Map of Oahu, Road and Travel Guide
Before embarking on your journey across the beautiful island of Oahu, it is important to have an idea, or a map, of the land to make the planning easier. Knowing the lay of the land can make a huge difference when planning your tour route. Distances and positions of geological structures can impact on your time for sightseeing.
Oahu has a total land area of 597 square miles and measured from its largest points it is 44 miles long and 30 miles wide. Its 112 miles of coastline holds the two largest harbors in the state: Honolulu and Pearl.
The Ko'olau Range runs north-south for almost the entire length of the island creating windward and leeward Oahu. The Waianae Range is smaller and located on the western section of the island. It too runs north-south, dividing the Wainae Coast from the Leilehua Plateau of the interior. Mount Ka'ala in the northern portion of the Waianae range is Oahu's highest peak at 4020 feet.
See - MQSEARCH for the latest advertised hotels - condos - all inclusive vacations - Flights
Despite these mountain ranges, Oahu is the lowest of the six major islands with 45 percent of the island less then 500 feet in elevation. Most of Oahu's impressive natural features, such as Diamond and Koko Head, were formed through volcanic eruptions thousands of years ago. The west winds and other forms of erosion gradually sculpted the cliffs to form these beautiful and distinctive shapes that now stand so proudly over Waikiki Beach.
Oahu is comparatively small to many other tourist destinations around the world and as such it doesn't take that long to visit all the sights around the island. It is very possible to base yourself in one area of the island and visit all others in a day. The following tourist destinations show the approximate time it would take to travel from Waikiki :
Pearl Harbor - 30 minutes
Downtown Honolulu - 15 minutes
Hanauma Bay - 30 minutes
Airport - 35 minutes
Sea Life Park - 40 minutes
Polynesian Cultural Center - 75 minutes
Waimea Falls Park - 65 minutes
These are the times you could expect to travel if you were driving there yourself. Though public transport may take a little longer, it is still very possible to embark on various day trips, without having to look for other accommodation. You can circumnavigate the island in as little as 4 hours by catching the Circle Island bus service.
Oahu's highway system has the tendency to confuse a lot of tourists because the route numbers continually change along the way. To simplify, there are basically two main highways that loop around different parts of the island. The Kamehameha Highway along the east coast, looping north and down through central Oahu and the Farrington Highway that extends mostly up the west coast and loops north to join the Kamehameha.
The other islands of Hawaii - Big Island - Kauai - Lanai - Maui - Molokai - Cruises
Oahu Travel Guide
