Hawaii: Diamond Head Hike

The amazing view at the top of Diamond Head

While in Hawaii and especially while walking around Waikiki you can't help but notice Diamond Head. It's one of Hawaii's most recognized landmark. My wife and I wanted to make sure we scheduled a time to hike Diamond Head and see what we were sure were going to be some incredible views. After doing a little research we found out that it's not an extremely difficult hike, but be sure to go as early as possible just to avoid the heat. Not to say the hike is easy...I would say it's more of a moderate hike. We saw everyone from old people down to young kids on the hike. We even saw people in their sandals and flip flops (which I wouldn't recommend). There were a lot of people, but not too many to make it too crowded. I'm sure if we left earlier than we did, we would have missed the larger crowds.

Diamond Head is actually part of a large volcanic crater. To get to the hike, you have to drive inside the crater to the trail head and parking area. Hours are 6AM to 6PM (with the last entrance to hike the trails at 4:30PM. Parking costs $5.00 per car. The trail head also has a gift shop. The trail and bunkers were originally built by the military, but are now accessible to the public.

The view from the parking area to the top of the Diamond Head hike

The start of the hiking path is cement, but quickly turns into a 
dirt/gravel path like this with hand rails.

Looking up you can see the switchbacks heading up to the top

A little better view of the switchbacks and the folks hiking up

The start of a lit tunnel during the hike

Inside the lit tunnel portion of the hike




The end of the tunnel...we're getting closer




Now a lot of stairs to climb!




On the final leg of the hike to the top...this is where
it starts to get a little more congested, but during
our hike everyone moved along and polite

 Now for some of the views....



This was taken during one of the break points where we stopped
and grabbed a quick drink and took a few pics




Looking straight out at the Pacific Ocean




Zoomed in a bit for a shot of Waikiki from the top of Diamond Head




Looking out straight ahead from the top of Diamond Head




A "no zoomed" view of Waikiki from the top of Diamond Head
This view will never get old!




A view of one of the bunkers with Honolulu in the background
from the top of Diamond Head




 Inside the military's "Fire Control Station" at the top of Diamond Head





Looking out of the military's "Fire Control Station" at the top of Diamond Head




The view from the top of Diamond Head looking down into
the crater where we started




On the way back down...a look at the final set of ascending stairs




 On the way back down...looking at the beautiful ocean
along with a lighthouse that you can barely see in this picture




My wife's arm...along with a view of the switchbacks
on the way down




Looking down at the trail on our way back


 

On the top of each of those peaks are more bunkers

The hike was awesome and the views were amazing. I recommend this hike to anyone that is visiting Oahu!

Vacation Rentals By Owner

When my wife and I were planning our family vacation to Hawaii, we started off just going to a travel agent and seeing what they had to offer. The travel agent gathered our details...how many people, how long, and where. He then came up with a hotel located pretty close to downtown Waikiki. It was just far enough out that it was walkable, but much cheaper than the hotels on the water. He also had us flying Hawaiian airlines, which he said has great service and is one of the few airlines that still offer a meal. All this sounded good to my wife and I except the price seemed kind of steep...still more than we had budgeted and wanted to spend.

My wife started doing some research on her own. She found a condo available through an organization called VRBO. I personally had never heard of VRBO, but I was aware of the idea. There has been a lot of hype and news lately about Airbnb lately, and VRBO seemed like a similar venture. The condo was in a great location, downtown and Waikiki beach were walkable and the condo had several reviews. We decided to take the plunge and give this VRBO condo a try. I was a little nervous making the first payment. We then were able to make two more payments before we actually left, so this gave us a little extra time to stash away a bit of money. The price was much cheaper than the hotel alternative the travel agent suggested. The condo also had a full kitchen, which we planned to make use of.

We received several emails before we left detailing all the information we needed when we arrived. When we arrived I was able to get the condo key from a lockbox at the front of the building. There was a slight problem when trying to get the gate key from another lockbox so we could park the car though, the code that was given to me did not work! I'll admit I was a little pissed off, but I called the contact number in the instructions and they gave me the correct code within minutes. I was then able to park the car in the gated parking area and we were set.

From now on I'll be checking out both VRBO & Airbnb when we decide to go on vacations. The money saved was great and I really have no complaints!

You can check out the actual condo we rented and my review here