Recently Viewed
Hakalau Forest Reserve: Exclusive Bird Watching Experience in Rare Hawaiian Ecosystem
5.0
42 Ratings
Kailua-Kona
Embark on an exclusive bird watching experience in the rare Hawaiian ecosystem of Hakalau Forest Reserve. Discover rare plants, animals, and endemic Hawaiian birds while enjoying first-class comfort and expert guidance.
Embark on an exclusive bird watching experience in the rare Hawaiian ecosystem of Hakalau Forest Reserve. Discover rare plants, animals, and endemic Hawaiian birds while enjoying first-class comfort and expert guidance.
Duration:
12 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge - Embark on a memorable excursion through the exclusive territories of Hakalau National Forest Reserve, a sanctuary for some of the planet’s most unique flora and fauna. Your expedition kicks off aboard a cozy 4x4 Short Wheel Base Mercedes Sprinter, ideally suited for our ornithological excursions with its…
- Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge - Embark on a memorable excursion through the exclusive territories of Hakalau National Forest Reserve, a sanctuary for some of the planet’s most unique flora and fauna. Your expedition kicks off aboard a cozy 4x4 Short Wheel Base Mercedes Sprinter, ideally suited for our ornithological excursions with its capacity for smaller, exclusive groups (no more than 10 participants) and its sturdy construction that enables us to navigate less-traveled trails. Traverse the varied landscapes and ecosystems of Hawaii Island before venturing off-road to arrive at your destination. Accompanied by your knowledgeable birding guide, an expert in natural history, delve into the lush wilderness of Hakalau’s Pua Akala area, where you’ll encounter extraordinary native species, such as insect-eating caterpillars and smiley-faced arachnids. With the aid of your guide and binoculars, scan the canopy for indigenous Hawaiian birds like the Akepa, Akiapolaau, Amakihi, Apapane, Hawaii Creeper, Iiwi, Elepaio, Omao, Io, and Pueo. Your excursion includes a picnic-style lunch, assorted snacks, refreshments, and purified water. Seize this unique opportunity to explore the secluded and pristine habitats of Hawaii’s native forests.
What's Included
- Binoculars provided for enhanced birdwatching.
- Complimentary snacks to keep you energized.
- Delicious lunch included to satisfy your appetite.
- Expert Interpretative Birding Guide at your service.
- Convenient Central Meeting Locations for Pick-up & Drop off.
- Comfortable in-vehicle air conditioning.
- A selection of filtered water, juices, and…
- Binoculars provided for enhanced birdwatching.
- Complimentary snacks to keep you energized.
- Delicious lunch included to satisfy your appetite.
- Expert Interpretative Birding Guide at your service.
- Convenient Central Meeting Locations for Pick-up & Drop off.
- Comfortable in-vehicle air conditioning.
- A selection of filtered water, juices, and flavored sparkling waters.
- All excursion fees and/or taxes taken care of.
What's Not Included
- Gratuities
- Gratuities
Additional Information
Hakalau, a term that translates to ‘multiple perches’ as named by the ancient Hawaiians, continues to be a significant sanctuary for birds in the present day. With a history as a massive cattle ranch, Hakalau holds the distinction of being the first Forest Bird National Wildlife Refuge in the United States, providing a home to some of the world’s most…
Hakalau, a term that translates to ‘multiple perches’ as named by the ancient Hawaiians, continues to be a significant sanctuary for birds in the present day. With a history as a massive cattle ranch, Hakalau holds the distinction of being the first Forest Bird National Wildlife Refuge in the United States, providing a home to some of the world’s most unique animal and plant species. Access to the Pua Akala section, which is typically off-limits to the public, is granted to our groups—it is a prime illustration of efficient conservation methods. Our group sizes are capped at 10 guests to ensure a more personalized experience as you navigate in our top-of-the-line 4-wheel drive Mercedes Sprinter with a short wheelbase. Accompanied by your skilled naturalist guide, embark on a quest to spot rare local plants, creatures, and endemic Hawaiian birds such as the Akiapolaau, Akepa, Amakihi, Apapane, Hawaii Creeper, Iiwi, Pueo, Io, Elepaio, and Omao. Explore the restricted-access natural preserve with our top-tier field manual. This promises to be an unparalleled adventure on Hawaii Island.
- Guests on this tour should not be physically challenged or unable to hike on uneven or rocky terrain. Must be able to do short hikes of 1.5 to 4 miles.
Location
Hawaii Forest & Trail Kona Headquarters
Olowalu Street
Please look for our headquarters that is located across the street from Home Depot.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
5.0
(42 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
E9913cslynnl
Jan 30, 2025
Fabulous experience! - Gary was great! Very knowledgeable about not only the birds but the plants and history of the island. It was a great day out in nature.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dlm0548
Dec 24, 2024
Great birding experience - It was a well-organized tour and Jon was a most knowledgeable birder and leader. Many birds were seen and heard and the forest was beautiful. Water, snacks and lunch were provided with a vegetarian option available.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
V9560ybalisonm
Dec 12, 2024
Fabulous day in Hawaii's restored forest looking at birds. - Garry shared lots of interesting stories and information about not just the birds, but also their habitat and the plants of native Hawaii. He found all of the endemic birds that are in the Hakalau reserve for us and we had great views of most of them. We felt like we were privileged to see the "real" Hawaii. Highly recommend if you love spending time in nature and learning about the local environment for both casual birders as well as birding enthusiasts.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rndm
Dec 5, 2024
A Privilege to Experience Hakalau Forest with Gary - First of all I cannot speak to value. It costs a lot of money but it is easy to figure out why. If you are an avid birder then you are unlikely to have a similar experience anywhere else. It was a privilege to be allowed into Hakalau forest. The only way for the public to go there is with Hawaii Forest & Trail. We have been to most of the islands many times and hiked through many forests birding. Unlike the thick forests of Koke'e on Kauai and Hosmer's Grove in Maui, Hakalua is perfect for birding given how open the forest is, You can actually see the birds. Many of our party with big cameras got spectacular photos. We ended up doing three tours in all with Hawaii Forest and Trail. With most companies they guides are competent. Typically younger folks who have been on the islands for a few years and have worked hard to learn enough about their tour to get by. ALL of the guides we had with Hawaii Forest and Trail had been on the islands for decades and had an encyclopedic knowledge which they were happy to share. Even on a tour of dedicated birders GARY was the most passionate one there. He is a gem!
PS we did "check off" all the rare birds on the list although I'iwi are still my favourite.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Newenglander1952
Oct 30, 2024
Great hike by a great company! - This is a great hike with great views. Jon was our guide and he did a fabulous job. It is relatively strenuous so be prepared. Varied terrain. Bring water. This company has never failed us. Only four of us on this hike including an Ironman participant (yes, he finished the race. Congratulations Bobby!) Jon was very informative.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Stefanie_t
Oct 19, 2024
Awesome experience! - Amazing tour! Our guide Jon was fun, helpful, and gave just the right amount of information. Great lunch and snacks provided.
Review provided by Viator
Chris_w
Sep 23, 2024
A highlight of our trip and one of the best guides you’ll ever encounter - This was without a doubt one of the highlights of our trip. Garry Dean, our guide, led us to see three of Hawaii’s four rarest birds…on two separate occasions…and in both cases, the rare birds were all in the same tree. Throughout the huge site, he knew which birds could be expected in each area, and almost always spotted them (or heard them) well before anyone else in our group. It seemed like most of the group had their best birding day of their life, all thanks to Garry. And he didn’t just know his birds. As we were walking between areas, he frequently passed on his knowledge about the endemic and rare flora found on the site. We could not recommend more highly this tour, place, or Garry!
Review provided by Viator
Virginia_k
Jun 17, 2024
Excellent trip to watch rare birds - Very well organized Birding trip to sanctuary. Easy to find the meet-up place and we enjoyed the group of people on our tour. We also thoroughly enjoyed the well-informed guided tour with Gary with lots of information about the geology, flora and fauna, and history of the area, as well as birds. Good lunch food, snacks, drinks, and other provisions. Plenty of stops for bathroom breaks also. We were able to see 31 birds and Gary was very good at finding them by listening. Many of us have used e-Bird but that does not work at the Forest Reserve or really anywhere here on Hawaii, so you really do need a guide. One thing that could make the trip better is a list of the targeted birds with pictures that group members could refer to as the guide is showing us where to look. Although everyone on our tour was very interested in birding, none of us were familiar with the very rare target species which has similar sounding names. A pictoral chart would be easy to provide and would have greatly increased our enjoyment of the trip. One bonus for us is that we have since traveled to Volcano national park and seen some of the same targeted birds there.
Review provided by Viator
Virginialw5073xj
Jun 17, 2024
Well organized and informative tour - Very well organized Birding trip to sanctuary. Easy to find the meet-up place and we enjoyed the group of people on our tour. We also thoroughly enjoyed the well-informed guided tour with Gary with lots of information about the geology, flora and fauna, and history of the area, as well as birds. Good lunch food, snacks, drinks, and other provisions. Plenty of stops for bathroom breaks also. We were able to see 31 birds and Gary was very good at finding them by listening. Many of us have used e-Bird but that does not work at the Forest Reserve or really anywhere here on Hawaii, so you really do need a guide. One thing that could make the trip better is a list of the targeted birds with pictures that group members could refer to as the guide is showing us where to look. Although everyone on our tour was very interested in birding, none of us were familiar with the very rare target species which has similar sounding names. A pictoral chart would be easy to provide and would have greatly increased our enjoyment of the trip.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Hal72
Mar 30, 2024
Best way to see the native Honeycreepers - We have been going on HFT birding trips for years. Hakalau is special as int is limited entry. There are a number of endemic honeycreepers to see here. It's not Disneyland so sightings are not guaranteed, Each trip we have seen most of the birds. The more we go, too, the better pictures we get. It might (does) rain a bunch too. The guides work hard to find and show you the birds and much of the rare plants. The refuge is an example of what can be accomplished with a commitment to habitat restoration. It is a long day but fun.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
More activities from this operator
