If you are headed to the Island of Hawaii for a vacation, you’ll have lots of amazing things to see and do on the Big Island. But, perhaps you might be wondering if it’s possible to take a day trip, island hop over to Oahu to see Pearl Harbor. The good news is yes, it is very possible!
A visit to Pearl Harbor is on most visitors’ bucket list of things to see when they travel to Hawaii. We’ve been to Pearl Harbor numerous times and can say that it is indeed worthy of your time and budget. It’s both educational and emotional to learn the history of Pearl Harbor.
Logistically, it is possible to plan your own flights, rent a car, and make your own reservations to visit the historic sites within Pearl Harbor. I will say that it is a lot of work coordinating those plans on your own. I’ve done it myself and it’s stressful and very time consuming to do the research and planning. But, stay tuned….there is an easier option we’ll get to below…
When most people generally think of Pearl Harbor, their thoughts tend to go to the USS Arizona Memorial, which is the sunken battleship with the hovering memorial structure. That’s what most people have highest on their list of places to see. These days, visiting the USS Arizona Memorial requires reservations that are timed and limited to a certain number per day. So, it can be tricky to secure reservations. For this reason we recommend an organized, packaged trip to Oahu.
A reputable day-trip, island-hopping tour company that we recommend is Polynesian Adventures. That’s who we booked on our first Maui vacation for a day trip to Oahu. It was a seamless process. All we had to do was get to the Maui airport in Kahului and Polynesian Adventures handles all the flights to and from Oahu, transportation, reservations, and tickets to the Pearl Harbor attractions. We certainly had a memorable day.
Polynesian Adventures is currently the only tour company that offers these day trips from Hawaii’s Big Island to Oahu to tour Pearl Harbor. From these links, you can learn more about the specific tours they offer.
Big Island Kona day trip to Oahu: World War II Deluxe Pearl Harbor Tour. This tour includes all four (USS Arizona Memorial, Battleship Missouri Memorial, Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum, and Bow Fin Museum) Pearl Harbor attractions, plus a scenic drive past the top downtown Honolulu spots. This tour is best for those who want to know all about Pearl Harbor and who have a greater interest in the history of it.
Big Island Kona day trip to Oahu: Pearl Harbor Arizona Memorial, USS Missouri plus other Oahu sightseeing. This tour includes two of Pearl Harbor’s top attractions, plus a scenic drive past downtown and to Punchbowl National Memorial Cemetery. This tour is best for those who want a great introduction to Pearl Harbor’s top two attractions and who want to see more of Honolulu. This was the tour we chose.
These tours are not inexpensive, but all things considered, there’s value in the low stress involved in making sure you have reservations and tickets and everything timed appropriately. Additionally, it’s nice to have someone else doing the driving on Honolulu’s busy streets. We once paid a high price with Polynesian Adventures’ tour, too. Looking back on it, we don’t regret spending that money for such a memorable day.
