Frommer’s EasyGuide to the Big Island of Hawaii. Jeanne Cooper

      Akaka Falls in Hilo

      Larger than all the other Hawaiian Islands combined, the Big Island truly deserves its nickname. Its 4,029 square miles—a figure that has grown recently, thanks to one of its three active volcanoes—contain 10 of the world’s 13 climate zones. In less than a day, a visitor can easily traverse tropical rainforest, lava desert, verdant pastures, misty uplands, and chilly tundra, the last near the summit of Mauna Kea, almost 14,000 feet above sea level. The shoreline also boasts diversity, from golden beaches to enchanting coves with black, salt-and-pepper, even olivine sand. Above all, the island home of Kamehameha the Great and Pele, the volcano goddess, is big in mana: power and spirituality.

Essentials

      Arriving

      The Big Island has two major airports for interisland and trans-Pacific jet traffic: Kona and Hilo.

      Most people arrive at Kona International Airport (KOA; hawaii.gov/koa) in Keahole, the island’s westernmost point, and can be forgiven for wondering if there’s really a runway among all the crinkly black lava and golden fountain grass. Leaving the airport, the ritzy Kohala Coast is to the left (north) and the town of Kailua-Kona—often just called “Kona,” as is the airport—is to the right (south).

      U.S. carriers offering nonstop service to Kona, in alphabetical order, are Alaska Airlines (www.alaskaair.com; 800/252-7522), with flights from the Pacific Northwest hubs of Seattle, Portland, and Anchorage (plus Nov–Apr from Bellingham, Washington) and from Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, and Oakland, California; American Airlines (www.aa.com; 800/433-7300), departing from Dallas–Fort Worth, Los Angeles, and Phoenix; Delta Air Lines (www.delta.com; 800/221-1212), flying from Los Angeles and Seattle; Hawaiian Airlines (www.hawaiianairlines.com; 800/367-5320), departing from Los Angeles; and United Airlines (www.united.com; 800/241-6522), with flights from Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Denver. At press time, Southwest Airlines (www.southwest.com; 800/435-9792) was planning nonstop service to Kona from California and had already begun connecting service through Honolulu from Oakland and San Jose.

      Air Canada (www.aircanada.com; 888/247-2267) and WestJet (www.westjet.com; 888/937-8358) also offer nonstop service to Kona, with frequency changing seasonally, from Vancouver. Japan Airlines also offers weekly nonstop service from the mainland to Hilo International Airport (ITO; hawaii.gov/ito), via Los Angeles.

      For connecting flights or island-hopping, Hawaiian and Southwest (see above) are the only carriers offering inter-island jet service. Hawaiian flies several times a day from Honolulu and Kahului, Maui, to both Kona and Hilo airports; it also flies daily nonstop between Kauai and Kona Hawaiian’s Ohana by Hawaiian subsidiary flies from Kona and Hilo to Kahului on 48-passenger, twin-engine turboprops. Mokulele Airlines (www.mokuleleairlines.com; 866/260-4040) flies nine-passenger, single-engine turboprops to Kona from Maui’s Kahului and Kapalua airports, and to Waimea (Kamuela) from Kahului. Note: Mokulele weighs passengers and their carry-ons to determine seats; those totaling 350 lb. or more are not allowed to board.

      Visitor Information

      The Big Island Visitors Bureau (www.gohawaii.com/big-island; 800/648-2441) has an office on the Kohala Coast in the Shops at Mauna Lani, 68-1330 Mauna Lani Dr., Suite 109B, Mauna Lani Resort ( 808/885-1655).

      This Week (www.thisweekhawaii.com/big-island) and 101 Things to Do: Big Island (www.101thingstodo.com/big-island) are free publications that offer good, useful information amid the advertisements, as well as discount coupons for a variety of island adventures. Copies are easy to find all around the island.

      Kona Coast

      Puuhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park

      

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