Hawaii Travel Guide
Pick Your Island
Four main islands, four completely different vacations. Start here — everything else flows from this one decision.
Oʻahu
The gathering place. Waikīkī, Pearl Harbor, North Shore surf — everything Hawaiʻi is famous for in one island.
Oahu Guide →
Things to Know
See & Do
Maui
The valley isle. Road to Hana, Haleakalā sunrise, and a legendary resort coastline — the classic Hawaiʻi escape.
Maui Guide →
Things to Know
See & Do
Hawaiʻi Island
The biggest and youngest. Active volcanoes, black sand beaches, Mauna Kea stargazing, and 8 of the world’s 13 climate zones.
Big Island Guide →
Things to Know
See & Do
Kauaʻi
The garden isle. Dramatic Nā Pali cliffs, Waimea Canyon, and the quiet, lush Hawaiʻi that feels a world away from anywhere else.
Kauai Guide →
Things to Know
See & Do
Not sure yet?
Let us match you to the right island.
A 2-minute quiz, built on 20+ years of answering the same question. Tell us your trip style — we’ll tell you where to go.
Hawaiʻi Right Now
The islands, in real time.
Oʻahu
HNL · Waikīkī
Sky
Surf
Sunset
Plan Oʻahu
Maui
OGG · Wailea
Sky
Surf
Sunset
Plan Maui
Hawaiʻi
KOA · Hapuna
Sky
Surf
Sunset
Plan the Big Island
Kauaʻi
LIH · Hanalei
Sky
Surf
Sunset
Plan Kauaʻi
What’s in your guide
Built by humans who’ve been visiting Hawaiʻi for 20+ years — refreshed weekly
John & Tori Derrick · Founders
Aloha from HawaiiGuide.
Twenty-four years of returning to these islands taught us something the brochures don’t say out loud: Hawaiʻi has opinions about who it lets in. It’s a place — sacred to people whose home it actually is, fragile in ways that matter, and quietly selective about who it connects with. The guides on this site exist to make your trip easier — and to help you show up the way Hawaiʻi rewards.
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The places we keep coming back to
More than two decades of repeat trips, on islands we’ve gotten to know one corner at a time.
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Tag @hawaii_guide in your favorite Hawaiʻi photo and we’ll feature the best of them here.
Planning a Summer 2026 Trip to Hawaiʻi?
June through August is peak season — warmest weather, biggest crowds, highest prices. Start with the timing guide, then dig into the month you’re considering.
What’s Happening in Hawaiʻi Right Now
Today
Live ocean report
Whale Season
Check season dates →
This Week
Events & festivals →
Trails & Roads
Current status →
Gas Prices
$5.67 reg avg →
All Hawaiʻi airports
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Live data from FlightAware. Track a specific flight →
New · Daily at 5 AM HST
Aloha Today — Your Daily Hawaiʻi Briefing
A tight 3-minute morning rundown — surf, weather, park status, what’s happening this week, and a story worth your time. Free, no signup, fresh every morning.
Listen to today’s episode
or bookmark aloha-today.com
A Founder's Series
For the Love of Hawaii
Essays and stories from twenty-four years of returning. The corner of this site where we write the way we think about these islands — not the planning, the loving.
Read the series
or bookmark lovehawaii.travel
An Observation
Hawaiʻi Calls You Back
Most travelers come once. Then they come back. The companion piece to For the Love of Hawaiʻi — why the islands stay with you long after you fly home.
See why
The Traveler's Part
Let Hawaiʻi In
Slow down, stay present, travel like a guest. The third side of the same place — what you actually do once you’re here.
How to be here
Tools Made for Hawaiʻi
The kind of stuff a generic Hawaiʻi site won’t give you — built from twenty years of answering the same traveler questions.
Plan smart
Best Time to Visit
Month-by-month weather, crowds, and prices.
Guide me →First-Time Guide
The basics before you pick islands, dates, and stays.
Start here → AIAI Itinerary
A custom day-by-day plan in under two minutes.
Guide me →Planning Hub
Every guide, checklist, and booking tool in one place.
Guide me →
Budget Calculators
Trip Cost Explorer
Compare island, timing, and travel style at a glance.
Explore costs →Rental Vehicle Calculator
Estimate rental rates, insurance, taxes, and gas.
Price vehicle →Lodging Calculator
Estimate hotels, condos, resort fees, and taxes.
Price stays →Dining Calculator
Compare groceries, casual meals, and resort dining.
Plan meals →
Personalized picks
MyGuide
Three questions — we surface the tools you actually need.
Guide me →Guide Match
Hotel, tour, and beach picks matched to your style.
Guide me →Island Quiz
A 2-minute quiz that ends the “which island?” debate.
Find my island →Packing Quiz
A personalized Hawaiʻi packing list in two minutes.
Build my list →
On the ground
Interactive Maps
Beaches, attractions, and trails on every island, mapped.
Explore maps → AudioListen
Voice summaries of 100+ attractions — queue up offline.
Press play →Hawaiian Alphabet
Tap any word, hear it spoken — pronounce it right.
Tap to hear →Jellyfish Calendar
Box jellyfish risk windows, by date, all islands.
Check dates →Book the Trip
Curated tours, hotels, luaus, packages, and cruises — sourced from operators we’ve actually used.
Also browse: Itineraries Premium Guidebooks Concierge Help
Grab your free Hawaiʻi guide
The top must-see attractions, best months to visit, monthly weather, and booking tips — in one downloadable PDF.
Fresh from the Blog
News, events, timely travel tips, and island intel — plus reader-trending blog posts refreshed daily from our first-party analytics.
Labor Day Weekend in Hawaiʻi 2026: What to Know
Summer 2026 Hawaii Deals Are Hiding in Plain Sight. Here Is Where to Find Them.
Pan-Pacific Festival 2026: Free Waikiki Cultural Fest
King Kamehameha Day 2026: Parades & Lei Draping
Memorial Day Weekend in Hawaiʻi 2026: What to Know
Koloa Plantation Days 2026: Kauaʻi's 10-Day Summer Festival
El Nino Is Heading for Hawaiʻi This Summer. What That Means for Your Trip.
Understanding Hawaii's New Sunscreen Laws & Reef Safe Sunscreen
Hawaiʻi Bon Dance Season 2026: A Visitor's Guide
What’s Trending
The Hawaii planning pages readers are turning to right now, refreshed daily from our first-party analytics.
Our kuleana — and yours
Mālama Hawaiʻi
As visitors and locals, it is our shared kuleana (responsibility) to mālama (care) for this extraordinary place — ensuring future generations can experience its beauty just as we do today.
Hawaiʻi is more than a place to visit. It’s a place you come to experience, and to give back.
Learn the Hawaiian words that shape how we travel here →
Try out our AI Powered
Search & Chatbot →
Hawaiʻi Weather Forecast
Today’s Weather Brief · AI-voiced · ~45s
0:00
0:45
Read the transcript
Partly cloudy on the windward side, mostly sunny on the leeward side. Trade winds are strong and will stay that way through Wednesday, bringing passing showers to windward slopes.
Surf builds this weekend—a south swell is coming in and could reach warning levels on south-facing beaches by Saturday and Sunday. Winds ease late Thursday, and you'll see more organized showers Friday through Saturday as a system moves nearby. Small Craft Advisory is up through Wednesday evening, so water's rough if you're thinking about boats.
Stick to leeward beaches and the sunny side through Wednesday. Save your snorkeling for after the weekend swell passes.
AI summary · verify with NWS before heading out
Loading forecast…
Temperature
Weather data by Open-Meteo.com
Current Time in Hawaiʻi
--:----
Hawaiʻi Standard Time · UTC−10 · No Daylight Saving
You’re on Hawaiʻi timeMainland US
International
Aloha Today daily podcast →
Full HST breakdown, FAQ & DST schedule →
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