honolulu sightseeing

Honolulu Sightseeing

Boat Tours Cruises and boat tours are available aboard anything from a junk to a catamaran. Some explore the reefs off Waikīkī or visit Pearl Harbor; others offer recreation—chiefly swimming and skin diving—or dinner and dancing and other fun things to do.

Atlantis Adventures: Majestic by Atlantis Cruises

Atlantis Adventures: Atlantis Submarines Waikīkī

Star of Honolulu

Bus, Limousine, Trolley and Van Toursekash/iStockphoto.com
One of the best ways to get an overview of Honolulu and the rest of O‘ahu is on a guided tour scheduled by your AAA travel advisor. Costs vary with the mode of conveyance and itinerary. For example, a van tour will run about $60 per adult for a half-day trip and $75 for a full day; a bus tour will cost a little less, a sedan a little more.

One advantage of a smaller vehicle, such as a van or limousine, is that it allows more opportunity for rapport with the driver/guide as you head to your destination.

Waikīkī Trolley offers a coastline tour (Blue Line), a Diamond Head area tour (Green Line), a historic tour (Red Line), a Pearl Harbor area tour (Purple Line) and the Ala Moana Shopping Shuttle (Pink Line). Depending upon the trolley tour chosen, riders may get off and board a later trolley all day, enjoying many of the things to do in Honolulu in between. The first trolleys depart between 8:30 and 9 a.m. and the last trolley pickup is between 8 and 10 p.m., depending upon the tour and the day of the week. Trolleys leave every 10 to 40 minutes and run daily. Phone (808) 593-2822 for schedule and fare information.

Gray Line offers a variety of sightseeing tours departing from Waikīkī; phone (808) 833-3000 or (888) 206-4531.

Hawai‘i Duck Tours

Blue Hawaiian Helicopters

Lū‘auA lū‘au is a Hawaiian picnic featuring traditional food and dance, and a must if you are booking travel packages to Hawaii. The lū‘au food is cooked in an imu, an underground oven, which is formed by pōhaku (heating rocks) in a pit in the ground. The pit is lined with fresh leaves, filled with native vegetables and a prepared pig, then surrounded by heated rocks that also are placed inside the pig. The whole feast is then covered with leaves or canvas and allowed to cook for about 6 hours.

The pork tends to be salty—a nice contrast with the traditional poi, the pounded taro-root dish of which there are many variations. Polynesian entertainment adds flavor to the colorful proceedings.

Found at various locations, lū‘au last about 3-4 hours and are only by reservation. Adult prices generally range from $75 to $165, with discounted prices for students and children. One of the more established Honolulu-area lū‘au is Germaine's Lū‘au, (808) 949-6626 or (800) 367-5655. Another solid choice is Paradise Cove Lū‘au, (808) 842-5911 or (800) 775-2683.