Papakolea Beach (Green Sand Beach) of Big Island

Papakōlea Beach at Hawaii's Big Island is one of the only four green sand beaches in the world and I was lucky to be able to visit it during my trip to Big Island.

The beach is located quite a distance away from the entrance (about 5km) because it is surrounded by pasturelands, so there's actually a need to hike to the see the beach. It's quite a far walk considering the heat in Hawaii.

But fortunately, you can get a ride to the beach in one of the four-wheel drive cars driven by the natives in that area. Apparently only authorized vehicles can enter the area, so your only choice is to hike or take a ride.

At first, me and my friends contemplated whether we should take the ride or not because it would cost us $15 each just for a (~10km) ride. But finally, we decided to take the ride. Also partly because we had a tight schedule that day.

Because we came early, we got to see how the drivers were selected. It was interesting that the drivers actually ballot for who the lucky guy is for the day and the lucky guy will always get to send passengers of big groups.

The journey of the ride was really a rocky one. Because there wasn't a paved path for the cars to drive on, the drivers have to drive on the rocky land, which causes the ride to be so bumpy. So I didn't get a chance to get any shots of the pastureland.

The driver told us that there were in fact many tourists who hiked to the beach but decided to take a ride back instead. However, taking just the ride back would cost $10. So if you think that you're gonna get tired on the way back, then I suggest taking the ride right from the start!

After about 10 minutes or so, we arrived somewhere near the beach. The driver parked his car and told us to take our time. He said that he can wait for us until we are ready (as long as we want).

We walked over to the beach. But before being able to reach the beach, we still need to walk down some stairs. That was a shot before reaching the beach.

And finally, the beach! It's indeed quite a small beach but the olive-colored sand was definitely worth seeing!

We actually got the whole beach for ourselves because we went pretty early in the day. My friends and I stayed for about 40 minutes to an hour for photos while enjoying the sea breeze before we head back.

It was a good choice to go early (9am) in the day because there will be less people to crowd up the small beach and the heat was still bearable.

If you like the post, support me by following my Instagram here!♥