Papakolea Beach, near the southern tip of the so-called Big Island in Hawaii, is known for its unique olive-green sands. Olivine is a semi-precious stone that is abundant in Papakolea and can be seen as small volcanic stones that originate in the littoral cone that surrounds the small bay. The waters of the ocean erode these stones and place them in the fine sand of Papakolea beach.
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| Papakolea Beach |
The sand is too fine to consider these pieces of stone as precious stones, but the truth is that beaches like this are rare to see. It can be said that walking on this beach is like walking on top of jewels. However, getting to this beach is not easy.
It is located on undeveloped land with many years of history, where you have to walk about 5 kilometers through fields of solidified lava. If you do this trip on a sunny day, you have to take into account that it is usually very windy, which raises a lot of dust.
It's a good idea to prepare for a long, hard walk if you decide to visit Papakolea Beach. Therefore, the first thing is to put on good shoes, where good walking boots will be perfect to protect our feet. A t-shirt, comfortable and loose pants, and a cap will complete our wardrobe for this trip to Papakolea beach.
It is a good idea to bring plenty of water and sunscreen to avoid sunburn. This may seem exaggerated, but it is not the first time that tourists have tried to walk the path in sandals and swimsuits, and have to turn around because the trip was too hard.
Apart from this, there are no signs, posters or markers to follow until you reach the beach. In fact there are no maps and there is no specified route to get there. A good tip is to stay a little more to the left when you are on the way.
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| Papakolea Beach |
Although the paths that border the ocean are nice, they are more full of uneven and uneven lava rocks, which will take longer to get there. Once you have reached the beach, you will be rewarded with one of the most incredible views of Isla Grande. Papakolea's green beach looks unreal as it ends at the cliffs and rocks behind it.
At sunset, the colors that form throughout the area are simply stunning. To go down to the beach you will have to go down a somewhat steep path that goes down the cliff. You have to be careful going down this path as it is slippery as it is not paved. It can take two to three hours to get there depending on how fast you walk.
The bluish waters often seem calm, but you have to be careful with the currents that form. It is better to be near the shore if you like to swim in the sea. In the same way, if we surf, it is not convenient to get too far away in case we have problems and we stay too far away.
Remember that there are no lifeguards on this beach. A visit to Papakolea Beach is a full day trip, so it's best to dedicate that day entirely. This must also be taken into account for the return, because there are no lights along the way. It is better to leave before night falls.
Since there are irregular areas and cliffs, it is not a good idea to walk around the area at night.
The truth is that visiting Papakolea beach is truly an adventure. It is difficult to get to and there are no services available for visitors. We have to take food and drink and anything else we need. For not having, there are no shadows to shelter from the sun on the hottest days.
Wind can also sometimes be a problem. So why should we go to Papakolea Beach? The main reason is that of all the beaches on the Big Island, Papakolea Beach is the most peculiar and mysterious.
Even if it's just to meet her, take a few photos and record a video, it's already worth it. It is really very different from the tourist beaches that we can visit at any time.