Region Overviews: Hawaii Travel Guide: Overview
Made up of eight primary islands. Hawaii is home to postcard-perfect beaches and waterfalls, breathtaking sunsets, active volcanoes and ancient lava flows.
Family — Teens & Kids
6 days 5 nights
Activity Level: 1-3
Premiere & Casual Hotels
From: $3,799 - $4,499 pp dbl occ
($1,000 - $1,900 for sgl occ)
The Big Island has all the elements for a great family adventure vacation. Swaying palms, rugged volcanoes and whimsical rain forests. Plus crystal waters, colorful reefs and sleeping turtles. Experience it all as you paddle the Pacific, trek around craters and bike along the coast. Add aloha, sunshine, island cuisine and luxurious hotels. Find your element in Hawaii.
Start Kailua-Kona / End Kailua-Kona or Kohala Coast
Start/End locations may vary. Do not book flights until your trip details are confirmed.
Travel across the island through a constant variety of ecosystems | Explore a newly formed caldera with a local guide and walk through a lush forest in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park | Hike through geological history in a lava tunnel | Bike along the Red Road, showcasing some of the Big Island's most scenic coastal riding | Dip your toes in the warm waters of the Pacific at a black-sand beach.
An up-country bed-and-breakfast with ideal access to Volcanoes National Park.
Visit a coffee farm and discover the story behind Kona's gourmet crop | Hike along the coast, where Hawaii’s best scenery is on display—sweeping ocean vistas, beautiful valleys, lush tropical gardens and dramatic cliffs | Visit Puuhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park, an ancient place of refuge | Kayak past rocky cliffs and secluded sea caves in the crystal-clear waters around Puako | Take the plunge on a snorkeling adventure among colorful parrotfish, Moorish idols and Hawaiian lionfish | Back at our oceanfront retreat, snorkel with sea turtles or bliss out on white sand | Kids dive into traditional activities such as ukulele and hula lessons | Start the day with a sunrise walk along the ocean on the Kahakai trail | Adults bike along the sun-soaked Kohala Coast, tracing 30 miles of the Kona Ironman Triathlon’s cycling course | Kids enjoy a beach day with paddleboards, hydro-bikes and a glass-bottom boat | Complete your Hawaiian adventure tour learning about historic petroglyphs and King Kamehameha the Great on a coastal walk.
A blissful resort on a half-moon beach offering abundant amenities and exceptional aloha hospitality. Travel + Leisure World's Best. (pool, spa)
The earlier you book, the more choice you'll have and the lower your price. And you can always change your mind — you won't be charged to transfer to a different trip before your final payment is due. View cancellation policy.
Click on dates for pricing, itinerary variations and to book your trip. Price is per person, double occupancy.
Our Private Trips are best for groups of 6 or more. We suggest joining a scheduled trip.
Group size is required to show per-person pricing. Your group size can be approximate and can change.
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Every Backroads trip is designed to appeal to a wide variety of interests and fitness levels. Several routes and a range of levels are offered each day so you can choose how much or how little activity you want to do. Learn more about how we determine activity levels.
On this Family Trip, our routes follow gentle terrain with some gradual climbs. Liberal van shuttling is incorporated into the itinerary.
The key to a stellar day's ride is a bike that's perfectly in tune with your cycling style… Backroads has you covered with the best bike fleet in the world! Please note that bike requests are subject to availability and prioritized based on the date they're submitted.
Click the gray arrow to see all bike options.
Included in your trip price
A proven classic, our most popular custom-designed titanium bike is suited for a wide range of cyclists. It features a comfortable ergonomic seat and a long wheel base that add to the bike’s control and stability.
Included in your trip price
A proven classic, our most popular custom-designed titanium bike is suited for a wide range of cyclists. It features a comfortable ergonomic seat and a long wheel base that add to the bike’s control and stability.
Included in your trip price
Keep pace or zip ahead, pedaling with an electric boost. This bike provides plenty of power to flatten the hills and more than enough battery range to cover the distance.
Min. age to ride e-bike: 16+
Included in your trip price
Backroads is the only travel company to manufacture its own line of kid's bikes. While the wheels might be small, the performance is big—it's the perfect choice for kids. On our Family Trips, you'll find 20" and 24" bikes.
Included in your trip price
The Burley Kazoo trailer bike, for children up to 85 pounds, attaches to an adult bike with your child providing some of the pedal power for a real team effort! It's ideal for kids who aren't yet ready for bike touring.
We want to make sure you're on the right trip and that you have the best experience possible. Every Backroads trip is unique and this one is no exception.
Because the Big Island is rugged and covered in lava fields, there are a limited number of paved roads traversing the island. While Backroads strives to find roadways that are quiet and off-the-beaten-track, many of the routes on this trip include highways with fast moving traffic. Of course, you are always welcome to jump in the shuttle to avoid the busier roads.
In order to bring you the full gamut of the Big Island's splendor, we spend more time shuttling on this trip than on many other Backroads trips. Our time in the shuttles will allow us to experience the incredible variety of ecosystems, scenery and activities that Hawaii has to offer. So sit back and relax, knowing that someone else is doing the driving, and enjoy the beauty of the journey.
The holiday and spring break months are a great time to travel; however, with days off and the desire to escape for sunshine many others have the same idea. While we always aim to get off the beaten path, during certain times of the year crowds and delays are unavoidable.
The Big Island boasts an astonishing array of climate zones. Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is famous for its renowned active volcanoes, rain forests and weather that varies with the elevation. Despite the tropical latitude, it can be rainy and chilly any time of the year during our stay near the National Park and visitors should be prepared for a wide range of weather conditions, including heavy rain and strong winds. The Kohala Coast also experiences powerful winds, which may make cycling coastal roads difficult or require us to alter our planned activities.
Made up of eight primary islands. Hawaii is home to postcard-perfect beaches and waterfalls, breathtaking sunsets, active volcanoes and ancient lava flows.
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