The Big Island of Hawaii has a wide variety of things to see and do. There are 13 climate zones on Planet Earth and Big Island has 11 of them. You can go from the beach to a snow covered mountain in a little over an hour! Big Island is home to the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park where you can often see molten lava flowing. The old Hawaiian culture is strong on Big Island and there are many Hawaiian cultural sites to visit. There are also many waterfalls, rainforests, horse and cattle ranches, coffee farms, and much more to see!
The Kona side of the Big Island is the home to most of the hotels and resorts on the island. This side is the hot and dry side of the island. There are only a few nice sandy beaches on the Big Island. Most of these beaches are in the Kohala, Waikoloa, or Mauna Lani areas of the island, and are in front of the better resorts. The Kona side of the island is about 2 or more hours away from the volcano.
The Hilo side of the island is the wetter side of the island. On this side of the island you will find the waterfalls, and rainforests of the beautiful Hamakua Coast. Hilo has hotels nearest to the volcano, about 45 minutes away. There are no sandy beaches on this side of the island.
The Big Island's average temperatures range from 71-77°, with cooler climes of 57-63° in mountain areas, and 62-66° at Waimea at the 2,670-foot level.
Rainfall is highly variable around the island by elevation and location. Hilo, on the rainy windward side of the island, has long been recognized as the wettest population center in the US, with an average 128 inches of rainfall annually. In one recent year, Hilo had a record 211 inches of rainfall. Along the Kohala Coast on the leeward side, the climate is just the opposite and receives a scant 10 inches annually. Winter, from November through March, tends to be slightly wetter and cooler, but rainfall is equally distributed throughout the year. The heavy rainfall on the windward east coast is, of course, the reason for its lush tropical rain forest environment. And the lack of rainfall on the leeward west side is the reason for west Hawai`i's desert-like environment.
You have two gateways into the Big Island, either Kona or Hilo International Airports. The two are almost directly opposite each other, with Hilo on the windward east coast and Kona on the leeward west coast. You can begin your exploration of the Big Island from either place. Both have equal access to the entire island via a generally well-maintained highway system. Some parts of the main circle-island highway may have narrow, winding sections, such as the south Kona area, which crosses old lava fields, and the Hamakua Coast area, which passes through several deep gulches along the coast. So don't expect to hit freeway speeds. But you want to take it slow in any case, taking the time to see some of the most magnificent scenery in the islands. Overall, the Big Island has an excellent highway system. And you can't get lost because all roads link to the main circle-island route and it's the only way around the island. The circle-island northern route is Highway 19 and the southern route is Highway 11.
