United States · Big Island, Hawaii
A single sheer drop through rainforest thick with wild orchids, bamboo, and banyan trees is reached via a short paved loop trail on Hawaii's rain-soaked Hāmākua Coast. It's one of the most accessible major waterfalls anywhere in the islands.
Checked September 2026 by David Bussell
Akaka Falls drops 135 metres (443 ft) on the Kolekole Stream, inside Akaka Falls State Park. It is a plunge-type fall, and the nearest base for a visit is Honomu, with ITO the closest airport. Access to the main viewpoint is rated easy.
As a plunge waterfall, water leaves the rock entirely and falls free through the air.
No commercial adventures run at Akaka Falls itself — the experience is the approach and the view. Guided day trips from Honomu are the easiest way to combine it with the area around it.
Also good forHikingPhotography
Flows year-round in Hawaii's wet Hāmākua Coast climate; wetter in winter months.
Entry: State park entry ~$5 USD
This waterfall
Akaka Falls
United States
Height135 mWidth—
Most similar
Dry Falls (Grant County)
United States
Height121 mWidth—
Also a plunge waterfall, of similar height and in the United States too
Largest curtain
Victoria Falls
Zimbabwe · Zambia
Height108 mWidth1,708 m
Largest single sheet of falling water
Tallest on earth
Angel Falls
Venezuela
Height979 mWidth—
Widest on earth
Khone Phapheng Falls
Laos
Height21 mWidth10,783 m
Measured across the whole multi-channel system
Angel Falls is 7.3× taller than Akaka Falls. It drops 1.2× further than Victoria Falls (108 m). We don't have a reliable crest width for Akaka Falls yet, so it is left off the width chart. Tallest · widest lists.
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Guidebook
Andrew Doughty · 2025
Frank, frequently updated Big Island guide covering the Hamakua Coast drive to Akaka Falls and other nearby falls.
19.8578, -155.1531
Akaka Falls is in United States (Big Island, Hawaii), inside Akaka Falls State Park. The nearest base is Honomu and the closest airport is ITO. Its coordinates are 19.8578, -155.1531.
Akaka Falls drops 135 metres (443 feet). It is a plunge-type waterfall on the Kolekole Stream.
Peak flow is January to December. Flows year-round in Hawaii's wet Hāmākua Coast climate; wetter in winter months.
Beyond the viewpoints: hiking and photography. Access to the main viewpoint is rated easy — a short walk or roadside viewpoint.
The usual base is Honomu, and the closest airport is ITO. A short walk or roadside viewpoint from there. State park entry ~$5 USD.
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