The smallest inhabited island in Hawaii, Lanai offers big enticements to its visitors. Only nine miles from Maui yet a world away, Lanai can feel like two places. The first is found in luxurious resorts where visitors can indulge in world-class amenities and championship-level golf. The other is found bouncing along the island’s rugged back roads in a 4-wheel-drive vehicle to explore off-the-beaten-path treasures. You’re sure to find serenity, adventure and privacy on any of the three regions of Lanai.
A short hike earns you incredible views of this island landmark. One hundred and fifty feet off the southern coastline between Manele and Hulopoe Bays, the iconic Puupehe rises majestically 80 feet out of the water. Besides being a picturesque natural landmark, Puupehe is also steeped in Hawaiian folklore.
For all its lavish resorts and leisurely attitude, Lanai is a place that will roll up its sleeves and embark an adventure faster than you can say “Pull!.” Among Lanai’s long list of land activities, shooting clays is a favorite for visitors looking for a little break from the beach.
Hulopoe Beach Park is a sweeping crescent-shaped beach located on the southern coast in Hulopoe Bay, fronting the Four Seasons Resort Lanai. With fantastic snorkeling in the crystalline water, large tide pools to explore and Puu Pehe just a short hike away, this is the Lanai’s most popular and accessible beach.
Polihua Beach is harder to reach but worth the journey. Take a 4-wheel drive adventure about an hour northwest of Lanai City to find two miles of pristine and (more often than not) blissfully empty coast perfect for sunbathing or beachcombing.
Lanai’s beautiful coastal cliffs and unspoiled beaches are perhaps best enjoyed from the water. Book a sunrise or sunset sail through Lana'i Ocean Sports, an island-based tour company which also offers snorkeling and boat dives at amazing spots like the Lanai Cathedrals.
The ocean channels that run between Lanai, Maui and Molokai are some of the best waters in the world for whale watching. Each year, scores of majestic kohola (humpback whales) travel to Hawaii to breed, calve and nurse their young in the winter and spring, before returning to Alaska for the summer.