Holidays in Hilo

Hilo is a town located on Big Island, Hawaii, on the geographical flipside of the volcanic Kohala Coast. Hilo has an abundance of dramatic landscapes for travellers to explore such as waterfalls, rainforests and gardens.

Hilo Holidays: Travel Essentials

Those who visit can land at the Hilo International Airport for their Hilo holidays and plenty of taxis await outside the terminal. Connecting planes from O'ahu's Honolulu International Airport also land there. As Hilo is on the coast it has a busy port at Kuhio Bay where travellers can arrive aboard cruise ships. Hilo is 10 hours behind GMT, and has a tropical rainforest climate. As such, Hilo experiences lots of sunshine throughout the year with sporadic showers; as May and June have the least average rainfall they could be the best months for Hilo holidays.

Exploration & Excursions on Hilo Holidays

To the north of Hilo is Honoli'i Beach Park which is a great destination for surfing and includes a beach with frequent rip currents; its surrounding parkland is a great spot for picnics. Richardson Beach Park is home to tropical coral reefs perfect for snorkelling, and the black-sand beach here offers various water sports such as kayaking and surfing. Visit the Rainbow Falls waterfall in the Wailuku River State Park which has an impressive height of 80 ft. Also make a trip to 30-acre Lili'uokalani Gardens which include landscaped Japanese gardens.

Amongst the museums that Hilo holiday-makers can visit is the Pacific Tsunami Museum dedicated to the history of Big Island's tragic tsunamis. At the Lyman House Museum there is a small collection of art, and an expansive mineral collection. The Imiloa Astronomy Centre of Hawaii includes a 120-seat planetarium, with fulldome video projection, or visit the Hilo Art Museum which has an ever-expanding collection of international art.