Can you drive around Big Island in 1 day?

Usually when people do drive the island in one day, they focus on spending quality time on the far side, typically Akaka Falls, VNP, Punalu'u. The drive time best time is about 6 hours with an additional 1 hour for Puna (impractical), not counting any stops. BI is about half the size of New Jersey.



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Because of its size, navigating around the Big Island can be daunting, and driving around the entire island will take around eight hours.

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Considering how big the Big Island is, it's really very easy to navigate. The two main roads are Highways 11 and 19, creating one big loop around the entire island.

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How long does it take to drive across the largest island in Hawaii? If you take Daniel K. Inouye Highway (The New Saddle Road) from outside of Waikoloa (Kamuela) to outside of Hilo, about 75 minutes. That's the only cross-island road.

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To circle the entire Big Island takes almost 6 hours, if you include a loop through North Kohala. When driving between Hilo and Kailua-Kona, you might consider taking the north scenic coast route in one direction and the Saddle Road route between the mountains coming back!

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Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park is located on the island of Hawai'i. From Kailua-Kona: 95 miles southeast on Highway 11 (2 to 2.5 hour drive), or 125 miles through Waimea and Hilo via highways 19 and 11 (2.5 to 3 hours).

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Drive from Waimea/Hilo to Volcano. From the Saddle Road, North Big Island, or Hilo Airport, you can arrive at Aloha Junction via Route 11 on the Eastern shore of the Big Island to Volcano (45 Minutes).

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We suggest splitting your stay between Kailua-Kona on the west side and Hilo (or Volcano) on the east side during your trip. This will ease a lot of extra driving and allow you to experience both sides of the island.

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But, that said, some months are still better when considering things like weather and your budget. The best times to visit the Big Island of Hawaii, taking into consideration the weather, how crowded, or not, the island is, and demand for accommodations are the month(s) of April, May, August, September, and October.

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If you really want to hit the most isolated bit of beach or waterfall, you might use 4wd (or rather the extra ground clearance), but most people will find far more than enough to occupy a week without getting off the paved or graded roads.

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Kona is a walkable seaside village, so allocate the early hours to exploring every inch of the town on foot.

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If you're looking for a rainforest climate and lots of hiking, Hilo might be for you. If you want to use hotel points or prefer a drier climate, Kona is a great choice. Since the two cities are about a 90-minute drive from each other, you don't have to choose just one.

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Kona is the more popular town among tourists for one reason: Kona is how we image Hawaii to look like. It has hot weather with beautiful beaches. If you goal is to sit on the beach while staying at your luxury beach front resort for your entire Big Island vacation, then Kona is perfect for you.

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If you want to visit lava up close and personal, then you should allow at least TWO full days for visiting Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park.

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