Koko Head hike by bus! What to know about doing the Koko Crater stairs from Waikiki without a car

ALOHA!

As long as you don’t mind a little bit of extra time in transit and extra walking to get to the trailhead, it’s totally reasonable to get to the Koko Head hike by bus from Waikiki.

You’re going there to hike anyway, so you can think of the extra walk as part of the hike! It will be the easy part that can serve as a warm-up and cool-down prior to the intense UP UP UP you will do once you start hiking up the Koko Crater Railway Trail!

The first time I got a distant view of the trail on my way to the trailhead, I actually gasped when I saw it. You can see the trail from far away on the crater and it looks like a straight line up! Be prepared with water and snacks.

Going to Koko Head will be around 1 hour 15 minute of total time on the bus, and you’ll need a bus transfer. There isn’t a direct bus to Koko Head. The bus stop is around a 25 minute walk from the trailhead.

The Koko Crater Railway trailhead is located in Koko Head District Park, which you’ll get to by going through a residential neighborhood.

Most of the time, the closest bus stop will be along a main road just outside the residential neighborhood. You might have to cross the main road depending on which bus route you’re on, but after that, you’ll be walking through quiet streets with a sidewalk so it’s a safe walk.

If you want to make it a hiking and snorkeling kind of day, you can walk from Koko Head to Hanauma Bay. It’s a very good idea to make reservations for Hanauma Bay.

Below I will show you a bit of what you can expect if you decide to go to Koko Head by bus!

 

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Waikiki to Koko Head bus route

Google maps, transfers, bus route, bus schedule

 

The best bus route to get to the Koko Crater Railway Trail will depend on where you’re starting from and your timing. The best way to figure this out is google maps! Use the public transportation option, and play around with it on your phone. It gives a bunch of details, including transfer details and future bus timings. The google maps app is really all you need to take the bus to the Koko Head hike.

To figure out bus directions, you can use “Koko Crater Railway trailhead” as your destination. Then, adjust the departure time to give you a better idea. (map + directions)

 

👆 To get from Waikiki to Hanauma Bay, you will be on the bus for over an hour, and then you will start walking to Hanauma Bay through Koko Head District Park. (The walking time listed above is to where google maps lists as the park location.) You’ll take bus #1L to get “near” Hanauma Bay. Consult google maps to figure out the best bus route! When you’re actually in Waikiki, you can use your current location for directions. Then, when you’re on the bus, you can follow along with GPS to know when your bus stop is coming up!

 

👆 Your transfer point will depend on your timing, but here’s an example of a bus ride on bus #1L for your second bus ride to Koko Head. It’s 40 minutes on the direct bus to Koko Head.

 

👆 Bus #1L to Koko Head comes around every 30 minutes or so. On google maps, you can click on “also at” for the bus schedule of future timings.

 

👆 There are many bus stops throughout Waikiki. So if you’re staying in Waikiki, it will be just a short walk to get to one.

 

 

Paying the bus fare

HOLO card vs cash

 

As soon as you get on the bus, you will pay the bus fare.

The easiest way to pay for the bus is with a HOLO card. You can get this in Waikiki at any ABC Store.

With a HOLO card, you will never pay more than the cost of a day pass for taking the bus, which is $7.50.

Without a HOLO card, you will pay $3 in cash for every bus ride you take. (Exact change required.) So if you take 2 bus rides to get to Koko Head, and 2 bus rides to get back, then that’s $12 for the bus if you’re paying in cash to get to Koko Head. See current bus fares.

You can tap your HOLO card as soon as you get on the bus. To pay with cash, look for the spot to insert the money. With regards to payment, you don’t need to do anything as you are getting off the bus.

 

 

On the bus

Follow google maps, bus stops, views!

 

Once you’re on the bus, sit back and relax!

Follow the bus route on your phone on google maps. This is how you can know if you’re getting close to Koko Head. There will also be announcements and/or a digital sign that indicates the name of the next bus stop. You’ll know the name of your bus stop because it will tell you on google maps.

Once your bus stop is next, you will pull the cord along the side of the window. This indicates to the bus driver to stop at the next bus stop. Once the bus arrives at your bus stop, the doors may not open automatically. If they don’t, touch the door where it says TOUCH HERE when the green light lights up.

 

👆 You can tap “stops” on the google maps app to expand the details and see a list of bus stops before the Koko Head bus stop.

 

👆 Inside the bus on a ride to Koko Head.

 

👆 When your bus stop is next, you will pull the cord to signal to the bus driver to stop at the next bus stop.

 

 

Walking from the bus stop

Koko Head bus stop

 

Most likely, your bus directions will have you getting off at Lunalilo Home Road and Anapalau Street. Depending on the route you take, you may be dropped off on the side of the residential neighborhood that leads to the Koko Crater Railway Trail, or you may have to cross the main road.

Either way, the street leading straight to Koko Head District Park is pretty much right there!

You’ll enter the residential neighborhood, and you will basically keep walking straight until you get to the far end parking lot. And then you’ll walk off to the left to get to the start of the Koko Head hike. (Off to the right is the way to Hanauma Bay.)

From the parking lot, there’s a paved trail that leads to the Koko Crater Railway trailhead. It’s pretty straightforward.

 

👆 There’s a bus stop “near” Koko Head along the main road.

 

👆 I was on a bus that stopped across the street from the Koko Head neighborhood.

 

👆 There’s a crosswalk so you can more safely walk across to the other side of the road. Still, take care!

 

👆 Once you’re in the neighborhood, it’s about as safe a walk as you can get for the rest of the way to the Koko crater trailhead!

 

👆 There’s a sidewalk too.

 

👆 There is a bus stop in the neighborhood which makes it closer to the Koko Crater trailhead. But this seems to be an infrequent route and/or it doesn’t time well with the bus route from Waikiki, so chances are that your bus directions will drop you outside the neighborhood.

 

👆 Just keep walking straight ahead and you will end up at Koko Head District Park.

 

👆 Welcome to Koko Head District Park!

 

👆 You’ll pass by a bathroom. So there’s a bathroom near the Koko Crater Railway Trail if you need it.

 

👆 You’ll continue walking straight ahead until you get to the parking lot closest to the crater.

 

👆 And then from the parking lot, you’ll see a paved trail that will lead to the Koko Crater Railway trailhead.

 

👆 Take care! The City and County of Honolulu warns that climbing the Koko crater stairs can be exhausting and physically challenging. Bring water and wear sunscreen. Wear proper shoes. The best shoes to wear for the Diamond Head hike can be good for the Koko Head hike too.

 

👆 You will know you’ve arrived at the start of the Koko Crater Railway Trail because you’ll see the railway!

 

👆 Ocean views at the top of the crater!

 

👆 Mountain views at the top of the crater!

 

👆 Going down the crater stairs.

 

 

Koko Head to Waikiki bus

For the way back to Waikiki after you finish the Koko Head hike, you will basically go back to the same area that you got off the bus.

Instead of heading straight back though, you have options for post-hike food nearby! If you walk a few minutes from the bus stop, you will be at Koko Marina Center. You can usually find the Leonard’s Bakery malasada food truck in the parking lot there for a quick snack. Or if you want proper food to refuel you, also at Koko Marina Center is Hanapaa Market for a Hawaiian plate lunch or Kona Brewing for waterfront dining!

 

👆 To get back to Waikiki, you can walk back through the neighborhood the same way you came to get to the bus stop.

 

👆 This is a bus stop at the Koko Marina Center parking lot to catch a bus that goes in the direction of Waikiki. Spot the malasada food truck! It’s the red and white striped truck!

 

 

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