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Hakalau Forest Reserve: Exclusive Bird Watching Experience in Rare Hawaiian Ecosystem
5.0
36 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.
Duration:
12 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
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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 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 flavored sparkling waters.
- All excursion fees and/or taxes taken care of.
What's Not Included
- 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 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.
Customer Ratings
5.0
(36 Ratings)
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1 star
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
Dan_w
Mar 27, 2024
Birding paradise - If you want to see rare and beautiful birds and amazing forest, this trip is for you. Gary our guide did a fantastic job and went the extra mile to make sure each of us saw each species.
Review provided by Viator
Amber
Mar 19, 2024
Excellent tour! - Awesome tour! We saw so many birds. Knowledgeable and funny tour guide. Highly recommend if you want to get way off the beaten path.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Q1036ncrobing
Mar 2, 2024
All my target birds in one day!!! - Access to the forest is limited and Hawaii Forest and Trail provided the guided birding. At every point of contact they were helpful, kind, understanding, and accommodating. I called with concerns about my age and limited ability and was reassured and suggestions. Staff are unfailingly cheerful and glad to talk to you. Our guide, Jon, was caring and adjusted to make sure we all got to see the birds. I can recommend this tour without reservation.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
198carrief
Feb 1, 2024
Great bird hike on Big Island, Hawai’i - This was a wonderful hike into a reserve with rare and endangered birds. Our guide Gary was very knowledgeable and found most of the birds on the list. He was funny, too! Highly recommended.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Hpaluck
Sep 6, 2023
A rare opportunity to see rare birds - On this tour you get to hike through a forest that is closed to the public to see some of the rarest birds in the world. We saw Akiapolaau, Apapane, Akepas and so many I’iwi that they became a common sighting. Gary was a fantastic guide who taught us much about the conservation efforts to protect Hawaii’s dwindling native species of plants and birds. Whether you are an expert birder or a novice such as myself you will not regret spending a day participating in this unique experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Bruce
Feb 8, 2024
A fabulous day of birding! - I would have rated a 5 but the guide said at the outset he would do an eBird checklist and share but failed to do so. We saw all 11 of the rare endemics possible at the elevation of the reserve. Excellent spotting and very informative about plants, ecology and evolution.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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