ALOHA!
The beach in Hawaii with green sand is Papakolea Beach.
So the famous green sand beach in Hawaii is on the Big Island!
You also may hear this called the Papakolea Beach or Mahana Bay.
Just how green is the green sand beach?!
Well, if you’re expecting arrive at the beach expecting an amazing colored green sand, you might be disappointed.
From far away, it doesn’t actually look all that green.
If you get up close and personal, that’s when it can look extra green.
Still, you might want to go to this beach anyway, because apparently a green sand beach is an unusual natural occurrence!
It’s said that the mineral of olivine is what gives the sand a green color.
And supposedly there are only 4 (known) green sand beaches in the world. And if you’re on the Big Island, you can visit one of them!
👆 Welcome to Mahana Bay! The locals living nearby ask you not to take sand from the green sand beach.
👆 There are spots where you can walk around to see Mahana Bay from above from different angles! As it goes with hiking in Hawaii, be safe and don’t get too close to the edge!
How to get to the green sand beach?!
The green sand beach may not be the easiest to access, but it’s still pretty accessible.
There are basically 3 ways people get there:
1. Drive your jeep rental car (or another 4wd)
2. Take the green sand beach shuttle
3. Hike to the green sand beach!
Hiking might actually be the best way to get to the green sand beach. (And it would be one of the best hikes on the Big Island!)
That’s because it’s said that the other ways might be illegal.
Although plenty of people drive on the road (that includes locals and tourists), it’s questionable whether it’s legal.
If you decide that you’d rather take the green sand beach shuttle over hiking, be sure to read the recent green sand beach reviews and “sort” by “newest.” This will tell you if the locals are still offering a shuttle, and someone will probably mention a recent cost of the shuttle too. Read more about the green sand beach shuttle (and/or to decide if you want to drive yourself).
No matter how you choose to get there, it does require a bit of a hike down to get down to sea level.
Swimming at the green sand beach
Papakolea Beach aka Mahana Beach isn’t really known for being a calm beach.
It’s more of a beach that you get in the water to float along with the (sometimes rough) waves. You might need to time it well to get out into the water, and to get out of the water. Ocean waves can be powerful!
What to bring hiking to the green sand beach
The walk is completely out in the open (lots of sun and heat), so make sure you are prepared for this with your Hawaii hiking essentials and Hawaii everyday essentials since you’re hiking to a beach!
Most importantly, this means be sure to bring along water and snacks!
Comfortable walking shoes or hiking sandals would also be very good. You’ll be on a dirt path pretty much the whole time so regular shoes that you’re used to walking in will likely work out just fine.
🌴
Amazing Big Island experiences you need to consider:
Read the reviews at partner website Viator!
- Night snorkeling with manta rays
- Mauna Kea summit (highest point in the Hawaiian islands!)
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Now…
Here’s a bit of what it might be like to hike to the Papakolea green sand beach at Mahana Bay!
I went to the green sand beach in September 2019, and this is a bit of what it was like!
Google maps marks it as the “green sand beach trailhead” and following this will get you to where you want to go.
So going to the green sand beach means that you’re heading towards South Point, aka the southern most point on the Big Island, in Hawaii, and the United States of America. (So you might as well head to South Point too!)
👆 Map of where the green sand beach located. You will be near the southernmost point on the Big Island, in Hawaii, and in the United States! Explore the Big Island tourist map!
As you are driving on the highway, you’ll come across a sign for South Point, and you can also follow that.
Once you turn off the highway, it will feel as though you’re driving through rural America!
You’ll soon come across a sign for the green sand beach.
And this will take you to the green sand beach parking lot.
You’ll probably be approached and asked if you want to take the shuttle. You can decline because you’re hiking instead! 😉
So once you’ve parked, it’ll be pretty straight forward which way to go to start walking towards the green sand beach.
You are really just following the same road as the cars.
And then you’ll start the hike to the green sand beach with great coastal views!!
And soon enough (maybe after around an hour), you’ll start to see Mahana Bay!
Then you can hike around the bay.
And then take the trail down to the green sand beach!
And that’s a bit of what it might be like to hike to the green sand beach on the Big Island!
Plan more of your trip around the southern part of the Big Island!
- Things to do along the way on the drive from Kona to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
- The black sand beach to see turtles is a 40 minute drive from the green sand beach
- 2 of the tops snorkeling spots on the Big Island are on the Kona coast, each around a 1 hour 15 minute drive from the green sand beach:
And see more of the best hikes on the Big Island!
More colored beaches in Hawaii?!
HAPPY HIKING TO THE GREEN SAND BEACH IN HAWAII!
Here are some ideas for your time on the Big Island!
Among the most popular things to do on the Big Island are Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Akaka Falls State Park, and Waipio Valley!
For Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, the main road to drive is Chain of Craters Road and it will take you to see the best lava fields in Hawaii! Before that though (or after!) you will want to make a stop for the Thurston lava tube. You can also hike into a former lava lake by doing the Kilauea Iki Trail!
Other Big Island activities you may want to make time for are the best black sand beaches in Hawaii (including Punaluu black sand beach to see turtles maybe!) and the Papakolea green sand beach of Hawaii.
Volcanoes in Hawaii
There was a time in December 2022 that 2 volcanoes were erupting in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
This was a special occasion because even in the past few years, there was a quiet period where there was NO active lava to be seen anywhere in Hawaii.
As the National Park Service says, it was the first time in nearly 40 years that TWO volcanoes were erupting in Hawaii at the same time!
But what seems like nearly just like that, they stopped erupting.
As it goes with volcanoes, things can change in an instant!
So be sure to check National Park Service updates when your Big Island trip gets closer: What's going on with the volcanoes?
Spotted yesterday at #MaunaLoa – a lava boat rides the waves! On Dec 7, a lava boat was spotted floating down channel. Lava boats can form when portions of the cone or lava channel break away & are rafted downstream. Hot lava cools to its surface to create that smooth exterior. pic.twitter.com/D9gdoFolfq
— USGS Volcanoes🌋 (@USGSVolcanoes) December 9, 2022
👇 Explore the Big Island map on google maps!
See the list:
- Things to do on the Big Island (for VIEWS!)
- Things to do in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
- Things to do in Kona