5 Days
Trip Highlights
Hawaii Volcanoes National ParkKealakekua BayRainbow FallsHalema’uma’u CraterPunalu’u Black Sand Beach
Local Conditions
61℉ Current Temp
Current Time

Highlights

Your Adventure, Day by Day

Day 1 Welcome to Hawaii!
  • Arrive in Kona, Hawaii Travel to Kona, Hawaii and receive a traditional flower lei when you arrive!
  • Orientation Meet your WorldStrides Course Leader and get an overview of some of the key concepts you’ll cover throughout the program.
  • Dinner Enjoy a pizza dinner at the hotel!
  • Hotel Check-in
Day 2 Explore Historic Kona
  • Breakfast
  • Kona Cloud Forest Sanctuary On this hiking tour, learn how tropical cloud forests benefit the ecosystem, and the story of its development on the slopes of Hualalai. You’ll get up close with amazing ferns, palms, flowers, and hundreds of exotic and native species of birds.
  • Lunch
  • Historic Kona Town Scavenger Hunt Explore Ali’i Drive’s historical sites, including Ahu'ena Heiau, which was once King Kamehameha’s place of worship and Hulihe'e Palace - used by royalty as a vacation home but is now a museum with many ancient Hawaiian artifacts.
  • Be sure to see Mokuaikaua Church, the site of the first Christian church built in Hawaii.
  • Dinner
  • Astronomy Workshop View the galaxy through an 18-inch telescope during this hands-on presentation. You’ll get a chance to investigate the stars, planets, constellations, and beyond in the unpolluted Hawaiian sky.
  • Return to Hotel
Day 3 Volcanoes, Lava, Craters, and More!
  • Start your day by learning how Madam Pele, the volcano goddess, formed the Hawaiian Archipelago.
  • Punalu’u Black Sand Beach Enjoy breakfast on an incredible beach this morning! Black sand beaches get their color from volcanic lava contacting the ocean – as the lava cools rapidly, it shatters into small basalt fragments giving the beach its black color.
  • As you walk along the beach, keep watch for the endangered Hawaiian Green Sea Turtles basking in the sun!
  • Volcanoes National Park Head for the Thruston Lava Tube – be sure to have your flashlight ready for this underground exploration! Lava flowed through this tube thousands of years ago, and is located in the middle of a giant tropical hapu’u fern forest.
  • Lunch
  • Kīlauea Visitor’s Center Discuss tectonic plates, the Ring of Fire, and how Hawaii was formed through a “hot spot” in the Pacific Plate.
  • Devastation Trail Be on the lookout for mystical Pele’s Tears and Pele’s Hair during this mile long hike through baron fields of cinder. Learn how each of the volcanic formations is created, and discuss the two types of lava found in Hawaii.
  • Steam Vents Continue your exploration by visiting the Steam Vents, where ground water makes its way down to the hot volcanic rocks and returns up to the surface as steam.
  • Jaggar Museum Tour this volcanology museum, and watch seismographs record earthquakes in real time! You’ll also get a chance to view the incredible on-going eruptions of the Halema'uma'u Crater.
  • Rainbow Falls Enjoy a picture stop at Rainbow Falls. These falls are 80 feet tall and 100 feet wide and are set against a lush tropical rainforest backdrop.
  • Return to Hotel
  • Authentic Hawaiian-style Dinner
Day 4 Explore Kealakekua Bay
  • Breakfast
  • Original Hawaiian Chocolate Factory Tour Visit the cocoa farm and factory to experience the process of chocolate production from seed to bar.
  • Pu`uhonua O Hōnaunau National Park Explore this ancient place of refuge, still considered a sacred site. In ancient Hawaii, punishment for breaking the law was often death. Learn how the pu'uhonua served as a sanctuary for defeated warriors and law-breakers.
  • Lunch
  • Kealakekua Bay Board a catamaran for a cruise to Kealakekua Bay, a Marine Life Conservation District. Students will snorkel in the brilliant blue waters and see vibrant coral, tropical fish, and on occasion, spinner dolphins and humpback whales.
  • The Bay has historical significance too as it marks the spot Captain James Cook first landed on Hawaii Island in 1778.
  • Lu’au Dinner & Polynesian Show Enjoy a traditional Hawaiian Lu’au and authentic Polynesian show. Participate in a hula dance, and discuss the local legends and the cultural connections the Hawaiian people have to the land.
Day 5 Honolulu and Pearl Habor
  • Breakfast and Hotel Check-out
  • Visit Peal Harbor Hop on a short flight to Honolulu, where you’ll visit Pearl Harbor and the U.S.S Arizona. Learn about the U.S.’s entry to WWII and the sacrifices made on “The Day of Infamy”.
  • Picnic Lunch Enjoy a picnic-style lunch with a view of the famous war ship, the U.S.S. Missouri.
  • Walking Tour on the U.S.S. Missouri Take a walking tour on the surrender deck where General MacArthur signed the treaty to end WWII in Tokyo Bay. Stop at the Bishop Museum en route to the hotel.
  • Hotel Check-in
  • Japanese-Style Dinner Experience Hawaii’s cultural melting pot first-hand during a Japanese-style dinner.
Day 6 Aloha, Hawaii
  • Breakfast and Hotel Check-out
  • Kuala Ranch Tour Kuala Ranch to discover the beauty of the ancient Hawaiian fishpond and tropical gardens.
  • Diamond Head Climb the 99 stairs to the top of Diamond Head, a well-known landmark of the Honolulu Volcanic Series. This 763 foot volcanic tuff cone summit boasts an exhilarating 360-degree panoramic view!
  • Depart Kona, Hawaii Return to the mainland U.S.

Have Questions? We Have Answers.

Related Stories from the WorldStrides Blog

Learn more about our exciting new Science Discoveries programs

Read more

At WorldStrides, we are constantly seeking new ways for students to experience educational travel. That’s why we are excited to offer three new Science Discoveries programs to our already robust offerings to locations including Florida, California, Iceland, and Costa Rica. These new programs travel to…

Keep Reading