How long a drive is it from Kona to Hilo? Is it too much to do in one day?Would you suggest spending one night? What is the best way to get there from de Emdeko? Would it be awful to miss seeing this side of the island we are on the BI for 9 days.
Volcano trip
from casa E in kona it is a 3 hour drive to Hilo and another 45 min th the volcano.
Going the southern route it will be 3 hours to the park.
The Hilo side has the beauty of waterfalls and rain forests. It is filled with tropical beauuty and discovery. Going via the southern route starts in capt cook and slowly becomes lava and desolate landscape before it rejoins the lush landscape ]at Punalulu.
Each has its attraction.
it is about the same time either way....i would go south while you are fresh then up the Hilo coast to finish as it is a better raod wth more thtings to see....
Leave Casa e by 5am to make the route .
Volcano trip
I think it would be a shame to miss Volcano and Hilo. You%26#39;ll be amazed at how different it is from Kona.
Trying to do the Volcano in one day is similar to Hana; an overnight stay will more than double the enjoyment/halve the stress!
(The ';crater-view deluxe rooms'; at the Volcano House have incredible views.)
Aloha coloradofan, the entire BI loop is easily done in a day and that%26#39;s stopping at the major tourist sites. Leave at 8 back by sunset. Great trip and I have done is many times.
...back by sunset and you will miss seeing the spectacular nightime lava flows from the mountain side; all the way to the ocean (go to the very end of Chain of Craters road). Personal opinion (OK?), but, if forced to make the choice, we%26#39;d drive back late (by the Geezer clock) at night to avoid missing that show.
IMHO, the BI loop can be done in a day, but not easily. You%26#39;re looking at at least 5 hours on the road just from Kona to Volcano and back with no stops. There are just too many things to see to do it in one continuous trip and not end up totally exhausted, not to mention doing only a ';fly-by'; of the sights.
I wouldn%26#39;t drive over to Hilo and not go to Volcano.
You will drive through Volcano on either route as it is at the parks entrance.
this is a long and brutal day to do... if I go to Hilo I will spend the night on the Hilo side.... The tour buses do a circle island tour in about 12 hours, A visitor not used to the roads and how to navigate can easily take up to 14... stopping at Place of refuge, Punalulu black sand, the Volcano crater ( not chain of craters as than adds 2 hours) Thurston lava tube, hilo, Akaka falls and back to Kona via Waimea. and that is missing about hald of the neat little parks and diversions that are there....
It is a vacation....not a death march...take it in 2 days and enjoy your sanity. Stay in Volcano... best food and lodging for this trip. as it is the half way point... then you can gaze after dinner at the lava glow before bed 18 miles distant not 100 !
hd, you%26#39;re absolutely right-on!
We usually dedicate 3 full days to the ';Island Circle';, spending 3 nights in Hilo. We spend a day at the volcano, another one in Puna, and the rest of the time checking out Hilo and the Hamakua coast. I guess it%26#39;s technically possible to do it all in one day, but you won%26#39;t be stopping anywhere for very long.
You can do this in a day -- it might be better to spend the night if you want to see more than the volcano -- but I have done the circle island trip ... leave around 8 from Kona, always stop at Tex Drive in, Waipio Valley, Akaka falls (no hiking, mind you, just to see the sights) ... sometimes in Waimea to see friends ... try to get to the park around 2 or 3 and stay for sunset -- drive down Chain of Craters road to see the lava. Have even done the hike a couple of years ago when the lava was closer in. Then drive back the same way, stopping at Ken%26#39;s in Hilo for dinner and getting back to Kona late at night (10-11 or so).
It is a long day. My friends who are from Hawaii think I%26#39;m crazy. But I am used to driving a lot, anyway -- 350 miles from my house to my parents%26#39; ... and I%26#39;m often in Atlanta for work and spend 4 hours just going 50-75 miles!
If you are used to driving distances on the mainland, and to driving at night, you will be fine.
I%26#39;ve also taken the southern route and stopped at a coffee farm, the painted church, the punaluu bake shop, the black sand beach, and so forth ... then on to Volcano. Back through Hilo, but no stopping on the way home, as it will be dark. So ... if there are things you want to see on the Hilo side, you should spend the night and do them, b/c you don%26#39;t want to do the drive twice ... but if it%26#39;s mostly the volcano you want to do, I%26#39;d say try the one-day trip and plan on sleeping late the next a.m. (I would take the northern route, as you can spend time in the south doing the coffee farm stuff on another day).
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