ALOHA!
There is not a bus that goes directly to Hanauma Bay from Waikiki.
There used to be a direct bus from Waikiki to Hanauma Bay, and this bus would drop you off directly at Hanauma Bay.
But this Oahu bus route 22 from Waikiki to Hanauma Bay has been “permanently discontinued.”
ð The Oahu bus route 22 from Waikiki to Hanauma Bay has been canceled. There is no longer a direct bus to Hanauma Bay from Waikiki.
But one can hope that it will become un-permanent ð so check the official Oahu bus route to see if route 22 is still permanently canceled.
Or, the way I would personally check is to see if google maps gives me bus directions that drops off at Hanauma Bay! See map for example. If you see that it shows a walking route from Koko Marina Center (shopping center), then it confirms there’s no direct bus.
According to the official Oahu bus website:
Route 22 is permanently discontinued.
According to the official Honolulu County government website:
City bus service into Hanauma Bay has been permanently discontinued.
So with the Oahu bus route 22 canceled, can you still get to Hanuama Bay by bus?
Well, that depends on what you consider to be reasonable to walk with your beach gear!
Remember, not only do you have to walk TO Hanauma Bay, you have to walk BACK.
Be sure to load up on water and snacks! You can stop by ABC Store in Waikiki before you leave for Hanauma Bay.
ð Save this post for later! Save on Pinterest! ðð
Can you get to Hanauma Bay by bus?
If you don’t mind walking a little bit (a lot), then YES, it is possible to go to Hanauma Bay by bus.
Although, you should also know that the walking route is also not exactly the safest route.
So use extra caution!
There are affiliate links on this page.
Where is the bus stop near Hanauma Bay?
The nearest bus stop to Hanauma Bay is now a 20 minute walk from the Hanauma Bay entrance. (map)
This is a bus stop near Koko Marina Center, which is where you can find local food like malasadas at the Leonard’s Bakery food truck or a Hawaiian plate lunch at Fatboy’s. aka post-snorkeling food! (map)
ð Spot the bus stop! (The shelter.) Spot the malasada food truck! (The red and white stripes.) This is a bus stop for returning to Waikiki from Hanauma Bay.
This walk from the bus stop to Hanauma Bay requires a walk along the main road.
I most recently did this walk in April 2023.
I walked the alternate route to get to Hanauma Bay (listed next), but on the way back I was tired and decided I just wanted the quickest way to get to the bus stop. ðĪŠ
I also walked this a few years ago. I had my bike and I was walking my bike along the road since the road is a bit of an uphill. ð
Because it’s a main road and cars are going fast, it’s not exactly the safest road to walk.
ð The quickest route from the bus stop near Hanauma Bay requires walking along a main road. Pictures taken from the pedestrian bridge near the bus stop.
Alternate bus stop for Hanauma Bay
Because the bus stop closest to Hanauma Bay does not give you a safe walking route, instead, you may also consider walking an extra 5 minutes or so to walk the “safer” route.
This route still has some “un-safe” areas (like when you have to cross a main road), but I think it’s better than walking most of the time along the main road.
You’ll stay on the bus for an extra stop, and then basically start walking towards the Koko Head hike trailhead.
You’ll first walk through a neighborhood, and then there is a backroad (not open to cars) that goes between Koko Head and the main road in the direction of Hanauma Bay. (map)
In zooming in on google maps, there does appear to be a bus stop located a bit further up in the neighborhood (map), but this is probably a less frequent route (if it’s still running at all).
I have never had it come up when searching google map bus routes, but maybe your timing will be perfect and you will see this option!
Hanauma Bay shuttle
If walking from the bus stop to Hanauma Bay is more effort than you want to give, then there is also a Hanauma Bay shuttle.
The entry fee for Hanauma Bay is not included in this, so you will need to be ready to pay that in cash on the day you go.
But you can see if the Hanauma Bay shuttle is something you want to do: Hanauma Bay transportation with snorkeling equipment
More for Hanauma Bay
- How to buy Hanauma Bay tickets
- Hanauma Bay tram (once you’re there)
- Hanauma Bay food
- Hanauma Bay snorkeling gear rental
More below about what you need to know before going to Hanauma Bay!
ð
More need-to-know about going to Hanauma Bay by bus!
Hanauma Bay is one of the most popular snorkeling spots on Oahu.
Hanauma Bay is CLOSED on Monday and Tuesday.
You will want to make a $25 per person reservation before you go to Hanauma Bay.
Here is the official Hanauma Bay reservation website.
You can only buy tickets 2 days before, and they go quick.
If it shows recent tickets that have been sold, it tells you when they sold out.
If you’re looking at it when only Monday or Tuesday tickets would be displayed, you will see nothing since Hanauma Bay is closed on these days.
So, do you actually need to be online as soon as the tickets are available?
Yes, it seems that would be a good idea.
Although all hope is not lost if you don’t wake up at 7am.
The last tickets for Hanauma Bay on April 19, 2023, were sold out at 8:30am on the day they went on sale.
The earlier you book, the better the chance you have to get your ideal time that you want to go.
As your Hanauma Bay date gets closer, you can check to see what time the tickets are selling out to decide if you need to wake up for the 7am ticket sales. (Hawaii time.)
You will need to start to get ready to leave Hanauma Bay at 3:30pm. So even if you get the later timings, you will have 2 hours at Hanauma Bay. And yes, that is good.
Figuring out which bus to take on Oahu is easy! Just consult google maps!
Once on google maps, enter your destination. Hanauma Bay parking can be a good destination for purposes of figuring out your bus route to Hanauma Bay.
Then select the public transit option. Then you can zoom into the map to better understand the Hanauma Bay bus stop options given above.
You can see little bus icons on the map that indicate bus stops.
For the best route options, it’s best to set the departure time around the time of day that you will be taking the bus to Hanauma Bay.
The default is “leave now” and for example if it’s overnight in Hawaii when you search, it might not give you the best idea on your bus route options.
To further ease your mind about riding the bus, see the visual: How to take the Oahu bus!
You should buy a HOLO card before you take the bus to Hanauma Bay.
This card is not necessary since you can pay the bus fare in cash once you get on the bus (exact change), but it will make things easier.
The HOLO card is basically a cash card that will serve as your Oahu bus pass.
You can load it up with cash, or you can load it up online with your credit card.
But first you need to buy the HOLO card in person. You cannot buy this on the bus.
You can buy a HOLO card at any ABC Store in Waikiki.
You will need minimum $5 cash to get started ($2 for the card + $3 minimum bus fare), and then you can load the rest online. (Or, you can just pay in cash however much you want to load up the HOLO card!)
If Hanauma Bay is the only time you will be taking the bus, then you may find it to be fine to just pay cash if you don’t have any bus transfers.
Just make sure you have dollar bills!
If you have bus transfers, then you will be paying $3 each time with cash. If you use the HOLO card, you will never pay more than $7.50 in one day for the bus. See current bus fares.
See more about the HOLO card.
And that’s a bit about how to get to Hanauma Bay by bus!
If you’re interested in going to Hanauma Bay, you may also be interested in these marine life in Hawaii:
- Waikiki turtles
- Laniakea Beach turtles on the North Shore of Oahu
- Hookipa Beach turtles in Maui
- Punaluu black sand beach turtles on the Big Island
- Hookipa Beach seals in Maui
Know before you go! Know what it is when you see it!
- humuhumunukunukuapua’a (Hawaii state fish… it’s not as hard to pronounce as you might think!)
- Hawaiian white-spotted toby (cute little Hawaiian pufferfish!)
See more for planning your trip to Hanauma Bay and beyond:
HAPPY BUS RIDE TO HANAUMA BAY!
There are partner websites included in this post. I may earn a commission.