We spent a good 4-5 hours hiking and exploring the botanical gardens trails and areas. There are very well maintained trails that are nicely marked taking you to the lake area and the campgrounds. The trees are labeled and everything is quite well kept. There are benches and picnic tables you can enjoy and the visitor center has restrooms and staff who will answer questions. We found ourselves exploring some of the less maintained trails which was fun… the trails were not as clearly marked but were accessible, we saw some amazing views and ran across a wild hog who snorted loudly alerting us to his presence when we were in his territory then ran off in the opposite direction. It was a day well spent and so many picture perfect views!

Beautiful and peaceful garden showing names and descriptions of tropical plants from Hawaii and other places in the world. The initial walkway was very informative with a large variety of lovely plants and flowers. We spent 2 hours here and loved the time away from traffic!

Breathtaking view of most shrouded mountains. We’ll laid out trails with beautiful plants and scenery. Trails near the visitor center are paved and easily accessible. Closer to the pond the trail is gravel and may have a muddy section depending on previous rains. Highly recommended. Minimum of an hour to view around the visitor center area.

I wasn't prepared for the vastness of this Botanical Garden but it's very popular for driving in, finding parking and going for a picnic, bird-watching, photography, walking on trails and enjoying the scenery. Plant collections are grouped according to geographical regions (Tropical America, India, Polynesia, etc.) with restrooms and parking lot in each area. We had no problems finding parking spots on a weekday afternoon and entry is free. You can pick up a map at the Visitor's Centre (2 miles from bus stop) and book guided nature tours (in advance). You can camp here too! Botanically speaking, this is a tree hugger's paradise and not much for flowering plants. Be prepared with rain gear, insect repellent and good shoes for walking. Love the killer view of the majestic Ko'olau Mountain Range. A great getaway from the busy-ness of the city.

Having grown up across the mountains in Honolulu, I couldn't figure out why I had not heard of this place. Turns out that it wasn't built until about 1982, well after I had left the islands. Even our local friends had never visited. Missing out. This is an extensive facility, but you can spend as much time as you want to. The education center is really worth a visit at least once, and the docents are great. Lots of interesting stuff and recommendations. The paved trail just outside the center takes you through some very interesting plants, and down to the reservoir that has a lot of colorful fish. The path is only paved for the first half to two-thirds. I would say that it is wheelchair accessible. The "sealing wax palms" with their red tops were startling. Didn't know that allspice actually is a plant. Was quite familiar with heliconia and hanging heliconia, but had never seen a yellow variety, or the"Sexy Pink" variety. There is plenty of time to just be quiet and soak in the beauty of the Koolau Mountains, and the green of the rain forest. Two things can be irritating. There are a LOT of speed bumps on the road. They really don't want you going fast. But they also don't want you to stop on the narrow road, blocking traffic, so that is forbidden. It is also understandably forbidden to pull off the road at other than the designated parking areas, of which there are a lot. Irritating when people ignore the rules. I was fascinated by the display of the plants typically carried by Pacific seafarers to plant on the islands that they discovered and colonized. I'm talking about sailors like those who journeyed from the South Pacific to the Hawaiian Islands, not Europeans. These plants had specific purposes, like for food, medicine, and clothing.

This garden is truly underrated. The welcome center is well done, interesting; has bathrooms; is staffed by wonderful friendly people; etc. Hiking the trails is spectacular with amazing foliage from around the world (and it's a fairly easy hike). The fact that it's free is incredible. HUGE caveat - wear mosquito repellant!!!

A great way to spend half a day, explore nature, and free! The flora was amazing. Note: you will be tempted to start taking pictures of the mountains before you get too far in to the park, but good news...there are multiple parking lots, lookouts, etc, where you will get killer shots, that will be 100% better. But, you will still find lots of idiots hanging out their sunroof, stopped on the road, taking selfies (which coincidentally is one of the few rules they ask you not to break). Otherwise, I'm shocked the local government hasn't started to charge. Recommend taking a lunch and enjoy! We also took the scenic route along the east coast, back to Waikiki, and stopped at multiple lookouts to the ocean. Just awesome.

Even though I grew up on Oahu, I had never visited these gardens. The lush beauty of Hoomaluhia is impossible to describe. If you are looking for tropical paradise on Oahu, don’t skip this stop. Our group consisted of people from ages 1 to 83. Most trails were quite stroller friendly, although going all the way to the lake was a challenge for our travel stroller. Restrooms were readily available. We drove between areas to make the hikes easier.

This is a beautiful area, there is not one bad view from the place. This trip was just my husband and I. We took on Uber from Waikiki it was a nice 30 minute drive about $25. There is no entrance fee for the gardens, but because we got there about 20 minutes early our driver dropped us at the gate and we ended up walking to the visitor center which is about a mile and a half from the entrance gate. The driver could have dropped us at the visitor center but we didn't want him to wait the 20 extra minutes. The view on the walk up was amazing, but we were asked not to take pictures until we go to the visitor center. Once we got to thr visitor center and rehydrated (they do have bathrooms and a water fountain here) we walked to the lake, which was a nice walk. Parts are shaded and there are a lot of Koi fish in the lake. After the lake we headed back to the main road and walked along it to other parts of the garden. There was a Lookout point that after climbing a steep hill you have a breathtaking view of the mountain range and the island. We didn't have our own car but if you do, there are plenty of places to stop and park to take pictures or you can drive through the whole thing and see it from the car. The place is huge with so much to explore, we were there for about an hour and didnt get to see all of ots glory. I would however recommend having your own car that way if you get tired from walking you could see the rest of it from your car. Overall, I would definitely recommend coming to check out this beautiful part of nature.

A must see place on the windward side of Oahu. Not only can you learn about a bunch of trees and plants but you get to enjoy the stunning views of the Ko’olau mountains. I recommend driving (or walking) all the way to the top, and bring a snack because they have a nice little rest spot at the top. This is a perfect place to enjoy with the family. Don’t forget to bring your cameras for the views are absolutely amazing!