Officially it is the island of Hawaii; everyone calls it the Big Island to avoid confusion with the state. It is larger than all the other Hawaiian islands put together, and it is still growing. Five volcanoes built it, two of them among the most active on Earth.
Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park
Kīlauea is one of the world's most active volcanoes, and the national park around it is the best place in Hawaii to understand how these islands are made. Trails cross old lava lakes, steam vents and fields of black rock, and the summit crater, Halemaʻumaʻu, has in recent years erupted again and again in spectacular episodes.
Conditions change, sometimes by the hour. Check the park's current eruption and closure updates before you go, follow every closure sign, and remember that volcanic gas can be dangerous for people with heart or breathing problems.
Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea
Mauna Loa is the largest active volcano on Earth by volume, and it last erupted in late 2022. Its neighbour Mauna Kea reaches 4,207 metres (13,803 ft), the highest point in Hawaii, and measured from its base on the sea floor it is taller than Mount Everest. Its summit holds some of the world's most important observatories and is sacred to Native Hawaiians.
The road to the summit is steep, high and partly unpaved, and many rental contracts do not allow it. Stop at the visitor information station partway up to adjust to the altitude, or go with a licensed tour. Stargazing from the mid-level is superb.
The Kona coast
The dry, sunny west side is where most visitors stay. Coffee grows on the slopes above Kailua-Kona, and Kona coffee is famous worldwide. After dark, boats take snorkellers and divers out to watch manta rays feed in the lights, one of the great marine encounters anywhere.
South of Kona, Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park preserves a place of refuge where, under ancient Hawaiian law, people who had broken a sacred law could be spared if they reached its walls.
Hilo and the wet side
Hilo, on the windward east coast, is one of the wettest towns in the United States and one of the most charming in Hawaii, with an old downtown, a farmers market and waterfalls close by, such as Rainbow Falls and ʻAkaka Falls. North along the Hāmākua coast, deep valleys cut into the cliffs.
Beaches of every colour
Thanks to its young volcanic rock, the Big Island has beaches of black sand, such as Punaluʻu, where green sea turtles often rest, and a rare green-sand beach at Papakōlea near Ka Lae, the southernmost point of the United States. The Kohala coast north of Kona has the island's best white-sand beaches.
Getting around
Fly into Kona (KOA) on the west side or Hilo (ITO) on the east. Distances are long, and you need a car. Driving all the way around the island takes most of a day without stops, so most visitors split their stay between the two sides.