Although part of the United States, the culture of Hawaii is profoundly different and is based on the sacredness of nature and its phenomena. Nature reigns supreme here, for real, and it is touching to see how they protect it. The trees, flowers, animals, beaches, volcanoes and waterfalls that I have seen here I have seen practically nowhere else in the world. Today we will take you to discover how best to organize a trip to Hawaii!
Where is Hawaii
The archipelago of the Hawaiian Islands is located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, 4000 km from the coast of California and 6500 km from the coast of Japan. There are 8 main islands, Nihau, Hawaii (or Big Island), Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Lanai, Kahoolawe and Maui to which many smaller islands have been added. Hawaii represents an emerging part of an underwater mountain range of volcanic origin and is home to some of the largest and most active volcanoes in the world.
How to get to Hawaii
An endless journey with at least two stages. The most convenient way to get to Hawaii from Italy is to fly to San Francisco or Los Angeles, from there it’s still a 6 hour flight. To save money, look for a flight to California first, then buy a ticket to Hawaii; doing so in the search engines you will find many more flights operated by American companies such as United, Southwest, Delta, American Airlines and others.
How to move from one island to another
To move between Hawaiian islands, you’ll need to take a domestic flight operated by Hawaiian Airlines, Mokulele Airlines, or Makani Kai Air. The flight takes 20 to 40 minutes and costs less than $100 one way (depending on the season). There are also ferries, but they only connect Maui with Lanai and Molokai.
When to go?
I’ll tell you right away, you can pretty much always go to Hawaii. The temperature is quite constant, with highs generally between 25-26° in winter and 29-30° in summer; the minimums instead in most of the localities are between 15 and 20°. There is a lot of rain in the winter, but it’s often concentrated at night, so you don’t have to delay your trip. Even if it rains during the day, it will fall for a short time. The sea is calmer in the summer and rougher in the winter, and it’s no coincidence that the surf competitions always take place between December and January, when the biggest waves form.
However, in Hawaii there are countless microclimates, from 30° on the beach to snow on the highest volcanoes at over 3500-4000 meters above sea level. However, in general, the weather changes very frequently on the same day, forget looking at the forecasts as they are not infallible!
Which islands to visit
I don’t see much sense in going to Hawaii for less than 18-20 days, given the distance and the fact that at least 3/4 days are “lost” only in the journey to reach them from Italy. Valid for 15-16 island days, you can easily visit the four main islands: Oahu, the Big Island, Maui, and Kauai. They are very different from each other and in my opinion it still makes sense to look at 4 less islands instead of focusing on just one or two.
The microclimates
We remind you that not only is each island a world in itself, but also inside it the action of the trade winds creates a different microclimate capable of influencing rainfall, temperatures and the type of vegetation.
An example? Although the Big Island is very dry due to its many volcanoes, it rains 360 days a year in and around Hilo!
In general, the windward areas are the ones most affected by rainfall, along with hills and mountains. From the sea to the mountains, weather conditions and temperatures change drastically.
