Limahuli Garden and Preserve

Limahuli Garden and Preserve are botanical gardens which are believed to be on of the earliest sites of human habitation in Hawaii. The gardens are nestled between two mountains and are preserved through research, conservation and education programs.

The garden is an 985 acre jungle like preserve, most of which are inaccessible, there is 17-acres available for the public to tour and features many rare plants of Polynesia along with native Hawaiian plants some of which are on the endangered list.

There are also many archaeological treasures in the garden including an ancient stone-faced agricultural terrace which is believed to be over 700 years old. The gardens are back dropped by Makana Mountain which overlooks the Pacific Ocean.

A visitor center is located in the gardens; this center was constructed as a model for conservation of natural resources. The structure is a 10 x 32 foot office trailer that was transformed to look like that which would have sat among the taro fields in the area over 100 years ago. The building was painted 'Hanalei Green' which is the color identified by the north shore of Kaua'i. The center features an environmental conservation practice which is a photovoltaic system which concerts the sun's rays into electricity which powers the visitor center.

Tour of the gardens can be guided or self-guided and will take between 1-2 hours. The tours go along a ¾ mile trail loop which can be steep in some areas. Visitors are advised to wear comfortable walking shoes, long pants and mosquito repellant.