Twice as large as all the other major Hawaiian Islands combined, the Big Island is also the youngest of the chain, some 800,000 years old. From its snow-capped peaks to its black, white and green sand beaches, this island is a place of contrasts. Rocky deserts and lush rainforests. Peaceful bays and rolling pastureland. Exotic orchids and waterfalls on the windward side, and plantations growing famed Kona coffee on the western slopes.

Every standard vacation activity imaginable is available here: golf, fishing, sailing, snorkeling and scuba, horseback riding, even skiing (on Mauna Kea) and more. The Big Island is also the heart of ancient Hawaiian civilization, with many sites containing petroglyphs and restored ruins. Information about all these is easily available.

What keeps people coming back here are qualities beyond the big resorts and well-trodden tourist stops. This is the most relaxed of the islands, and the one with the strongest native Hawaiian presence. It´s a real place where people make their homes, work, tend their gardens, gather at the beach for family picnics. We hope you can make time to enjoy this aspect of the Big Island.

Here are a few places you may wish to visit during your stay at Red Cinder, or if you extend your time on the island. More extensive information can be found in several excellent guidebooks, at the Hawai´i Tourism and Visitors Bureau, and in the house library.

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