Where to Hike and Eat on the Hawaiian Island of Oahu

Hawaii’s Oahu Island is the boy from the place where you never know a visitor who is there only once. People visit, then visit again. Very soon, Oahu has baked in his travel routines.

In the process, those of us who end up loving, a large number, considering that total air arrivals at the Daniel K. International Airport in Honolulu reached 5.6 million people in 2023, each has become familiar with a bit in a slightly different way. There are people for whom the north coast and its department lunch of food trucks are the raffle. Or waikiki for purchases. Or Pearl Harbor for sober reflections. Or something completely different.

What my family and I return repeatedly are the walks and the stellar at, for which Honolulu is one of the best cities on Earth.

Here are my four favorite matches.

Ka’iwa Ridge and Bozu Japanese Restaurant

Ka’iwa’s crest rises over the neighborhood of Wailea or Kailua, on the east coast of Oahu. You will find the beginning of the path in Kaelepulu Drive in front of the MID-Pacific Country Club. It is not a long walk. You must get to the top and go down again in approximately an hour. And the elevation change is moderate. But it is steep and slippery at the points, so it can be using the tested strings.

Along the way, you will border the lip of the ridge line, obtaining high and higher views of Lanikai Beach and the Mokulua islets. At the end of your climbing, you will reach two pills of the World War of Graffitie Colorully in which social networks influencers could raise for selfies. Ignore them. Let the cleaning of the morning sun and the marine breeze be your reward.

Or maybe the food that follows later that day will be. I arrive at the Japanese restaurant Bozu in the modest McCully Center Strip Shopping Center, just north of the Wai Ala channel in Waikiki. With all the typical clamor and the clash of an occupied izakaya, Bozu attends everything, from Yakitori to sushi and noodles. But you cannot be wrong with the weekly specials. We ate sashimi of brineo and ark batteries, crunchy chicken skin with ponzu, monk liver, pork jowl and meat tongue of the amiyaki grill, in addition to two of the best tsukune meatballs that my internal meatball specialist has bas. (Around $ 70 for two for a very complete lunch).

Makapu’u Lighthouse and Mud Wir Water

We walk to the Makapu’u lighthouse the next day. It is easier for Ka’iwa Ridge, although it will probably take twice as much time and you will climb a little more. But the path is wide and paved. You will see people pushing children in strollers and others in golf carts. The road extends from the parking lot right next to the Kalanianale highway up and around the rocky tip of southeastern Oahu as far as the viewpoint Makapu’u is located. The lighthouse is on the rocks below, apparently with the largest lens of any lighthouse in the United States. Here the sea is deep cobalt blue and it will be worth raising the final sensation of that land, the entire Pacific Ocean attractive to move in front of you and on the horizon’s lip.

The dinner along Waialae Avenue is just west on the north side of the H-1 road that bisects Honolulu. This neighborhood has a series of food destinations that won “to get lost, including brunch at the Kokohead café and the diving pill, where you can try badly (a Portuguese donut that is very popular in halves) and its”. “We get rid of them that night, a place of Aloha of the Age of the Era. With Korean, Japanese, European and local flavors.

‘Aiea Loop and the Liliha bakery

When marking the innencia, you can try the Loop ‘AIEA below. In the upper part of ‘Aiea Heights, the loop is part of the Recreation Area of ​​the state of Keaiwa Heiau. The path itself is considered moderately hard, with a narrow track that rises and falls, tracking the crest line over the Halawa Valley. This walk brings you deeply in the lush vegetation of the highlands of Oahu Central, where the chillido of the birds in the brush and the wind through the long herbs will contribute to the feeling that you are far from urban life. Where the thick presentation of the tree, the observation points and the photographs are broken, present magnificent views of the southern coast of Oahu.

The complete loop will take approximately three hours, with approximately twice the elevation change of the Makapu’u lighthouse or the Lanikai Pillbox walk. Depending on when it goes, there may be much less pedestrian traffic than the other two. Do not forget the water. Consider walking boots. And keep this walk for a dry day, since the parts of the loop path will take it above the jungle throats and the track can be slippery.

Then, you can feel that it has passed closer to a “real” version of Oahu than possible in the city. This is a tourist feeling, but can allow it under the circumstances. A great restaurant to match its temporary local state would be the lunch counter in Liliha Bakery. The famous place opened in 1950 and would seem to have changed very little since then. Coconut donuts and Poi Mochi are Honolulu’s legend. The tasty menu is equally good: Aloha Flood at the upper end of the quality scale. There is the complete slate of dinner breakfasts, but with spam sides and chicken sticks. Then it is the ox soup, the Saimin noodles, the Japanese -style beef curry, in addition to a crazy mucus dish, a hamburger on rice with sauce and a fried egg, which would personally fly long distances to eat (less than $ 20 per person for lunch).

Kuli’ou’ou Ridge, Maguro Brothers and Fujiya Hawaii

Respiring your game One more notch would take you from the loop ‘aiea to Kuli’ou’ou’ou ridge. This walk is moderate to difficult. Four hours is probably a good time to budget. Wait for more than 1,640 feet, which is approximately the equivalent of about 200 stairs.

Follow Kuli’ou’ou’ou Road to the place of Kalaau, at the top of which you will find the beginning of the market path. From the upper part of the valley, you will walk along a steep route of change that will take him to the top of the Koolau crest and then lead to the summit of Kouli’ou’ou. This is a popular walk, and among the most diffuse. Therefore, there will be many friendly people to compare notes about their progress, including those who go down who can inform about how much the climbing is coming.

Kuli’ou’ou Ridge is a beautiful path for the diversity of natural life it reveals. As you climb the first increase, you will go through the positions of Hoole Koa and Guava, but at a certain altitude they will give way to Ironwood and Cook Pins. Part of the change part of the path is rocky, but by the time you reach about 1,000 feet, where the pines begin, there will be a thick and soft bed bed on the path, removing the sound and contributing to a sensation or peaceful elimination.

Once it reaches the crest line, the route straightens and then advances towards the summit of Kali’ou’ou. Here is a rest area for picnic. You will thank you for bringing a protein bar. The path rises from here along a steep stairs game. It is just a kilometer from the top; The final impulse will take one of the best perspective points of the island. Waimanalo and the Mokulua islets are north. And all the way to the southwest will have a great view of the Koko Head crater.

You may be enough after this to want something immediately. So here there are two essential host hits that combine to make a star lunch. Go to Maunakea’s market in Chinatown, right next to Maunakea Street between Hotel and Pauahi streets. Stop on any necessary line to collect a poke rice bowl in the Magurón brothers. They serve Maguuro (the precious blue tuna) daily and in a variety of flags: Shoyu and onion, wasabi and avocado. Other fresh options also serve, including Madoko octopus with limu algae and real salmon with spicy mayonnaise (lunch from $ 13 to $ 16 per person). To the dessert, invest the time to cross the city (a 20 -minute trip to the east in King Street) to try a brilliant selection of Mochi in Fujiya Hawaii. These sweaty glutinous rice cakes are stuffed with fruits and stuffed and sprinkled in the confectionery sugar. A refreshing delight on a hot day, just outside the Fujiya refrigerators ($ 10 to $ 12 by half boxes of Mochi boxes). And conveniently, this is also the place to buy their Japanese cookies Senbei to bring home as gifts.

After that, for me, in any case, one day of Ohu is completed quite perfect. Until tomorrow, that’s. Or my next visit.

Timothy Taylor is a travel and food writer based in Vancouver. His last book is the novel “The Rise and Fall of Magic Wolf”.

Follow the New York Times trip in Instagram and Register for our travel bulletin To obtain expert advice on Emarter and inspiration for your next vacation. Dream a future getaway or just an armchair traveling? Look ours 52 places to go in 2025.