Black sand, volcanic hot springs, and the drum circle you'll talk about forever
Most people who go to Hawaii think they've seen it. They've done Waikiki, walked the resort strip in Kona, maybe taken a day trip to see a lava flow from a safe distance. And it's beautiful, sure. But they haven't really seen it.
Puna — the wild eastern district of the Big Island — is a different planet. Lava has reshaped its coastline within living memory. Its beaches are jet black. Its hot springs bubble up directly from volcanic rock. On Sunday afternoons, a drum circle erupts at the beach and doesn't stop until the sun drops into the Pacific. This is the Hawaii that doesn't show up in the brochures.
We stayed at the Kehena Black Sand Beach House — an open-air bungalow perched just 500 feet from the beach, wrapped in jungle, with the Pacific crashing below. Five nights. Here's exactly how we spent them.
Day 1: Arrive, Exhale, Belong
Hilo Airport is small and unhurried — a perfect introduction to what's coming. The drive south along Route 130 takes you through small towns where breadfruit trees hang over the road and every other car has a surfboard on top. You pass the lava fields from 2018, where entire neighborhoods were swallowed — now a strange, haunting expanse of hardened black rock with new vegetation already pushing through.
Pull up to the house and you'll immediately understand why people book it again and again. Bifold doors open the entire living room to the sea. The sound of waves is constant. Grab a drink, find the hammock, and let Puna work on you.
Pro tip
Stock up on groceries in Hilo before the drive down — Pahoa (25 min) has a decent market, but Hilo has the Target and Walmart. You'll want a full fridge on Day 1.
That evening, walk the 500 feet to Kehena. The path drops steeply through dense jungle and opens onto a crescent of polished black sand. The waves hit hard here. Stand at the edge and let the water pull at your feet. Dolphins are a regular presence — we saw a pod riding the break before sunset on our first night.
Day 2: The Sunday Drum Circle (Plan Around It)
If your trip overlaps with a Sunday — and if it doesn't, consider adjusting your dates — do not miss the Kehena drum circle. Around noon, locals begin arriving with djembes, hand drums, didgeridoos, and the general sense that something sacred is about to happen. By 2 PM the beach is electric.
People dance in the water. Children run. Visitors sit on the black sand with their mouths slightly open. The rhythm builds for hours, winding down only when the light goes golden and the drummers start packing up. It's one of those experiences that resets your idea of what a vacation can feel like.
“This is Puna culture at its peak — music, dance, community, and pure aloha spirit. Nothing on this island compares.”
Spend the morning before the circle at Ahalanui Hot Ponds — warm volcanic-fed water in a cove right on the ocean. Or drive 10 minutes to Uncle Robert's Awa Bar in Kalapana, which hosts Wednesday night Hawaiian music jams and a Saturday farmers market worth building your whole morning around.
Day 3: Into the Volcano
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is 45 minutes away and unlike any national park you've been to. The scale of geological time becomes tangible here — you walk across lava fields formed centuries ago, through forests that regenerated on top of them, and you look down into Kilauea's caldera and understand, viscerally, that the ground under you is still being made.
- →Kilauea Iki Trail — a 4-mile loop descending into a hardened lava lake, with steam vents still hissing. One of the best hikes in the US.
- →Thurston Lava Tube — a short, easy walk through a 500-year-old lava tube, genuinely otherworldly.
- →Chain of Craters Road — drive to the coast past ancient petroglyphs and lava shelf overlooks. Stop at the Holei Sea Arch.
- →Jaggar Museum Overlook — best view of the caldera. Go at night if there's an active eruption — the glow is extraordinary.
Pack a lunch and full water bottles — food options inside the park are limited. Come back exhausted, sink into the swim spa at the house (heated to 90°F year-round), and count stars until you can't keep your eyes open.
Day 4: Hilo Waterfalls and the Best Burgers in Hawaii
Hilo is underrated. Most visitors skip it in favor of Kona, which is a mistake. The city is draped in greenery (it rains here, which is why everything is so lush), wrapped around a beautiful bay, and full of places worth knowing about.
Start at Rainbow Falls — a 80-foot cascade that earns its name in the morning hours when the mist refracts the light. Walk five minutes upstream to Wailuku River State Park and find Boiling Pots, a series of pools in the lava bedrock that swirl and churn with the current.
For lunch: Ola Brew Co. on the Hilo bayfront. Craft beer, burgers from local cattle, views of the bay. This was unanimously declared the best meal of our trip, on a trip full of very good meals.
Also worth a stop
Carlsmith Beach Park on Hilo's east side has calm, protected water perfect for snorkeling — sea turtles are almost guaranteed. Bring your own gear or rent in town.
Day 5: Pohoiki and Slow Morning
Save Pohoiki for the end, when you've settled into island time and don't need the agenda. Isaac Hale Beach Park has Hawaii's only public volcanic hot springs — warm, brackish pools where the volcanic ground heats the water before it meets the sea. It's the kind of place where you lose an entire morning without noticing.
Nearby, Pohoiki Beach itself is the youngest black sand beach in the world — formed in 2018 when lava reached the ocean and built a delta. There's a boat ramp, surfers, and a community that clearly considers this place sacred. Swim if you're confident — the current can be strong.
Evening back at the house: grill on the deck, fire pit, coqui frogs singing in the jungle below. If you have an extra night, use it here. This is the kind of place that asks you, quietly, why you ever have to leave.
What to Know Before You Go
- →No AC, and you won't need it. Ocean breezes and ceiling fans keep the house at 75°F year-round.
- →Geckos are residents. They're harmless and eat bugs — embrace them.
- →Rainwater catchment means bring bottled water for drinking.
- →Kehena Beach is informally clothing-optional. It's respectful and family-friendly — just worth knowing.
- →The swim spa heats to 90°F and works as a hot tub or plunge pool. It's not a swimming pool, but it's genuinely great.
- →Stock up on groceries before arriving. Nearest full grocery is 25 minutes away.
