Ho'omaluhia Botanical Garden, Kaneohe

Oahu, HI Print   Leave a comment

Description

Ho'omaluhia Botanical Garden is a good place to go to see the Ko'olau mountain range close up above you. The views are spectacular. There are also some lovely tropical plants, many of them endangered. It was fun to see a cocoa tree. Grab a map at the visitor center. Upon returning home and looking at the map (we were too busy frantically shooing away mosquitoes from our tasty skin to look at it while we were there), I see that we missed some of the nice parts of the garden like the hau trees. Bring mosquito repellent and plan on jumping in the ocean (perhaps Lanikai Beach) right after to get all the sticky pesticide off your skin.
The gardens are very wet- we found it pretty hard to walk around. It was actually built to provide flood protection to the town.
If you continue driving past the visitor center there is more beautiful scenery around every bend. The road doesn't lead out though, so you must turn around at the end.
When you leave the islands, be sure to enjoy the Cultural Gardens at Honolulu Airport, accessible from the main terminal!

Photo Gallery

View of Ko'olau Mountains and hibiscus flower, at Luluku Road.	The Park Access Rd takes you through the beautiful scenery.	Morning light on the mountains.
Cute peaks.	I love this plant!	Gorgeous colors of plants in the garden.
You can't get mountains nicer than this!	Lawn area near the lake.	The visitor center.
Giant leaves.	Two visitors walk down to the lake.

Directions

45-680 Luluku Rd, Kaneohe HI 96744, call (808) 233-7323.
From Kamehameha Hwy, turn west (toward the mountains) on Luluku Rd. This leads into the gardens. Drive through the gardens and there's a large parking lot on your left in front of the visitor center. The red tab on the map is on the visitor center parking lot.
The gardens are open 9-4 daily, except Jan 1 and Dec 25. Admission is free. Free tours are Sat at 10am and Sun at 1pm. Catch and release fishing in the lake is open 10-2 Sat and Sun.
Mosquito repellent is absolutely essential! Even with it, you'll still feel worried!

This is an interactive map, you can zoom and move it.

Overall Visitor Rating: Unrated.