Top 13 Best Things to do in Oahu, Hawai'i
Spoiler: I'm all about adventure and experience, not swanky resorts and expensive crap. Maybe I will one day when I have exorbitant sums of mula. And sorry for the weirdo pictures. As my mother says, I am incapable of taking a normal picture.
Tips: Don’t stay in Waikiki
or Honolulu. If you can get a rental farther north, say between Haleiwa and Koneohe: you will be happier!
Pack a dollar store floatie and a Walmart snorkel. It is worth it.
1. Koaloa Ranch
Tons of movies have been filmed here, and it is one of the most beautiful, lush places on earth. There are various movie sets still hanging out. You can do trail rides, four-wheeler adventures, walking tours, and more. We did the 4-wheeling adventure, and it was totally awesome. Takes a few hours.
Excuse the weirdo pictures. Sets are totally Styrofoam, nails, and particle board. Learned that!
2. Chinaman’s Hat
This is across the street from
Koaloa and totally free! At low tide, you can walk across to Chinaman’s hat
and hike up to the top, but bring a dollar store floatie so you won’t hurt the
reef. There are turtles (and sometimes hammerheads) in this area, and the back
side of the hat has a gorgeous beach and floatie spot (see photo) along with
sweet cliff jumping.
3. Shark’s Cove
This is a great and free place
to snorkel. There used to be an amazing Acai Bowl place across the
street, but I don’t know if it is there anymore.
4. Waimea
The
best beach on the whole earth! There is great snorkeling here too as well as
rock jumping.
5. Kailua: Swimming, kayaking, snorkeling, exploring
Probably one of my top top
favorite places ever, this area is the lushest part of Oahu. Rent Kayaks or paddle
boards and cross over to the little islands. They are bird reserves and partially roped off, but there is much exploring to be had. Bring Chacos--pokiest rocks ever. This place is absolutely gorgeous and a fantastic view of the whole of Oahu from the water.
6. Hikes
Laie Falls, Crouching Lion,
Lighthouse, and Stairway to Heaven are all incredible. Most of these are
close to the PCC (Polynesian Cultural Center) and all are on the north shore. You can also just wander around the back hills and find some sweet stuff. But caution! Some families who live back there are very protective of their land and not a big fan of houlies.
7. Electric Beach
There are usually dolphins at
this beach in the morning. It is kinda far away (down by Koelina) but worth
the trip to swim with dolphins for free! Bring a snorkel and boogie board or
surfboard.
8.Turtle Bay Resort
This
is a swanky resort, but the beach here is free and is really good for
beginning surfing. Lots of people teach lessons here too. You can also rent
scooters and tour the island for a day. We would also sneak into the hammocks and hot tubs, but I can't suggest doing that. We were caught more often than not-- apparently super tan college kids who know their way around stick out like sore thumbs.
9. Diamond Head Crater
This
is worth seeing but not the most amazing thing ever. Guaranteed you will see turtles and a bizillion fish. The snorkeling is pretty
amazing but not free, which, let's get real, I'm all about.
10. Temple/Hukilau
These
beaches are right down from the Temple in Laie. There is actually awesome snorkeling
and spear fishing here. Lots of turtles live in the “crater” area (behind us in the photo). You can
also float out to Goat Island. Hukilau Café down the street is awesome and
SUPER local. A mountain of banana pancakes and coconut syrup?! Hello!
11. Haleiwa
They have amazing whale watching
and shark diving adventures. I did the humpback whale tour and my mind was blown. They also do fabulous scubadiving excursions.
They also have the best Thai
restaurant on the planet: Haeiwa Eats!
12. Ke’ana Point
Up north, there is some fun camping, rock climbing, and hiking. Watch for the "NO CAMPING" signs or you might get a taste of Hawaii 5-0 which is always fun. And expensive.
13. Skydiving: “Skydive Hawaii”
What
better place than Hawaii?! It was absolutely incredible. It is actually
cheaper to skydive here that it is to skydive in Ogden, Utah. Go figure.Why is this chart here?!? DELETE!!! boo.
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