It’s practically necessity to cruise the coastline while visiting Oahu. The west coast has some of the most scenic and breathtaking views in the world. If you’re interested in cruising the west side, I have the perfect west Oahu itinerary planned for you to get the most out of your tropical vacation.
Capture your dream vacation by booking a professional photographer (me). You don’t want to forget those incredible views, book a sunrise and sunset session and get those magical skies and dreamy colors!
This experience doesn’t require any hiking or physical exertion, and does require you to pull over on the lookout spots along the roadway. If you get a little nervous in the car, especially around roads that hug the cliffs, don’t worry! Practically the entire coastline on the west side of Oahu is 25 mph, so it’s a really comfortable drive. Also, if you don’t have a car or just don’t feel comfortable making your own west Oahu itinerary or driving around in new locations, there are plenty of tour guides that can take you around.
The great thing about Oahu is that at almost any point along the roadway there’s a beach. Some parking is trickier than others, but the beach belongs to the public in Hawai’i so you’re allowed to visit any beach. The caveat is that some of the parking lots close at sunset.
For this date we started at Pokai beach. I love finding water that is relatively easy to swim in since I don’t like the big waves. Pokai looked super safe, and had plenty of beach to have some space for yourself.
Or next stop was at Makaha Beach where we spent the most of our day. You can park along the street, and there is also a public parking lot right across the street from the beach. You’ll usually be able to find a spot pretty easily.
In the winter, Makaha Beach becomes a popular spot for surfing, so you can usually find a group of surfers to watch. I haven’t been surfing yet but it sure is fun to see others doing it! Either way, Makaha is a fantastic place to surf. It also has some really cool underwater caves or snorkeling and scuba if you take a boat out far enough. There are always one or two tour boats out there taking people to the caves out there. This is also a great spot for finding sea life.
We took a break for lunch, which is super convenient considering there are usually some food trucks along the road. Viet808 is the truck there right now, they are amazing and accommodate my gluten free diet. There’s also a shave ice truck. If you don’t know what that is, you HAVE to try one!
On our way down Farrington Highway (remember stil 25mph) we stopped at Kea’au Beach Park. It’s a 360 view of the sea and the mountains, it has amazing cliffside beaches, and is usually not crowded. This is a great location to watch the sun set. They also have a bathroom 🙂
After that we stopped Ka’ena Point, a popular lookout where you can usually see whales or dolphins in the winter. I haven’t seen any yet though.
Across from Ka’ena is the Makua Cave, it’s a small cavern carved out of one of the mountains. You can go inside and look around. You do have to cross the road (still 25mph) There aren’t any trails though it’s more like just one large cavern space. It’s a great photo op though!
Our next stop is the Space Force Station. Yep, it’s real. And you can get a photo in from of the entrance/sign! I think it’s just hilarious that it’s real.
The space force base is right outside of Yokohama Beach Park, where the road eventually turns into a parking lot for the beach park. Yokohama has some of the prettiest views in the entire island.
Catch sunset on your way back into town, and stop along the coastline to enjoy that magnificent sunset.
Then end the day with frozen drinks and a gluten free dinner at Disney Aulani ‘s Off the Hook. Take advantage of the grounds while you’re there. You can do basically everything except the pool.
I hope this west Oahu itinerary for traveling has been helpful. If you have any other suggestions or ideas for traveling Oahu, leave them in the comments!!
