I swear your Instagram will never look better than after a trip to Oahu! While there’s endless opportunities for photo spots, I’ve rounded up some of my favorites from my three trips to the island.
Lanikai Pillbox
You can put “Lanikai Pillbox Hike” in Google Maps and it’ll take you right to the start of the trail. There’s no parking at the trailhead, so you’re going to want to find parking on one of the streets in the surrounding neighborhood. I recommend getting to this trail early in the day before street parking fills up.
Ho’omaluhia Botanical Garden
These super lush gardens are a really popular photo spot! You may have seen lots of beautiful pictures on the main road leading into the park, but due to its popularity they’ve lined the street with bright orange cones and ‘no photography’ signs. There’s also a guard on duty to enforce this. Luckily, there’s still some other streets in the gardens to snap a photo!
Makapu’u Tidepools
Put “Makapu’u Tidepools” in your GPS and park in one of a couple lots near the tidepools that you’ll see on the map. While the tidepools weren’t crowded (making for a perfect picture spot), the parking lots are small so this is another place to try to visit early in the day!
Byodo-In Temple
Byodo-In Temple was one of my favorite spots I visited on my most recent trip to the island! There is a $5 entrance fee (cash only) but it’s totally worth the visit. There were several tour groups visiting when we got there in the afternoon so you might have to wait a little bit to snap a photo without too many other visitors in the background. As with nearly every one of these photo spots, the earlier in the day you visit the better.
Diamond Head
Diamond Head was the first hike I went on the first time I visited Hawaii. It gives you a beautiful view of Honolulu on one side and the vast ocean on the other, so you’ll have multiple photo opportunities. Parking at the trail head is super limited, so I recommend Ubering or taking public transportation from Honolulu if possible.
Lanikai Beach
This is a great spot to visit after hiking the Lanikai Pillbox. There’s several beautiful beaches around the island, but Lanikai is known as one of the best beaches in the world. There’s two small islands off the coast here that make for a beautiful backdrop in your photos.
Waikiki Beach
Waikiki is a pretty crowded beach spot, but the high rises on one end and Diamond Head on the other make for some great backdrops. If you’re staying in Honolulu, this is a can’t miss.
Waikiki Bay
Every time I visit Oahu, I take a catamaran sail from Waikiki! While you’re out on the water, you’ll have great views of Honolulu, making for a unique photo opportunity.
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