• 'Iolani Palace in Honolulu's Capitol District featured electricity before even the White House in Washington, D.C. More about the Palace >>
• Hawaii has two official languages — English and Hawaiian. More >>
• Hawaii has no snakes in the wild.
• Hawaii is the most geographically isolated population center on earth. The Hawaiian Islands are 2,000 miles from the Marshall Islands; 2,390 miles from California; 2,500 miles from Tahiti; 3,850 miles from Japan; 4,900 miles from China; and 5,280 miles from the Philippines.
• Hawaiian monarch King David Kalakaua (reign 1874 to 1891), was the first reigning monarch to circumnavigate the globe and the first foreign head of state to speak before a joint session of the U.S. Congress.
• Hawaii is home to the tallest mountain on the planet: Mauna Kea on the Big Island — measured from the seafloor — tops out at 33,476 feet. From sea level it measures 13,796 feet high. More >>
• Hawaii is home to the longest continuously erupting volcano in recorded history: Kilauea Caldera on the Big Island of Hawaii has been producing a lava flow since January 1983. More >>
With little public transportation, a network of long two-lane highways, and by virtue of its nature (it's really big), the Big Island requires the rental of a car or motorcycle if you plan to do any serious exploring. The two-lane highways along the Kona Coast, Hamakua Coast and through the Volcano area are narrow, packed with tour buses and trucks, and the traffic flows fast. You'll want to be behind either the wheel of a car or the handlebars of a motorcycle — or in a tour bus.
Circle-island tours are popular on other Hawaiian Islands, but on this one, we don't recommend it. Although it's possible to accomplish in one day, the 225-mile trip takes about six hours, leaving no substantial daylight time to explore the island's many attractions. We recommend, instead, that you plan a series of shorter trips — maybe one per day — to destinations of your choice.
NOTE: Don't underestimate how long it takes to get somewhere on the Big Island. Long distances and often traffic-clogged two-lane highways can slow you down.
