Oct 31, 2024
A wonderful zen experience - A beautiful day spent in nature. Brie was so informative and expressive in her love of this beautiful environment. We learned many things, most particularly to take time for these opportunities whenever possible.
Highly recommend this tour. We are a senior couple late 70’s & early 80’s and had no difficulty with the terrain nor the expected rain fall.
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Oct 29, 2024
15 Years Later… Still Magical - We visited today for the CLOUD FOREST CLEANSE! - (Sanctuary Tour + Sound Bath) and it was magical. Our first visit to this enchanted land was 15 years ago. November 1st 2009 we were led on a guided at kona cloud forest sanctuary led by Norman Bezona. One of our favorite parts was hugging the giant Rainbow Eucalyptus. We loved hearing the stories and learning about the botany and family history about the land. It is wonderful to see the integrity of Norman’s mission being carried on by his grandchildren whose intentions are to continue connecting people and nature in profound and unique ways.
Brie was our Sanctuary Tour guide today. She was patient, kind, intuitive, extremely knowledgeable and in touch with nature. I appreciated her openness and connectivity to the land and sharing stories about the cultural heritage of the forest and people who first dwelled on this beautiful island.
Pam was our guide during the sound bath. It was an hour but felt like 20 minutes. I LOVE a sound bath. The bowls are so beautiful and the music was the perfect end to a delightful morning. Do both because they really go together so well. This was day 1 of our 10 day trip on the island and I feel grounded and in touch with nature. Connected to the land and the people who have dwelled here since the beginning. We are truly blessed. Thank you!
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Oct 26, 2024
Beautiful and peaceful forest hike - Our tour was amazing! Briana was an excellent tour guide. We appreciate all the conservation work that she and her team are doing.
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Oct 23, 2024
Connect with the land _ Awesome!! - Taryn was an amazing person and guide. The history, knowlege and connection of the Cloud Forest to us was excellent. It made me so grateful to experience it. So so different then all the other tours taken in Hawaii and made me really appreciate the land. In addition, being encouraged to touch everything added a new dimention to the tour. Told to wander both on and off trail really allowed the experience to come to life just like the cloud forest itself. Not to be missed!
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Oct 21, 2024
Beautiful and mesmerizing !! - What an amazing tour!! A huge highlight of our group’s Kona trip! Taryn our guide was absolutely fantastic. She has so much love, passion and wisdom. She made the experience extra special. Thank you for such delightful tour, we will never forget. We added the sound bath after which was just as wonderful. Great way to end it, highly recommend.
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Oct 17, 2024
Wonderfully! - Absolutely amazing. Highly recommend this experience. Actually the experience I would consider to be beautiful. Never have I experience being in a Cloud Forest. Honestly, didn’t know this was a different type of forest. Words and pictures don’t do it justice. Only in person experience.
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Oct 13, 2024
Magical experience at the Cloud Forest Sanctuary - Such an amazing walking tour thru the cloud forest. Dom was great guide, relayed so much interesting information about the plants and the history of the area. Most importantly, being within the cloud forest brought such a sense of peace and balance. The place is magical. Highly recommend the experience.
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Oct 10, 2024
BEST experience!! - This place is pure magic! From the guides enthusiasm to the beauty of the forest I don't know which thing to rave about! I highly recommend this experience to learn about the the heritages and how this beautiful island came to be.
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Oct 7, 2024
Good walk, fun guide, pretty plants - A relaxing and interesting walk, not particularly challenging though a little slippery when wet. The guides are enthusiastic, fun, and knowledgeable enough to touch on important aspects of Hawai'ian geology, meteorology, and ecology without the crushing weight of academian rigor. For the best experience, do some research and come prepared to talk or at least ask about the unique conditions found on the islands, the abundance of plant species on display, and the lifestyles of the indigenous Hawai'ian people prior to the 19th century.
On the technical side, the sanctuary is quite unusual. Apparently started ~40 years ago by a professor using whatever research samples were available from nearby institutions, the section of forest included in the tour currently has more in common with an experiment in ecological hybridization than a pure restoration, with a panoply of plant species from across the globe sharing space with local 'ohi'a and koa trees, loulu palms, and honeycreepers. They are, however, increasingly focusing on propagating native species now that the initial reforestation is complete. For those of you from the coastal and mountain regions of Washington and Oregon, note that there is a blackberry-like plant (Rubus rosaefolius) called a thimbleberry, which is very different from the thimbleberry we know and love (Rubus parviflorus).
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Oct 4, 2024
Great, would do it again - Wonderful guide Dom he was very knowledgeable super informative and interesting tour..highly recommend very peaceful and beautiful walk
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