Hawaii Forest and Trail: Hilo Tropical Waterfalls Tour

The Big Island of Hawaii has SO many adventures to choose from. There are gorgeous sandy beaches (in shades of white, black and green), dramatic cliffs, lush tropical rainforests, plants and animals found nowhere else on earth, and even the world’s largest active volcano.

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Mahalo to Hawaii Forest and Trail for providing us one complimentary adult ticket and media discount on remaining tickets for our family!

With so much to explore you can imagine my excitement at planning our very first trip there! We definitely knew we wanted to not only see Hawaii’s beauty, we also wanted to learn about it, too.

I was thrilled to find out about Hawaii Forest and Trail’s, Hilo Tropical Waterfalls Tour which combined seeing Hawaii Island’s unique landscape AND actually learning about its history with an interpretive guide leading the way. This was definitely a day well spent!

Welcome to Hawaii Forest and Trail

Our day began with a quick check-in at Hawaii Forest and Trail’s Hilo location. There we met Joel, our interpretive guide (and driver), who was energetic and welcoming from the start. He interacted with my children, and made them laugh and feel comfortable. He talked WITH them and asked them questions. It was SO nice to see that right away he cared how their experience, as kids, went too (we don’t always find this everywhere).

We also met the three other people joining us for the excursion, who were actually employees of Hawaii Forest and Trail. We learned the company sends its office staff on the tours offered, so they can better answer questions when helping clients book experiences. How cool is that?! Hawaii Forest and Trail wants their employees to know what their tours are like, so you can rest assured you are getting authentic answers when you speak with them!

All four of our new friends were warm, engaging and seemed full of excitement about what they were doing. Each brought a unique story about their island home. One knew Hawaii was home after their first visit while on their honeymoon. One was born and raised on the island, another has lived there 20 years, and one for just a couple of months! They all shared a deep appreciation for Hawaii’s beauty and preservation, which was obvious throughout the day.

Don’t forget to check out our list of Over 50 Amazing Resources for Kids, All About Hawai’i!

Hello Hilo Bay

My family was pretty excited to get to know Hilo. Our tour van was comfortable and spacious and our storyteller, Joel, was anything but boring. He had SO much information and energy and it felt more like a conversation about Hilo, rather than a narrated history. We visited everything from an “Ice Pond” and waterfalls, to a local surfing spot to watch surfers ride the waves.

Banyan Drive was one of my favorites spots. It is a shady stretch of road adorned with dozens of Banyan trees. The trees were planted by famous vacationers during their Hawaiian getaways. Plaques under each tree show who is responsible for planting it. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Amelia Earhart, Dr. Thomas Jagger (volcanologist) and even Babe Ruth, are some of the names you’ll see on what the locals call the “Hilo Walk of Fame.”

We also learned Hilo Bay is very prone to tsunamis. One tsunami actually occurred in the early morning on April 1, 1946. Because it was April Fool’s Day, nobody believed the warnings coming from shore. As a result, over 150 people died and the town of Hilo was left in ruins. A Tsunami Warning System was created shortly after this terrible event.

To really give us an idea of the power of a tsunami, Joel stopped at a weathered, white lighthouse with black markings on its side. Each mark shows what the water levels were following tsunamis that have hit Hilo Bay.

A Tasty Treat at Rainbow Falls

After exploring the shoreline, we travelled slightly inland and it wasn’t long before we found ourselves passing through OK Farms. The open stretches of land made it seem like we weren’t even in Hilo anymore. The farm was bursting with tropical fruit trees and gorgeous views of Hilo and Mauna Kea.

OK Farms was actually our destination for a green gazebo overlooking Rainbow Falls. The gazebo was cool and shady and the sound of the rushing water was so relaxing. Trust me… I could get used to this!

We spent some time at the gazebo enjoying the view and sampling exotic produce and macadamia nuts grown right on the farm. Surprisingly, with the exception of the macadamia nuts, everything we tried was for the very first time ever!

First up was Heart of Palm! This crunchy vegetable is actually the inner growing bud, found in certain varieties of palm trees. The taste is very light and crisp. My husband’s description of the texture was “a more firm, fibrous version of a cucumber, without the seeds.” That is pretty accurate. I’d expect nothing less from the man who hesitantly ate a fennel blossom for the first time on Maui and exclaimed to the farmer “it tastes just like Good & Plenty” (and was right)!!!

A bundle of Longan fruit was next and we needed a bit of help on how exactly to eat it. The outer skin is tough and must be squeezed until it splits open so you can get to the edible stuff inside. The texture looks and feels like a grape would if you peeled the skin off. Longan fruit is slightly sweet, refreshing and juicy. There is a decent size seed inside, which of course you don’t eat. SO fun trying new things!

Last, but not least, the fresh Macadamia nuts. YUM! But, not the roasted kind like we are used to seeing. These were different and we got to crack them open ourselves. A little bit of muscle is needed to crank the press and crack them open, but it is well worth it!

We learned some pretty neat things about Macadamia nuts, too! Joel told us they were first brought to Hawaii in 1881, by William Purvis, a sugar plantation manager on the Big Island. Purvis had visited Australia and thought the Macadamia tree was so beautiful he brought some seeds home to plant for decoration on his property.

It wasn’t long before the locals discovered and loved the Macadamia nuts growing on Purvis’ trees. Surprisingly, though, Macadamia nut trees weren’t planted commercially until the 1920’s. Today, Hawaii is one of the largest producers of them in the world. Pretty amazing!

Let’s Get Our Hike On!

Our next stop was a private property where we would take a short hike to enjoy a swim under a 120 foot waterfall. This was the moment we’d all been dreaming of!

Hawaii Forest and Trail recommends you come with your swimwear on, however, there was a clean bathroom available if needed (before and after swimming) for a quick stop. Just outside the building was a lovely Koi pond which my children thought was great. Joel even offered fish food so they could feed them while we waited for everyone.

You know you’re looking for something unique when the journey beings with a walk through a tunnel of towering bamboo! It is so TALL!

The trail to get to the waterfall is just as tropical as you can imagine. There are so many shades of green surrounding you with an occasional pop of bright color from a flower. To see Hawaii’s colors in person is truly magical. Every living thing in Hawaii is bright, vibrant and full of life!

Before you can even see the waterfall…you can hear it. What a sound, all that water cascading down a 120 foot drop! Then, as you round a corner, there it is! I was actually surprised we weren’t closer because of how loud it sounded.

The water was cool, which you wouldn’t expect being in Hawaii, and it was refreshing to swim in. The sound of the waterfall made me pause and stare several times in disbelief. The waterfall was private, just as promised, with only our group there. Kayaks and paddleboards were nearby if we wanted to use them.

My family was actually having so much fun exploring, they only stopped once for one moment to allow me to take one photo! I literally had to beg them and I’m glad I did.

After swimming we hiked back up to enjoy lunch on a shaded porch overlooking the waterfall we’d just left. Hawaii Forest and Trail includes lunch and you can choose what you’d like once your tour is booked. I definitely recommend the brownie for dessert! It was made with coconut oil and was rich and creamy.

Farm Store

Our final stop before heading back was the farm store at OK Farms. Wooden crates lined the wall outside the entrance with a variety of colorful produce. My curious kids wanted to know what the hot pink “pufferfish” fruit was (as they called it) in one of the bins. It was something we’d never seen before and its name was Rambutan. Joel showed us how to eat them by biting into the “puffball” and tearing it open to get to the juicy center. So cool!

Inside there were samples of their coffee to try. I added honey to mine, as suggested, and really liked it. The store offered many items for sale which had been grown right on the farm. I really liked that Hawaii Forest and Trail makes such an effort to support local businesses.

Mahalo, Hawaii Forest and Trail

We are so thankful to Hawaii Forest and Trail for sharing their beautiful community with us and making us feel like a part of it, too! I know when planning our next trip to the Big Island or Oahu we will be sure to join them again for another adventure. I’m especially excited about their Farm to Forest experience on Oahu!

Perhaps, the best part about Hawaii Forest and Trail is their commitment and passion for preserving nature.

The I’iwi Fund, launched in 2018, is a giving fund which supports efforts to conserve Hawaii’s unique plants, animals and environment. For every guest that joins them on a tour, Hawaii Forest and Trail donates $1 to the fund. Guests are able to match, or exceed, that donation if they choose. Local vendors and industry partners also help to support the fund. Grants are awarded to organizations that share in Hawaii Forest and Trail’s mission and values and whose work supports conservation.

The I’iwi Fund is one more reason to love sharing your vacation with Hawaii Forest and Trail.

Read about our other Hawaiian adventures:

Maui

• Maui Ocean Center Aquarium
• Volunteering at O’o Organic Farm 
• Stargazing at Haleakala National Park
• Best Snorkeling in Maui ~ Molokini & Turtle Arches Snorkel Cruise with Pacific Whale Foundation
• The Best Luau in Maui ~ The ‘Aha’aina Wailea Luau, at Grand Wailea Resort
• Maui Humane Society, Beach Buddies Program ~ Volunteer on Vacation

Big Island

• One Aloha Shave Ice (organic)
• Kona House Condo
• Giving Back on Vacation: Hawai’i Wildlife Center
• Meet the Artist; Mattie Mae Larson of Upcycle Hawaii (Big Island, plastic pollution, marine debris, unique wearable art.)
• Upcycle Hawaii ~ A Peek Inside their Studio
• A Visit with Upcycle Hawaii to One of the Most Plastic Polluted Beaches in the World

Be sure to check out our Top 30 Gift Ideas for Travelers. It is full of unique ideas to give to those in your life who love to travel… or to add to your own personal carry-on. We’ve even included the one item we won’t go to Disney without, it might surprise you!