My Top 10 Things To Do On Oahu Hawaii
- Abby Hawaii
- Apr 29, 2022
- 8 min read
Updated: May 13, 2023
Aloha! My top 10 things to do on Oahu is for those who are visiting the island or who already live here and want some unique things to on Oahu for free!
Sunrise at Lanikai beach
The sunrise at Lanikai Beach, Oahu is BEAUTIFUL! In the summer, the sun rises early around 6:00 a.m. I like to get there around 5:50 a.m. to be safe! Parking is along the streets where it's allowed. There are certain hours you cannot park there, and the signs along the street will tell you accordingly. Be careful not to disturb the residents here, it is a neighborhood. Please be respectful! :)
After you park your car, walk through the little beach entrances (there are several of them). You'll see the beautiful Lanikai Beach and the Moke Islands in the ocean on the horizon. This location is perfect for photoshoots!
Price: FREE!
Best Time To Go: Sunrise
Bring: Towel to sit on (or beach chairs), water, sunglasses or a hat
2. Hike to Makapu'u Lighthouse Trail
The hike to Makapu'u Lighthouse is a paved, uphill road about 2 miles roundtrip. It's not shaded at all, and it's a dry environment. It's best to go early in the morning and not wait until it get so hot that you fry (just kidding). But it does get HOT. You'll need to bring sunscreen too! I recommend this reef safe sunscreen here from Amazon!
There is free parking and a parking lot dedicated to the trail. If the lot fills up, you can park alongside the road beside the parking lot.
You might get lucky enough to see the mongooses here in Hawaii! They LOVE this area and they will quickly scurry across the trail or into the bushes.
Once you get to the top of the trail, the BEST lookout is to the left right before the concrete staircase. The lookout overlooks Waimanalo Beach and Sherwoods Beach. You can also see a few tiny islands in the distance. One of them is nicknamed "rabbit island" because it looks like a little rabbit! :)
Price: FREE!
Best Time To Go: Early in the morning
Bring: Water, snacks, sunglasses, sunscreen, hat, hiking tennis shoes
photo by @nashhagen
3. Kayak to Chinaman's Hat
This hike is beautiful and something unique to do on Oahu, Hawaii. It takes about 10-25 minutes depending on the conditions to paddle out to this little island.
Rent a kayak or use one that you already own, and head to Chinaman's Hat otherwise known as Mokolii Island! You can rent for 3 hours or for a full day by clicking here.
You can park at this location here and simply take your kayak to the beach and hop in! It's a short and easy paddle out to the island. Once you reach the island, be sure to drag your kayak securely onto the beach. Be sure to bring your tennis shoes with you, so you can hike the trail to the top! It takes 15-20 minutes to hike to the top without stopping. It's a moderate trail that requires a little rock climbing towards the very top. Know your limits and how comfortable you are before considering hiking to the very top.
The views anywhere on the island looking towards Kualoa Ranch are breathtaking! I'd recommend wearing a swimsuit when paddling out and water shoes.
Price: FREE! Excluding kayak rental
Best Time To Go: Early in the morning or afternoon
Bring: Water, snacks, sunglasses, sunscreen, hat, hiking tennis shoes, swimsuit, waterproof packaging for cell phone and cameras
photo by @nashhagen
4. Crouching Lion Hike
Crouching Lion hike is so beautiful overlooking the lush green mountains and the bay! This hike is a must see if you're an avid hiker! The hike itself is moderate and takes about 15-20 minutes without stopping to reach the top. Be sure to park in the little dirt area off the road by the hike. There's limited parking, so it's best to do this hike early in the morning or late morning to avoid parking issues and crowds.
This hike is safe! Stay on the marked trails. There are a few ways to get to the same destination at the top, so it's okay if you take a different way than where you came from originally. It's uphill and pretty steep, so wear hiking boots with GOOD grip on them. This trail is mostly dirt and rocks that are loose, so be careful. When it rains, it will be VERY muddy. Be prepared to dirty up your hiking shoes!
It's called "Crouching Lion" because of a rock formation at the top that looks like a.... you guessed it - crouching lion! This hike has 360 views of mountains, valleys and the ocean!
Price: FREE!
Best Time To Go: Early in the morning or late morning
Bring: Water, snacks, sunglasses, sunscreen, hat, hiking tennis shoes (good grip)
5. ATV Tour Kualoa Ranch
I'm not huge on tours and having tour guides, but this experience, is WORTH IT! Kualoa Ranch is where Jurassic Park was filmed, along with over 200 other Hollywood movies and TV shows! Paradise, Hawaiian Style, Jurassic Park, Jurassic World, 50 First Dates, You, Me and Dupree, Hawaii Five-0, Mighty Joe Young, Pearl Harbor, Windtalkers, Godzilla, Kong: Skull Island, Jumanji, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle... to name drop a few!
The two-hour Raptor Tour is what you want to book by clicking here. It does cost $ but trust me, if you're coming to Hawaii to visit and want something epic to do and have a little "fun" money, this is an experience you'll want to pay for. It's a minimum of two passengers for this reservation. The ATV's sit up to 6 guests, and a vehicle will be reserved for every 6 passengers in the reservation.
When I did this, I was with a friend and we got our own ATV Raptor vehicle to rip around! We switched off and on driving. The tour itself is about two hours, and you'll be driving in a line behind other vehicles most of the time. You won't be able to go off roading alone! But it's still LOTS of fun and the most beautiful views of Kualoa Ranch!
IMPORTANT TO NOTE:
Tours go out rain or shine, so conditions may be dusty or muddy and you may get dirty.
Minimum driver age is 21 years old. Minimum rider age is 5 years old.
Drivers must have a valid driver’s license and may be liable for any damages to the Raptors if damage is caused by negligence or recklessness.
A liability waiver must be signed by all guests prior to departing on the tour.
When reserving online, one vehicle is reserved for every 6 guests included in the reservation.
We suggest wearing appropriate clothing, footwear and bringing sunglasses.
Advanced reservations are recommended as tours may sell out.
2-hour tour time includes training and safety briefing
Price: Adult $144.95 & Child (5-12) $69.95
Best Time To Go: Anytime!
Bring: Water, sunglasses, camera
photo by @nashhagen
6. Tide Pools at Makapu'u
The tide pools by Makapu'u Lighthouse are so unique and something for avid hikers and adventurers! This is an easy hike across rocks, but you MUST be careful on this hike. You have to watch for the waves and tide coming in. It's best to go at low tide.
You can park at the same parking lot as the Makapu'u Lighthouse trailhead (see above for directions). Start walking towards the trailhead, and instead of going uphill on the paved trail towards the lighthouse, take a right onto the little dirt trail. The trail is going along the bottom of the hill and around by the ocean.
Once you get to the ocean, take a left alongside the hill the lighthouse is on. You'll hike for about one hour across rocks to get to the bigger tide pool you can swim in. There are smaller tide pools all along the way. Watch the waves and be careful. Stay close to the side of the mountain and not too close to the edge by the ocean. This is an overall easy hike, but just be careful of the waves coming in.
It's approx. 2 to 2.5 hours roundtrip hike. Parking is here. There is a gate that opens and closes for parking. It opens around 6:00 a.m. and closes at 5:45 p.m. Be sure to do this hike between those times!
Price: FREE!
Best Time To Go: Early to mid-morning
Bring: Water, snacks, sunglasses, sunscreen, hat, hiking tennis shoes, swimsuit
photo by "I Love Vacations"
7. Sunrise Shack on the North Shore
The Sunrise Shack is A MUST. It's a shack that's literally painted yellow and has the BEST Acai bowls on the island. It also has Bullet Proof Coffee that's delicious. It's locally owned and operated.
Be sure to bring your camera here because it's an "Instagramable" location!
I get the Monkey Bowl or the Blue Dream Acai bowl and they're both heavenly! You'll also find roosters and chickens wandering around, I love them! If you're lucky, you'll see a pack of wild hogs roaming through the Plumeria farm behind the shack!
Parking is across the street alongside the road for free.
Price: Avg. $10.95 - $11.95 for an Acai bowl
Best Time To Go: Anytime
Bring: Camera & wallet :)
photo by Honolulu Magazine
8. Lanikai Pillbox Hike
Lanikai Pillbox hike is my favorite hike on the island! My favorite time to go is early afternoon. It is pretty hot with no shade, but it only takes about 20-30 minutes to hike up.
The views are 360 degrees of beautiful mountains! You can see the neon blue waters below with the reef peeping through, and the Moke islands on the horizon. Below, you'll see the neighborhood of Lanikai. You'll need to go through the town of Kailua to get to this hike.
Parking is free alongside the road in the Lanikai neighborhood. There are certain hours you cannot park there, and the signs along the street will tell you accordingly. Be respectful of the residents that live there, and do not pick mangoes from their trees!
The location of the trailhead is here. It's 1.7 miles round trip and it's rated as hard by All Trails. Personally, I don't think it's "hard". I think it's moderate. It's steep and the dirt is loose, so you just have to be careful. Know your limits. This hike has no shade and tends to get hot, so bring extra water.
Price: FREE
Best Time To Go: Sunrise or early afternoon
Bring: Water, snacks, sunglasses, sunscreen, hat, hiking tennis shoes
9. North Shore
Make it a North Shore Day Trip! On the North shore, I like to first stop by the Sunrise Shack and get an Acai bowl. Then head over to Sunset Beach for a beach day! After that, my favorite food trucks are here (North Shore Tacos is my FAV!) You can enjoy watching all the chickens at this food truck location! Be aware... They will actually jump up on the table if you let them!
To Do: (my favs!)
Sunrise Shack
Sunset Beach
Keiki's Beach
North Shore Taco Truck
Dole Plantation
Haleiwa town shopping
Price: FREE! Unless you buy food/shopping of course :)
Best Time To Go: Early afternoon and stay for sunset at Sunset Beach
Bring: Water, snacks, sunglasses, hat, swimsuit, sunscreen, beach towels, extra change of clothes for the day
10. Paddle Boarding in Waikiki
Paddle boarding is so much fun, especially in the shallow waters of Waikiki! There are so many rental choices, you have a lot to pick from. Click here for a quick one to book.
Bring your water shoes for stand up paddle boarding! If you fall off the board, there are shallow, sharp reefs here that you can fall onto. It's no fun to get a sea urchin stuck in your foot! :(
The beautiful clear and shallow waters of Waikiki draw in so many people. It's fun to get away from the beach crowds, and stand up paddle board. It's totally safe, and you'll see there are many other people out there doing it too.
Price: FREE! Excluding paddle board rental fee
Best Time To Go: Early afternoon
Bring: Water, snacks, sunglasses, hat, sunscreen, swimsuit, beach towels, paddle board, water shoes
Thanks for reading my blog! Catch ya next time :) Enjoy your trip to Hawaii!
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