Link to my YouTube of this hike can be found here

When on O’ahu, Waikiki particularly, the short hike to the Diamond Head Crater is a must-do. Not because it’s epic but because I think you’d regret it if you didn’t.

The crater is a tuff cone, formed from lava flows less than half a million years ago. The crater itself is a state monument. Known to Hawaiians as Le'ahi, thought to be due to the outer ridge resembling the dorsal fin of a tuna, ahi meaning tuna. The Diamond head name originating from British sailors mistaking an abundant mineral for diamonds on the adjacent beach!

There are so many tourists in Waikiki, I knew it would be busy at the crater so decided to get there for sunrise as the facility opens at 6am. Alas it wasn’t such a great strategy as there were many bus loads of tourists there already!

From the town centre it’s around a forty minute walk to the park entrance. You could drive or get a bus there. It’s cheap to get in and to park. Being uphill most of the way, with the addition of the hike itself, if you’re unfit, it’s probably best to get a ride there.

My hike, in early February that is mid-winter in Hawaii, from the hostel to the crater, was in the dark. The streets are lit as it’s mostly on the street sidewalks, so not a problem. I left at around half five. There was a fantastic electrical storm a short way out in the Pacific ocean all my way there, which kept me entertained.

You have to pass through a tunnel cut through the crater ridge wall to access the entry point to the park. The actual walk up is on the crater ridge, so you are looking down on the crater, the entry and visitor center is in the crater itself.