By Jonathan Howery
February 19th, 2015


“What do you want to do?” says one island visitor. “I don’t know, what do you want to do?” replies the buddy tourist. “I don’t know, what can we do?” Well for most people that make the journey to the Hawaiian Islands they tend not to plan ahead. Why should they, they’re on vacation! Hopefully you’ll come across places that offer you an idea of Hawaii’s Tours and Activities. However, I’m going to give you a list of the top 10 types of tours on our island that are must do’s when you visit.


First off is a circle island tour. What better way to see the sights and new surroundings than to go all around and check out places you’d like to return to. It’s the best way to get acquainted to the island. Polynesian Adventure Tours and Hoku Hawaii Tours both offer them. A trip to Pearl Harbor is also offered by those tour companies, you’ll get a great view into history and a better appreciation for our military forces. Next up I personally like to recommend are helicopters! You’re on vacation and wanting to spend money, this experience (and I promise you) will be one of the best and most memorable. Blue Hawaiian Helicopters is great but if you choose to go doors off, please choose Paradise Helicopters!

You can’t go wrong with a snorkel cruise on a catamaran. This kind of adventure takes you out in the ocean to see whales (depending on the time of year) and dolphins. You’ll get to swim with all kinds of fish and see the colors of the rainbow in shallow coral reefs. Plus many of them include lunch and transportation. Look for Ocean Joy and Ko Olina snorkel cruises. Luaus, need I say more? They include local style cuisines and a show that will dazzle and amaze while immersing you into the culture. Germaine's is amazing for the family with great scenery while Chief’s Luau at Sea Life Park is by far, in my opinion, the best show (great laughs and fire dancing).

Learning to surf is a fun activity and very popular here in Hawaii. You can always try it yourself but may get stink eyes from locals if you do. Surfing lessons are a great way to do it and there are tons of vendors you can see. I’ve done it myself with Kai from Pro Surf who was knowledgeable, friendly, and patient. A north shore tour with the Hawaii Turtle Tours is a great way to not only see the island but you can pick some activities like paddle boarding and snorkeling to do. On this tour you'll also get to snorkel with Hawaii Green Sea Turtles. While if you are wanting some other options for snorkeling you can get gear and rentals out to Hanauma Bay.

The next few in the line-up are great adventure parks that will take you on quite a few different journeys. An all day at the Polynesian Cultural Center will take you through a journey of all the different Polynesian cultures while also getting you to interact with different activities. Their all you can eat buffet is great and their main show is phenomenal. Kualoa Ranch features horseback riding, jeep tours, 4-wheeler rides through the valley, Oahu's largest zipline and more. Sea Life Park gives you access to much marine life and has dolphin and seal shows, there’s even an option to swim with dolphins!

For all these tours I’ve mentioned, make sure to check out HawaiiDiscount.com for discounted prices! There you have it, my top 10 tours to do on Oahu . Mahalo!

Loa’a wale lā!



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