At its peak, Parker Ranch was the largest privately owned ranch in the United States. The town that built up around it sits at close to 3,000 feet, well above the coast, with open cattle pasture running to the ridgelines. Paniolo culture is not a theme here: it is living history, and it shows in the architecture, the road layout, and the local calendar.
Most itineraries treat Waimea as a pass-through to Waipiʻo Valley. That is a mistake. Anna Ranch runs historic house tours four days a week. Big Island Brewhaus opened in 2011 with an owner who had already collected over 30 national and international brewing awards. Farmers markets run at several locations twice per week: check which one falls on your visit before planning your morning.
Table of contents
- Activities and attraction that are specific to Waimea. Think of visiting the Parker Ranch, farmers markets, learning how to make a Lei, or visiting the local brewpub.
- The more general outdoor activities that you can enjoy around Waimea
Table of Contents
- Activities and attraction that are specific to Waimea. Think of visiting the Parker Ranch, farmers markets, learning how to make a Lei, or visiting the local brewpub.
- The more general outdoor activities that you can enjoy around Waimea
If you are short on time you can also see our personal favorite activities for Waimea.
Activities and Attractions in Waimea
Waimea’s in-town activities have more depth than a pass-through visit reveals. Ranch history runs centuries deep here, and the local food and farm culture that has built up around it makes for a full day even before you head to the valleys or the coast.
Big Island Brewhaus (and Mexican food)
The owner of Big Island Brewhaus arrived in Waimea in March 2011 with over 30 national and international brewing awards already on record. The beers are brewed on-site and the menu runs Mexican: an unlikely combination that earns return visits.
Read more about the Big Island Brewhaus.
Private Lei making classes
Mōhalu Hawaiʻi runs private lei-making classes in Waimea that go into the cultural depth of the practice: which styles exist, which flowers and foliage belong to each, and what giving a lei actually means in Hawaiʻi.
All materials are provided and you leave with the lei you made.
More on the Mōhalu Hawaiʻi website.
Parker Ranch and Anna Ranch: Hawaiian Cowboy History
Parker Ranch was, at its peak, the largest privately owned ranch in the United States, and the Waimea area still carries that history in its layout and economy. The ranch now runs horseback riding excursions through its lands: read more about the Parker Ranch in Waimea. The nearby Anna Ranch, another property from the same era, runs historic house tours four days a week covering the history of paniolo life in Hawaiʻi, tracing it back to the time of King Kamehameha I.
Go to the Anna Ranch website for more information.
The Anna Ranch. Photo courtesy of love looks like photography.
Waimea Farmers Markets
Waimea has two farmers markets worth planning around: the Waimea Town Market on Saturdays and the mid-week market at the historic Pukalani Stables. If you arrive on a Saturday morning, the town market is one of the better breakfast stops on the north end of the island.
Read more about those two and three other markets in our Farmers markets in Waimea overview.
The Kamuela Farmers market at the historic Pukalani Stables. Image courtesy of the Kamuela Farmers Market.
Farm Tours and Tastings: Hāmākua Coast
The Hāmākua coast between Waimea and Hilo is home to working vanilla, chocolate, coffee, and tea farms that offer tours and tastings. Waipiʻo Valley also has a working taro farm open to visitors, and some farms offer the option to plant a native tree.
Read more about the Farm Tours near Waimea.
A Cacao farm tour at the Honokaʻa Chocolate Co close to Waimea. Next to a tour of the cacao orchard you also get to taste a variety of their own chocolate and other local products. Image credit: Sarah Anderson Photography.
Outdoor Activities in and around Waimea
At nearly 3,000 feet with ocean beaches 30 minutes to the west and deep valley hikes 30 minutes to the north, Waimea is positioned better for outdoor variety than most visitors expect. The night skies here are among the clearest on the island.
ATV Tours
The ATV tours near Waimea run through private Kohala land with no other public access: forested ridgelines, sea cliffs, historic sites, and waterfalls on routes of 10 or more miles. Two operators run tours from the area.
All About the View UTV Farm Tour near Waipiʻo Valley
The gentlest tour on the Big Island ATV list: a guide-led UTV ride across a working Hāmākua ranch with fruit sampling, tilapia ponds, and a cliff-top ocean stop. No mud pit, no speed.
from:
$175
What is a suggested tour?Our suggested tours are hand-picked tours that receive consistent good reviews, give back to the community, and work hard to minimize their impact on the environment. Read more about these tours on our website.Read more about the ATV Tours near Waimea.
Beaches
Waimea sits roughly 30 minutes from some of the best-rated beaches on the island. The Kohala coast to the west has long white sand beaches; the valleys to the north, Waipiʻo and Pololū, have black sand beaches at their floors.
Read more about the Beaches around Waimea.
Turn right once you reach the Waipiʻo Valley floor to get to the black sand beach. Image credit: Georgios Tsiminis
Golfing
Roughly half the golf courses on the Big Island are within an hour of Waimea, concentrated along the Kohala and Kona coasts.
Read more about Golf courses near Waimea.
Hiking
Waimea is the closest town to both Waipiʻo Valley and Pololū Valley, the two most dramatic valleys on the island. Access to Waipiʻo Valley is currently restricted but the overlook is still worth a stop, but the black sand beach at the floor of Pololū Valley is reachable with a hike which we list as one of our favorite small hikes on the island.
View of the Pololū black sand beach and the dramatic cliffs in the direction of Waipiʻo Valley
Horseback riding
Ranches around Waimea run guided horseback tours across their pastures, with wide-open views of the coastline and Mauna Kea. Some tours also go beyond the ranch perimeter to explore Waipiʻo Valley and other parts of the island.
Learn more about horseback riding on the Big Island.
A group on a Horseback riding tour in Waipiʻo valley. Photo credit: Mike Neenan
Luau and Hula Performances
A luau is the most concentrated way to cover local food, music, and hula in a single evening. Some options near Waimea also include free hula performances for those not interested in a full show + dinner.
Voyagers of the Pacific Luau
An oceanfront luau on Kailua Bay where the imu ceremony is run as an audience moment and the Samoan Fire Knife Dance (Siva Afi) closes the night from center stage.
from:
$182
What is a suggested tour?Our suggested tours are hand-picked tours that receive consistent good reviews, give back to the community, and work hard to minimize their impact on the environment. Read more about these tours on our website.Read about all your options to visit Luau and Hula shows.
Stargazing near Mauna Kea
Mauna Kea, roughly 25 miles from Waimea, sits at nearly 14,000 feet with some of the clearest skies on Earth above it. Summit trips require a 4WD vehicle; guided stargazing tours are available and handle the logistics without the summit drive.
Maunakea Summit, Sunset, and Stargazing Tour
A small-group tour from Kona to the 13,796-foot summit of Maunakea: dinner at 9,200 feet, sunset above the cloud layer, and a private star show with an 11-inch telescope. Saturn, Jupiter, and the Milky Way on a clear night. 8 to 9 hours.
from:
$315
What is a suggested tour?Our suggested tours are hand-picked tours that receive consistent good reviews, give back to the community, and work hard to minimize their impact on the environment. Read more about these tours on our website.Read more about Stargazing on the Big Island.
Scuba Diving
The Kohala coast, about 30 minutes from Waimea, has some of the clearest water and most consistent conditions for diving on the Big Island. The area is accessible without the longer drive to Kona.
Read more about Scuba Diving.
Snorkeling
The Kohala coast beaches west of Waimea have some of the best snorkeling on the island: warm, clear water, coral reefs along the lava shoreline, and plenty of fish. Most spots are accessible directly from the beach.
Find out more about Snorkeling spots close to Waimea.
The half-mile Mauna Kea Beach has good snorkeling next to the rocky points at either end of the beach if the water is calm. Credit: Island of Hawaii Visitors Bureau (IHVB) / Tyler Schmitt
Petroglyphs
Two petroglyph fields sit west of Waimea: the Waikoloa Petroglyph Field and the Puako Petroglyph Field. Some of the carvings date to the 16th century, placing them roughly in the era of first European contact in the Pacific.
Petroglyphs in the Waikoloa Field. Carved into volcanic rock, the earliest of these carvings are centuries old.
Pololū Valley
Pololū Valley is the northernmost of the valleys carved into the Kohala coastline and has the most accessible lookout. The viewpoint at the trailhead is worth a stop on its own, but hiking to the black sand beach at the valley floor is the main reason to come. Several stops nearby make it easy to build a half-day Kohala road trip around the visit.
Read more about visiting Pololū Valley.
Pololū Valley is one of the dramatic valleys cut into the Kohala coastline.
Waipiʻo Valley
Waipiʻo Valley was historically home to Hawaiian kings and among the most settled places on the island. Today it holds taro fields, a couple dozen residents, and a black sand beach at its floor. The valley is roughly one mile wide and six miles deep: the only access to the floor is by 4WD vehicle or a guided tour.
Read more about visiting Waipiʻo valley.
Waipiʻo valley is a place like nowhere else we’ve been. The only way down into the valley is with a 4wd or as part of a tour.
Waterfalls
The cliffs above Waipiʻo Valley hold Hiʻilawe Falls, one of the tallest waterfalls on the Big Island, visible from the valley floor.There also are several smaller swimmable waterfalls in the Kohala mountains that are accessible for a dip as part of a tour.
Read more about waterfalls on the Big Island.
The Hiʻilawe falls (center left) are best visible from within Waipiʻo Valley. Image credit: Georgios Tsiminis
Ziplining
The Kohala volcano forests near Waimea have some of the best terrain for ziplining on the island: dense tree canopy, ravines, and the option to combine the lines with a waterfall swim on the zip and dip package.
Kohala Canopy Zipline Adventure
Eight ziplines, six sky bridges, and one rappel through old-growth forest above Hawi. The only full canopy tour on the Big Island, with no stair-climbing between zips.
from:
$245
What is a suggested tour?Our suggested tours are hand-picked tours that receive consistent good reviews, give back to the community, and work hard to minimize their impact on the environment. Read more about these tours on our website.Read more about Ziplining near Waimea.
Twin ziplines with Kohala Ziplines