Hawaii: How To Travel Between Islands – Inter-Island Hopping

Hawaii is a place full of majestic not just one but several Hawaiian islands to visit. When you go to Hawaii, island hopping is a must for you to fully immerse yourself in the beauty that this amazing place has to offer.

With the growing demand for traveling from one island to another, the good news is there are several convenient ways for you to travel with the established routes and comfortable transport.

As long as you have an ample amount of time for your vacation plus an extra budget, inter-island hopping is an extraordinary experience that will have you completely enchanted by the natural beauty of the Hawaiian paradise.

To guide you in your escapades, we have prepared all the necessary information on how to travel between the Hawaiian Islands.

Below are the pieces of information that you need to know to do inter-island escapades in the lovely Hawaiian Islands:

How Many Islands Can You Visit in Hawaii?

Before you start your Hawaii island hopping trip, first you need to know the number of islands that you can visit in Hawaii to plan your time better.

All the Hawaiian islands are 137 in total out of which are 8 major Hawaiian islands and the rest are smaller islands but not all can be visited.

Local tourists and international travelers are only allowed to island-hop in Hawaii among six Hawaiian islands namely Maui, Lanai, Kauai, Molokai, Oahu, and the Island of Hawaii or also known as the Big Island.

The other two uninhabited islands Niihau and Kahoolawe are forbidden to be visited because these islands serve as critical habitats for endangered species and to preserve the heritage of these islands.

Flying Between Islands

Now that you have the information about the Islands that you can visit, the most frequent mode of how to island-hop in Hawaii is by flying in either a helicopter or an airplane between islands in Hawaii.

Airplane Flights

One of the most efficient ways to travel between islands is by airplane. The major airports with frequent flights in Hawaii that you should know of for your Hawaiian island hopping are Kona International Airport, Honolulu International Airport, and Hilo International Airport.

There are other airports on multiple islands too such as Lihue Airport, Molokai Airport, Hana Airport, and Kapalua Airport.

Inter-island flights are mostly dominated by Hawaiian Airlines but Southwest Airlines offer impressive deals for flight to the Big Island, Kauai, or Maui.

The other airlines that offer direct flights for island hopping in Hawaii are Mokulele Airlines, Makani Kai Air, and Lanai Air.

You can take direct flights for your inter-island travel in the islands of Hawaii by booking at one of these airlines but the destinations can be limited to certain places, especially for the smaller airlines.

When you travel with Hawaiian Airlines as your choice, you should consider signing up for the Hawaiian Miles Loyalty program. You can exchange the unused points for Hilton Honors Points that you can pay for your hotel stay anywhere in the world. Here are the places for flights with Hawaiian Airlines:

• The Big Island through Kona Airport and Hilo Airport.
• Maui through Kahului Airport.
• Oahu through Honolulu International Airport.
• Kauai through Lihue Airport.

Southwest flies to similar islands that Hawaiian Airlines flies to. You can earn Rapid Reward Points for booking flights that you can redeem for any Southwest Airlines flight. Here is the list of inter-island flights for Southwest Airlines:

• Oahu through Honolulu International Airport.
• Kauai through Lihue Airport
• Maui through Kahului Airport
• The Big Island through Kona Airport and Hilo Airport

Mokulele Airlines on the other hand provides the only option for Hawaii island hopping flights to Molokai and Lanai. Aside from the mentioned places, the other islands where Mokulele Airlines flies to are:

Aside from taking direct flights between the islands, there are airplane tours for your great Hawaii island-hopping adventure. You will get to see the breathtaking aerial view of a Hawaiian island of your choice from up above.