Hilo

Ascending Hawaii's hulking Mauna Kea for a spot of stargazing isn't just sightseeing-it's practically cosmic eavesdropping. Here on this dormant volcano's rarefied summit, the air is clearer than a Buddhist monk's conscience, the Milky Way sprawls above you like luminous graffiti, and the stars don't just shine-they swagger. Go at sunset, when the clouds part theatrically below you, leaving you feeling appropriately celestial (and a bit smug). Plan ahead-a week or two is advisable to snag a permitted spot on guided tours-and budget around $200 per head to secure passage up this lunar landscape, complete with parkas (you'll need them, even in Hawaii), warm beverages, and astronomical insight courtesy of guides who spin yarns as colorful as Hawaiian shirts. Yes, you'll shiver despite the tropics, and you'll inevitably wonder if braving altitude-induced dizziness is worth it. But trust me-standing atop the Earth's tallest peak (if measured from seafloor up), clutching a cup of something hot and marveling at the universe laid bare, is not just a good story for later-it's proof positive that even our small lives deserve an epic backdrop.

Rainbow Falls greets visitors like the perfect tropical postcard cliche you never thought you'd witness outside of a Hawaiian Punch commercial-except it's real, deliciously humid, and occasionally crowded with flip-flop-clad tourists snapping selfies. Named Waianuenue ("rainbow water") by Hawaiians for the rainbows that routinely photobomb the cascading waters in the early morning sunlight, the falls are best savored at dawn when crowds are thin and the rainbows pop like neon signs in Vegas. Legend claims the cave beneath the falls was home to Hina, the Hawaiian moon goddess, making your Instagram indulgence feel slightly less superficial-you're tapping into ancient mythological real estate, after all. Arrive before 8 a.m., armed with coffee, bug spray, and a willingness to get annoyingly damp. Budget-wise, entry fees hover around zero dollars, making this the ideal pit stop in paradise for penny pinchers and skeptics alike. Sure, it's a touristy move-but when else will you casually drop phrases like, "I was rainbow hunting at Hina's pad in Waianuenue," into dinner conversation? Exactly.