KAUAI
- ROAD MAP: Hawaii: What to do in Kauai – 3-Day Itinerary
- ACCOMMODATION: Hawaii: Kauai Accommodation Tips
- RESTAURANTS: Hawaii: 5 Restaurant Tips on Kauai
- ATTRACTION: Hawaii: Waimea Canyon – the Grand Canyon of the Pacific
OAHU
- ROAD MAP: Hawaii: What to do on Oahu – 4-Day Itinerary
- ACCOMMODATION: Hawaii: Honolulu Waikiki Accommodation Tips
- RESTAURANTS:
- ATTRACTIONS:
MAUI
- ROAD MAP: Hawaii: What to do in Maui – 4-Day Itinerary
- ACCOMMODATION: Hawaii: Maui Accommodation Tip
- RESTAURANTS: Hawaii: 10 restaurants in Maui
- ATTRACTIONS: Hawaii: Dive at Molokini Submerged Volcano
BIG ISLAND
- ROAD MAP: Hawaii: What to do on the Big Island – 6-Day Itinerary
- ACCOMMODATION: Hawaii: Best places to stay on the Big Island
- RESTAURANTS: Hawaii: 15 Veggie Restaurants on the Big Island
- ATTRACTIONS:
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Excellent your work! Thank you so much for your dedication and organization of the posts!
Hello Deborah!
We are happy to know that you liked it!
We hope the posts help you organize an amazing trip!
Hugs 🙂