Big Island vs Oahu: Which Hawaiian Island to Choose and Why!

Considering a Hawaii vacation but torn between the Big Island and Oahu? One of the hardest parts about planning a trip to Hawaii is deciding which Hawaiian island to visit. If you’ve narrowed it down to the Big Island vs Oahu, you’ve come to the right place!

I’ve had the pleasure of visiting both the Big Island and Oahu multiple times, and I truly love them both! However, I know most people who travel to Hawaii don’t have time to visit both. So, I’m breaking down everything you need to know in order to choose between the Big Island vs Oahu.

In this post, I’ll cover all your burning questions like which island has the best beaches, the best nightlife, the best outdoor activities, and more! With these answers, you’ll be able to decide which Hawaiian island is right for you.

Note: This post contains affiliate links. If you click an affiliate link or book through an affiliate program, I receive a small commission at no cost to you!

Frequently Asked Questions

Big Island vs Oahu: A Breakdown of Which Island to Choose for your Hawaiian Vacation (and Why!)

Big Island Overview

The Big Island of Hawaii is one of the most unique places I’ve ever traveled to! It’s full of incredible and varying landscapes, from rolling volcanic hills to black sand beaches. As the youngest of the Hawaiian islands, the Big Island feels completely different from places like Kauai or Oahu.

It’s also, you guessed it, the BIGGEST of the Hawaiian islands. In fact, all of the other Hawaiian islands could fit INSIDE the Big Island. For this reason, I would only visit the Big Island if you have at least 4 days to explore it. However, I recommend spending a full week on the Big Island!

The best activities are spread out across the entire island, so one week is the perfect amount of time to see and do it all. And you absolutely need a rental car when visiting the Big Island! I highly recommend using RentalCars.com!

Top Activities on the Big Island

In general, I recommend visiting the Big Island if you love the outdoors and want to experience all they have to offer! The Big Island has tons of outdoor adventure activities which I will cover more in the next sections. Also, the Big Island is the only Hawaiian island where you can snorkel with manta rays, which should absolutely be on your bucket list!

Other popular activities on the Big Island include exploring Volcanoes National Park, kayaking to Captain Cook, and visiting a Kona coffee farm!

You can read my full list of 30 Things to Do on the Big Island here for even more ideas!

Oahu Overview

Oahu is completely different from the Big Island, in the best way possible! Oahu is much smaller than the Big Island, but there are still tons of different activities to experience! Home to the capital of Hawaii (Honolulu) and within it, the famous Waikiki Beach, there is something for everyone on Oahu.

I still recommend renting a car while visiting Oahu to maximize your time. However, you can drive around all of Oahu in a few hours, so it’s easier to do day trips while on Oahu vs the Big Island.

Top Activities on Oahu

My favorite part of Oahu is the wide variety of activities and areas. In Waikiki, you’ll find shopping, nightlife, beaches, and surfing for beginners! Along the North Shore, there’s adorable food trucks, beautiful sunsets and killer waves.

Dotted across the island are incredible hikes like Lanikai Pillboxes, Diamond Head, and Koko Crater. And don’t forget about visiting the historic Pearl Harbor site or the real-life Jurassic Park!

Make sure to check out my perfect 3 day Oahu itinerary that captures as much of Oahu as possible!

Which Island to Choose: Big Island vs Oahu

Now that you have a general understanding of both islands, let’s dive into the details of which island is best for different categories!

Best Island for Beaches: Oahu

If white sand beaches are your thing, Oahu is the winner here! From the famous Waikiki beach, to North Shore, to Kailua Beach, Oahu has so many beautiful, white sand beaches to choose from. You can spend your days lounging in the sand and drinking mai tais all across Oahu.

Don’t get me wrong, the Big Island also has some incredible beaches! However, since the Big Island is the youngest of the Hawaiian islands, most of the beaches are very volcanic. This means the Big Island has some epic black sand beaches and even a green sand beach, but not a lot of white sand, sprawling beaches! My favorite was Punaluʻu Beach, which was dotted with green palm trees and full of sea turtles!

Best Island for Food and Nightlife: Oahu

While both islands have incredible food, I think Oahu takes the cake in this category. Since Oahu is so heavily populated, there are TONS of different restaurants and bars to choose from. In the Waikiki area alone, I had a list of 20 restaurants I wanted to try. There are also incredible beach bars, rooftop bars, and even some nightlife on Oahu.

While the Big Island has some incredible local places to eat, I wouldn’t say there is much nightlife here. Restaurants like Da Poke Shack and Broke Da Mouth Grindz are absolutely mouth-watering. However, outside of the Kona area, your food and drink options become sparse, unless you drive from Kona to Hilo. Most places on the Big Island aren’t open past 10pm, let alone midnight, so don’t expect much nightlife here!

A special Hawaiian nightlife activity I have to touch on is: Luaus! There are plenty of luaus to choose from on both the Big Island and Oahu. Big Island luaus tend to be more casual and low-key affairs. There are about 6 main luaus to choose from on the Big Island along the Kona and Kohala coast. On Oahu, there are even more to choose from, and luaus on Oahu are generally bigger productions! So it depends what kind of vibe you are looking for.

Best Island for Volcanoes: Big Island

This one is easy! If your goal is to see an active volcano, head to the Big Island!

The island of Oahu does not have any active volcanoes. The Big Island is made up of 5 different volcanoes: Kilauea, Mauna Loa, Hualālai, Mauna Kea, and Kohala. The first 3 are still active, with Kilauea being the most active volcano on Earth. If you are lucky, you might even get to see real lava while visiting the Big Island.

One of the most popular things to do on the Big Island is visit Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, where you can walk through a lava tube, hike down into a volcanic crater, and see petroglyphs.

Another incredible activity to do on the Big Island is watch the sunset and stargaze from Mauna Kea!

Best Island for Hiking: Oahu

As mentioned above, the Big Island has some incredible hiking in Volcanoes National Park. In addition, there are a few hikes down to the ocean, like the hike to Captain Cook, Shipman Beach/Haena Beach, and the Onomea Bay Trail.

However, if you are looking for hikes with spectacular views, I believe Oahu is the winner!

For an easy, family-friendly hike, there is the famous Diamond Head Monument. About 20 minutes away from Waikiki, you’ll find the epic Koko Crater hike, which is pretty challenging but offers stunning views. There’s also the Kaʻau Crater Trail and the Wa’ahila Ridge Trail! On the east side of the island, there’s the Lanikai Pillbox hike and the Kahekili Trail.

In summary, the Big Island has a few awesome hikes, but Oahu wins the category!

Best Island for Waterfalls: Tie

This is another close call, as both the Big Island and Oahu have some incredible waterfalls!

On the Big Island, you can visit some stunning waterfalls like ‘Akaka Falls and Rainbow Falls with barely any effort – no muddy hike required! In fact, Rainbow Falls is just a feet away from the parking lot! You can’t swim in either of these, however.

There’s also Kulaniapia Falls, which is on private property and requires a day pass to visit. This is one of the few waterfalls on the Big Island that you can swim in! One of the most stunning (and tallest) waterfalls in all of Hawaii is Hiʻilawe waterfall in the Waipi’o Valley. To see this waterfall, you’ll have to go on an organized tour into the valley!

Read my full guide to exploring waterfalls on the Big Island here!

Oahu also has many waterfalls, and quite a few that you can hike to and swim in. Waimea Falls is one of the easiest to get to. A quick one-mile stroll through the Botanical Gardens will lead you to the waterfall. If you are looking for a more challenging hike, there’s also the Waimano Falls Trail, a 3-mile hike to the stunning falls!

Other falls on Oahu include Lulumahu Falls, which requires a permit, and Manoa Falls, which is great for all ages!

In summary, I call this one a tie between the Big Island vs Oahu. They both have many waterfalls to choose from. However, if you want to swim in waterfalls, Oahu might have a slight edge.

Read my full guide to Best Hikes on Oahu with Waterfalls here!

Best Island for Snorkeling: Big Island

While both Oahu and the Big Island have gorgeous underwater scenery, the Big Island reigns supreme. For one, the Big Island is much less populated and popular than Oahu, which means fewer crowds and fewer damage to its coral reefs.

The best part about snorkeling on the Big Island is you can do so right from the beach in many places, no tour required! Both sides of the Big Island, Kona and Hilo, have incredible snorkeling. My favorite snorkel spot is at the Captain Cook monument, which you can get to by hike or kayak.

You can read my full guide to kayaking and snorkeling at Captain Cook here!

In addition to daytime snorkeling, the Big Island is the only place you can snorkel (or dive) at night with manta rays. This is hands-down the coolest activity on the Big Island, and I highly recommend it, even if it sounds terrifying to you. You can read more about this epic activity in my full guide here!

While I think the Big Island wins for the best snorkeling, I can’t neglect to mention the incredible snorkel spots on Oahu! The best one hands down is Hanauma Bay, which requires advanced reservations and limits the amount of daily visitors. As a protected marine life conservation area, snorkeling at Hanauma Bay is truly incredible.

Best Island for Families: Oahu

In my opinion, Oahu is the better option for travelers with young children! There are tons of family-friendly activities to experience on Oahu, like watching the waves at North Shore, visiting the Pearl Harbor memorial, exploring Waikiki Beach, and experiencing Kualoa Ranch (the real life Jurassic Park).

You can also check out my list of 13 Things to Do in Waikiki, which includes even more family-friendly activities, like the Aquarium and the Zoo!

If you have older children who enjoy hiking and snorkeling, the Big Island is still a great choice! Oahu, however, has many more options.

Best Island for Surfing: Oahu

You can’t go to Hawaii and NOT surf right? Or at least watch some surfing! If this is a priority for you, the easy choice is Oahu vs the Big Island.

Oahu is home to the famous North Shore, where premier surfing competitions are held throughout the winter months! I highly recommend spending an afternoon on North Shore, eating at the famous Haleiwa Food Trucks and watching the surfers at the Banzai Pipeline.

Make sure to read my full guide to the Best Things to Do on North Shore here!

If you are interested in taking a surfing lesson, Waikiki Beach on Oahu is the perfect place to do this. The waves on Waikiki Beach stay pretty small year round, making it ideal for beginners! I surfed here in December while the waves at North Shore were absolutely terrifying, and it was so fun!

There is still some surfing on the Big Island, but it’s not nearly as accessible as on Oahu. If you are committed to visiting the Big Island but still want to surf, you can check out lessons at Kahalu’u Beach Park! If you just want to watch some surfing, there’s also Honoli’i Beach Park on the Hilo side.

Best Island for Couples: Big Island

Surprisingly, I think the Big Island wins this category! If you’re looking for a romantic destination, I highly recommend checking out the Kohala coast of the Big Island. The Kohala coast is home to the some incredible, luxurious resorts, like the Mauna Lani Resort, Fairmont Orchid, Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, and Westin Hapuna Beach Resort.

All of these resorts capture that picturesque luxury vibe honeymooners will be looking for: stunning pools, beautiful beaches, delicious restaurants, and fancy golf resorts! I dive more into this in my guide on Where to Stay on the Big Island!

That’s not to say Oahu doesn’t have beautiful resorts! Turtle Bay Resort is one of the best on the island, nestled on the North Shore! Some famous movies were filmed here, like Forgetting Sarah Marshall. About 30 minutes outside the hustle and bustle of Waikiki, you can find the luxurious Four Seasons at Ko Olina, which comes with a hefty price tag!

So while Oahu has some beautiful resorts that are great for couples, I still think the Big Island is better in this category!

Final Thoughts

There’s no doubt that both the Big Island and Oahu have a ton of different activities, restaurants, and hotels to check out. When comparing the Big Island vs Oahu, it really depends on what type of vacation you are looking for and how long you have!

If you only have a few days, I recommend spending them on Oahu. Since Oahu is much smaller than the Big Island, you can do a ton of different activities in a very short time frame. However, as Hawaii’s most popular island, be prepared for crowds and traffic!

For those who have a bit longer to spend in Hawaii and are looking for diversity in their trip, the Big Island is the best choice! With its multitude of climate zones and landscapes, you can find a little bit of everything on the Big Island. This includes black sand beaches, volcanoes, snorkeling, stunning vistas, waterfalls, coffee farms, and more!

No matter which island you choose, you really can’t go wrong with a trip to Hawaii!

Don’t forget to pin this post for future planning!