Safari West - mid September 2019

Finally, we got to Safari West. I had been waiting for years for W to be 4+ so I could take him and we made it!! Weekdays are bit cheaper than weekends for both the rooms and safari ride. They give a little discount if you book the room and stay overnight. We did a Friday night trip. I think one night is sufficient in Safari West. We booked many months in advance as they sell out pretty quick in summers and even after for weekends. We booked the Antelope Alley room to be next to the animals. They have several rooms which give a camping kind of experience. Glamping - they call it. Their website is pretty self sufficient to book everything. Tip to book - reserve the room through website and then everything else (lunch, dinner and safari ride etc) via phone to avoid the high online booking fee. They are very user friendly. Below was the view from our room.

The animals get quite loud at night, especially the flamingoes. Not everyone can sleep in that kind of noise but we managed. The noises were all throughout the night and pretty loud but we enjoyed it:) The patio in the dark was awesome with the starry night sky. It was a beautiful experience. We did not reserve the BBQ dinner for the night but I heard it is quite good. Breakfast is included in room price which was great. We did reserve the lunch for next day and it was good too. Glad we did that as there is really no eating place close by.

Next morning, we walked around the safari west. Not a lot to see while walking except for giraffes and monkeys. We were booked for a safari ride at 10am. The sooner in the morning, the better it is. The ride and rooms along with breakfast/lunch place are all pretty close - easy walking distance of 2-3 minutes. The safari ride is right in front of the eating place. I had been reading everywhere that safari ride is not recommended for pregnant women. There is no restriction by safari west as such but people avoid it. The tour guide encouraged me to go for it and I did by paying there and then. They wouldn't have allowed booking right there as they were all full but they had one seat! Glad I went. It is a bit bumpy plus there are no restrooms on the way. It gets pretty hot on the ride. So, sooner the better. Another tip: If you are pregnant, then avoid sitting on the top of the safari, else it could be hard. We got the upper level which has 3 seats as our son wanted the upper level. He loved it! They give turns to sit up if there are more than one families wanting to sit up in the jeep. We had close encounters with Ostrich, saw zebras, antelopes and giraffes along with other animals. They do not have elephants though. The safari lasts for more than an hour. Totally worth it!

Maui - August 2019

This was our first time trip to Maui island and first time with our little boy to Hawaii. The last time in Big islands was a totally different experience as it was just my husband and myself and we could do all the adventure stuff. Not this time. Not because of our son but because I was pregnant with 3rd trimester starting.
We were in Maui for almost 3.5 days. It was quite humid in August and unexpectedly warm. The tickets were cheaper right around the time when schools open after summer break. So, we took advantage of that. Direct flight to Maui from Sacramento (5ish hours) was a great thing. We booked our car rental through the orbitz package along with the hotel which proved cheaper than renting the car from costco or any other place.
We stayed at The Westin Maui Resort & Spa, Ka'anapali, booked through Orbitz. It was a great resort with a private beachfront and lots of activities going on in the hotel all the time. The hotel staff was nice as well. It felt like a nice place to relax since we had booked an oceanfront room. Since we reached almost in the evening on day 1, we decided to go to the resort's beach and then the resort had shuttle service to the Maui downtown area. We took the shuttle which was very easy.
Prior to reaching Maui, I had bought the Maui Value Pass through TripAdvisor which gives access to Atlantis Submarine ride, Maui Plantation Farms, a museum where we never went and to Maui Aquarium.
I think 3.5 days were sufficient in Maui as we stayed only on the west side of the island. The east side is awesome but the roads to get (RTH: Road To Hana) there are very winding and narrow. After much advise from forums in TripAdvisor, we decided not to plan for it due to motion sickness plus too much driving with a kid who would have asked us every minute if we reached for those 6-7 hours of drive!

Our resort was around 40 mins from the airport. Not too bad. There is a costco, walmart and all other stores around the airport. So, it was easy access to grocery. The historic district/outlet mall area (where we went every evening by hotel shuttle) had safeway as well. The area always had Luau (Hawaiian dance) for free which we enjoyed. Donations were accepted. The sunset every night was very gorgeous. One night, we had pizza at Sale Pepe for dinner which was great. Another night, we had thai . It was good too. One night we had Mexican from a local stall kind of restaurant in historic district which was just ok and probably that is why I do not remember the name of it!

Day 2: We went to Iao valley state park/ the needle for a hike. It was a beautiful area and the hike was not hard at all, maybe around a mile one way. Next we went to Maui plantation farms. We had lunch at the farms which was farm-to-fresh. Little over-priced but it was great. We enjoyed the food and would surely go there again for food! They offer a little tram ride which is included in the ticket. It was very informative too. Next we explored Paia town on the way to Ho'okipa beach which has lots of turtles. Since turtles are a protected species, pictures of them were not allowed from close.

Day 3: We went to Kapalua Coastal Trail and hiked to Nakalele Blowhole - Ohai trail. The trail was very rocky where you literally had to hold the rocks but was totally worth it. It was quite tiring but I bet if a pregnant woman can do it, then anyone can with that "will" :) Just remember to carry water as it is generally hot out there. If one doesn't want to hike all the way down, then there is a overlook where you could see the blowhole. Blowhole is where water comes out from the ground/ocean after every few seconds/minutes, randomly. There are no eating places really close but there are some food trucks on the way or a lady who had a cookie and water stall set up right there at the beginning of the trail. We drove back after that and ate at a pizza place while driving back to the resort. Evening was relaxing.

Day 4: Atlantis submarine in the morning and afternoon was spent in Maui Aquarium. Our 6 year old enjoyed both the submarine and aquarium. Submarine was totally worth the money for people like me who do not know diving and could probably never see what is underwater. The submarine is narrow and people were warning me against going as the stairs are narrow but it was just fine and totally ok to go. No bathrooms there but they have bathrooms in the start area from where a ferry takes you to the submarine. Probably a 15-min ferry ride to the submarine and an hour in the submarine and then back to the waterfront by the same ferry.

Next day was our flight back. We totally enjoyed this part of Maui. People were recommending Luau which we did not do as we were late in reserving the best one. Not that our boy would have let us sit through it! We saw the luau in Westin resort (while passing by) which is one of the best ones but we thought it was a good idea that we skipped it. It was quite packed and lot of people. Food and dancing is the main attraction of a Luau and knowing more about the island culture but some people might have interest in that which is great.

Catalina Island (Avalon) with a kid

Same island, same everything but change of activities that did 6 years ago when we visited Catalina by ourselves. And now we had our toddler with us.

Reference to our visit from 2012: http://rush-travels.blogspot.com/2012/12/catalina-islands-relaxing-getaway.html?_sm_au_=iVVs2L53DmB3j3QP

We went couple of weeks before Labor day weekend to avoid the rush and expensive hotels and airfare. Catalina, as such, is an expensive island with limited sight seeing. Lot of water activities. A small island with not much traffic, not many people, just a street which is very much walkable.

We reached Long Beach on Friday evening and stayed there for a night. Next morning, we left for Catalina Islands in Catalina Express. We had pre-purchased our tickets. Since we reached a bit early, they asked if we wanted to board the ferry which was about to leave and we sure agreed. We got seats easily. The lines start forming 30 mins before they start to board. We sat on the upper deck. W wanted to hang outside when the ferry was moving and he of course got sea-sick as the ride is a bit bumpy. Thankfully, I was carrying the vomit bags!

We stayed in Hotel Mac Rae which is on the strip. Small hotel, little rooms, good reviews, no complains. The first day, we ate at a local sandwich shop and then rented the golf cart for an hour to go around the island. Rates are standard everywhere: $45 for an hour and $45 cash deposit. Minimum 1 hour rental and maximum you can rent is for 2 hours. They tell you the route where you could go. We hardly stopped anywhere and were back just in time for one-hour return. It is a fun way to go around the island. There are golf cart rental stations everywhere around.

That night we just hung around at the strip and played in the sand at the waterfront.

Next day, we rented bikes. We got one tandem bike and another cruiser bike for the three of us. Tandem bike was a great idea. So different from the last visit when we rented mountain bikes and rode on the steep hills. This time, we mostly did easy routes. Went to a playground which had an open-air gym also. W enjoyed. It was on the way to the Botanical gardens.

The ride to botanical gardens was a bit steep but we enjoyed the sweat. Taking lot of water is a a good idea. Not many restaurants around the botanical gardens. $8 per adult and can be skipped if you have better things to do but it is nice to go:) Good walking place and a little 1.8 mile hike route inside. All exposed. No shade.

We also went to Descanso Beach while we had our bikes and were cruising around. It is a private beach of Descanso hotel but public is allowed, I think since we managed to go there easily:)

After we returned our bikes at 5pm, we hung at the strip, ate ice cream from Scoops, had much needed starbucks coffee from inside Scoops and did some shopping. Dinners were mostly carry outs in the hotel so W could sleep on time, after being super tired from activities all day. There is only one place out there to rent bikes: Brown's bikes. With limited transportation options available, $20 for renting the cruiser bike all day was a good idea.

We took our ferry back to Long Beach the next day morning. Lyft from Long Beach port to the airport and back home..... We love this little laid-back, expensive island!

Bodega Bay - Last weekend of August 2015

First time Bodega Bay with the baby was fun. He had fun playing in the sand on the beaches. We went to Donner Regional Park which has a nice beach. It is safer for kids and toddlers who love to run around. There is a $7 entrance for day pass and the park has campground also. We stayed in Bodega Bay itself in Bodega Harbor Inn. I had to call them and make reservation. Super friendly hosts. The breakfast was complimentary which included basic things like bread, cereal, bagels and cake. It was very close to everything. Bodega Bay is a little town with not many options for grocery and food. The food available is mostly American or seafood. The winds are generally high in the area and the weather is great in September-October.

Redwood National and State Parks

Redwood National and State Parks Album.

It was an absolutely amazing trip to the Redwood National and State parks in May, 2013. It was a great escape from the scorching heat of Sacramento that long weekend. Unlike other tourist destinations, these parks were pretty quite and not crowded at all. The weather was beautiful, spring like and a little cold at night. The entire Redwood coast is beautiful, offering lot of hikes and great oceanic views.

These parks are up north, towards the Oregon coast. Long drive but for sure worth it. Here was our itinerary for the 3 full days we had there:

1. Drove late Friday evening stayed the night at Redding to reduce the travel time next morning. Went to check out the Redding Sun Dial Bridge late night. The bridge is open until real late night. We did not know if it were but once we were there, we obviously found out. Looks amazing at night.

2. Started early morning Saturday from Redding for Crescent City. Stopped at the Visitors center on the way. Got a map and some suggestions from them which were very useful. We stopped at Redwood National Park on the way for some easy hikes. We drove the unpaved Howland Hill Road in Crescent City and took the Newton Drury scenic route. It's old 101 and is a lovely drive through big redwoods. The freeway has signs for the scenic Newton Drury route. I think the Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park is on that route. We did some easy hikes there. They were mostly very shaded with big trees. Amazingly, there is no real entrance for the parks since these parks and forests extend over miles and miles. There is no fee for these parks, and even then they are very well managed with good restrooms.

3. Stayed at Crescent City for the night and started next morning for Jedediah Smith Redwood State Park. It was an absolutely amazing park with again lot of big trees and a beautiful river flowing through the park. Gorgeous colors there. There was a $7 fee for entrance. Then we proceeded back towards Eureka, doing some moderate to easy hikes on the way.

4. Stayed at Eureka for night. Drove through the beautiful, very scenic 31-miles Avenue of Giants instead of taking the 101 freeway, on the way back home. This is old-101 and parallels freeway 101. We stopped at the Drive-Through Tree (Myers Flat) Park which is privately owned tree inside a small park. The owner has made couple of very nice tree houses inside the little area he owns. It is on the way while on Avenue of Giants highway. The freeway 101 is pretty nicely marked for entrance to Avenue of Giants. Hard to miss. And the Avenue of Giants has many exit points to the freeway. There are restrooms on the 31-mile stretch and some very nice shaded hikes. There are three drive-thru' trees: Klamath, Myers Flat and Leggett. All of them are pretty much on the way. Remember to take cash for driving through these trees.

We missed the Fern Canyon trail due to short time which is worth a visit. 3-full days are enough if you want to do easy to moderate hikes up there. For more strenuous hikes, more days, the better. Stopping at the Visitors center is a great idea since they are pretty informative. A great trip overall!

Redwood National and State Parks Album.

Catalina Island - Relaxing and Beautiful getaway

Link to pictures: Catalina Island

We visited Catalina island on Thanksgiving weekend in November when it was great spring-like weather. Catalina Island is close to Los Angeles. Nearest airport woulf be either LA or Long Beach. We drove to Long Beach from Sacramento and stayed in Long Beach for a night. From Long Beach, it is a one-hour ferry ride to Catalina. Long Beach is as a great small city. We stayed at Hyatt Regency, which was close to the pier. Hyatt had excellent dinner and great breakfast buffet. Shavi got to run early morning on the bike trail at the pier, which he said was awesome. We parked our car next day in the parking lot of Catalina Express which was very convenient. We had reserved our ferry tickets a week in advance. Even then we had been unable to get the time slot that we wanted. Reserving seats much in advance is a good suggestion. Catalina Express starts from three stations: San Pedro, Long Beach and Dana Point. Catalina Express is a bit pricey but then there is no other option unless you want to fly there but of course, that is not cheap by any means!

Catalina Express is a great ferry ride. People are usually there early (at least 45 mins before the ferry time) to get good seats. The ferry has an open upper deck but it gets filled fast.

Catalina has a small town of Avalon which is the primary tourist destination and the quaint village of Two Harbors. The ferry service to Two Harbors is only offered from San Pedro. We reached Avalon. The hotels in Avalon generally have shuttle service from the Catalina harbor to the hotels. We decided to just walk since it was not much distance. There are not many cars on the island. With a 13- year waiting period for getting cars to the island, people prefer to drive around in golf carts. Golf carts and bikes are easily available for rent for local sight-seeing.

We spent our first evening on the island, strolling on the streets. It has a small strip with various restaurants and bars. Great way to spend an evening at the strip with the pier facing it. Beautiful views.

For the next day, we decided to rent bikes and ride on the Trans-Catalina trails. The bike passes for the trails are to be purchased from Catalina Island Conservancy, whose office can be easy located in Avalon. Everything can be easily accessed on foot. Again, the bike passes are expensive since they are valid for one year. At the time, we went, it was $65 for two, not including bike rentals. We rented bikes from Brown Bikes, which was great but bikes are to returned before it gets dark. Going for hiking on the trails does not require any official pass but it is donation-based and the Conservancy office gives you a pass for the trails. The trail is around 26 miles one way.

We started on our bikes and decided to go 5-6 miles one way, to reach the ‘Airport in the Sky’. The first 3-miles of the trails were brutal since they had 10% gradient. Pedaling on the bike was hard and I almost walked those 3-miles with my bike but on the way back, it was fun. I came back flying!

There are not many rest stations on the trail. The closest one is a small park, around 3.5 miles from the start. So, it is advisable to carry lots of water, especially since the trail is mostly uphill. We reached Airport on the Sky, which is a small local airport at 1602 ft. elevation. We did not see many people on the trail except for few tour buses. The airport has a nice eating place and good restrooms. The food at the one and the only one restaurant at the airport was good. Going further up on the trails towards the other small town on the island: Two Harbors, would have required lot of time and energy since it has 10-15% gradient and then of course a place to stay at Two Harbors. So, we decided to return back to Avalon before it got dark.

People who want to go to Two Harbors, generally reserve a hotel in Two Harbors for the night. Camping is another option.

Avalon is a small town with good cell coverage and wi-fi. It is a great relaxing way to spend weekend. We spent almost 3 days there and felt they were just sufficient. The island also has several other activities like snorkeling, scuba diving, zip-lining, tubing, fishing, paddle-boarding.

Link to pictures: Catalina Island

Desolation Wilderness (El Dorado forests), near Tahoe

Pictures of Desolation Wilderness.

True to it's name, Desolation Wilderness area is one of the best place for hiking. It's a true wilderness experience, with pristine lakes and spectacular mountains scenery. You can approach the trails through the south, north, east or west side.

For our very first time in the area, we chose the trail from Echo Lakes to Lake Aloha.

From US 50 highway, if coming from Sacramento, turn left onto Echo Summit Rd/Johnson Pass Rd and then turn left onto Echo Lakes Rd/Forest Route 11N05/Porcuine Rd. Continue to follow Echo Lakes Rd and you will shortly see a parking lot on your left. It is the Echo Chalet. (You can look for directions to Echo Chalet on google maps).

Parking is sufficient and is free. This area is under the El Dorado National Forests Services and has several trails and some campgrounds. For camping, permits are required but not for day users. Day users just need to sign in or get a permit from the self-kiosk at the beginning of the trail. There is a small store and some toilets at the beginning of the trail. Toilets are not clean at all, so be prepared ahead of time.

It is around 12-miles round trip with not many people on the trail, which makes it even better. Most people backpack there. There is 2 miles of uphill one way, while going up towards Lake Aloha and the terrain is quite rocky.

There are several short trails on the sides, on the trail, that you can take to increase your hiking mileage. For people who want to cut the main trail short by 3 miles each way, there are water taxis available after 2-3 miles of going up. The water taxis are not open all the time, so check before hand.

We went in September end and needed a jacket, even when it was sunny. Totally worth it and now I have to look for the next trail at Desolation Wilderness for our next hike.

The Great Reno Hot Air Balloon Festival

Pictures of the event: Hot Air Balloon show.

The pictures of the balloons say it all. Reno Balloon festival, which is held every year in the 1st or 2nd week of September is one of the very best things that I have seen. The event is held at Rancho San Rafael Regional Park. Huge lighted balloons dancing in the sky at night and then in the morning, is absolutely fabulous. It is a feast to the eyes.

We went there in Sep 2012. Stayed in a hotel at Reno overnight to catch the show early morning, when it is still the dark at 5am on Saturday. The same show is presented both Saturday and Sunday, though it might change every year. The information is easily available on their website. We stayed at El Dorado Casino and hotel. It was a decent hotel and good to stay for a night.

There is a shuttle service to the event area in the morning which leaves around the downtown area, which was 7-8 mins walk from our hotel. No one really had the correct information about the bus service but we figured it out. The first bus leaves at 4am and the second one at 4:30am (not sure if there are 2 or more). We took the 4am bus so that we could be in the park on time and have a place secured for ourselves and our lawn chairs. Thankfully, the bus was not over-crowded since it was too early for some people. I would recommend taking the shuttle and not taking the car to the park for parking since parking is very limited.

Carrying lawn chairs or something to sit on and a blanket, is a good idea. Yes blanket, since it gets very cold out there. You can keep going as far as you can inside the park, to catch a closer view of the balloons. It's easy to figure out. There are a lot of food stalls including coffee stalls and porta pottys inside the park, close to where the event takes place. The lines are really long as the event is attended by lot many people than you would imagine.

As I mentioned before, it gets pretty cold in the park, even in September. We thought it was an insane idea to carry anything warm with us, but it was an excellent idea to carry jacket, gloves and a cap. We needed them all and still felt cold, as the early morning kept progressing, until the sun fully showed up.

The main events generally end around 11am - noon. It was a spectacular event. Plenty of great photo opportunities. I am pretty sure I would want to go there every year!

For more pictures, please click here: Hot Air Balloon show

Bodega Bay and Fort Ross - Labor day weekend trip

Bodega Bay was a quiet and peaceful trip. The aim of this trip was to enjoy some peace and that is exactly what we did by staying in Fort Ross. There was no cell phone signal in the place where we spent the night - Fort Ross Lodge. It is located 12 miles north of the small town of Jenner (around 20 mins), 2 miles north of Fort Ross State Historic Park. The lodge is directly across the street from Fort Ross store. The lodge has a hot water bath tub for those who want to use it. They provide BBQ areas as well.

Fort Ross State Historic Park is a little park, good for kids probably.

We visited the Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve (17000 Armstrong Woods Rod, Guerneville, CA 95446) which is less tham 20 miles from the lodge. Nice easy trails upto 3 miles, a strenous 5.6-mile trail and a strenous 9-mile trail.

We missed going to Salt Point State Park which has a beautiful beach and some good trails. We instead went to a hidden public overlook area where there were very few people. There was a steep trail of around 0.7 mi to get to the overlook but totally worth the views.

The Gorgeous Island of Hawaii: The Big Island

Link to the Album:Big Island

One of our best vacations was our trip to the Big Island, Hawaii in the first week of July 2012. We tried to cover almost the entire periphery of the island, making full use of the 4.5 days we had there. We landed in Hilo (ITO airport- east side of the Island) and flew back from the same airport. We chose Big Island over other islands in Hawaii, since it is not too touristy and not commercialized, has active volcano sites and has the true feel of a beautiful, lovely island with rain forests, volcanoes, lava, beaches, waterfalls, valleys and great weather with rain and sun inter-changing roles within minutes. Big Island truly lived up to our expectations. Here is what we did and some travel tips:

Day 1: Landed Hilo around 2:30pm. Small and nice airport, so it was quick getting out. We rented the car from Budget Rentals. We had a bad experience with them since we had to change the car 2 times. We always go with Enterprise and always have had a good experience with them.

After picking the car and buying some food items from the nearby shopping complex which has a few major stores like Walmart, Walgreens etc., we drove to the nearby LILIUOKALANI GARDENS. These are beautiful Japanese-style gardens. It is a great place for picnic, especially for kids. Half-an-hour is good for strolling in the park.

We then proceeded to our hotel in Volcano which is towards south of Hilo and is very close to the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. We stayed at VOLCANO FOREST INN. It was a great inn with very nice hosts. Would highly recommend that inn. Nice patio and nice view of the rain forests around. The inn is near to the Volcano Post Office. TIP: Keep an eye on the inn’s signboard at the entrance. The entrance is a short dirt road, leading to the peaceful inn. It is very easy to miss the signboard, especially if you are going there for the first time at night. We had food from the nearby Thai restaurant: THAI THAI RESTAURANT. The food was just ok, not fresh by any means but then there are not many places to eat in that little town. So, was glad with what we got!

Then we went to HAWAII VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK to check out the glow from the volcano at night from the outside viewing area of JAGGER MUSEUM in the park.

It was stunning – a view I have never seen before! The full moon night made it even better, even though it was partly cloudy. The museum is open until 7pm but the park is open all night. There are a lot of people to catch the night views. So, go as late as possible. TIP: It generally gets cold there due to high winds. So, take a jacket or something. Both nights we were there, it was cold there even when in the July summer weather. TIP: Get there a little before sunset to get the before and after sunset views and to get a front place in the viewing area.

Click here for ROUTE MAP FOR DAY 1

Day 2: After the nice, light breakfast by the hosts of the inn, we went to see the July 4 parade in the town of Volcano which starts at the Post Office. It was fun. Seemed like all the people in the town were in the parade!

Then we went to Volcanoes National Park ($10 entry per vehicle, valid for 7 days). When we had gone last night, there was no one to collect money since we had entered the park after 7pm. We started with the Information center and then went for the THURSTON LAVA TUBE which is an easy trail and highly recommended by me. TIP: Get in there before the tourist buses get there. We got there around 10:30am and just after we came out of the tube, we saw several buses. It’s no fun in the tube with people.

Next we continued on to the KILAUEA IKI 4-mile loop trail in the park, near to the tube. It is listed as moderate to challenging. We did not find it challenging though, depends on why you call it challenging, must have been for the uphills on the trail, no shade for major part of the trail and an uneven surface. It was almost a two hour hike for us. Views of rain forests, the huge crater and walking through the crater was awesome. We stopped on most of the overlooks that were on the way while driving in the park.

Around 2pm, we decided to go to the Southernmost Point of the US: KA LAE. It is around mile marker 70, around an hour or more drive from the park. On the way, we stopped at the famous PUNALU’s BAKE SHOP. You cannot miss it. It is on the right side as you enter the town of Na`alehu. Good place to eat and their baked goods were awesome. Just past mile marker 70, you will see a signboard for Ka Lae and you turn right (if driving from Hilo). It’s an easy drive up to there. Nice and peaceful with very few people diving into the ocean. We spend around 30-40 minutes there and then headed to the GREEN BEACH.

There is a signboard which would guide you to the Green Beach area (Mahana Bay/Papakolea). You would see lot of cars parked in the parking area. People generally hire the locals for going to the beach. Hiking the almost 3-mile trail one way is not easy. It is a sandy/muddy uneven terrain and the trails are confusing with no shade at all. We had a 4 x 4 and so we drove up to there. TIP: Advise from a local: While driving, drive on the uppermost trail that you see. There are various trails formed on the ground but the higher ones are safer else there is a danger of getting stuck. It was a nerve-wrecking drive for me in the passenger seat! The green beach is beautiful. It was peaceful with not many people and beautiful views. There were locals on their 4x4’s asking people if they wanted a ride back for $10-15 one way. I would advise going with them both ways if you do not have a 4 x4. It took us around 20-25 minutes on our jeep each way to drive to the beach. It is worth mentioning here that the rental companies do not hold responsibility if anything breaks in the rental while going to Green Beach or Waipio Valley (on the north side of the island - details later in the blog) as they are both considered dangerous drives. Also, the residents offering rides for a fee are operating illegally as Hawaiian Homelands stopped years ago giving out permits for people to drive that road. TIP: As per forums, if you are going to park in the general parking area for a ride or hike, then do not leave any valuables in the car. Even though we are both avid runners, I am so glad we decided against that hike.

Now, we were ready to drive back to Volcano. On the way back, we stopped at PUNALU BLACK SAND BEACH. We did not spend much time there since there were a lot of people out there. Clicked a few pictures and then drove back to the Volcanoes National Park. We did the easy 1-mile one way DEVASTATION TRAIL there. Nice views. Then we drove up to the Jagger Museum to once again capture the night views of the volcano. It was a beautiful glow. What better way to celebrate July 4 by looking at those natural fireworks!

Then we drove back towards our inn to catch dinner at the nearby restaurants. The little strip is all that is in the town of Volcano. This time we went to the KIAWE KITCHEN. It is well known for its thin-crust pizza.

Click here for ROUTE MAP FOR DAY 2

Day 3: Went to Volcanoes National Park again to drive through the CRATER RIM DRIVE. It is a paved 23-mile road. This was when our 4 x 4 had some electrical problem and wouldn’t start. Good thing, we were inside the park on the crater rim road and so we hiked around 2-3 miles, viewing the craters and walking on lava, while we were waiting for the rental company to replace our car. It was a fun walk. We drove to the end of the road in our new car to see the HOLEI SEA ARCH. Awesome views and overlooks on the drive. Be sure to make a stop at all overlooks. They are all worth it. We missed the Pu'u Loa Petroglyphs trail since we had recently seen a lot of Petroglyphs in our last month's trip to Utah.

By 2pm, we were out of the park to drive towards Kona. We stopped for lunch in Na`alehu at HANA HOU RESTAURANT since it is the southernmost restaurant (until some other restaurant pops up south of it!). I would not recommend it. The food was not good and there were flies/bugs around. Not a very clean place to eat.

Next we drove to PUUHONUA O HONAUNAU NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK on the way to Kona, almost 10-15 miles before Kona. Spent around an hour or so there, relaxing near the waterfront and watching turtles. Nice, relaxing place and at the same it tells you about the native Hawaiian culture. There are picnic tables near the waterfront in the park. Then we drove to Kona. Our resort, the Keauhou Beach Resort, had great ocean views. It’s a nice place – not too modernized but the great views made up for everything. So, we decided to relax there in the evening. They had good complimentary breakfast in the morning. Careful of the birds there. They love to peck in your plate if you are eating on the patio.

Most restaurants on the famous Alii drive close by 9pm but we found a few open for dinner until late also. We went to Rosa's Cantina and Sunset Grill. They had live music and great ocean views, with full bar. Not a bad place for my birthday drinks!

Click here for ROUTE MAP FOR DAY 3

Day 4: Checked-out from the resort to drive towards Hilo from the north side of the island. We first stopped at KALOKO-HONOKOHAU NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK. We did not hike the trails there since it was too hot for me by that time. Nothing much there - we could have skipped it but it was on the way. It hardly took us any time there.

Our next stop was Hapuna Beach State Recreational Area. Beautiful beach with lot of people. There is no parking fee, so it is advisable not to keep costly stuff in car.

Next we went to PUUKOHOLA HEIAU NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE and went on the short trail there to see the Heiau (religious place of worship) built by King Kamehameha. Tourists are not allowed inside but it was a nice, short walk up to there. They also show informative videos in the information center. For this park, 45 minutes to an hour is enough. Next on the way, we stopped in the small town of Hawi for 30 minutes, walking down the little street for window shopping and peaking in their stores. Just outside Hawi, is the famous, original KING KAMEHEMA’S STATUE, where we stopped for pictures and relaxed for a while on the green grass around the statue.

Then we drove to POLOLU VALLEY lookout.

Amazing views from the lookout and so we decided to hike it to go to the bottom of valley. I am so glad we hiked it. It is somewhat strenuous but people who think they cannot do it, should do it by taking stops. The sceneries on the trail are so beautiful, that you are forced to stop! Totally worth the effort. It took us 25 minutes downhill, stopping for pictures and 20 minutes uphill without stopping, drenched in sweat. It generally takes people longer than this, as per the forums. The trail is rocky and not smooth. The valley-views down there were stunning and so was the beach. Since there were not many people out there, it was relaxing at the beach.

After Pololu valley, we stopped in WAIMEA for late lunch. It was a beautiful drive to Waimea, very beautiful. Waimea has a lot of places to eat and shop, easy to find.

Next we drove to the Hamakua Coast for WAIPIO VALLEY lookout. It was gorgeous. Since we had 4 x 4, it made it easier to hike it. Not sure how a few people were doing it on foot. We had to give ride to those few people on our way back since they were done walking and were soaked in sweat! The trail has 25% gradient and is not easy. I wanted to try walking it but we did not have enough time for that. Maybe next time, even though I know it would be painful! The Waipio valley trail is maintained only until a few miles. Driving beyond that point is dangerous as per the signs out there. This was a nerve-wrecking drive for me in the passenger seat due to the slope of the single-lane road, all uphill but totally worth it. We could see WAIHILAU falls from distance. They are apparently the highest waterfall in the US and one of the highest in the world with a drop of 2600 feet.

Next on the way to Hilo, we stopped at AKAKA FALLS STATE PARK for evening views. There are signs which lead you to the falls. The park gates close around 6pm. The park is still open but you cannot park inside. We parked right outside the gates where others had parked. The falls were awesome and the melodious voice of the Coqui Hawaii frogs was making it even better. Can you imagine frogs being melodious? Yes, they were in Hilo! Walking through the rainforest trail to the falls was awesome. TIP: Do their suggested trail which is 0.8 miles moderate and covers two waterfalls. We found the trail easy and interesting. After the gorgeous views, we drove towards our inn through the 4-mile scenic drive ONOMEO BAY trail. It was gorgeous during late evening but we decided to return for day-time views the next day. It was on way to Hilo and there was a signboard for it. You can get from one side and come out the other side, on the same road. Basically, it is a worth-it detour for 4-miles to get back on the highway.

One of the most interesting part of our trip was our third place to stay: The Inn at Kulaniapia Falls in Hilo. It was an interesting road that led to the inn. If you are staying there, then would recommend to go there during daylight for the first time. Google maps strayed us off of our path, even when the inn had directions written on the road at various places. We decided to follow Google maps and wandered on a single-lane dirt road at night with no street lights and forests all around. This made our trip even more adventurous (and scary)! Before booking it, I had no idea that the inn was so close to KULANIAPIA falls. Awesome views of the falls. It was amazing. The inn was great too, well-kept and great breakfast. The inn has several houses. We stayed at the “Residence.” I would return to Hilo anytime, only to stay at that inn again.

And now, it was dinner time. I would have ordered food from Dominos Pizza, as the host at the inn suggested since I was too scared to go to the town on those roads again but I had my brave husband with me, who remembered to not follow Google directions and use his direction sense. It was not too bad getting to the town once he understood the roads. There were hardly any places open around 9:30pm. We went to an Italian place, Pescatore on Keawe street. They had good service, great food and great wines. Little expensive but good food. On the way back to the inn, we stopped for some beautiful, star-gazing moments in the clear sky in absolute dark on the single lane road to the inn. Good thing that there was absolutely no traffic that late. Only the tall trees around and us!

Click here for ROUTE MAP FOR DAY 4

Day 5: Relaxed at our lovely inn with waterfall views during the day. Hiked down the waterfall and it was even more gorgeous. The inn-owner maintains the trail and a bamboo garden there. We loved it there. Very relaxing and totally recommend the inn. Then we decided to return to Akaka Falls State Park once again, driving through the 4-mile scenic route of Onomeo Bay trail.

The drive was totally worth taking the roof off while driving through it. At Akaka falls, this time we parked inside and paid the $5 self-pay fees. Since there is a machine for paying the fee, it accepts both Visa and American Express. We spent some good time at the park and then drove back towards Hilo to drive to RAINBOW FALLS.

Rainbow falls were nice falls and had a short trail to a huge, interesting tree. We must have spent around an hour there before driving to our next destination nearby – The PEEPEE Falls. Rainbow Falls park did have restrooms. The Peepee Falls area had a park and the falls were just ok. We could have skipped that but it took us hardly 15-20 minutes there.

Back to Hilo for lunch. This time we had lunch at: CAFÉ PESTO on Kamehameha Avenue. They had good seating capacity and even then, it was fully occupied. They had good food and good service. We liked their food so much that we decided to return for dinner. They have a full bar and are open until late. Since there are not many options to eat, this one was good for us and they had some good vegetarian options for me.

After lunch, we drove to LAVA TREE STATE PARK, towards Kalapana. Around over an hour drive to the park from Hilo. Awesome park for how it was made. Nice drive to the park with trees all around. Must go. Next we drove to KALAPANA for viewing lava. We can only go to a certain point to see the destruction that lava caused several years ago and in late 2011, unless you take a private walking tour. On entering Kalapana, there was a sign which says private land. We were not sure but good thing that we decided to go ahead. There was a person guiding people where to park and he showed us where we could walk up to. We walked on the lava there.TIP: Wear shoes if you want to walk on lava.

We spend around an hour there before proceeding to KAIMU BLACK SAND BEACH. It is a newly formed beach and not too crowded. We were there before sunset. Got some amazing sunset views in the somewhat cloudy sky and saw some really crazy tides. It was a beautiful beach and had some places to eat as well. We had to walk (short walk, less than 0.3 mile one way) through the lava on a dirt road to get onto the beach. The beach was peaceful since there were not many people around. So, we spend the evening there. Got back to Café Pesto in Hilo by dinner time.

Click here for ROUTE MAP FOR DAY 5

Day 6: Got our early morning rainy views of the Kulaniapia Falls before getting ready to proceed to the Hilo airport. If you are going out of Hawaii islands, then they do not allow any fruits, seeds, raw vegetables or nuts with you, neither while coming in nor while going out of the islands. Being a small airport, everything was quick and before we got to know, we were back home, only to bring back sweet memories of the great trip we had.

Link to the Album:Big Island