Gardens in Kauai Hawaii
Kauai Hawaii GardensKauai's Top Botanical Gardens at a glance
There is no Kauai, Hawaii's Garden Isle is really perfect if you don't take the opportunity to see one of the island's lovely botanic gardens. Botanic gardens are a haven for flora and there is no better place for ecotourists to find out about endangered native flora than where they have found a shelter.
The gardens have a unique place on the Garden Isle. Three of the five gardens that make up the National Tropical Botanical Garden (NTBG) are in Kauai: McBryde Garden and Limahuli Garden and Preserve. Other two gardens are Kahanu Garden near Hana on the Isle of Maui and The Kampong in Biscayne Bay in Coconut Grove, Florida.
is a nonprofit organization devoted to the discovery, conservation and exploration of the world's tropics and the exchange of knowledge. Nowadays the NTBG has expanded to almost 2,000 hectares of gardens and protected areas. Let's take a look at the three National tropical botanical gardens on Kauai, as well as two other gardens on the isle.
The Limahuli Gardens is situated on the northern bank of Kauai, just before the street ends at Ke'e Beach in Ha'ena. Situated in a magnificent lush green park, this magnificent exotic paradise is framed by Mount Makana, better known as Bali Hai for its 1958 South Pacific movie. The Limahuli Gardens is a 17 hectare large terrace and part of the 985 hectare Limahuli Reserve.
Collect a copy of the Guidebook from the Visitors Centre and then walk the 3/4 Miles Limahuli Gardens Loop Trail, which will take you past samples of the many species of plant used by the native Polynesian Hawaiians for arts, clothes, shelter, utensils and livelihood.
The Limahuli Garden is open from Tuesday to Saturday. Self-paced visits are available from 9:30 to 16:00 and are $20 for adult (18 years and older). There is a 10:00 a.m. visit and it is $40 for an adult, $20 for a child aged 10-17. Childrens under 10 years of age have no access to the guide.
These are the three National Tropical Botanical Gardens: Almerton Gardens is a true treasure of horticulture, turned by the hand of Hawaii's Queen Emma, a famous figure in the sweet potato orchard, and most recently an artisan and archi-tect. Situated in the remote Lawa'i Valley. The Tour Check-in is in the Southshore Visitors Center, just a few steps from the edge of the valley.
The Allerton Garden is open every day. Only 2-1/2 hours long walks are allowed in the garden. In some seasons the 9:00 a.m. excursion is not available. Costs are $50 for an adult (13 years and older) and $25 for a child aged 6-12.
Garden transport to and from the valleys is provided on all routes. The Allerton Garden at Sunset route was added, which involved entry to the house where the Allerton dynasty resided and in which they welcomed many of the world's leading characters such as Jacqueline Kennedy. Excursion including a drink and supper from the Fair and Cafe on the breathtaking Landai at sunset in the Pacific.
Admission $95 for grown-ups, $45 for kids (6-12). The McBryde Garden in the Lawa'i Valley houses the biggest ex site collections of indigenous Hwaiian wildlife and tropical vegetation available, among them large plantations of palm groves, blooming tree species, heliconies, orchid and innumerable other species from the Pacific Islands, South America, Africa and Indo-Malaysia.
The visitor will have the chance to see many of Hawaii's rarest threatened species and find out about the effort to rescue them in a live lab where researchers are constantly learning about these species and their uses. Visiting the gardens involves a one and a half kilometre long stroll along mostly dirt or grassy trails with rough ground and some cobble or rocky ladder.
The McBryde Guard is open every day. It is only 15 minutes by streetcar from the Southshore Visitor Center. The visitor can take the last tramway out of the park at 4 p.m. (5 p.m. in summer) for one and a half minutes. Guests should stay in the backyard for 1 1/2 h.
The costs for a garden visit are $30 for an adult (13 years and older), $15 for a child aged 6-12 years. Others botanic gardens include: Aina Kaiotanical Garden is situated on the northern bank of Kauai near Kilauea. Initially started as a Joyce and Ed Doty landscaping design in 1982, the garden has expanded to over 240 acre, of which 12 acre houses one of the biggest collection of bronzes in the United States.
It has been a non-profit organisation since 1999 and is open to the general public in the form of visits and personal outings. Included in the estate are the former Doty house, fruit gardens and a 110 hectare deciduous wood orchard to help secure the gardens' sustainable development for coming generation. Aina Kai only provides guides through her gardens.
There is a large choice of walking or tramway trips from 1-1/2 to 5 hrs and from $35-$85 according to the kind of trip and duration of the trip. The Wailua Marina State Park on the east side of Kauai or the Coconut Coast is one of the most popular areas of Kauai.
Along the banks of the Wailua River you will find Smith's Tropical Paradise with the famous Smith Family Gardens Luau, the Fern Grotto Wailua River Cruise, Smith's Weddings In Paradise and the Smith's Tropical Paradise botanical and culture gardens. The 30-hectare park has over a nile of paths with over 20 different orchards, a wood of wooded flowers, the famous flower wheel and the blooming tropics, and a Japanese gardens.
Entrance fee is only $6 for grown-ups and $3 for kids from 3-12 years. Use TripAdvisor to verify the rates for your trip to Kauai.