Active Hawaiian Adventures
Hawaii offers lots to do for your active-travel and adventure clients

PHOTO: Minutes away from bustling Waikiki, your clients can hike Diamondhead.
Hawaii offers an abundance of activities, attractions and experiences for die-hard adventure travelers and active travelers, whether your clients are interested in the volcanoes on the Big Island or surfing on Oahu’s North Shore.
While lounging on the beach or in a hammock has become a well-known “activity” in Hawaii, the state’s various islands offer a great deal of outdoor adventure and extreme activities, as well.
Of course, that only means so much. Travel agents also need to know how to sell adventure travel, and which specific activities, regions and islands to highlight.
It’s important to advise travelers who don’t know Hawaii very well that there is plenty of adventure to be experienced throughout the Islands, not just in obvious adventure hot spots like the Big Island.
Here’s a look at how to sell adventure travel in Hawaii.
Tap into the Culture
Travelers have been flocking to Hawaii for years in large part because of the culture. Whether a client is well versed in Hawaii’s history or simply knows about luaus, it’s important to make the Hawaiian culture part of his or her itinerary.
The Polynesian Cultural Center in Laie, Oahu, offers an authentic experience full of traditional activities to delve into, including a variety of Polynesian and other cultures represented throughout the “islands” of the property.
If your clients want to dive deeper into local culture away from many of the tourists who populate Oahu, send them to Kauai and the Big Island in particular. Kauai had about 1.1 million visitors in 2013, according to the Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA). The Big Island experienced about 1.4 million visitors. That’s compared to the 2.3 million visitors and 5 million visitors who flocked to Maui and Oahu, respectively.
Kauai and Hawaii are also less populated than Oahu, with populations of about 69,500 and 190,000, respectively, in 2013, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s estimate.
There are plenty of authentic adventures and outdoor experiences throughout the Islands, but if clients want to see small towns and interact with cultures that still live the way Hawaiian ancestors used to, Kauai and the Big Island are strong choices.
The Big Island
What Activities Does Hawaii Offer?
What kind of adventure activities can you sell in Hawaii? Well, to put it simply, just about anything.
The Big Island is obviously a huge draw for adventure travelers, given that it’s home to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
PHOTO: Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island is a huge draw for active travelers.
There aren’t many places where you can see giant active volcanoes, but the Big Island is one of them. When you aren’t taking a tour of the volcanoes (by foot or by helicopter), you can snorkel with the manta rays off the Kona Coast, go horseback riding in Waimea, and check out spectacular waterfalls in Akaka Falls and Waianuenue (Rainbow Falls) at Wailuku River State Park.
Kauai
In Kauai, popular spots include Kauai’s North Shore, Napali Coast and Waimea Canyon. Boating along the sea cliffs of Napali Coast is a popular adventure for travelers. So is kayaking down the Wailua River toward the Coconut Coast. Some visitors like to go tubing through the miles of water channels in Lihue, zip-line over Kauai’s rainforests, go off-roading on the South Shore and/or go horseback riding in the pastures of Princeville.
PHOTO: Kauai’s Napali Coast State Park offers sweeping views of the island’s rugged northwest coast.
There’s also some great hiking in Kokee State Park and Waimea Canyon. (After all, Waimea Canyon isn’t called “The Grand Canyon of the Pacific” for nothing.)
Maui
Maui is another island that wants to attract the adventure traveler. Water activities are abundant here, including off Kaanapali Beach and Wailea Beach. You can go surfing in historic Lahaina. Horseback riding is ideal at Haleakala, Maui’s highest peak. And, given Maui’s wide range of scenic landscapes that offer beautiful sweeping views, helicopter tours are a major draw for adventure travelers.
Oahu
And don’t forget Oahu, of course. While inexperienced travelers who only know of Waikiki may not think of Oahu as an adventure travel hotspot, that simply is not the case. True adventure travelers know that Oahu explodes with outdoor experiences, as explained above.
In fact, Diamond Head, a 761-foot volcanic cone that overlooks the ocean, is only about three miles away from Waikiki. It’s not only a popular hiking spot, but it also offers some great surfing.
Speaking of surfing, Oahu’s North Shore is a world-renowned surf haven. Every year, it holds three professional competitions that make up the Triple Crown of Surfing, drawing some of the best surfers in the world. And, given that Oahu has about 112 linear miles of shoreline, there is plenty of room for other water activities, including boating, diving, snorkeling, fishing, kayaking, parasailing, whale watching and more.
For landlubbers, Oahu has more than 35 hiking or mountain bike trails. There’s even something for those who prefer the sky, with plenty of skydiving opportunities.
Lanai
Lanai doesn’t get a lot of attention (it had about 74,000 visitors in 2013), but that off-the-beaten-path quality actually is a great draw for adventure travelers. Adventure travelers love places that have yet to be completely discovered; they love hidden gems.
Lanai features 400 miles of dirt road, which is the kind of thing that makes adventure travelers start salivating. After all, roads that are off the beaten path — rather than paved, flat roads — can lead to some hard-to-reach places and some incredible views. Four-wheel driving is huge in Lanai, leading travelers on adventures through Munro Trail, Hulopoe Bay and Kaiolohia (an eight-mile stretch of beach that features part of a shipwreck on the reef). Puu Pehe (Sweetheart Rock) and Central Lanai are also major adventure hot spots.
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