When people picture Hawaii, they usually imagine blue skies, sunshine, and perfect beach weather.
But if you’re heading to Hilo, expect something different.
Rain isn’t something to avoid on the east side of the Big Island—it’s what makes it one of the most beautiful places in Hawaii. Waterfalls roar, tropical plants come alive, and everything seems greener than it did five minutes earlier.
This trip was supposed to be a simple day drive from Kona to Hilo. Instead, it turned into a reminder that some of the best days happen when the weather doesn’t cooperate.
Crossing Saddle Road
It was around 9:30 as we started crossing Saddle Road toward Hilo. We’re not super early risers on weekends, and Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden doesn’t open until 10 anyway so unless you have another stop before it, there isn’t much reason to get going at the crack of dawn.
The plan was fairly loose:
- Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden
- Hawaiian Style Cafe
- Akaka Falls
- Rainbow Falls
The weather forecast promised clouds with rain arriving later in the day.
That sounded optimistic.
Before long we were laughing about all the travel advice we’d happily give someone else—but somehow never seem to follow ourselves. Towels, rain jackets, extra socks, dry shoes… all things that become much more important once you’re on the Hilo side of the island.
The Drive to Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden
Honestly, even if you never stopped at the garden, the drive is worth making.
The narrow road winds downhill through lush jungle, with giant trees arching overhead and glimpses of the ocean appearing between them.
It’s one of those roads where you instinctively slow down—not because you have to, but because there’s simply too much to look at.
Why Rain Makes the Garden Even Better
A lot of visitors hope for sunshine before visiting Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden.
We think the opposite.
Walking through the rainforest in light rain somehow makes everything feel more authentic. The leaves shine, the colors become deeper, and every flower seems more vibrant against the wet greenery.
Rather than feeling manicured like many botanical gardens, this one feels wild. The paths weave naturally through the rainforest toward the ocean, with waterfalls, orchids, giant heliconia, bamboo, palms, and hundreds of tropical plants tucked around every corner.
One of our favorite things is simply wandering without rushing.
There’s always another unusual flower, another massive tree, or another plant you’ve never seen before.
Some of our highlights included:
- the brilliant red Chandelier Tree
- the enormous Cannonball Tree with its basketball-sized fruit
- towering mango trees
- colorful orchids
- Lily Lake
- giant monstera plants
- the secluded ocean viewpoints hidden throughout the property
If you enjoy photography, rainy weather might actually give you better images than a bright sunny afternoon. The colors simply pop.
Lunch at Hawaiian Style Cafe
After several hours wandering the garden, our next challenge wasn’t the rain.
It was getting lunch before Hawaiian Style Cafe closed.
For some reason we always seem to arrive right around closing time.
This trip wasn’t much different.
Thankfully we made it—although we still ended up waiting before finally digging into one of our favorite comfort foods on the island: loco moco.
A good loco moco isn’t exactly light eating.
By the time we’d finished, we were completely stuffed, questioning every life decision that led to ordering that much rice, and wondering whether walking another trail was actually a good idea.
Akaka Falls in the Rain
If you’ve only seen Akaka Falls on a sunny postcard, you’re missing half the experience.
The rain had transformed it.
Instead of a gentle ribbon of water, the 442-foot waterfall was absolutely roaring after being fed by hours of steady rainfall.
Even better?
There were hardly any people there.
The weather we’d worried about all day had scared away most of the crowds, leaving us with one of Hawaii’s most famous waterfalls almost entirely to ourselves.
The downside?
Soaked shorts.
Squeaky shoes.
Water somehow finding its way down the back of your neck.
Our original advice still stands:
Bring a towel.
Bring dry clothes.
Or just embrace getting completely soaked.
One Last Stop: Rainbow Falls
Before heading back to Kona we squeezed in one final stop at Rainbow Falls.
Without sunshine there wasn’t a rainbow that afternoon, but the extra water flowing over the falls more than made up for it.
We also wandered over to the giant banyan tree and the Boiling Pots overlook nearby, both easy additions that take only a few extra minutes if you’re already visiting Rainbow Falls.
The Best Part About Visiting Hilo
By the time we crossed back over Saddle Road, we’d driven through rain, clouds, sunshine, and fog—all in a single day.
That’s one of the things that makes the Big Island so unique.
You can experience several completely different climates in just a couple of hours.
And Hilo?
The rain isn’t a backup plan.
It’s part of what makes the waterfalls bigger, the forests greener, and the entire east side feel so different from Kona.
If you wait for the perfect sunny forecast, you might miss Hilo at its best.