18 AWESOME FREE THINGS TO DO ON OAHU, HAWAII

UPDATED MAR 2020. Whether you are on holiday and looking to save money on activities, or you live here and need some cheap adventures for the off-pay week, I got you covered. I’m sharing a guide of the awesome free things to do on Oahu. Check out the links for more information and inspiration, I’ve tried to add as much as I can so I hope it can all help. There is certainly plenty to keep you busy and no reason to be bored in a place as beautiful as Oahu.

18 Awesome Free Things To Do On Oahu

Disclaimer

There are affiliate links included in this post. This means at no extra cost to you, I earn a commission if you book through the link.

1. Go to a beach

Duh, ok this one is an obvious one but seriously.

If you are feeling bored and/or poor, get outside and go to a beach. Not sure which one to go to? It’s an island.

You’re surrounded by beaches and won’t have to go far to find one. Just stop at any and if you like it then stay and hang out and if you don’t, then move on and find another one.

My favorite beaches for a beach day are:

• Waimanalo Beach
• Lanikai Beach
• Kaupo Bay
• Yokohama Bay
• Makua Beach

2. Collect sea glass

Collecting sea glass is a fun free thing to do on Oahu. It also does the beaches a favor because you are taking the broken glass out of the environment.

If I only have a little time before work but I want to get out and about, I will often wander around on a beach and see what sort of sea glass treasures are there.

It became a somewhat addictive hobby and it’s so fun to see what nature is going to surprise you with. I even found an amazing piece of blue glass last week!

My favorite places to find sea glass are:

• Sand Island
• Sandy’s Beach
• Electric Beach

3. Venture out on a hike

This is another really obvious free thing to do on Oahu. There are so many hikes to choose from so you can pick whichever suits you best.

Not sure which one to do? Check out my blog posts to get you started, I have full reviews for a lot of hikes on here.

There’s a lot of diversity in the hiking on Oahu so you can choose from ridge views, waterfalls, easy lookouts or steep climbs.

My favorite easy hikes on the island are:

• Makapuu Lighthouse Trail (connects to the tide pool trail – use this post for parking info)
• Ehukai Pillbox Trail
• Hamama Falls
• Lanikai Pillbox Trail

Ehukai Pillbox Hike

4. Visit a scenic lookout

Soak in the postcard views of Oahu by going lookout hopping.

I’ve added some of my favorite vantage points below, but you can just get on the road and it won’t be too long before you come across a ‘scenic point’ sign.

• Halona Blowhole and lookout
• Top of Hanauma Bay
• Pali lookout

5. Take a cultural lesson

The Royal Hawaiian Center offers complimentary cultural lessons for all sorts of activities including hula, ukulele, lei making, Hawaiian quilting and much much more.

Offered Monday through Saturday, there are plenty of opportunities for you to add a class to your schedule and learn a new skill.

There are also cultural activities you can do at Turtle Bay Resort. When I stayed there I was able to learn about weaving with coconut leaves and it was such a cool experience. They also offer other lessons like Hula and Ukelele.

6. Visit a waterfall

Get into the beautiful jungle type areas of Oahu and go chasing waterfalls. There is a lot to choose from on the island and hikes for all skill levels.

Whatever you do, make sure you take some bug spray because there are always a lot of mosquitoes around!

My favorite waterfall hikes on Oahu are:

• Hamama Falls
• Lulumahu Falls
• Waimano Falls

For more information, here’s my full guide on the best waterfall hikes on Oahu.

7. Drive until you feel like stopping

One of my favorite things to do when I am saving money is to just drive around the island. It’s a liberating feeling to drive without an agenda and as long as you take the coastal highways, the scenery is beautiful.

If you have enough spare time, I really do recommend embracing a little freedom.

Drive until a spot calls you to stop at. I taught myself to drive on the right-hand side of the road by myself when I moved to Hawaii and did a drive like this to learn.

I ended up at the North Shore with a shave ice before turning around to drive back.

8. Watch a sunrise or sunset

I think you have to watch a sunrise and sunset while you are on Oahu. When you do it, really stop to watch it and soak in the experience too.

Whether you walk along the beach, watch them from a lookout point, or from the top of a hike, it’s a calming experience.

My favorite places to watch the sunrise are:

• Lanikai Beach
• In a hammock from the Makai Pier
• The top of the Makapuu Lighthouse Trail (connects to the tide pool trail – use this post for parking info)
• Sandy’s Beach

My favorite places to watch the sunset are:

• Yokohama Bay
• Makua Beach
• Dolores’ Beach
• Waimea Bay

One of my favorite free things to do on Oahu is to find beautiful lookout points.

9. Take nice photos

Hawaii is the perfect backdrop for pictures so why not venture out to attempt to capture some of the beauty of the island on camera.

I do it all the time and it costs nothing. Sometimes I just go out before work to take photos of the beaches or scenery.

Just find a scenic spot then play around with the camera! You can even get in front of the camera to get picture mementos of your time living in Hawaii.

My favorite camera for adventures on Oahu:

• GoPro – I like this because of the versatility of being able to go from the water to a hike. It’s great for Hawaii specifically because if I have been hiking or sightseeing, then go to a beach I wouldn’t want to leave a big camera on the beach or in the car.
• I use this floaty selfie stick for the water and this selfie stick and tripod combo for land adventures.
• If you don’t plan to swim much or will have someone to watch your bag at the beach, my other favorite travel camera is the Sony Alpha a6000 with a 35mm lens.

10. Hang out at Waikiki

Waikiki is a great place to hang out because there is always something going on there too and such an energetic vibe.

One of the most fun free things to do on Oahu is to just explore Waikiki.

You can wander around the touristy areas (be careful around the shopping area if you are looking to save money), visit the Hawaii Army museum, or just laze around at the beach by the palm trees.

Whatever it is, as long as you are not downing cocktails served in pineapples like there is no tomorrow then you will probably be able to have a cheap day out.

11. See the Duke statue

The Duke Kahanamoku statue is one of the most iconic images of Oahu.

You can find his statue in Waikiki, usually covered in Leis.

While you’re there, you can spend some time cruising around Waikiki because there’s a lot to see and always something going on.

12. Visit the King

There is a statue of King Kamehameha I across from Iolani Place in Honolulu. It would be a quick stop, but it’s good to visit to see his statue and learn more about him.

He is the King who brought the islands together to become the one kingdom of Hawaii.

13. Hoʻomaluhia Botanical Gardens

If you want to feel like you are walking through Jurassic Park, visit the Hoʻomaluhia Botanical Gardens.

It’s so beautiful there and all kinds of peaceful.

There are even free painting classes on Wednesdays.

14. Look for beach swings

There are really cool beach swings all over the island and it can be a fun adventure to go and find them.

If you drive up the Kamehameha Highway from Kaneohe up to the North Shore, have one person on the lookout and you’ll be able to see some from the road. Just park at the next spot and walk to them.

There’s also some in Waimanalo beach.

They make for cool photos and are fun to find. You also get to explore new places as you search for them which is fun.

• • Swing on Kamehameha Highway
  • Another swing on Kamehameha Highway
  • Waimanalo swing
  • Tire swing in Kahana State Park

15. Find the heart rock

The heart rock is out at the end of the Farrington Highway on the west side of the island.

Drive to the parking lot for the Kaena Point trail and look around the rocks until you find the gorgeous heart one.

DISCLAIMER – the rocks can be slippery and the waves and be rough. Use your best judgment and be careful if you look for it. Always keep your safety as the number one priority.

16. Watch the Hilton fireworks show on Fridays

Make sure you plan your visit with a Friday in it so that you can watch the awesome fireworks show that the Hilton puts on.

You’ll be able to see it from the beaches in Waikiki so find a spot and get ready to watch them while you listen to the waves.

The Hilton Hawaiian Village is also my recommendation for where to stay in Waikiki.

17. Go snorkeling

There’s a lot of great snorkeling to do and if you have your own mask and fins, it’s one of the great free things to do on Oahu.

My favorite places to go snorkeling are:

• Electric Beach
• Makaha Beach
• Sharks Cove
• Hanauma Bay (not free but if you’re not a strong swimmer, it’s a good spot to go)

These are different during each season so definitely read my full guides that are linked to know if you will be able to visit them when you plan to visit.

18. Jump off something

If you want to be a little more adventurous, you could try cliff jumping while you are on Oahu.

There are a lot of places for all different levels of adventure, so don’t feel like you have to jump off something crazy high.

A few ideas for cliff jumping are:

• Maunawili Falls rock (easy)
• Alan Davis plank (easy)
• Waimea Bay rock (medium)
• Forgetting Sarah Marshall jump (advanced)
• Spitting Caves (advanced)

I hope this guide of some of the free things to do on Oahu can help you get out and enjoy the island.

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