Looking for a great and simple itinerary for a week in Oahu? You’ve came in the right place! I’ve created a 7-day itinerary from my last experience, including the best places I saw and I’d visit again. It’s everything from mountains, beaches and experiences.
Oh, Hawaii, many would say it’s the most beautiful place on earth and I’m totally one of them. With gorgeous clear water, hikes that can make you feel you’re on the top of the world, great activities and vibe, this stunning place has something beautiful prepared for any person willing to explore it or just relax on the beaches while admiring it.
when it all started…
We visited Hawaii in April 2019, for 8 days in Oahu and 8 days in Maui. The weather was totally perfect, there was just one rainy day, but the rain was pretty short. We rented a car to go all around the island, which in my opinion is the best choice for Hawaii as there are many spots where to stop and explore. Renting a car is not very expensive in the United States, but you can also take the bus.
About this Oahu itinerary
Our great itinerary let us see almost every beautiful spot of Oahu. 😊 If you have any other recommendations or opinions about this article, feel free to let us know in the comments below. Also don’t forget to subscribe on the form you can find at the end of this article for similar travel blogs. 🙂
oahu itinerary Day 1 – Diamond head trail, manoa falls & Tantalus lookout
All being very close to Waikiki, they are easily accesible by car or bus. As they are not difficult to accomplish, it’s a great experience for kids too, in case you travel with them.
Diamond Head Trail
This a short trail that will reward you at the end of the climb with incredible views of Honolulu. I was surprised to see that it was not that crowded. You should bring water with you because it gets very hot and you won’t be covered for the sun by trees or buildings.
Manoa Falls
To reach Manoa Falls you’ll have to go on a 2.5 km roundtrip trail (1.6 miles). You’ll admire the beauty of nature, feeling like in the middle of the jungle. If you’re a fan of Jurassic Park or Lost series, you’ll fast feel like the landscapes are familiar, that’s because numerous scenes of them were filmed here. Be aware that the terrain can be slippery because of stones or wet mud (especially after rain) . Also, it opens at 8am and closes at 7pm, so be sure you make it in time there. At the end of the trail, you will find the incredible 150 feet high waterfall cascading down the mountainside. Many people go inside the refreshing water despite the signs telling you not to do it.
Tantalus Lookout
Best at night, gives you a wide view of Honolulu, even better than on the Diamond Header Trail. A very good place to admire the city being alive with thousands of lights. You can also go there for a great sunset experience, being one of the best places to see it in Oahu.
All being very close to Waikiki, they are easily accesible by car or bus. As they are not difficult to accomplish, it’s a great experience for kids too, in case you travel with them.
Diamond Head Trail
This a short trail that will reward you at the end of the climb with incredible views of Honolulu. I was surprised to see that it was not that crowded. You should bring water with you because it gets very hot and you won’t be covered for the sun by trees or buildings.
Manoa Falls
To reach Manoa Falls you’ll have to go on a 2.5 km roundtrip trail (1.6 miles). You’ll admire the beauty of nature, feeling like in the middle of the jungle. If you’re a fan of Jurassic Park or Lost series, you’ll fast feel like the landscapes are familiar, that’s because numerous scenes of them were filmed here. Be aware that the terrain can be slippery because of stones or wet mud (especially after rain) . Also, it opens at 8am and closes at 7pm, so be sure you make it in time there. At the end of the trail, you will find the incredible 150 feet high waterfall cascading down the mountainside. Many people go inside the refreshing water despite the signs telling you not to do it.
Tantalus Lookout
Best at night, gives you a wide view of Honolulu, even better than on the Diamond Header Trail. A very good place to admire the city being alive with thousands of lights. You can also go there for a great sunset experience, being one of the best places to see it in Oahu.
1. Diamond head trail (Honolulu from above)
2. Trail to Manoa Falls
3. Manoa Falls
oahu itinerary Day 2 – Go snorkeling at hanauma bay, then head to halona blowhole lookout and lanai lookout
4. Hanauma Bay from above
Hanauma Bay
When comes to Hanauma Bay, you have to be aware that the parking is pretty small and most of the time full. So you have three choices:
1. you park pretty far away and walk (I wouldn’t do it)
2. you continue going and then turn back there and see if there is any parking spot free (it will be announced at the entrance)
3. pick the daily Waikiki Shuttles to Hanauma Bay.
We got lucky and were able to find a free parking spot using the second method, after turning back only once (the first time it was full). Don’t forget to bring sunscreen because Hawaii is close to the Equator, so you can get burns easier than you imagine.
Halona Blowhole Lookout & Lanai Lookout
You can spend more time here as they won’t take so much time. There’s a parking spot for each one of them just next to the road and you can stop there and see the viewpoint. On the left side of the road you can also see the Koko Head Crater Trail: a railway that I talked about at Day 6.
oahu itinerary Day 3 – hidden gem: spitting caves + Makapu’u Point Lighthouse Trail
Spitting Caves
I felt in love with this place the first moment I saw it. I didn’t even expect it to be so beautiful. This place may not impress everyone, but for me it was in top 3 and a total must-see. When we first arrived to the location on maps, we were confused. It was an ended road with houses around it, no sign of any trails or viewpoints.
We walked around for like 3-5 minutes until we saw a small walk. It was between two houses, between trees, so we decided to go down there. As in the image on the right, that trail led us to this incredible place. It’s also a scene of the TV Show “Lost”, if you’re a fan of it. 🙂
Talking about the parking, there is no specific parking for this spot because it’s not popular. When we went there we were alone for some time and then a group of 2 or 3 people came. So you’ll have to park anywhere you find an empty parking spot on that road.
Makapu’u point lighthouse trail
It’s a very easy trail to do, with asphalt where you can go also cycling or running. Make sure you have water because there are no trees or buildings covering you from sun most of the time. At the end, you’ll see a lighthouse as in the photo on the right and a beautiful ocean view. You can also go to a ~10m trail on the top (covered in trees). There you will also see a more beautiful view of the ocean and road (and there was nobody else).
There is a parking spot specific for this trail where you shouldn’t have any issues with finding free parking spots. You can also arrive there by bus, but this way you won’t be able to see Spitting Caves.
If you’re coming with your personal car, make sure you don’t leave any valuables in the car. This trail is very safe and also kids friendly. Still, if you go off the trail, there may be some dangers, depending on where exactly you go. There are cliff edges close to the trail (if you don’t follow it), so be aware of that. If you get tired or you’re not used to climb or to walk too much, you don’t need to worry. You can take many stops to photographs the views around you or just to admire them. Probably you will do this even when you won’t feel really tired. 🙂
5. The small and hidden trail to Spitting Caves
6. Spitting Caves view
7. Makapu’u point lighthouse trail
oahu itinerary Day 4 – ho’omaluhia botanical garden and kualoa ranch +Byodo-In Temple
8. Ho’omaluhia Botanical Gardens view
9. Byodo-In Temple
10. Kualoa Ranch movie tour view
11. Kualoa Ranch Jurassic Park location
Ho’omaluhia botanical garden
This is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen in my life so far. The nature is incredible (as in the photos 8&12). Anywhere you look around you will see these incredible mountains. (with lots of hikes as the popular one called Stairway to Heaven)
There are multiple parking spots around the garden. Another great thing is that there is no entrance fee for this gem. If you want, you can either drive in and enjoy the views from the car, or park anywhere and go explore by feet the surroundings.
Another thing is that taking photos with you is prohibited in the middle of the street, so be careful.
Kualoa Ranch
Another great place to visit, even if it has a pretty high fee, I think it’s worth it. As I’m a big fan of Lost, filmed in Hawaii, I took the movie tour that took us in multiple places where series/movies were created (e.g. Jurassic Park (img. 11) etc.) and it’s very interesting if you’re a fan too.
One thing to be aware of it’s that it closes at 6pm, so make sure you get there in time. The presenters were also friendly and funny and the tour was very entertained thanks to them. The parking is free and easy, but if you didn’t rent a car, you can also get there by bus.
Byodo-In Temple
Want to feel like in Japan in the middle of Hawaii’s jungle? Here’s the perfect place to do so.
This temple is a replica of a Buddhist temple in Kyoto that is 900 year old and was created to celebrate the centennial anniversary of the arrival of Japanese culture to Hawaii. Though, it is not a functioning Buddhist temple in the proper sense.
It’s a really nice place to relax, there is a parking spot and the entrance is not free. If you want to visit the temple and take photos it costs $4. Still, in my opinion it’s worth it as it’s a really nice place to see.
The Temple Grounds will be closed at 5PM, so make sure you get there in time to enjoy it. As it’s pretty close to the other two attractions, I would recommend putting it on the list and spending some time here too.
12. Ho’omaluhia Botanical Gardens road
oahu itinerary Day 5 – go skydiving and then swim with turtles at waimea bay, then see Lāʻie Point State Wayside
Skydiving!
Yes, it’s a must do in Hawaii! I chose to go with Skydive Hawaii and I was not disappointed. With one of the best views in the world, I was really surprised to see that it costs just $200. Still, if you want photos+video it will be a bit more expensive. ($210 for the combo, so it will be $410)
However, it’s worth it, it was one of the best experiences I’ve had in Hawaii. As soon as I touched the ground I said: “I want it again!”. Skydiving is one of those things that it’s hard to start to do, but once you started, you don’t want to stop doing it.
Scared of skydiving?
Think about the fact that those people jump out of airplanes every day so many times and nothing happens. It’s as the fear of flying: you know it’s very safe and still, you’re afraid. If you’re scared of skydiving, think about this. You only live once and it’s more important to live your life, not just to exist. So take this chance to feel the adrenaline rushing through your body and to never forget this experience.
There is a free parking there. Make sure you book the skydive online because it is more expensive if you pay directly there. Also, you can’t pay for the same day, you have to book in advance for the jump.
La’ie point state wayside & Kaʻena Point Trail
You’ll have the rest of the day free to explore the north shore. So you can just drive around and stop to see multiple places. This includes the beautiful La’ie point state wayside. There is also a long trail along the north, called Kaʻena Point Trail. When I went it was such a hot day that we couldn’t continue for too much. You’ll need to get water and to do it in a day when it’s not too hot outside. A bit of wind would help too. 🙂
13. Skydiving in Oahu
14 .La’ie point state wayside
oahu itinerary Day 6 – koko head trail (must see)
15. Koko head trail view
16. Koko head trail stairs
Koko Head Trail
This incredible hike rewarded me with one of the most beautiful views I’ve ever seen so far in my life. It’s not kid friendly because it’s pretty hard to do. Also I wouldn’t recommend it to people that are very afraid of heights. That’s because it gets very steep and it was a bit hard even for me to look back.
This trail is free and is also a good workout. You’ll climb more than 1000 stairs (some of them broken too). At the beginning it’s pretty easy, but then it gets harder as it gets steeper and the stairs become bigger. Sometimes there is a challenge too that people are doing that makes you climb it multiple times in a week. It was funny seeing people running on the stairs as I was struggling to just walk on them without breaks.
You can see the entire trail from the streets. It’s a straight line on a mountain (and that’s how I also noticed it). Sometimes it’s pretty crowded. Make sure you get enough water because you’ll need it, also sun cream and maybe a hat for the sun. (it’s very strong and it will be visible for more than half of the trail)
17. Koko head trail view
oahu itinerary Day 7 – spend some time at waikiki beach in the morning. then, visit pearl harbor and learn about its history
A relaxing day at the end of the trip would be to Pearl Harbor, learn about the history of it. It will offer you another perspective about what happened in WW2. Also, there are multiple attractions you can see around those parts: WWII Valor in the Pacific, Battleship Missouri Memorial, USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park, Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum, USS Oklahoma Memorial.
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