Located on the Four-Mile Scenic Route at the back of Onomea Valley, the award-winning Garden's dramatic entrance gate lies just across the street from a beautiful new visitor center with ample free parking surrounded by lush rainforest jungle. A wide lanai, with roof supported by native Hawaiian 'ohia logs, wraps around the visitor center. Comfortable chairs provide a relaxed atmosphere where guests sit and talk while enjoying views of Onomea Stream that flows gently just below. Prior to entering the Garden, visitors must register in the gift shop which features many very fine and exlusive, locally made arts and crafts as well as a wide selection of books on tropical plants.
Beckoning from across the street is the beautiful entrance gate to the Garden. Here you are greeted by the Garden's volunteer gate keepers who will answer your questions and provide free umbrellas in case of rain. Then you will be sent on your way into the tropical jungle. A 500 foot long elevated boardwalk winds down the steep-walled, narrow ravine of Kahalii Stream that now runs dry because a 1949 landslide diverted all its water into Onomea Stream. The Kahalii ravine is festooned with exotic tropical growth of giant bamboo, bananas, flowering vines, orchids and ferns.

Palm Vista

Trail Visitors come from all over the world to view the Garden's extraordinary collection of palms. Members of the Royal Palm Society of London excitedly inspected the rare Peruvian palm Euterpe precatoria here. The Garden is home to nearly 200 species of palms: fan, fish-tail, sago, date, and betel nut palms are just a few that can be seen from the Palm Vista. Other interesting palms include the wanga palm from Malaysia, the fastest- growing palm in the world; and the orange areca palm, with its fascinating orange seeds.

Along the Palm Vista Trail, from the Fern Circle to the bottom of the steps near the Palm Jungle, you will see more than 50 species of plants and trees - including the giant jackfruit tree with its enormous colorful fruit, sometimes more than two feet long!

Palm Jungle Trail

If the Giant Fern Circle is the heart of the Garden, then the Palm Jungle is the soul. Here a forest of towering Alexandra palms creates the feeling of a cathedral, and visitors often fall silent as they enter. Originally from Australia, Alexandra palms grow profusely in valleys along the Hamakua Coast. They have long, creamy flower clusters that appear below the fronds. These flowers produce huge clusters of seeds which turn from green to a beautiful red. Then they fall and carpet the jungle floor to produce hundreds of tiny new palm tree seedlings.

After wending your way through the Palm Jungle, you will find Onomea Stream descending from the mountains through this cool glade of palms on its way to the sea. Onomea Stream has created the crown jewel of the Garden, Onomea Falls.

Onomea Falls

This spectacular three-tiered waterfall is often claimed to be the most beautiful in Hawaii. It was discovered far back in the jungle by Dan Lutkenhouse, years after work on the lower Garden began. One day he decided to hack his way through the jungle alongside the stream, and much to his delight he found the magnificent waterfall. Onomea Falls is set amidst the natural forest of palms and ferns. Exotic mosses grow on the surrounding rocks and trees. Small fish and prawns thrive in the clear, cool water. Gazing at Onomea Falls from the viewing bridge, visitors are treated to an experience of unmatched natural beauty. There is a feeling of deep peace and serenity here, as well as a sense of the power and abundance of nature.

Heliconia Trail

After leaving the Palm Jungle, visitors wander along the spectacular Heliconia Trail where more than 80 different plant species grow. The Garden has one of the finest collections of heliconias in the United States. In this protected environment, heliconias grow more beautifully than in their native rainforest jungle. Colorful, striking flowerheads in a multitude of bizarre shapes and sizes arise from clumps of large, oval leaves. The plants range from 2 to 20 feet high.

Once classified with bananas, heliconias are now considered a separate family, Heliconaceae. The dramatic, colorful parts of the plant are not actually flowers, but rather highly modified leaves called bracts. The heliconia's inconspicuous true flowers are located inside the bracts.

The best time to see heliconias in bloom is from May through August; however, various species can be viewed throughout the year. Among the most striking varieties is the hanging lobster claw-a cluster of glorious, vibrant red flowerheads tipped with green and yellow. Another species, Heliconia metallica, was brought to the Garden from Costa Rica shortly before the section of rainforest it came from was destroyed.

New species of heliconias are being discovered each year as botanists explore deeper in the jungle. The Garden constantly adds to its collection, and is recognized as one of the foremost centers for the cultivation and preservation of heliconias in the world.

Banyan Canyon

Where Onomea Stream glides over another small waterfall, the cool, dark shade of Banyan Canyon beck- ons. Here a tall banyan tree clings to the wet rocks with a million roots. A species of fig, the banyan sends tiny roots down from its larger branches; these roots soon grow and form new tree trunks, large enough to provide additional support and nourishment. The roots dangle in the air and sweep the ground before taking hold in the soil. Nearby are unique palms with blue-green trunks, a bamboo forest, and a rare native Hawaiian gardenia known as remyi. A huge stump bears witness to the grandeur of a giant fallen banyan that now supports part of the Garden's bromeliad collection.