Best Places To Take Pictures in Oahu, Hawaii

If you’re on this page, I’m going to assume you’re traveling to Oahu! Congratulations, you’re going to have an amazing time. I loved Oahu the second I stepped off the plane. Their airport is gorgeous just like the island. If you’re traveling to Hawaii, whether it’s your first time or your 10th time, I’m sure you want the best pictures to recap your trip. Anywho, I’m going to share with you my favorite Instagram-worthy spots in Oahu, Hawaii which are the best places to take pictures. Some of these spots are obvious and others are places that aren’t. So lets begin!

SPOT 1: Manoa Falls

Manoa Falls is on the southeast side of the island, north of Honolulu and it’s a 150-foot waterfall. The trail to get to the waterfall is gorgeous; as you can tell from the first picture, there is a variety of vegetation. As soon as you start the trail you feel as if you just walked into a Jurassic Park movie. The trail itself is extremely muddy (check out my shoes), humid, and sometimes slippery, however, it’s worth it. Quick reminder, don’t forget to pay the parking fee at the house next door before starting your hike and check the dates when the trail is open!

SPOT 2: Waikiki

Waikiki is Oahu’s main area for resorts and hotels. It reminds me a lot of Miami Beach because there’s a lot of high-end stores and restaurants. When I visited they closed off certain streets and had a marketplace with tents set up. They even had live music and performers throughout the Ala Moana center. Wish I would’ve spent more time there to be honest!

SPOT 3: Beaches

You’re in Hawaii so taking pictures by the beach should be an obvious one but seriously, take advantage of everything there. All the beaches are different and depending on where you’re staying you’ll have more or less people laying out and walking around the area.

Some of the beaches have cute lifeguard houses (north shore) and others have beautiful palm trees. The beaches in the Ko Olina area have some large rocks, which you can see in one of the images above. Don’t just take your typical sitting on the sand picture. Take advantage of everything around you! Also, don’t forget that you can take pictures during sunset on the beaches in Honolulu.

SPOT 4: Hoʻomaluhia Botanical Garden

Honolulu has various botanical gardens and this one called, Hoʻomaluhia Botanical Garden, is located north east of Honolulu. This garden is beautiful and known for its picturesque entrance with the green mountains in the background. In order to get pictures in this spot you MUST arrive before the garden opens because they will not allow you to stop in the middle of the road to take pictures once it opens.

The garden opens at 9am every single day except Christmas Day and New Years. So we arrived around 8:15 am and parked our car in the parking spaces available before the gate. Unfortunately, there are only three spaces provided so if they are taken I suggest you wait until one becomes vacant. Otherwise, they WILL tow your car if you park anywhere else.

Next to the gate is an opening which you can walk right through and set up your tripod to take your picture. When I went there was only one other person at the entrance and they were playing with a drone. There are people that do morning walks so you might have to wait for them to pass so they aren’t in your shot. You should be able to get your pictures within 10-15 minutes max.

This is definitely one of my favorite spots in Oahu for individual or couple portraits!

Well hope you enjoyed this quick review on some of the best places to take pictures that are Instagram-worthy in Oahu, Hawaii and found it helpful. Let me know if you actually go to any of these place and share your pictures with me through social media! Until next time, peace out!