Let’s be real. There are a million lists. A million articles that say, “these are the very best places to go on Oahu!” Well I’m not any type of five star explorer. But I DID have a fairly well-rounded experience there. I lived in a van, which means I got look at those fancy lists and articles and travel to most of the places on them. Here are, from my perspective, the attractions on those lists that deserve to be there and some that are maybe overhyped.
Places on Oahu that are completely worth the hype:
Waimea Bay
You guys. This beach quickly became one of my all time favorites. It is BEAUTIFUL. I attached a picture of it as the cover photo for this post. You’ll notice the main attraction of this beach is the rock formation that connects the beach to the ocean. This boulder is perfect for cliff jumping and has varying heights to choose from, with the tallest place to jump being probably around 20 feet. The ocean water here is a crazy blue that I never got over. You guys, I can’t rave enough about how beautiful this place is.
You’ll find outdoor climbing there! Up on the beach there is a short rock face that’s all chalked up. The boulders are all logged here on mountain project if you want to check them out. When we came I’d had no idea there would be boulders and so I hadn’t brought my climbing shoes, but at least some of the routes are doable without. My friend and I discovered that crash pads weren’t necessary either, the sand was soft enough to land on. The best part was climbing the rock that everyone was jumping into the water from. It’s been a bucket list item of mine to free climb over open water and we spent HOURS doing just that. Waimea has my heart for sure. A disclaimer if you go though, it gets BUSY. So you’ll need to go around 7-8am just to get a parking spot and enjoy the beach before the 9am crowd hits.
Shark’s Cove
Shark’s Cove, also called Pupukea beach park, has the best free snorkeling on Oahu. I went back at least once a week because there was just so much to see. I lost track of the turtles I spotted there, and if you’re respectful of their space they’ll let you observe them as long as you want to. The variety of the Sealife is incredible! What makes it so accessible and well populated by fish is the nature of the cove. It’s extremely rocky and shallow, a safe place for the Sealife to hide from predators. That being said, a few baby sharks were spotted on one of the days I went! Small enough to not be any threat to people, but very cool to see.
Shark’s Cove is GREAT for families. Since it’s shallow, kids who are too young to snorkel will still be able to see plenty of fish. And the kids who are old enough to manage a snorkel and go a bit deeper will still be able to stand unless they leave the cove. There are small rock formations to jump off of and at low tide, the sun heats big tide pools to be warm enough to be considered a natural hot-tub.
Matsumoto Shave Ice
Aww man. This place is so elite. Not to be dramatic, but I’d travel to Oahu just to get Matsumoto’s. I’ll never be able to eat regular shave ice ever again. In fact, I tried, and it just made me sad. Matsumoto shave ice was recommended to us over and over again by SO many people. I remember thinking, “Come on, it’s shave ice. How exciting can it get?” Holy Moses I had no idea. When we finally went to try it, there was a line forever long. It was clearly the happening place to be. They have their system down to a science so the line moved impossibly fast and before long I was having to choose from a LONG list of flavors and toppings.
Let me spare you the trouble. In my experience, the Lilikoi and the Birthday Cake are the best flavors—not necessarily together, just in general. Those types of flavors aren’t typically my thing, but they were SO good. Get it on vanilla ice cream with condensed milk on top and try not to cry tears of joy. It’s just that good. Don’t ask me how they do it, I don’t know. It’s just Matsumoto magic.
Kahuku Food Trucks
Honestly, the best food I had on Oahu for the price was at the food truck stop in Kahuku. I went there more often then I’d like to admit, and grew a Taro addiction in the process. That being said it should be no surprise that the Taro Hut was my favorite place to eat. It has amazing authentic Polynesian food, and the prices are really decent for Hawaii, which is a big win. Plus, the people there are just so nice.
That being said, there are probably 30 trucks to choose from, ranging in all types of good food. Açai, boba smoothies, chicken, seafood, poke, froyo…it’s all there and everything I tried was amazing. There’s also a market if you want to pick up some cute Hawaiian souvenirs while you’re there. It’s just a “good vibes” place to be and I HIGHLY recommend it.
Sunset Beach
Sunset beach is, true to it’s name, a beautiful place to watch the sunset. If you’re looking for a beach to relax for the day, see some beautiful views, and enjoy an uncrowded location, this is the place. It’s a long stretch of white sand that meets with Gatorade blue water, exactly what you would expect a Hawaiian beach to look like. Honestly, my iphone camera didn’t do it justice. The snorkeling isn’t great, and there isn’t much to do here except bodyboarding (or maybe surfing if it’s the winter), but It’s one of those places on Oahu that’s pretty enough to visit anyways. I would say it’s worth your time if you’re up in that direction.
Swimming With Sharks
Okay guys, I wrote a whole entire post about my experience swimming with Sharks. In my opinion, it was way too cool to be able to sum up in just a few paragraphs. So, click here HERE to read about that experience, what company I went with and why I recommend it SO. DANG. MUCH.
Before I jump into the less worthwhile experiences…
Here’s a quick list of bloggers who ALSO wrote about their experiences in Oahu and their thoughts on worthwhile adventures. These lists are a little more extensive, so if you’re planning a trip I’d check them out!
- fashion edible has probably the most comprehensive list, with a healthy dose of free adventures, a few experiences worth paying money for, and hikes.
- travel and taste with tracy is another great resource that outlines a list of 25 places to visit in Hawaii, as well as some helpful general travel info about the island.
- east by midwest offers attractions that are more road-trippy and destination-ish. Lookout points, restaurants, etc. A good option if you want adventures that are a little less off the beaten path.
Okay let’s get back into it with:
Experiences on Oahu that maybe AREN’T worth your time
A disclaimer, I don’t have pictures of any of these places. Which maybe adds to the point I’m making 🙂 I didn’t want to get copyrighted but feel free to google pictures of these places if you want to see exactly where I’m talking about!
Ted’s Bakery
Okay, to be honest a LOT of people recommended this place and when we went it was just…Underwhelming. They’re known for their pies. When we went, we tried the food and had some pie and don’t get me wrong, it was good. It just wasn’t amazing. It’s located near sunset Beach, so If you’re in the area it’s probably worth your time just for the experience and convenience. But I wouldn’t go out of my way to check this one off the list. For the quality of food and the price, we weren’t that impressed.
Turtle Bay Resort
Listen, I know this one sounds cool but it’s really not that amazing. Turtle Bay is located at a resort that is BOUJEE. And it’s a beautiful beach for sure. It’s got really clear water and some snorkeling. It’s just…pretty basic if you’ve been to other parts of the island. In my opinion, Waimea Bay is way more beautiful, and there’s a lot more to see there. When we went, we lost interest pretty fast. It’s FULL of wealthy tourists, so it’s a pretty crowded beach and although it’s beautiful it’s kind of…boring. From my perspective, there are so many better places on Oahu to spend your time.
The Mermaid Caves
Again, these sound cool but there’s not much to see there. If you’re traveling with a young family it might be a good stop. When we went it was high tide, so most of the caves were full of water. We could see into them from openings in the rock and they were pretty cool. The issue is their location. It’s not necessarily a safe place to be. There is a good amount of crime that happens in the surrounding areas. There’s also not much to do around there so you would likely be driving pretty far out of your way to see the caves. If you do decide to visit, I have no doubt you’ll think it’s a beautiful place. Just lock your car and make sure you time your adventure at low tide to get the most out of your time there. I didn’t snap any pictures because when we went it was all flooded, but google Oahu Mermaid Caves and you’ll get some cool images.
You can’t go wrong with the north shore
Honestly, I spent most of my time on the north shore of Oahu and I have no regrets. It’s a stunning place, with small town vibes that still cater well to traveling needs. I felt at home there, and I CANNOT wait to go back. Don’t make the mistake of getting caught up in Honolulu. Yes, Waikiki is a beautiful beach. It’s also a crowded tourist trap and not the best the island has to offer. Not even remotely. My best advice is to travel to the north shore and treat yourself to the small town, personalized adventures.
Oh, and enjoy Oahu:) It’s pretty much my favorite place on earth.