Rainbow Falls and Akaka Falls?

[louanddave]

Does anyone know...

 

How far are these waterfalls from Hilo?

 

Do you need a tour to view them or can you go on your own?

 

Thanks

Lou

[Suebee]

While I do not remember the exact time, they were a rather brief, scenic trip just outside of Hilo no more than 30 minutes...depending on how you do your drive.

 

At least for Akaka, you can drive up, get a parking space (no fee) and wak through the park. Be aware that you will be walking on uneven ground, sometimes stairs, sometimes mud if it is wet out so if you have difficulty walking, I would steer clear.

 

So no, you do not need a tour, yes, you can go on your own and its close enough that you can do both and still have time to see a little of downtown Hilo.

[nygirl07]

my cousin is in Hawaii as I type and he said that both of these falls are a 20 minute drive and you can tour them in 3 minutes. I have him doing everything so he can tell me what to skip and do on each island when I leave in April.

[Suebee]

3 minutes is a little short...we were probably in the Akaka Falls park for 45 minutes but we were taking our time, taking pictures and explaining things to our kids. It would take more than 3 minutes to hike from the parking area to the falls themselves. It was raining the day we were there and people were inching along the path looking at every flower.

 

Unless you are short on time or really enjoy nature, you can easily skip the falls and do something else. If you have more than 4 hours I would rather go up the volcano, but that is me. If you have the time, do something else and then if you have about an hour and 1/2 left (remember rental car return), you can do the falls then. They are beautiful but not the most stunning in Hawaii.

[spleen93]

What Suebee said ...

 

Spleen

[louanddave]

What water falls would you say are the best in the Hawaiian Islands?

 

Thanks

Lou

[spleen93]

Any of the ones that you can't see from the ground ... you need a helicopter on Kauai to really see the impressive ones (and a good rainy season) :)

 

Spleen

[Suebee]

True and so far we've had a drier February and no rain in March yet in Honolulu (not like there are any spectacular falls in Honolulu LOL)

[pengu1n]

How's June look like in the weather department? Dry or rainy?

[bug_dan]

Came across this info on Oahu waterfalls. I believe most of the ones that do exist on Oahu require some walking/hiking to get to them.http://www.geocities.com/oheposts/Oct01/10-11b.html

[Suebee]

It can rain anytime but June should be dry.