Ultimate Oahu 4 Day Itinerary- Hawaii with Kids

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We just got back from our Family trip to Oahu. When i was planning our trip I was told that , Hawaii is a adventurous place and is suitable only for couples. But let me tell you, we went on a 4 Day Oahu Trip with our 2 year old super active toddler and trust me, we had so much fun.

Here in this blog I will be sharing everything about what we did, how we planned and how we saved more than 50% on activities using our Go Oahu Card etc. In short : our 4 Day Itinerary.

Day 0 :

It is a 5 hour journey from Los Angeles, We started at 3pm(LA Time) and reached to our Hilton Hawaiian Village Resort at 7pm (Hawaiian time). Because It was a holiday Season (Thanksgiving Week)the check-in lines were super big. Despite of that we had a smooth check-in and because it was my birthday week as well,They gave me a Huge upgrade. We were given a Ocean View Suite “Yaaayyyyy” What a great start ???

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Day 1 :

Submarine  Tour : (9am)

Atlantis Submarines are located right infront of our Hilton Hawaiian Village Resort and Our tour was scheduled at 9am in the morning where we were directed to board the submarine which took us inside the ocean and also landed on the ocean bed giving us some breathtaking views of marine, sunken ship and aircraft.I would highly recommend doing this if you are travelling with kids, as they will be awed by seeing the the marine life.  You can read my detailed review here.

Waikiki beach : (10:30am)

Waikiki Beach has now become one of my favorite beaches in the world, as there are plenty of things to do with kids! It is one of the most popular beaches in USA with luxury hotels, 5-star restaurants and endless entertainment for all ages. I fell in love with it when i first saw it from our room patio and couldn’t wait to watch the sunrise and sunset from our room.When I was on the beach, I was so surprised to see the crystal clear water despite of it being famous for it’s crowd and lot of tourists. Later i was told that it is a “Man Made” who cares?? All we need to have is a really good time and we were purely successful in doing it with our Li’l one.

Road Trip : (1pm)

We Rented a car and went on a road trip across the island and I highly recommend doing this on your first day for three reasons 1.you will get an idea of what to do in the next days. 2. It will be one of the best scenic routes you will ever witness. 3.You may discover new places/spots on your way like we did.Yes, we discovered Waimea Valley about which we had no clue before.

secret broken swing somewhere on the north shore

Waimea valley : (3pm)

Waimea Valley is botanical garden which  totally looks like a forest and  is home to over 5000 different kinds of plants and trees! But the most exciting part was the 45ft Wailele Waterfall for which we took a round trip shuttle for 10$/person. After reaching there, we saw a lot of people swimming in the waterfall pool with their life jackets on.It is always beautiful to watch a waterfall and swim in there. isn’t it??

Waimea Valley is open 7 days a week, 9am – 5pm.  Admission is $16 for an adult and $6 for a child (4-12yrs).

Laniakea Beach or Turtle Beach : (6pm)

I was really excited to go here as it was very popular for spotting turtles on the beach hence Laniakea Beach is also named as turtle beach.I was really hopping if we were lucky enough to see turtles during our visit and when we were finally there,what i saw was,there were couple of them resting on the beach.This was my Li’l one’s very first time seeing a turtle up close and his excitement was on the peaks.

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Fireworks : (8pm)

Our Day 1 in Oahu ended up by watching the Fireworks.Every Friday evening the Hilton Hawaiian Village puts on a free firework show on Waikiki Beach which begins at 7:45pm or 8pm and lasts about ten minutes depending on the season and daylight hours.

Day 2 : 

We started our day early in the morning at around 7am with our Go Oahu Cards.The very first place we visited was a ‘Secret Island’

Secret Island : (9am-12pm)

We drove to the Kualoa Ranch which was a 45 minute drive from our Resort and reached there by 8am. Our secret Island tour was at 9 am and the admission was included in our Go Oahu Card.Meanwhile we had our breakfast in the food court of the ranch. After we were done with our breakfasts, We were taken to a secret Island in a Boat where we got to spend 3 hours doing beach activities like,Volley ball,Kayaking,Paddle boarding, etc at No Cost.The best part was ‘NO CROWD’ there were only 5 other people on the island with us. You can read more about this place in detail here.

Secret Island is open 7 days a week, 7:30am – 6pm.  Admission is 45$ for an adult and 35$ for a child (3-12yrs). But with a Go Oahu Card, you can get in for FREE.

Polynesian Cultural Center :(1pm-9pm)

With a Go Oahu Card, you get a general admission to Polynesian Cultural Center which starts 12 pm in the noon and we were there by 1 pm . After getting in,we upgraded our tickets and got to see the Night show and Dinner for just 25$. Before I visited, I was half expecting it to be crowded just like Disneyland or Universal,But for my surprise,it wasn’t crowded at all which was definitely a plus point.

Everyone who works here are so friendly and there are numerous shows which runs throughout the day.You’ll see musical demonstrations, watch a canoe pageant, ride in a canoe down the river yourself, get a temporary tribal ink tattoo, learn how to hula, watch a 4D Hawaii movie and lot more.The day ends with the Ha: Breath of Life show, a Polynesian dance and fire show which am sure will aww you. If you are visiting Oahu for the first time then PCC should be on your ‘Must Visit’ list as you get to experience the different side of Hawaii and the Polynesian Culture.

PCC is open 6 days a week(Mon-Sat), 12Pm – 9Pm. General Admission is 75$ for an adult and Free for a child under 4years. But with a Go Oahu Card, you can get in for FREE.

Day 3 :

Hollywood Movie site tour: (8:45AM)

We booked a tour which was at 8:45am in the morning where we were directed to hop on a school bus and got to explore some of the beautiful sites of Ka’awa mountains and explore the movie sites where King Kong,Jurassic World,50 first dates and 50 more Hollywood’s top movies where shot. It was a guided tour which lasted for about 1 and half hour.

Hollywood Movie Site tour is open 7 days a week, 7:30am – 6pm.  Admission is 45$ for an adult and 35$ for a child (3-12yrs). But with a Go Oahu Card, you can get in for FREE.

Boyodo In Temple : (11AM)

We quickly stopped by the Byodo-in temple and got to witness the beautiful fusion of nature and architecture.I must say it was one of the peaceful spots i have seen in my life with lots of greenery, mini waterfalls and koi ponds which are FULL of Koi that can be fed, there are peacocks wandering around. The admission ticket was 5$ which was included in our Go Oahu Card.

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Pearl harbor : (12:30 PM – 5:30PM)

Your trip to Oahu is incomplete without your visit to Pear Harbor and with your Go Oahu Card , You will get to visit USS Bowfin Submarine (15$),Battleship Missouri (30$), USS Arizona Memorial (8$), Pacific Aviation Museum (30$) for no extra charge. Now this is what you called a perfect deal.

Please Note-NO bags, no large cameras, no daiper bags!  There are storage lockers available for 5$/bag.

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You can check my 2Day Itinerary with a Go Oahu Card here

Day 4 :

This was our last day in Oahu and our flight to Los Angeles was at around 10Pm so we had an entire day to explore the Oahu. The previous day, we packed all our luggage & dropped it at the luggage room of our Resort and headed to our ‘Oahu Photography Tour’

Photography Tour: (9am-3pm)

When i was planning my Oahu trip, I was googling about some scenic spots where I can take some pictures for my gram and luckily I discovered the “Oahu Photography Tours” . I thought this would be the perfect way to see the beautiful side of the island without even bothering or struggling with a rented car,directions and time management. You can read my detail review about this tour here.

Oahu Photography Tours is open 7 days a week, Admission is 70$ for an adult and 50$ for a child (6-17yrs).

It was a 5.5 hour tour and we saw some breathtaking scenic spots like- Tantulus Lookout , Pali Lookout , Ko’olu Mountains , Waimanlo Beach Park , Makapu’u Beach Lookout ,The Blowhole , Sandy Beach Lookout and Hanauma Bay.The best part was, even thought it was a 5.5 hour tour, we did not feel tired at all,it was so relaxed and i would highly suggest you to take this tour if you have kids.

Waikiki & Airport: (3pm-7pm)

At 3pm we were dropped at our Hilton Hawaiian Village Resort and from there we strolled around our resort and waikiki for couple of hours, watched the sunset and picked up our luggage form the Luggage room and headed back to the airport at around 7:30pm.

If you haven’t read the entire blog and jumped into the end of the page,here is the quick review of our 4 Day Itinerary :

Day 0:

1. Los Angeles to Oahu
2. Resort Check-in

Day 1 :

1. Submarine Tour
2. Waikiki Beach
3. Waimea Falls
4. Turtle Beach

Day 2 :

1. Secret Island
2. Polyenesian Cultural Center

Day 3 :

1. Hollywood Movie Site Tour
2. Boyodo In Temple
3. Battleship Missouri
4. USS Arizona Memorial
5. Pacific Aviation Museum
6. USS Bowfin Submarine

Day 4 :

1. Tantulus Lookout
2. Pali Lookout
3. Ko’olu Mountains
4. Waimanlo Beach Park
5. Makapu’u Beach Lookout
6. The Blowhole
7. Sandy Beach Lookout
8. Hanauma Bay
9. Fly back to Los Angeles

Summary :

Having a plan is very important specially when you are travelling with kids.I hope our 4 Day Oahu itinerary is helpful as you plan your own trip !