Book on their siteNature & outdoors · 3+ hours on the waterTurtle beaches
STOP 1 OF 4
Laniākea Beach
North Shore · Free to visit
The best-known turtle beach. Park legally, cross carefully.
20–40 min · Free
EThe editors
Turtle beaches
Where green sea turtles haul out to rest. Keep 10 feet back.
4 placesHalf a dayRead the guide ↓
- 1. Laniākea BeachThe best-known turtle beach. Park legally, cross carefully.North ShoreFree to visit20–40 minFree
2. Papailoa BeachQuieter, and the Lost beach camp too.North ShoreFree to visit30–60 minFree
3. Haleʻiwa Aliʻi Beach ParkTurtles in Haleʻiwa town.North ShoreFree to visit1 hourFree
4. Kaiona Beach ParkTurtles on the east side, by Waimānalo.East sideFree to visit1 hourFree
The guide
How to do it: Turtle beaches
Green sea turtles, honu, come up onto North Shore and east-side beaches to rest in the sun. They’re protected, they’re used to people, and they need space.
Laniākea is the famous one and gets crowded; Papailoa and Haleʻiwa often have turtles with far fewer people around.
- The order to do it in
- Pair it with a North Shore day: Haleʻiwa first, then Laniākea and Papailoa. Kaiona is on the east side, near Waimānalo.
- When to go
- Afternoons are best for turtles on the sand.
- Getting there
- A car. At Laniākea, park only in legal spots and cross the highway carefully; the shoulder is a known accident spot.
- What it costs
- Free.
Worth knowing
- Stay at least 10 feet from turtles and 50 feet from monk seals.
- Never touch, feed or block a turtle heading back to the water.
Started from the pins on Deviating the Norm’s Oʻahu map (the map). Places, notes and the guide checked and written by us; prices and opening times change, so check before you go.
Private tours
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Book on their siteNature & outdoors · 3+ hours on the water
Book on their siteOn the water · 3 hours