Travel + Leisure: Complete Guide To The Big Island of Hawaii

Above, lava inside a Kilauea volcano crater. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Ten years ago this month, I took a vacation trip to Hawaii. It was a package trip by the Automobile Club of Southern California. It was a great deal that included air travel and hotels.

The trip comprised a few days in Waikiki and a few days on the Big Island of Hawaii. While on the Big Island, we took a helicopter tour with Blue Hawaiian Helicopters of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, waterfalls and the coast near Hilo. 

Travel + Leisure posted a "complete guide" to Hawaii's Big Island.

It begins with:

It’s no secret that the Island of Hawaii is a tropical paradise filled with beautiful beaches, thoughtfully designed resorts, important cultural landmarks, impressive national parks, and some of the most delicious food in the Pacific. That's why Hawaii, commonly known as the Big Island, has long remained one of the top vacation destinations in the world.

Whether it’s a trip to one of the island’s main events—the Kona Brewers Festival in March, the Big Island Chocolate Festival in April, or the Ironman World Championship in October—or you're looking to relax in a location packed with views of swaying palm trees, cerulean seas, and volcanic outcrops, the Big Island is a destination that cannot be missed.

To read more, go here. 

Hawaii: Tips For A Big Island Visit

Above, a helicopter view of double waterfalls on the Hilo side of the Big Island. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

A good time of the year to visit Hawaii is in May and June.

Most people to to Honolulu and Waikiki, but there's plenty to see and do on the Big Island of Hawaii.

One interesting place on the Big Island is Hawaii Volcanoes National Park that includes Kilauea and Mauna Loa volcanoes. We took a helicopter tour of the park and were able to see lava in one of Kilauea's craters.

Travel Weekly has posted a Q & A with a travel expert with her tips on visiting the Big Island.

It begins with:

The Big Island of Hawaii is home to five volcanoes and offers a diverse landscape as well as some of the most unique experiences in the Islands. It also offers a challenge, because of its size, to anyone who's planning a vacation there and looking to squeeze in as much enjoyment as possible on a short stay.

To read more, go here. 

Kilauea and Mauna Loa Volcanoes In Hawaii

Above, a helicopter view of lava inside a Kilauea volcano crater. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

According to TheTravel, Hawaii's Kilauea Volcano is the most-visited place in Hawaii.

I have never visited Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island, but I did fly over the park, particularly Kilauea, in a helicopter tour with Blue Hawaiian Helicopters in 2016. It is a well-worth excursion that I highly recommend.

TheTravel has posted an article on Kilauea and Mauna Loa volcanoes on the Big Island.

The begin it with:

Located on the Big Island, in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, one of the most beautiful national parks in the U.S., Kilauea, and Mauna Loa are among the places tourists should visit at least once in a lifetime. They are famous for being two of the world's most active volcanoes, and always guarantee the best experiences to vacationers who make it there.

There are five volcanoes on the Big Island; Kilauea, Mauna Loa, Hualalai, Mauna Kea, and Kohala. Mauna Kea, at 13,796 feet, is the state's tallest mountain and the world's highest sea mountain. Mauna Loa is the world's largest volcano, while Kilauea is the most active. Despite these figures, Kilauea is the most famous Hawaiian volcano and one of the world’s most active volcanoes.

To read more, go here. 

Fodor's Travel: Best Things To Do In Hilo

Above, an aerial view of double waterfalls north of Hilo. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

During our Hawaii trip seven years ago, we were on the Kona side of the Big Island. While there, we rented a car and drove across the island to the Hilo side where we had a scheduled helicopter tour to Hawaiian Volcanoes National Park and waterfalls along the coast.

It was an interesting drive, especially seeing volcanic cinder cones along the way. The helicopter tour was with Blue Hawaiian Helicopters based at the Hilo Airport. 

According to Fodor's Travel, there are other things to do in the Hilo area.

They begin with:

The Hilo side of Hawaii’s Big Island is extremely underrated for its wide variety of wonderful experiences it offers visitors—from verdant rainforests to hiking in the shadows of ancient active volcanos. Hilo is an underrated part of the Big Island, where you’ll discover that hotels, restaurants, rental cars, and tours are often less expensive than other more popular places throughout the islands.

Although Hilo is noticeably less polished than some of Hawaii’s more resort-heavy areas, there are dozens of unique accommodations and many activities to enjoy. If you’re headed to Hawaii, here’s why you should head to Hilo.

To read more, go here. 

FAA Plan To Slash Hawaii Volcanoes Helicopter Tours 88%

Above, approaching a Kilauea crater by helicopter in 2016. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

As one might expect, the current eruption of Kilauea Volcano on Hawaii's Big Island in Hawaiian Volcanoes National Park is drawing a lot of spectators. Along with that, demand for helicopter tours over the volcano are in high demand.

Getting a helicopter tour will be harder if a plan by the FAA and the National Park Service goes into effect. The plan is to slash tours by 88%.

Beat of Hawaii reported:

On an auspicious day when USGS just announced and shared photos (above) of the Kilauea volcano once again erupting, as seen within the Halemaumau crater, a visitors-welcome Zoom meeting will take place regarding the proposed drastic reduction in helicopter tours in the area. During the last eruption, your editors found it impossible to get a helicopter tour when they visited. With the planned reduction we imagine that tours will become far more costly too.

The FAA and the National Park Service (NPS) have issued a draft Air Tour Management Plan (ATMP) with significant proposed changes and a massive reduction in helicopter tours for both Haleakala National Park and Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. The issue is the overall environmental impact of the air tours, especially the constant noise helicopters create.

We have to say this is a good idea. We’ve hiked at Waimea Canyon and Kokee State Park on Kauai many times,  only to have helicopters flying over us incessantly at the end of the trail.

The FAA and NPS plan is to severely limit helicopter tours at two Hawaii locations: the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island and the Haleakalā National Park on Maui. If you have any opinion on this, you are urged to comment before the June 20 deadline. More information is below.

I took a helicopter tour of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park in 2016 and it was an enjoyable and interesting experience.

To read more, go here.

How To See The Volcanic Eruptions On The Big Island

Above, approaching a Kilauea crater by helicopter. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The Big Island is getting a lot of attention lately as it has two volcanoes erupting at the same time.

The volcanoes erupting are Kilauea and Mauna Loa at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Mauna Loa started erupting on November 27.

Many people are flocking to the Big Island of Hawaii to view the eruptions. Travel Weekly has posted an article on how to see Mauna Loa and Kilauea. 

Above, Blue Hawaiian Helicopters at Hilo Airport. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

I took a helicopter flight over Kilauea in 2016 with Blue Hawaiian Helicopters out of Hilo Airport. It was an interesting flight, one that I heartily recommend. Kilauea was quiet at the time, but we did see lava inside a crater as we flew over it.

Travel Weekly begins with:

It's been almost 40 years since the last time the Kilauea and Mauna Loa volcanoes were erupting at the same time. As such a rare event, it's already brought many visitors to the island specifically to see the spectacle, while others are still wondering whether they should get on a plane and go.

The answer to that question came earlier this month from Hawaii County mayor Mitch Roth. "It's actually a great time to come," he said in a press conference. "People are here and seeing some of the most unbelievable sights ever, and you don't have to go up Saddle Road. You can see [the Mauna Loa lava flow] from Hilo. You can see it from Kona. You can see it from Kau."

In order to see both the Kilauea and Mauna Loa eruptions at the same time, you'll have to go to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (HVNP), atop Kilauea. The park is closest to Hilo, and it would be recommended to arrive at that airport if the park is part of the agenda. 

To read more, go here. 

United Airlines Ending Flights To Hilo

Above, Hilo Airport. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

United Airlines, once my favorite airline, is ending flights to Hilo Airport on the Main Island of Hawaii.

According to Travel Weekly:

After the winter holiday, United Airlines will halt service to Hilo Airport on the Island of Hawaii's east coast. The final service is scheduled for Jan. 7. 

After the move, there will be no remaining nonstop flights from Hilo to the U.S. mainland. Hawaiian and Southwest will continue to serve Hilo numerous times daily with flights from Honolulu, while Hawaiian and commuter carrier Mokulele will continue connecting Hilo with Maui's Kahului Airport. 

It was from Hilo Airport that we took our Blue Hawaiian Helicopters tour flight over Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, specifically, Kilauea Volcano.  

To read more, go here.

New Instrument To Track Magma Is En Route To Kilauea

Above, aerial view of lava in a Kilauea Volcano crater. Photo by armand Vaquer.

A new "gamechanger" instrument is en route to Kilauea Volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii that will help keep visitors and locals safer.

According to Hawaii News Now:

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - A state-of-the-art equipment upgrade is on its way to Kilauea and it’s expected to go a long way in tracking what’s going on underground.

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is already the perfect environment for research and needs monitoring to keep the public safe.

Scientists now have a tool that’s expected to be a gamechanger in what’s known as the absolute quantum gravimeter.

The instrument arrived in the islands a few months ago from France and there are only a handful of these instruments in the world.

It’s believed that it’s only the second one that’ll be used on an active volcano as the other is on Mount Etna in Italy.

Scientists at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory say it can track moving magma underground — by detecting tiny changes in gravity.

 To read more, go here.

How To Safely View Kilauea Eruptions

Above, a helicopter view inside Kilauea's crater in 2016. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The recent eruptions of Kilauea volcano in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island is drawing a lot of attention and people want to see it for themselves.

Travel Weekly has posted an article with tips on how to safely view it.

They start it with:

Kilauea, a volcano at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, started erupting on Sept. 29, and, so far, the activity is contained within its crater, making for some spectacular sights.

During the day, spectators can see volcanic gas and steam billow out of Halemaumau, the summit crater. The park is open 24-hours a day, and at night visitors are entranced by the 127-acre lava lake casting a reddish-orange glow against the crater walls and into the dark sky. 

To read more, go here. 

Hawaii's Kilauea Volcano Erupts

Above, a smoking Kilauea volcano crater during our approach by helicopter in 2016. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Thanks to Kilauea volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, COVID-19 has been slightly bumped from the news coming out of Hawaii.

The volcano has decided to erupt again.

From ABC News:

HONOLULU -- One of the most active volcanos on Earth is erupting on Hawaii's Big Island.

Officials with the U.S. Geological Survey confirmed Wednesday that an eruption has begun in Kilauea volcano's Halemaumau crater at the volcano's summit.

Webcam footage of the crater showed lava fountains covering the floor of the crater and billowing clouds of volcanic gas were rising into the air. The same area has been home to a large lava lake at various times throughout the volcano's eruptive past.

The eruption is not in an area with homes and is entirely contained within Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

To read more, go here. 

How To See Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Above, a 2016 helicopter view of a Kilauea crater. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

If one is interested in geology or volcanoes in particular, they may want to check out an article on how to see the best of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island.

That is the topic posted by The Travel.

Five years ago, I took a helicopter trip over Hawaii Volcanoes National Park with Blue Hawaiian Helicopters from Hilo. It was an interesting excursion and one I would recommend.

They begin with:

Hawaii owes its whole existence to volcanoes - it is not built on a continental shelf at all unlike the vast majority of land in the world. It is a volcanic wonderland and boasts multiple active volcanoes. Two of these active volcanoes are in the stunning Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park.

The two volcanoes are Kilauea and Mauna Loa, not only is this park stunning for visitors, but it is also an important area for volcanologists to study. It is a trip into another world and an experience not to be forgotten. 

To read the full article, go here. 

Traveler's Checklist For Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park

Above, an aerial view of Kilauea Volcano. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Since Hawaii is staring to open up with little baby steps, if one is planning a vacation there, they should include a visit to the Big Island and check out Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park.

National Parks Traveler has posted a guide for visiting the park. To date, this is the most comprehensive guide I've seen online.

A few years ago, I took a helicopter flight over Kilauea Volcano that's located within the park with Blue Hawaiian Helicopters.

They begin it with:

Ahhh, paradise. What better place to relax and unwind than in Hawaii, right? However, if you decide you’d like a little more excitement and want to venture away from your swinging hammock or beach towel on the sand, how about a visit to Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park, where you can hike through a rain forest and over a solidified lava lake, drive past golden pahoehoe lava flows, and view up-close the home of the goddess Pele. This Traveler’s Checklist will help you plan for your visit to make the most of your time in the park.

To read more, go here. 

Kilauea Volcano Reviving The Big Island's Tourism?

Above, red-hot lava in a Kilauea Volcano crater. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

When I took a helicopter flight over Kilauea Volcanon on Hawaii's Big Island five years ago, the volcano was quiet. 

Even though quiet, the volcano treated the helicopter's passengers to a visual treat of red-hot lava in a crater. 

Now, after the volcano has erupted again, hope has risen that people wanting to view it will help revive tourism to the Big Island.

CNN Travel reported:

(CNN) — Five days before Christmas, Cheryl Gansecki, a volcanologist at the University of Hawaiʻi Hilo, was in bed when a small earthquake shook her awake sometime after 9:30 p.m.

She checked the webcams at the summit of the Kīlauea Volcano, and her eyes went wide when she saw it -- the bright, bold glow coming from the crater.

The lava. It had returned.

She promptly made the 45-minute drive to the crater rim, adjacent to the Visitors Center at Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. By the time she arrived at 10:45 p.m., word had spread far and wide.

"Tons of people were already there, and there were traffic jams," Gansecki said.

The last time Kīlauea spewed lava was more than two years ago in the summer of 2018, when it mercilessly flowed through neighborhoods and destroyed more than 700 homes.

Still, many felt compelled to go and see. Hundreds of cars showed up within a few hours, according to the park. It was a mix of curious locals, scientists, photographers and business owners.

They gathered at the Kīlauea Overlook, where a brilliant, orange glow illuminated the crater, reflecting against the green of the trees and the brown of the rock.

Everyone was asking variations of the same questions that night: What would this eruption become? Would it stabilize and provide an opportunity for the island's economy, which has been devastated by the pandemic, to rebound? Would it entice people to travel to Hawaiʻi and see one of nature's greatest displays?

Taking a helicopter flight over an active volcano is something everyone should do. The helicopter tour I took was with Blue Hawaiian Helicopters out of Hilo.

To read more, go here. 

New Eruption At Kilauea Volcano

Above, an aerial view of Kilauea Volcano in May 2016. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

A Magnitude 4.4 earthquake has struck the Big Island of Hawaii tonight along with an eruption of Kilauea volcano.

According to West Hawaii Today:

Hawaii County Civil Defense said the eruption that commenced shortly after 9:30 p.m. Sunday remains confined to the Kilauea Volcano’s summit caldera.

“According to HVO (Hawaiian Volcano Observatory), it looks like it’s all contained within the crater, however, the National Weather Service did say that there was a plume that was released from Halemaumau that had rised for 30,000 feet,” Bill Hanson with Hawaii County Civil Defense said shortly before 11:30 p.m.

According to the observatory, Sunday night’s eruption was preceded by an earthquake swarm accompanied by ground deformation detected by tiltmeters. An orange glow was subsequently observed on IR monitoring cameras and visually beginning approximately 9:36 Hawaii time.

Civil Defense said a magnitude-4.4 earthquake that struck at 10:36 p.m. on Kilauea’s south flank was not large enough to cause a tsunami.

Previous updates: The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory has upgraded Kilauea Volcano’s alert level to “WARNING” and aviation color code to “RED” following an eruption that commenced shortly after 9:30 p.m. Sunday.

 To read more, go here.

Hawaii Visitor Spending On The Rise

Above, a view of Diamond Head from Waikiki Beach. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The recent hurricanes and eruptions of Kilauea volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii doesn't seem to have hurt visitor spending in the Hawaiian Islands as spending grew 6.4% in September over a year ago.

According to eTurboNews:

Visitors to the Hawaiian Islands spent a total of $1.28 billion in September 2018, an increase of 6.4 percent compared to a year ago, according to preliminary statistics released today by the Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA). 

Visitor spending increased from U.S. West (+2.5% to $460.2 million), U.S. East (+7.9% to $297.3 million) and All Other International Markets (+20.5% to $297.9 million) in September, while spending by visitors from Canada ($43 million) was virtually unchanged from last year. Spending by visitors from Japan declined (-4.1% to $179.9 million) year-over-year.

To read more, go here. 

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Has Officially Reopened

Above, trees afire from underground lava tubes of Kilauea. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The eruptions and lava flow from Kilauea volcano has stopped or subsided enough to allow visitors back into the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island.

Hawai'i Magazine has an article on what visitors can expect when they visit the park.

It begins with:

After being closed for 134 days, most of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park reopened on Sept. 22, marking a miraculous comeback from months of eruptions, seismic activity and lava flows at Kilauea. 

And although the visitor center, which is the first building you see when you enter the park, looks nearly the same as it did before the closure, some of the park’s other attractions have changed in significant ways. First, there is no more active lava in the park. The lava lake in Halemaumau Crater, a popular site for visitors and locals, has completely drained, and its distinctive orange-glow is no more. However, Halemaumau itself is still worth seeing as it has grown dramatically after numerous collapses on its crater walls.

It would be interesting to see the park now. I flew over the Kilauea volcano two years ago with Blue Hawaiian Helicopters.

To read more, go here. 

Going Back To Hawaii's Big Island

Above, a double waterfall on the coast near Hilo. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The Big Island of Hawaii is back.

After several misfortunes, the island is again a popular destination and Travel + Leisure has a new article on what visitors can expect, with a focus on the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai.

They begin it with:

The Island of Hawaii has been pummeled by misfortune this year, with the false missile alert, followed by the eruption of Kīlauea, followed by the less-terrible-than-expected onslaught of Hurricane Lane. The recent reopening of Volcanoes National Park provides fresh reason to think about a trip to the Big Island, where there's no better place to stay than the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai. 

To read more, go here. 

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park To Re-Open

Above, a helicopter view of a vent from Kilauea volcano on the Big Island. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

There's some good news coming from Hawaii's Big Island: Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is set to re-open.

The Weather Channel reported:

Months after eruptions at the Big Island's Kilauea volcano forced the record-long closure of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, the popular tourist destination will reopen Saturday without one key element — lava.

Back in April, a massive lava lake continued to boil and bubble at the park until eruptions beginning in May emptied the lake entirely of its molten rock. Now, all that remains is a large, gaping hole. 

To read more, go here. 

Hawaii Tourism Hoping For A Turnaround

Above, Diamond Head from Waikiki Beach. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Hawaii tourism took hits over the past several weeks due to a hurricane and the eruptions of Kilauea volcano on the Big Island. But Hawaiian tourism is hoping for a big turnaround.

According to West Hawaii Today:

KAILUA-KONA — July proved another rough month for Hawaii Island’s most lucrative industry, but tourism officials are hopeful a visitor resurgence is waiting just around the corner. 

The Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) initially invested in marketing and media campaigns to counteract international news coverage depicting the island as a disaster area in the wake of the Kilauea eruption, sewing seeds of doubt across the world about safety in travel. 

Now, the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau (HVCB) is spending $2 million HTA dollars on a more aggressive messaging endeavor focused heavily on U.S. and Japan travel markets in an attempt to control the narrative rather than mitigate it. 

“Our strategy is to change existing consumer perception from ‘It’s just not the right time to visit,’ to ‘Now, this may be the best time ever to visit,’” said Jay Talwar, HVCB chief marketing officer. “Be the first to see what the new lava flow has created.”

To read more, go here. 

Lassen Peak Will Erupt, Maybe Not In Our Lifetime

Above, Lassen Peak. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Lassen Peak in Northern California erupted last 100 years ago. But it could erupt again, but probably not in our lifetime.

I visited Lassen Volcanic National Park last year during my Great American Eclipse trip.

An article on Lassen Peak has been posted by the Plumas County News.

They wrote:

It’s not a matter of if the area around Lassen Volcanic Center will erupt in the future, but when. 

That’s according to Dr. Michael Clynne, research geologist, and the most knowledgeable scientist on the Lassen Volcanic National Park area. “I’m the point person,” he said in a recent interview. 

That doesn’t mean Clynne is encouraging residents to pack their bags or plan evacuation routes immediately. Although volcanic activity is somewhat unpredictable, scientists who watch volcanoes distinguish between earth time and human time. What could mean soon in earth time might be 1,000 years, a long time in terms of the human race. 

New interest in potential activity at some of the Pacific coastal states’ volcanoes arose with the continuing activity at Hawaii’s Kilauea Volcano and more recent eruptions at the Fuego Volcano in Guatemala. 

Three California volcanoes, including Mt. Shasta and Lassen Peak (also known as Mt. Lassen), and Long Valley Caldera near Mammoth, are listed at very high threat potential, according to scientists at the California Volcano Observatory (CalVO) in San Jose. CalVO is part of the U.S. Geological Survey’s Volcano Hazards Program, where Clynne is based. 

These three volcanoes are part of an 800-mile stretch of the West Coast, including California, which contains 13 volcanoes.

Above, Mount Shasta in Northern California. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

To read more, go here.