Oahu
-- Island Overview
 The
most populated of the Hawaiian islands,
Oahu is home to approximately
three-quarters of Hawaii’s
million-plus residents. Oahu is the
location of the state capital, Honolulu,
a beautiful and modern city which is also
the business and financial center of the
state. Also to be found on Oahu are Waikiki
Beach, arguably the
world’s most famous beach, and The
U.S. Naval Base at Pearl
Harbor, where one of the
most important military battles in world
history took place.
Oahu, like all of the Hawaiian Islands,
was formed by massive volcanoes over four
million years ago. The volcanoes that
formed Oahu are now dormant, but they
left their signature in the form of the
Koolau and Waianae mountain chains which
run right down the middle and western
parts of the island, respectively (if you
want to see an active volcano, you will
have to visit The
"Big Island" of Hawaii).
These mountains effectively shelter the
southern and western (or leeward) sides
of the island from the southwesterly
trade winds that bring in rainy weather
to the windward side of the island.
Before the clouds can get to the leeward
side of the island, they have to dump all
of their precipitation on the windward
side. This allows the leeward side of
Oahu to be lush and tropical, and the
southern side to be sunny, with a warm
climate. Not surprisingly, Honolulu and
Waikiki sprouted on the pleasant leeward
side.
Some UN-conventional
Advice
The conventional wisdom about
Honolulu and Waikiki is that you should
avoid them – fly in if you have to
and immediately fly to another island. We
think that you will be missing a great
experience if you do this since Oahu
offers everything that you can find on
the other islands, and then some. It has
the ultimate in mega-beaches, Waikiki
Beach, but it also has scores of secluded
tropical beaches.
It has a thriving major city, but many
smaller villages and miles of beautiful
tropical splendor are just a few minutes
away. If nightlife is a top priority,
then Oahu should not be missed since
Honolulu and Waikiki have more offerings
than the other islands combined.
Still skeptical? Try Oahu anyway, but
hedge your bets by staying there only a
few days and then jump to one (or more)
of the other islands. We recommend that
you stay on or near Waikiki beach because
that will keep you near the nightlife and
it is also where the best resorts are.
Do What We Always Do
Very important: you
do not need to stay on the beach to have
access to it because all of Hawaii’s
beaches, by law, are open to the public.
We recommend you stay across the street
from Waikiki Beach, which will save you
hundreds of dollars (or more), and walk
the extra 30 feet it will take you to get
to the beach. The extra walk won’t
kill you, you will save a lot of money,
and you will not miss out on anything.
Plan Your Trip
Convinced that the island of Oahu is the
place for you? Visit our full list of articles about this magical place for all kinds of
tips about what to see and what to do.
And don't forget to use our convenient
travel services for saving money on your hotel
reservations, rental
car reservations,
and airline
reservations!
BOOK
AN ACTIVITY
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by booking your vacation activities now! Click here
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hundreds of other Hawaii activities.
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