Originally Posted by
Babu
Is the Big Island volcano doable in one day (day trip?).
If you do decide to go to another island for the last 2 days of your trip, I would recommend doing an overnight visit to the Big Island and staying in Volcano Village which is very near the entrance to the park. Viewing Lava is best done at night (easier to see it). Of course you have to get lucky and have visible flows during your visit. With your young kids, I would not recommend a hike out onto the Lava. At the moment it isn’t an option anyway. As conditions change, sometimes lava is visible from the end of Chain of Craters road though currently it isn’t. For the most current information on the eruption go to
http://www.nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/lava2.htm. Even if you can't see active lava flows, VNP is still fascinating and well worth visiting.
Back to lodging, my wife and I like Hale Ohia Bed and Breakfast. I have stayed there twice as my base for visiting VNP and Hilo. If you do a search of this forum you will see some other recommended lodging in Volcano Village. Also fly in and out of Hilo (ITO) for your visit to VNP. It is much closer than Kona (KOA).
--Jon