A list of the Top 10 Best Things To Do on Oahu, Hawaii. A must read if you're planning a trip to Hawaii, and want to know all of the best Oahu secrets, activities and tips!
Since living on Oahu, Hawaii for 9 glorious months in 2009, I've been asked countless times for activity recommendations by people who are heading to the islands on vacation.
I thought it would make a good FAQ post to list out our top 10 favorite things to do on Oahu, Hawaii, for anyone who is dreaming of Oahu, or who is heading to there on vacation and looking for things to do or see.
Please keep in mind that these are the best, in our humble opinion alone, and that there are many other incredible things to do and see on the island besides these. The list I made of our favorites was much longer than 10 so I pared it down to include our MOST favorite. I might need to do a follow-up post to this one in the future. I know other people will disagree with this list, saying other things are better than what I've listed, but like I said, these are in our opinion only.
10 Things You Must Do on Oahu Hawaii:
1. Pearl Harbor
I listed Pearl Harbor first because it was such a moving place for me to visit. We went with each different family group that came out, and I enjoyed the experience every time.
Hearing the stories, watching the video from the day Pearl Harbor was attacked, walking through the memorial and seeing the oil still leaking up in the bay; it got me every time.
2. Waikiki Beach
The iconic Waikiki Beach is a must see when you're on Oahu. If you're visiting, chances are you might be staying in Waikiki, since the majority of the island's hotels are located here.
During the day, the view of Diamond Head [top photo, below] is spectacular, and the beaches are idyllic. The water is warm, you can people-watch to your heart's content, and there are lots of water activities to try. You can learn to surf, snorkel, hop on a fishing charter, try out a dinner cruise, or stop at one of the many bars and restaurants along the beach.
At night, the Waikiki strip is full of night life, shops and more attractions to keep you entertained.
3. Diamond Head
Diamond Head is actually a state monument, and it's as much an iconic part of Oahu as Waikiki Beach.
The hike up Diamond Head is easy enough to accommodate most anyone; I saw girls making the trek in high heels!
The views from the top are nothing short of jaw-dropping. One of my most favorite photographs I've ever taken is from the top of Diamond Head and hangs as a huge canvas in both my bedroom and my parent's bedroom.
4. Makapu'u Point Lighthouse Trail
A hike similar to Diamond Head but less commercialized and organized is the Makapu'u Point Lighthouse Trail. This hike provides more incredible views and other neat sights along the way like old military bunkers and a beautiful lighthouse.
In the photo below, the little turtle-looking island on the horizon to the left? That was where we called home - Marine Corps Base Hawaii [MCBH]. Matt lived there for 3 years, when he wasn't deployed to Iraq, and I lived there for 9 blessed months in 2009.
5. Snorkeling at Shark's Cove and Hanauma Bay
I love to snorkel. I love snorkeling in Minnesota's lakes and mine pits, even though the fish we see are all generally the same color and look a lot alike.
Snorkeling in a tropical place is completely different and totally charming. There are two amazing places we liked to snorkel and we took our visitors to.
Shark's Cove is a great spot off the Kamehameha Highway. You park along the road, walk down to the bottom of the cove's shoreline and jump in the water. If it's wavy that day or the tide gets too high, there can be rolling waves which stir up the bottom and make it hard to see the fish. But it's a great spot to snorkel and there were TONS of fish to see every time we went there!
Hanauma Bay is another incredible snorkeling place. It's very popular, and the parking lot fills up quickly. So if you plan to go, go early in the day so you can get a spot. You have to pay, but it's well worth the money. There are tons of fish, and the bay is so picturesque you could almost cry.
My only complaint about snorkeling here was that we must have gone at a low tide time. The water was only a few feet deep, so I was almost scraping the bottom at times as I swam along. It might be worth trying to go at a time of high tide here, or else just deal with it. It did allow me to get real up close and personal with the fish!
6. Hoomaluhia Botanical Gardens in Kaneohe
We lived at MCBH which is on the windward side of Oahu. Waikiki and Diamond Head are on the south side.
Not far from the base was the prettiest botanical garden I have ever been to. The Hoomaluhia Botanical Gardens in Kaneohe were absolutely spectacular and made you feel like you were very much in lush, jungle Hawaii.
Chickens ran wild through the gardens, there were dozens of hiking trails, and the views... oh the views!
One thing I would recommend is bringing some bug spray. We didn't and were driven out of some spots because of the bugs.
7. Maunawili Falls Trail
On one of my very first trips to visit Matt before I moved out for good, he took me to Maunawili Falls, on a hiking trail through the jungle of Oahu. I loved the feel of being deep in the lush vegetation of the jungle, and it was unlike anything I'd ever seen before in my life.
It made such a great impression, we brought every visitor we had there too!
The hike is on a trail through the jungle, over a few streams, and finally leads you to a breathtaking waterfall.
Maunawili Falls is notorious for being a place where people can jump off that rock ledge, into the pool below. There is also a much higher ledge to the top left of the photo, maybe 40 or 50 feet above the pool? I've seen people jump from there too. I passed on that opportunity.
Maunawili Falls remains one of the key memories that pop into my mind when I think of Oahu, and being in Hawaii. It is very much what I picture as HAWAII.
8. "Turtle Beach" - Laniakea Beach
We stumbled upon this beach on our drive up the North Shore once, but I know it's not a secret beach by any means. We had just never heard of it before.
As you're driving up the North Shore toward Haleiwa, just before you get to the town of Haleiwa, you'll pass a beach that will be full of cars. That beach is Laniakea, better knows at Turtle Beach.
Turtles come in to eat the algae on the rocks and they are mesmerizing.
You can see them floating in the waves in the shallow parts of the water, and then you can almost always see some up on the shore.
When my parents talk about being in Hawaii, Turtle Beach is one of their most favorite memories. They liked it so much that we went back twice during their visit.
9. The Drive Up To North Shore
One of my favorite things to do while we lived on Oahu was to get in our car and drive around the island.
You can drive around the perimeter of most of the island, cutting through the middle which offers you views of picturesque pineapple fields and the Dole Plantation.
Some of the must-sees on a drive around the island are the views everywhere, the delicious fruit stands that dot the edges of the highway, the Shrimp Trucks and Shacks along the way, and when you get to Haleiwa, getting Shave Ice at Matsumoto's or Aoki's.
Catching a sunset while sitting on the beach on North Shore is an incredible way to experience Hawaii too.
10. Ko'Olina Lagoons
The last of our favorite spots on Oahu is on the far southwest side of the island. The majority of everything else is either on the southern part of the island, the eastern side or the north shore.
On the southwest coast of Oahu are the Ko'Olina Lagoons. They are incredible beaches with the finest white sand and the calmest waters, because the reefs block the waves.
I felt like a mermaid sitting on the beach at Ko'Olina!
The only downside to these lagoons is that parking can be a problem. We lived on the opposite side of the island and one time, we drove ALL the way across the island to go to the lagoons. Once we arrived, we found the parking lots completely full and had to change plans and go someplace else. If you go, get there early so you can secure your spot.
There you have it - our Top 10 Favorite Things To Do On Oahu, Hawaii!
Like I mentioned before, there are many, many more things to do on this incredible island. I would highly recommend picking up a guide book to help you plan your trip. A good Oahu, Hawaii guide book will point you to hidden gems that you might not find out about otherwise, as well as give you food recommendations that can be very helpful. I bought and read Oahu Revealed cover to cover before our trip and it helped find many Must Do's we would have missed otherwise.
Things change quickly too, so it's possible some of these recommendations will change over time.
One of my favorite things to do in Waikiki was to go to the International Marketplace, and while I was writing this list, I googled it and discovered that just a few months ago, the International Marketplace closed and was torn down to accommodate a Saks Fifth Avenue. How disappointing! However, a blog reader who lives on Oahu mentioned that many of the vendors from the International Marketplace relocated to the Swap Meet at the Aloha Stadium. The hours vary to be sure to check first before you go. But that's a great place to look for souvenirs.
I also read that the Aoki's building that had been serving Shave Ice to locals and tourists alike for decades was torn down in part of a new development project. Aoki's said they were moving to a new building, so I hope they continue to have business success in their new location.
Matt and I are starting to plan our return to Oahu for the first time since leaving in September of 2009. I can't wait to revisit these favorites of ours and soak in the Aloha spirit we have missed so much. The islands get into your blood almost the minute you set foot here, and you never get rid of that feeling. At least we didn't.
Have you been to Hawaii? Oahu, or one of the other islands? What were your favorite things to do?
P.S. There have been other great suggestions given in the comments section below. Make sure to give those a look to add a few more things you must do on Oahu Hawaii!
MARUJA NAVARRO BLASCO
Hi, we are preparing our trip to Oahu, I am getting nut with the tours. We are going to stay 6 days and we would like to see city and nature. Regarding nature, which tour do you recommend us?
We are travelling with 8 years old girl, so LOST TOURS of 8 hours is too much... and tHE KUALOA RANCH of 1 hour is tooo short. What about the Kuola Ranch package?
Laura Radniecki
Hi Maruja!
Thanks for commenting and I'm happy you found my post. How exciting about your upcoming trip to Oahu!
Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of experience with tours on the island so I'm not of much help there.
I would start with contacting the Chamber of Commerce and seeing if they might be of help to you. Also, depending on where you are staying, the front desk staff often are a great resource for help. You could call wherever you are staying and ask for some information or recommendations that way too.
Good luck with your preparations and I hope it's the trip of a lifetime for you!
Laura
Lois
Laura, I have a question about Diamond Head. My husband and I are planning an early 50th anniversary at Oahu next month. We are 67 and 68 years old and we want to climb Diamond Head but I am wondering if it will be too steep for us with the 225 steps. I already know to take plenty of water for the hike.
Laura Radniecki
Hi Lois!
Thanks for writing and asking your question about Diamond Head! And congratulations on your Oahu anniversary trip plans! You are going to have a wonderful time!!!
Take everything I say with a grain of salt of course, but I would say that if you are in good shape, you would be fine. You can take the steps as fast or as slow as you want, so that should help. Going when it's not too terribly hot would help it not be as strenuous too.
People of all ages hike it, and I even saw some women wearing high heels on it! Not that I'd recommend that haha - but I don't think there's any reason you shouldn't be able to do the hike if you pace yourself, unless there's a physical or medical limitation that would make something like that too difficult.
Let me know how your trip goes! I hope you have a wonderful time!
Laura
Oswaldo
Oahu is a well known holiday destination of the world where a lot of visitors visited it annually with family and kids and enjoyed their holidays. I really like it so much and have a spent spectacular time there. I would love to explore this most exciting destination in my future life again and again.
Hana
What a great post thank you! Our family has been going there for 3 years now and just love it! We’ll have to check out turtle beach and that trail you did! Fun! 🙂
We did a top 10 of our fave things to do so far...it’s done through the eyes of our 10 year old son. Thanks again for the post!
https://youtu.be/JumiCnPMkzg
Laura Radniecki
Hi Hana! Thanks for the link to the video done through the eyes of your 10 year old son. How fun!! And so lucky to be able to visit Oahu so often!! Enjoy!!
Caroline Wilhite
Laura, this is a great list! I'm a Oahu photographer and those are some of my favorite places to shoot family sessions. I'm going to share this with my clients!
Laura Radniecki
Hi Caroline! Thanks so much for the sweet words! Oh gosh, I can only imagine what a dream it would be to shoot on Oahu regularly! Thanks for sharing this post, and to anyone reading this who might want to have family photos taken when they're on Oahu (DO IT!) - give Caroline a shout!! 🙂
Caroline Wilhite
Thank you, Laura!
Aaron
Turtle Beach is a well known holiday destination of the world where a lot of visitors visited it annually and spent their holidays. I really like it so much and have a spent spectacular time there. I would love to go there again if I get any chance.
Jennifer Thomas
Thank you for the wonderful ideas. My fiance and I are getting married in April with the Honeymoon in Hawaii. We will be staying on Oahu and already planning different things to see and or do while there. Gonna add your tips to the list.
Laura Radniecki
Hi Jennifer! You are so welcome! I'm happy you found my post and have added these tips to your list! You're going to have a truly memorable honeymoon! Enjoy it!!
Yolanda Courtney
We are planning a trip to Oahu in December 2018 to celebrate our son's 50th birthday. He was only 9 months old when we left back in 1969. He was born at Tripler Army Hospital. So much has changed, I'll miss the International Market Place, for it was there my husband and I ( he was station there in the Navy) had walked by Don Ho's restaurant and heard him singing. That's a memory I haven't forgotten!! Is the Polynesian Culture Center located in the same place or has it moved? Just reading your post brings back quite a few memories, looking forward to going back if only for 10 days. I'll use some of the information your readers have recommended, for I would like to plan something very SPECIAL for our son for his 50th!! Other than a luau, any recommendations would be greatly appreciated. We had lived in Wahiwau (sp?) and Kaneohe . Truly looking forward to go down memory lane once again and since things and places have changed I will be reading your blog/post for more updated information. Thanks Laura and your many readers for all the information. Aloha
Laura Radniecki
Hi Yolanda! Oh wow, what a trip you are going to have!!! I just got chills for you, thinking about it! As far as I know and have been told, the Polynesian Cultural Center is still in Laie, up along the coast on the drive toward North Shore. I hope you guys have an incredible trip, and that this post (and all of the comments because there are lots of awesome insight in them!) give you tons to think about on your trip. The guidebook I mentioned and linked to is also a great current resource as well. Good luck planning, and if you think of it after the fact, drop me a line to tell me how it went!! xo! Laura
Jan Whitehouse
Loved this blog. Very useful information.
My husband & I are going to Hawaii for a week next May on the way home from New Zealand.
Husband wants to go to Pearl Harbour but finding it really confusing as to which island to stay on. Also I have read somewhere about all the crime, locals leaving their cars unlocked to save damage when they are broken in to and it’s not safe to go to the beach at night. Any comments from anyone who’s been there recently.
Thanks
Jan
Laura Radniecki
Hi Jan! Thanks for reading the post; I'm glad you found it helpful! Wow, what an amazing trip you have coming up!!
I do remember hearing about the crime. I think it's always somewhat of a concern, but things like making sure any valuables are locked in the trunk of your rental or taking them with you will help a lot. I wouldn't go to the beach at night, no. Watching the sunset is one thing, but once it's dark, I wouldn't want to be in the ocean anyway haha, so I would probably steer clear of beaches after dark. There is definitely crime, but I think that normal common sense carefulness goes a lot way to keep you safe.
As far as which island to go to, Pearl Harbor is on Oahu, so if that's the main thing your husband wants to see, I think Oahu would be a good bet for you guys. Although, with your trip to Hawaii being a week long, you could definitely do a few days on Oahu and a few days on another island.
I can only speak from experience about Oahu and Maui (we spent 4 days on Maui for a trip while we lived on Oahu), but I have also heard beautiful things about Kauai. I do agree though, all four of the main Hawaiian islands sound amazing for different reasons. I'd like to visit them all someday! 🙂
Depending on the other activities and attractions you'd like to do or see, I think Oahu might be the best fit for you guys this trip.
I hope that helps! Maybe some of the other people who commented will chime in with more current into about the crime.
Best of luck with your plans and I hope you have the trip of a lifetime!!!
Laura
Jan
Many thanks for your prompt reply.
It is going to be a trip of a lifetime as we have a couple of days in Singapore on the way out and a good few months doing South & North Islands in New Zealand, so we want to get our Hawaiian trip right. What we heard about the crime really frightened me.
This part of the holiday is basically to chill and enjoy the beauty of Hawaii. We are in our 60s so will be taking things a bit easy after a lot of driving around NZ. It doesn't seem as though hiring a car is a problem though as long as we take normal, sensible precautions.
Thanks again and I look forward to what other peolle may say.
Jan
Sylvie Le May
Dear Laura,
I will be going on a cruise around hawaian islands in Sept. 2017 (for our 25th Wedding Anniversary) and finishing off by spending 3 days in Honolulu. We will be staying in a Waikiki hotel by the Beach. I was wondering if you can suggest some restaurants not too cheap but not too pricy as well. Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Sylvie
Laura Radniecki
Hi Sylvie! Congratulations on your upcoming Hawaiian adventure! You are in for the experience of a lifetime!!
You know, it's been awhile since we lived on Oahu, and even when we did, our usual favorites were more on the Cheesecake Factory realm haha! (23 year olds will tend to eat like that, I suppose haha!) So unfortunately, I don't have too many recommendations for you as far as restaurants go. My husband's favorite was a bar called The Shorebird. It served food too, but they loved the ambiance. It was right on the beach.
I do know that the guidebook I bought (and linked to here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0983888787/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0983888787&linkCode=as2&tag=lauraradni-20&linkId=MTN2DDAEFTNRKQ7R) was SUPER helpful and included a lot of dining recommendations. You might also get some good tips from your hotel front desk too?
Sorry for not being of more help. I hope you have a spectacular trip!
Laura
Hazel
This is a good list! This guide really directs you on what and how to enjoy in Hawaii. everyone who wants to visit Hawaii should read this. Thank you for sharing and nice photos you got here!
Dillon
Great list! Personal recommendation, make sure you hike Makapu’u Point Lighthouse Trail, and visit Turtle Beach, the Honu (green sea turtles) are awesome!
Need lodging close to some of these awesome locations? Check out the Moana Blu Collection. A group of luxury vacation rentals around Oahu that offer a truly luxurious window to beachfront Hawaiian living! Please, take a look.
suraj
This article is really helpful to me. I planned to trip next holiday on Oahu, Hawaii . Thanks for sharing.
Laura Radniecki
You are welcome, Suraj! Thanks for reading and happy travels!
Lino
Thanks for the nice tips. You may want to add: the Pillbox mountain hike in Lanikai which was quite a challenge, but the view from the top was amazing and hike to Manoa Fallls.
Laura Radniecki
Hi Lino!
Thanks for the additional tips to add to the list!
I appreciate you reading and commenting!
Laura
Robert
Thanks for the info Laura. My wife and I will be visiting the Hawaiian islands for the first time. We'll be doing 5 days in Maui and 5 days in Oahu. Really looking forward to getting away from NJ and enjoying the tropics of Hawaii.
Laura Radniecki
Hi Robert!
You are welcome! Thanks for reading and I'm glad you enjoyed the post!
You will have the best time exploring the Maui and Oahu. You might not want to go back home! 🙂
Safe travels and enjoy!
Laura