The waters off the Kona coast offer some of the best sport fishing available. And where there’s fish, there’s seabirds. Chartering a boat from Honokōhau Harbor is a good way to view these acrobats of the sky and sea up close. And you might catch a fish while you’re at it!
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One of the best locations to see seabirds, without getting wet, is the Hawaiʻi’s Island’s western most point, Keāhole. This rocky point is also a good example of coast strand and the shorebirds that inhabit this type of ecosystem. This area is within the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaiʻi (NELHA) and is accessed by driving ...
Read More Keāhole Point
Some of the best bird watching on the island can be found at ʻAimakapā Fishpond. This wetland area provides habitat for an amazing variety of birdlife, including some species that are not found anywhere else in the world. Other species can be found spending the winter months in the fishpond, having traveled to Hawaiʻi from ...
Read More Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historic Park
This cloud forest is a cool retreat from the hot Kona coast. This network of trails within the Makāula -‘O‘oma Section of the Honua‘ula Forest Reserve takes you through a lush ʻōhiʻa and hāpuʻu tree fern forest. Access the official trailhead from the end of Makahi Street (off Kaloko Drive). Park on the side of ...
Read More Makāula -‘O‘oma Trails
The Puʻu Waʻawaʻa Forest Reserve is home to a diverse dry ʻōhiʻa forest mixed with many endangered and rare plants. The ʻŌhiʻa Trail takes you through some of these forested areas where a wide variety of native and exotic birds have found a home. Be sure to check in at the Hiker Check-in Station for ...
Read More Pu‘u Wa‘awa‘a ʻŌhiʻa Trail
This stretch of Old Saddle Road through Waikiʻi Ranch offers good viewing of pasture and dry open area species. This area is a good spot to see pueo and chestnut-bellied sandgrouse. This is a fast road with many blind turns. Be sure to give plenty of warning before pulling over, and pull over completely off ...
Read More Waiki‘i (off Old Saddle Road)
Take a journey through Mauna Kea’s high-elevation dry forest. High above tropical rain clouds, this forest has adapted to an extremely dry and cold climate normally found on continents. You will see plants and animals found nowhere else in the world as you explore this special place. This forest is one of the last large ...
Read More Palila Forest Discovery Trail
A nice family trail, the Puʻu Huluhulu trail network features several short hikes atop a forested hill, surrounded by black lava from an 1843 flow. A mix of koa forest and dry mixed forest, this puʻu (hill) is a good place to view native forest birds seeking refuge from an otherwise stark lava landscape.
This historic trail was once a cattle driving trail linking Puʻu ʻŌʻō Ranch on Mauna Kea and Keauhou Ranch near Kīlauea. An easy, though lengthy 7.4-mile round-trip hike across smooth pāhoehoe and rough ʻaʻā lava flows, the trail meanders in and out of kīpuka (older, forested pockets spared from lava flows) filled with ancient trees ...
Read More Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō Trail
Kaulana Manu (formerly Kīpuka 21) is a family friendly interpretive trail in a pristine kīpuka (older, forested pockets spared from lava flows). A favorite of birders, this is a good spot to catch a glimpse of many of Hawaiʻi Island’s native forest birds. If you’re lucky, you may see endangered Hawaiian birds like ʻakiapōlāʻau, ʻakepa, ...
Read More Kaulana Manu Nature Trail
This historic trail is a remnant of a foot and later horse trail that once linked the east and west sides of Hawaiʻi Island. An easy 1.5-mile hike across smooth pāhoehoe scrubland, the trail meanders in and out of kipuka (older, forested pockets spared from lava flows) filled with ancient trees and flocks of native ...
Read More Kaūmana Trail
Wailoa River State Park contains several ancient Hawaiian fishponds (none currently in use) that provide habitat for a variety endemic, migratory, and introduced waterfowl. Recently a flock of domestic helmeted guineafowl has also been frequenting the area. The park is open daily during daylight hours.
While it is on private property, Loko Waka fishpond is a great spot to see native waterfowl, particularly ‘alae ke‘oke‘o. Loko Waka is also a major roosting site for cattle egrets in the Hilo area. At 60 acres in size, Loko Waka is the largest of the fish ponds in Keaukaha.