Oahu, Hawaii has to be one of the most beautiful and photogenic places I’ve ever been. It seems like there’s a great photo opportunity around every corner. Not to mention many hotels, restaurants and shops are decorated in the perfect tropical Instagram aesthetic.
For many travelers to Hawaii, Ohau is the first island they experience. Oahu is the busiest island and considered the most “commercial;” it’s home to the capital after all! Oahu isn’t all city though, it’s still filled with the natural beauty Hawaii is known for. Oahu is a very diverse island, which is why I loved photographing it.
Oahu is Hawaii’s third largest island. It has many different areas to explore, all with a different feel. There’s bustling Waikiki Beach and the touristy downtown area, the hippy North Shore and mountains dotting the island’s center. There’s no shortage of beautiful photo and Instagram spots on Oahu!
Before you grab your camera and head out to take Instagram photos on Oahu there are some important things to know. I’m talking rules, tips and advice to take the best shots. I’m sharing my first hand experience capturing the island’s best spots. Here is my Instagram guide to Oahu Hawaii! Read on for the best Instagram spots on Oahu.
If you’re looking for a comprehensive travel guide to Oahu, check out my guide here. And if you’re planning to island hop, my Maui travel guide can be found here. It includes a detailed overview of the famous Road to Hana drive!
North Shore Wing Mural
Hanauma Bay
Lanikai Beach
Wing Mural
This famous wing mural is located in Haleiwa on Oahu’s North Shore. It’s painted on a small wall outside of Anahulu’s Shave Ice. It’s very easy to quickly snap a photo here but remember to bring a wide angle lens to ensure you capture the whole mural.
There are many great photo opportunities in the North Shore. Some other spots to hit up when you visit the wing mural are The Sunrise Shack (more on that below), the surfer famous Banzai Pipeline, Matsumoto’s Shave Ice and the island’s popular shrimp trucks.
Hanauma Bay
Hanauma Bay is a beautiful and protected marine life conservation beach. It’s known for great snorkeling and is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Oahu. There is a small fee to enter and it does have visitor hours, 6:00a-6:00p. The bay is filled with natural beauty and has many photo opps, both on the shore and in the water!
This beach gets packed with tourists and locals alike. Since it has specific operating hours you can’t come at odd times for a photo without crowds. To find a more secluded spot I recommend walking as far down the beach as you can. I found a spot with no one else around and loved using the moody mountains as a backdrop.
Lanikai Beach
Lanikai is a very popular beach on Oahu. In fact, it’s known as one of the world’s most beautiful beaches!
“Lani Kai” translates to “heavenly ocean” and the name is very fitting. The water is calm and beautiful shades of blue and turquoise. The beach is always open for visitors, so you can pop over to have a beach day and snap some photos whenever you’d like. Just be mindful of the harsh sun; I recommend arriving at sunrise or sunset.
The popular photo at Lanikai is shooting out into the water and capturing the two small islands you can see from the shore.
Ho’omaluhia Botanical Gardens
Oh boy, do I have a lot to say about this botanical garden photo location… Quite possibly Oahu’s most famous Instagram photo is taken at the entrance to this botanical garden on a long road lined with palm trees. If you do a Google search you’ll find blog posts and articles talking about this spot photographed by both bloggers and professional photographers (it is, or WAS, a hot spot for engagement photos). Well I’m here to tell you as of my visit in February 2020 photos are apparently not allowed in this spot. Security cameras and security guards patrol the area to rudely inform you of this rule.
I am completely understanding of rules and respect authority. I never trespass for photos or break the law to get “the shot” (I’ve shared my thoughts on this topic in many Instagram posts). However, the rules seem to change based on who is taking a picture here.
Here’s my story… I arrived at the botanical gardens before they officially opened to get a quick shot without bothering any guests. The garden is free and always open for runners and walkers to enter. When I arrived I was accosted by a security guard at the front gate who told me (rudely) that photos on the road (which was currently closed to traffic because the garden wasn’t officially open yet) are not allowed. I was surprised because I always do my research and had read many blog posts and articles written by people who took pictures here. I even read a Tripadvisor review written two weeks prior saying not only did this visitor take a photo on the road, a botanical garden employee took the photo for her!
I spoke to multiple security guards including Olive, an older lady who serves as a type of park ranger in the garden, who told me photos on the road are forbidden. Olive is an older lady who patrols the grounds in an SUV (the aforementioned Tripadvisor poster wrote that the employee who took her photos was an older lady driving around in an SUV.) I showed Olive the post that mentioned (presumably) her taking pictures for guests. She was incredibly rude to me and kept insisting that photos are not allowed on the main entrance road.
There is clearly a biased photography policy at the Ho’omaluhia Botanical Gardens. I’ve contacted them to get answers but have not heard back. If they do have a blanket policy of no photos, their communications department needs to do a better job of removing false information online that states photos are allowed. And staff members, including Olive, certainly need to be trained better and can’t pick and choose who they allow to take photos. And of course if the policy is no photos, the guards shouldn’t be taking them for some visitors and accosting others!
Despite this annoyance, not all is lost here. You’re free to take pictures in any other area of the garden. I recommend driving around to find a spot you like, such as the area I found for my pictures (above). If you still want to get a photo on the famous road I recommend arriving as close to sunrise as possible to try to beat the security guard who sits at the gate. I will remove or update this post when the garden’s staff amends their biased policy to either always allow photos or completely ban photos on that road. They simply can not pick and choose who they let take pictures on that road.
The Sunrise Shack
Leonard’s Bakery
Mount Olympus Hike
The Sunrise Shack
The Sunrise Shack is a cute orange food stand on Oahu’s North Shore. It’s a brightly colored shack that serves healthy dishes like smoothies and vegan treats. It really oozes hippy charm and epitomizes the North Shore’s laid back vibe. Stop by for a delicious smoothie and snap an Instagram photo of this pretty orange spot!
Waikiki Beach and Town
Waikiki is the bustling tourist area in downtown Oahu. Waikiki Beach is world famous and one of Oahu’s most popular destinations. The beach gets crowded and I recommend spending the majority of your time at less popular spots, but you must check out Waikiki. Grab a cocktail at Duke’s, one of the area’s most popular restaurants that’s located right on the beach. It has fabulous sunset views and serves a delicious mai tai!
Aside from the beach, Waikiki is filled with cute hotels, open malls and a lively bar and restaurant scene. There are some really pretty spots to check out and photograph. I stayed at the aesthetically pleasing The Laylow Hotel and really loved the strong coffee served in Instagram approved cute and colorful cups at Olive & Oliver.
Leonard’s Bakery is located about two mile in from Waikiki Beach. This is an iconic Oahu bakery that has been serving malasadas, a Portuguese donut, since 1952. These little puffs of fried dough are delicious, and Instagrammable! Leonard’s Bakery itself is also very photogenic and has a fun retro feel.
Various Hikes on Oahu
Oahu is filled with beautiful hikes that offer gorgeous views and photo opportunities! Some of the most popular hikes are Crouching Lion, The Lanikai Pillbox trail (which looks over the Lanikai beach) and Three Peaks also known as Olomana Trail.
Where exactly did you drive to in the gardens to take that picture?
Hi Kadie, There is one road into the gardens. I just kept driving on it until I found a parking lot and then walked and found this spot. It isn’t that big of a place, you should be able to find a lot of great photo opps! Hope that helps!
Can you walk into the garden or you need a car ? I was thinking if we leave the car parked before the gate then we have to walk down that road and easily snap a quick picture
Hi there! You can walk into the garden, but you still won’t be able to snap a photo on the main “IG famous” road. They won’t let anyone (or at least that’s what they will tell you) take a photo on that main road. There is a guard gate, many cameras, signs everywhere and they really patrol the area. But of course maybe you could catch that park ranger Olive on a good day and she’ll gladly take your photo for you, like that TripAdvisor post said! They are definitely biased against certain people and let some take photos.
Hi! I love all of your pictures! im so jealous! for the Botanical Garden, can we just walk in and take a quick pictures in that famous road? We are planning to go there before the park opens. Is the gate open or is there a way to get in before the rangers arrive? how far is that from the entrance? Thanks 🙂
Hi Anne! Yes, you can just walk in and take photos but not on the famous road! You can try to arrive at sunrise, but in my experience the guard was already there, and was very rudely telling people they couldn’t take photos there, even though the gardens were technically closed and no cars were driving through. You can find other gorgeous spots in the garden to photograph!