Papakolea Green Sand Beach - Olivia Michelle

If you are visiting the Big Island of Hawaii, then Papakolea HAS to be on your list of things to do. Where else are you going to be able to see a green sand beach?! Here is what to expect and how to get there!

Papakolea Green Sand Beach
Near Ka Lae South Point, Naalehu, HI 96772
To get to green sand beach you have two options: hike or hitch a ride with the locals. If you want to hike, the trail is rated as moderate and is 5.6 Miles long. We hitched a ride with the locals, which is what I suggest doing. Upon arriving to the parking lot one of the locals asked us if we wanted a ride. It was $20 per person round trip. I know that seems like a lot, but I think it was definitely worth it considering how long the hike is. Plus, it will save you quite a bit of time so you can continue to explore other places on your vacation.
View the Papakolea Trail on All Trails HERE.

Riding with the locals was an experience in itself. The trail requires a 4×4 and it is quite bumpy. We stood up during the ride and held on. The ride itself is a good 30 minutes out to the beach.

The landscape is really rugged, and you will likely pass some other trucks on your way. We were grateful our truck only had five people; we saw some others full to the brim with 15+ people in the back.

So, here me out, the photos don’t do the green sand justice. It is actually green. If you pick up the sand, you will be able to see the tiny little pieces of olivine crystals. These crystals have eroded out of the cinder cones formed in the 1986 eruption of Mauna Loa.

There are some sketchy looking stairs you will have to climb down to get down into the area of green sand beach. It is an absolutely beautiful cove.

Our driver gave us about 30-40 minutes down at the beach. In my opinion, that was plenty of time to explore.

In the photo above you can see the tiny olivine crystals mixed in with the other rocks and things.

When you visit Papakolea I also suggest doing Ka Lea, the Southernmost tip of the United States and Big Island. These two are only minutes apart and there is not much else around them to see/do so make a trip out of it. You’ll need about half a day to do both of these, and keep in mind they are not really near Kona or Hilo towns.
Read about South Point (Ka Lae) in my blog post HERE.