Compare Hawaii: Ocean and Islands Adventure by Discover Corps vs Monterey and Carmel Two Day Tour with Accommodation by Extranomical Tours

Day 1: Arrive in Honolulu and Meet the Group

Meals: Dinner

Upon arrival in Hawaii’s capital, Honolulu, you’ll be be met at the airport and taken to your hotel just steps from the world famous Waikiki beaches. After a relaxing welcome dinner together, we’ll get to know one another and discuss the schedule for the week ahead.

Day 2: Journey to Oahu’s North Shore & Experience the Aloha Spirit

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

After breakfast, we’ll set out for Hawaii’s iconic North Shore, famous for its big waves and stunning landscapes. Spend the morning in the historic Waimea Valley with a local organization helping to preserve the valley’s cultural heritage and rainforests. Assist with a reforestation initiative, swim in waterfalls, and see why the ancient Hawaiians deemed the valley sacred centuries ago. In the afternoon, we’ll continue to Na Mea Kupono, an eco-farm that is home to Hawaii’s staple crop, taro. We’ll be hosted by this local family for a Hawaiin-style paina, or gathering, for our dinner as we learn more about their role in farming on the island.

Day 3: Climb Diamond Head & Sail out to Sea on a Catamaran

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Hawaii’s South Shore is crowned by the now extinct Diamond Head volcano. We’ll take a hike this morning to the top of the rim to get a panoramic view of Waikiki from above. For those who opt not to hike, we’ll have the option to visit the Bishop Museum, home of the royal Kamehameha family and now housing an array of artifacts covering Hawaii’s vast Polynesian heritage. After lunch in Waikiki, we’ll hit the sea on a catamaran ride over the turquoise Pacific waters.

Day 4: Fly to Maui & Explore the Tropical‘Iao Valley State Park

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Enjoy a free morning to explore Waikiki. Head to the beach for a surf lesson with the Waikiki beach boys, check out the area’s cafes and shops or simply relax on white sand beaches only steps from your hotel. We’ll take a short mid-day flight across the Hawaiian archipelago to the Valley Isle of Maui. After landing, we’ll head over to the towering emerald peaks of the ‘Iao Valley on Central Maui for a guided hike of the state park. A location revered by the ancient Hawaiians, the valley also served as the site of one of Hawaii’s most important battles as King Kamehameha I tried to unite the islands in the 1700’s. Later in the evening, unwind at our Kaanapali beachfront hotel.

Day 5: Snorkel off Lana’i & Lend a Hand Protecting Sea Turtles

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

We’ll have an early breakfast before cruising to the scenic coastline of Lana'i island with the Pacific Whale Foundation. Spend the morning with breakfast on the boat (expect large boat with other travelers) and then 1.5 hours of snorkeling. Scout for wild dolphins, including acrobatic spinner dolphins, friendly bottlenose dolphins, and curious spotted dolphins. Conservationists from the Foundation will narrate your journey and take about everything from whale migration to plastics in the ocean to reef health.

We’ll return to Maui and, after lunch, spend our first afternoon volunteering alongside the Maui Ocean Center Marine Institute. Home to one of Hawaii’s largest sea turtle rescues and land based coral nurseries, we’ll join their staff on beach and marine debris cleanu , specifically collecting coral fragments. Take these pieces of coral back to the research center and aid in cutting them into smaller pieces to be grown at the center for a period of 8 months - something that would take the reef 20 years to regenerate! This coral is eventually placed back into the reef to bring back areas that are dead or dying.

Day 6: Maui Ocean Center Volunteering & Farewell Luau

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

After breakfast, we’ll spend another morning helping the conservation team at the Maui Ocean Center Marine Institute. On Maui and other Hawaiian islands, sea turtles are being threatened as their habitat is increasingly depleted. Green turtle populations are being impacted by events such as the 2018 hurricane that washed out the most important nesting beach for this species in the entire archipelago. We’ll continue to lend a hand on our projects while learning about some of the initiatives in place to preserve the fragile ecosystem both on land and underwater, including going out with the team to find turtles and tag them for research purposes.

Later in the afternoon, we’ll head back to the hotel where you’ll have some free time to enjoy the beach, swim in the ocean or venture into the coastal town of Lahaina. Tonight, we’ll enjoy a special farewell dinner together along with a traditional island luau.

Day 7: Depart Maui or Continue on for the Post-Trip Extension

Meals: Breakfast

Enjoy breakfast at the hotel and check-out of your rooms. The rest of the day is free to relax at the beach or explore nearby Lahaina until your flight home, or continue on to our optional post-trip extension along the gorgeous road to Hana.

Day 1: Exploring the Coast and Monterey Bay Attractions

After joining the tour from San Francisco, you’ll be swept into a Pacific Coast wonderland. As your Expedition Leader cruises along California State Route 1 toward Monterey, every bend in the road presents picture-perfect beaches, jagged cliffs and golden hills. At your first rest stop, be sure you don’t miss the opportunity to take beautiful morning photos with the Pacific Ocean as your backdrop!

Keep an eye out for the sea otters along the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, which stretches from San Francisco to Cambria along 276 miles of coastline.

After arriving in Monterey just in time to grab a seafood lunch at Old Fisherman’s Wharf, explore the many shops and arcades along Cannery Row, a former 19th century sardine-packing district made famous by California author John Steinbeck. You are on your own for the rest of the day, but we offer a collection of excursions so you can customize your tour.

Fascinated by local Pacific Coast sea life? Visit the world-famous Monterey Bay Aquarium during your free time, a wildly popular ocean conservation and research facility. Want something different? We can arrange tours to the Big Sur wilderness or the Carmel Valley wine country.

If you prefer more adventurous activities, we can help arrange kayaking, biking, or paddleboarding along the grand Monterey Bay Coastal Trail. Don’t miss out on these fantastic adventures!

You are on your own for dinner, but you can choose from the many ocean-view restaurants in the area and lose yourself in the rhythmic sound of waves crashing along the beach. At the end of the day, be sure to capture one last glimpse of the beautiful Pacific sunset before retiring to your comfy Monterey lodging, included in your tour price.

Day 2: Rejoining the tour, Carmel-by-the-Sea, and the journey home

Enjoy a leisurely morning after checking out of your hotel with just enough time to take another excursion - maybe a visit to the local wine country or to the Salvador Dali museum, a stroll out to Lovers’ Point, the self-guided Path of History, or more.

Once you’ve had lunch on your own, you’ll join up with the tour vehicle and enjoy Pacific beauty as we follow the scenic 17-Mile Drive and stop to photograph the renowned Lone Cypress Tree. These rare Monterey Cypress trees are found only here in Pebble Beach and Point Lobos.

After leaving 17-Mile-Drive, you’ll arrive in the enchanting town of Carmel-by-the-Sea. Check out the quaint shops on Ocean Avenue or get some white Pacific sand between your toes!

Then it’s time to head back north to San Francisco exhilarated but knowing it was the trip of a lifetime.