Kona’s west-facing coast pairs the calmest ocean water on Hawaiʻi Island with history that stretches back centuries. If you are narrowing down the best things to do in Kona, start on the water: night snorkeling with manta rays, two of the clearest snorkel bays in the state, and a volcano park within day-trip distance. This ranked list gives you prices, booking rules, and the practical details most guides skip.
Key Highlights
- Kona stays dry and sunny nearly year-round, with calm ocean water off Kailua-Kona in most months.
- The manta ray night snorkel is the one experience unique to Kona. Typical adult prices run $100 to $180, so book two to four weeks ahead in busy seasons.
- Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park costs $20 per vehicle for a 7-day pass, according to the National Park Service. The park is cashless.
- Kealakekua Bay holds some of the clearest snorkeling in Hawaiʻi, but every vessel crossing the bay needs a state permit filed at least 14 days ahead.
- Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park sits about 95 miles from Kona via Highway 11, a 2 to 2.5 hour drive each way. Leave by 7am for a full day.
Getting Around Kona
Kailua-Kona is compact and walkable along Aliʻi Drive, but nearly everything else requires a car. Rent one at Kona (KOA), about 15 minutes north of town. Highway 11 runs south through coffee country toward the volcano; Highway 19 runs north to the Kohala beaches.
Distances from Kailua-Kona: Kahaluʻu Beach Park is about 5 miles south, Kealakekua Bay about 12 miles, Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau about 20 miles, and Hapuna Beach about 30 miles north. Snorkel parking fills by 9 or 10am, so start early. Travelers pairing Kona with another island can compare notes with the best things to do on Oʻahu.
Best Time to Visit Kona
There is no single best month, because the leeward coast stays dry year-round. Come December through April for humpback whale watching, November for the Kona Coffee Cultural Festival, or June for the Kamehameha Day parade. Summer brings the calmest snorkeling water, while winter can push bigger surf onto west-facing beaches.
The 13 Best Kona Experiences, Ranked
1. Snorkel with manta rays at night
This is Kona’s signature trip and the one experience you cannot do anywhere else in Hawaiʻi. After dark, boats anchor offshore and lower bright lights into the water. Plankton gathers in the glow, and manta rays with wingspans of 12 to 16 feet loop through it while you float at the surface holding a light board. No scuba certification is needed.
Expect a market range of $100 to $180 per adult: large boats usually land at $100 to $135, smaller boats and rafts at $135 to $180, and ride-along seats at $50 to $90. Small-group trips sell out two to four weeks ahead in winter and summer, so read our manta ray night snorkel guide before you book.
2. Snorkel Kealakekua Bay
This marine preserve holds some of the clearest water in the state, with coral gardens and spinner dolphins most mornings. The best snorkeling sits off the Captain Cook Monument at Kaʻawaloa.
State rules are strict. Every vessel crossing the bay, including kayaks and paddleboards, needs a Department of Land and Natural Resources transit permit filed at least 14 days in advance. Landing at Kaʻawaloa Flat or the monument needs separate written DLNR approval, held only by licensed operators. Private kayakers may swim and snorkel but may not land.
3. Snorkel Kahaluʻu Beach Park
For easy shore snorkeling, this is the pick. A protected reef flat sits steps from the parking lot, and green sea turtles feed here most days. Arrive before 9am for calm water and a parking spot.
Do not touch the turtles. Hawaiʻi law protects honu, and fines for harming sea turtles reach $10,000. Hawaiʻi also bans the sale of sunscreens with oxybenzone and octinoxate, so buy reef-safe sunscreen before you arrive. Kona’s shore snorkeling beats most of Oʻahu’s, though our guide to snorkeling in Honolulu covers the other island’s best spots for travelers doing both.
4. Walk Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park
The “place of refuge” was a sanctuary in old Hawaiʻi: anyone who broke kapu could reach this shoreline and be absolved. Today it holds royal grounds, the great wall, and reconstructed temples along a quiet bay.
Admission is $20 per vehicle for a 7-day pass, according to the National Park Service, and the park is cashless. Grounds open at 8:15am and close at sunset; the visitor center runs 8:30am to 4:30pm. Pair the visit with snorkeling at Hōnaunau Bay, known locally as Two Step, next door.
5. Tour Huliheʻe Palace and Mokuaikaua Church
These two sit a block apart in Kailua Village and cover Kona’s royal era in one walk. Huliheʻe Palace was a vacation home for Hawaiian royalty, furnished with koa wood pieces from the monarchy period. Mokuaikaua Church, built in 1820, is the oldest Christian church in the islands, with walls of lava rock and coral mortar.
Huliheʻe Palace opens Wednesday through Saturday, 10am to 3:30pm, and Wednesday through Friday visits run by reservation. The guided Moʻolelo tour costs $20; self-guided general admission runs around $10 for adults and $5 for youth, though prices may have changed. Check daughtersofhawaii.org before you go.
6. Take a Kona coffee farm tour
Coffee arrived in Kona in 1828, and the slopes above Kealakekua still grow some of the most prized beans in the United States. Most farms run free or low-cost tours, often under $25, with tastings included.
Buy beans at the farm gate instead of the airport shops; prices are lower and roast dates are fresher. If you visit in November, the Kona Coffee Cultural Festival adds farm events and tastings across the district. This makes an easy half-day stop on the drive south toward Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau.
7. Explore Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park
This free national park just north of the airport preserves ancient Hawaiian fishponds, petroglyph fields, and a quiet shoreline where sea turtles haul out. The two-mile loop passes Aimakapa and Kaloko fishponds, built centuries ago to farm fish behind stone walls.
Go in the morning for cooler air and better wildlife viewing, and bring water since there is no food for sale inside the park. Travelers building a two-island trip can pair this low-key morning with the things to do in Waikiki on the Oʻahu leg.
8. Go whale watching (December to April)
Humpback whales migrate to Hawaiian waters each winter to breed and calve, and Kona’s deep offshore drop-off puts boats near them fast. Morning tours from Honokōhau Harbor run about two hours, on catamarans and rigid-hull rafts.
Book the earliest departure you can, since seas are calmest in the morning. Most boats lower a hydrophone so you can hear the males singing. Bring a jacket; it feels cooler three miles offshore than it does on Aliʻi Drive.
9. Day-trip to Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park
The volcano is the farthest item on this list, but it is the one most visitors regret skipping. From Kailua-Kona it is about 95 miles via Highway 11, a 2 to 2.5 hour drive each way. Plan it as a full day: leave by 7am, tour the summit area and Chain of Craters Road, and drive back after sunset. Our Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park visitor guide covers the stops in order.
Check the eruption status before you commit to the drive. Pack a rain jacket and a fleece: the summit sits above 4,000 feet and runs 15 to 20 degrees cooler than Kona.
10. Walk the Kona Cloud Forest Sanctuary
Above Kaloko, a private sanctuary protects one of the last intact patches of Kona’s native cloud forest. Guided walks pass through bamboo stands, giant ferns, and orchids, with guides explaining which plants are native and which arrived with people.
Tours run by reservation and groups stay small, so book a day or two ahead. The sanctuary sits around 3,000 feet, so bring a light rain layer even on sunny mornings.
11. Taste beer at Kona Brewing Co.
The brewery’s Kailua-Kona pub sits on the waterfront, a short walk from Kailua Pier. Longboard Island Lager and Big Wave are the flagships, but the pub pours small-batch taps you will not find on the mainland. Brewhouse tours run on select days, so call ahead.
Go for lunch rather than dinner to beat the crowds on cruise-ship days. The lanai seating faces the harbor.
12. Watch sunset on Aliʻi Drive and Kailua Pier
The cheapest item on this list is also one of the best. Aliʻi Drive runs along the water for about five miles through town. Walk south from Kailua Pier past the seawall restaurants, then turn back when the sky goes dark.
On some evenings, manta rays feed under the pier lights and you can watch them from the railings. Bring a light layer; the breeze picks up after dark.
13. Spend a beach day at Hapuna Beach
About 30 miles north of Kona, Hapuna Beach State Recreation Area holds the island’s best white-sand swimming beach. The half-mile crescent has lifeguards, shade pavilions, and gentle entry in summer.
Parking costs a few dollars for nonresidents; the beach itself is free. Winter surf can close the far end, so swim near the lifeguard towers.
Prices and Tickets at a Glance
Here are the fees that surprise visitors most, with sources.
Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau NHP: $20 per vehicle, 7-day pass, cashless (National Park Service).
Huliheʻe Palace: $20 guided Moʻolelo tour; self-guided admission around $10 adult and $5 youth (Daughters of Hawaiʻi; confirm before visiting).
Manta ray night snorkel: $100 to $180 per adult market range; ride-along seats $50 to $90.
Kaloko-Honokōhau NHP: free.
Kealakekua Bay: bay access is free; vessels need a DLNR transit permit filed at least 14 days ahead.
Whale watching: prices vary by operator and boat size.
Practical Tips for Kona
Book the manta ray trip before you fly; the best small boats sell out first. Buy reef-safe sunscreen at home, since Hawaiʻi bans the sale of sunscreens containing oxybenzone and octinoxate.
Pack for two climates. The coast runs warm and dry, but the volcano summit and the cloud forest run 15 to 20 degrees cooler, and both can rain. A fleece and a rain shell cover every stop on this list.
Keep mornings for the ocean, afternoons for history and coffee, and one full day for the volcano. Families who want the planning handled can compare options in our Hawaiʻi family vacation package guide.
If you book one thing before you fly, make it the manta ray night snorkel; no other Hawaiian island offers it. Then check the whale season calendar and the volcano’s current conditions, and build the rest of your days around those two anchors.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many days do you need in Kona?
Plan on three to four full days. That covers the manta ray night snorkel, a snorkeling morning at Kealakekua Bay or Kahaluʻu, the Huliheʻe Palace and coffee farm stops, and one full day for the Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park drive. Add a fifth day if you want a slow beach day at Hapuna or a second snorkel trip.
Is Kona or Hilo the better base on the Big Island?
Most visitors prefer Kona. The west side stays dry and sunny with calm snorkeling water, while Hilo gets far more rain. Hilo sits closer to Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, about 45 minutes away, so split your stay if the volcano is your top priority. Kona wins for beaches, sunsets, and ocean tours.
Do you need a rental car in Kona?
Yes. Kailua-Kona’s waterfront is walkable, but Kealakekua Bay, the coffee farms, Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau, and the volcano all require driving. Book the car with your flights, since the Kona airport counter sells out in peak months and walk-up rates run high. Rideshares cover town trips but not the 95-mile volcano drive.
Can you visit Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park as a day trip from Kona?
Yes, and many visitors do. The drive is about 95 miles via Highway 11 and takes 2 to 2.5 hours each way. Leave Kailua-Kona by 7am to reach the summit area with a full day ahead, tour Kīlauea’s overlooks and Chain of Craters Road, and return after dark. Pack a fleece, since the summit runs much cooler than the coast.
What is the best month to visit Kona?
There is no single best month, because Kona’s leeward coast stays dry year-round. Come December through April for humpback whale watching, November for the Kona Coffee Cultural Festival, or June for the Kamehameha Day parade. Summer brings the calmest snorkeling water, while winter brings bigger surf to some west-facing beaches.
Is the manta ray night snorkel safe for kids and non-swimmers?
Yes, with conditions. You float at the surface holding a light board for about 45 minutes, and no diving is involved. Operators provide wetsuits and flotation aids, and most set a minimum age around 5 to 8 years. Weak swimmers should tell the crew at check-in so they can stay close. Anyone prone to seasickness should take precautions before boarding.