Waipio Valley

About this spectacle

Waipio Valley on the Big Island of Hawaiʻi is a dramatic, steep-walled valley dropping sharply to a black-sand beach where the Wailoa Stream meets the Pacific Ocean. Towering cliffs, some of the tallest sea cliffs in the world, frame the valley on both sides while a series of waterfalls — most famously Hiʻilawe — cascade hundreds of feet down the verdant walls. Taro fields spread across the valley floor, fed by streams running through dense tropical vegetation. Visitors standing at the Waipio Valley Lookout at the rim are greeted by a sweeping panorama: the valley plunging away beneath them, the dark beach strip, and the deep blue ocean beyond. Those who descend the notoriously steep road enter a lush, quieter world of wild horses, rushing streams, and the roar of distant waterfalls. The air is humid and fragrant, and the scale of the cliffs makes the valley feel both enclosed and immense.

When to go

Year-round

Getting there

Nearest airport: KOA. Nearest city: Hilo.

Booking options

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