9:00 a.m. — The adventure begins! We’ll kick things off with a quick welcome meeting at our starting point, where you’ll meet your guide and your new travel crew. After a few introductions and trip info, we’ll head to a large grocery store to stock up on food for the week. This is also your chance to grab any personal items you might need for the trip.

Next, we’re off to Kona for lunch, where you can sample some delicious local food and officially ease into island life. After lunch, there’s no better way to start our Hawaii adventure than with time at the beach. Depending on the group and ocean conditions, your guide will choose one of several incredible beaches on the Kona side of the island.

Spend the afternoon exactly how you want — swimming, snorkeling, sunbathing, or simply relaxing with your feet in the sand. The Kona coast is famous for its sunshine year-round, so don’t forget your sunscreen!

Later in the afternoon, we’ll continue south toward our first campsite (approximately a 1.5–2 hour drive). Tonight’s camp is located right on another beautiful beach with excellent swimming and snorkeling. In addition to all camping equipment, we provide snorkeling gear (masks and fins) that anyone is welcome to use throughout the trip.

We’ll wrap up our first day with dinner at camp, cooked together and enjoyed under the stars — the perfect start to an unforgettable week in Hawaii.

🍽 Dinner included

Activities today: Swimming, Snorkeling
Camp: County Beach Park

What’s so great about camping on the beach? Waking up, unzipping your tent, and starting the day with a morning swim in the ocean. After breakfast and packing lunches, we’ll hit the road for about 1 hour and 15 minutes to Ka Lae—“the Point” in Hawaiian—also known as South Point.

Ka Lae is the southernmost point on the Big Island, the state of Hawaii, and the entire United States. After taking in the dramatic views, we’ll make a short drive to a nearby trailhead and begin our hike to one of Hawaii’s most unique beaches.

From the trailhead, we’ll enjoy a 1.5-hour hike (about 2.5 miles) across grassy coastal bluffs with sweeping panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean, leading us to the famous Green Sand Beach. This rare beach gets its distinctive green color from olivine crystals formed by a nearby cinder cone—making it one of only a handful of green sand beaches in the world.

We’ll spend a few hours soaking it all in—swimming, relaxing, exploring, and enjoying this truly special place. In the afternoon, we’ll hike back to the van and return to camp, where another dinner under the stars awaits.

🍽 Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner included

Activities today: Swimming, snorkeling, hiking, Green Sand Beach, sunbathing
Camp: County Beach Park

After breakfast, we’ll pack up camp and hit the road as we continue making our way around the island. Our first stop is an authentic Big Island orchard and coffee farm, a fun visit and a great place to pick up locally made souvenirs and fresh island treats.

From there, we’ll drive about 30 minutes to one of Hawaii’s most famous beaches—Punaluʻu Black Sand Beach. Its jet-black volcanic sand is an unforgettable sight, framed by coconut palms and crashing waves. Keep an eye out for honu (Hawaiian green sea turtles), which are often seen resting on the beach.

After plenty of time to explore and enjoy this unique spot, we’ll continue inland to our next campsite at Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. Camping here provides the perfect contrast to our first few beach-filled days. Sitting at around 4,000 feet above sea level, the evenings cool off nicely—this is when you’ll want a pair of pants and a warm layer once the sun goes down.

🍽 Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner included

Activities today: Orchard & coffee farm visit, Black Sand Beach, sightseeing
Camp: Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park

We’ll start the day with a big breakfast, because today is all about exploring the powerful forces that shaped the Hawaiian Islands over hundreds of thousands of years. Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park offers a rare look into the birth of the islands, with dramatic landscapes unlike anywhere else on Earth.

After stopping at the visitor center to get oriented, we’ll spend the majority of the day exploring the park. Highlights include hiking through a lava tube, visiting active steam vents, and—depending on current volcanic activity—possibly even seeing lava. We’ll also trek through a protected area of lush Hawaiian jungle and hike right through the middle of a volcanic crater, experiencing the park from multiple perspectives.

It’s a full, immersive day inside one of the most fascinating national parks in the world—and a true highlight of the trip.

🍽 Camp breakfast, lunch & dinner included

Activities today: Volcanoes National Park, jungle hiking, lava tube, steam vents
Camp: Hilo

We’ll start the day in Hilo, the largest town on the island and located on the lush, “wet” side of the Big Island. Hilo is famous for its surrounding waterfalls, and today we’ll visit some of the island’s most impressive.

Our stops include Rainbow Falls, Kahuna Falls, and the breathtaking ʻAkaka Falls, which plunges an incredible 442 feet into a lush gorge. The short hike to the falls follows a shady trail filled with fragrant tropical flowers, colorful vines, and towering bamboo—making the journey just as memorable as the destination.

After waterfall exploring, we’ll enjoy a picnic lunch at a beach park, followed by some free time to wander and explore Hilo town at your own pace. In the afternoon, we’ll make our way back toward the west side of the island. Depending on weather and ocean conditions, your guide will choose the best beach park for a sunset stop—the perfect way to end the day.

🍽 Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner included

Activities today: Waterfalls, Hilo town, beach time
Camp: Hilo

This morning we’ll make the stunning drive along the Hāmākua Coast, wrapping around the northern side of the island and stopping along the way to take in the dramatic coastal views. After about two hours on the road, we’ll arrive at Hapuna Beach, regularly voted as one of the top 10 beaches in the world.

With over a kilometer of soft white sand, crystal-clear water, and postcard-perfect scenery, Hapuna is the kind of place you could happily spend the entire afternoon. Swim, snorkel, relax under the coconut trees, or try catching a few waves on one of our boogie boards. Conditions here are often ideal, and the natural shade provides a welcome break from the Hawaiian sun.

Tonight is our final night, so we switch things up and treat ourselves to a stay in a hotel near Kona. After freshening up, we’ll head out together for a group dinner in Kona, celebrating an incredible week and enjoying some of the island’s local flavors.

🍽 Breakfast & Lunch included

Activities today: Scenic drive, beach time, swimming, snorkeling
Accommodation: Hotel near Kona town