North Shore EcoTours

Our guide was Niu and he was friendly and knowledgeable. We had our own private tour with my husband, son and niece. It was great to learn more Hawaiian history and the views were beautiful. We all had fun. It is a bit pricey but the hike is on private lands and not public. A personal guide with a light healthy lunch after. Love supporting our local economy. We took the little adventure but look forward to taking the Big Adventure soon!

If I had to choose one tour on the island, this would be it. From my initial inquiry to the reservation and then tour, North Shore Eco Tours was super helpful, accommodating and always pleasant and swift in their communication.
Our guide, Keola, was amazing, extremely knowledgable and friendly. It was refreshing to learn about Hawaiian culture and ecology from a native Hawaiian. My two children, husband and I took the Huaka Iki. The scenery was truly beautiful. We were the only people on the trail which was a nice change from the busy beaches.
The tour price is steep, but well worth it – you’re supporting Hawaiian culture and the local economy!

We had the best experience of our entire vacation with the Northshore EcoTour. We learned so much about Hawaiian history and culture that is invaluable to us! Nui (who is studying with Keola) knew every answer to our every question and we are forever in great gratitude for that! The experience has completely changed our outlook of Hawaii and we are going to help in whatever way we can!
The hike was beautiful on private land where no one is allowed to go, so we were the only people on the tour. They actually made a special trip for us and the three of us were the only people on the hike! If you want to learn about local & Hawaiian history, and see the most beautiful lands on the island, then this is your tour! Make sure you wear water shoes because you cross a lot of streams (very mild) and it gets a little muddy in some parts.
We were so impressed with the tour, we’ll probably do it again when we return to Oahu. If we ever move here, I plan to take some classes with Keola to learn more about Hawaiian history and culture. Thank you Nui, for our invaluable experience!

If you’re looking for an outdoor adventure in Hawaii, this is it. Even as a local, the Huaka’i Iki tour was pretty damn amazing. I’ve been on a slight hiking rampage, and this has been one of the best hikes I’ve done on Oahu because 1) It wasn’t crowded. In fact, we were the only ones on the hike. NSET has exclusive access to this private land. Riding the pinzgauer up to the hike was really fun too! 2) I never thought I would want/​need a tour guide, but Keola was awesome. He educated us on the history of the area, native plants, etc. 3) The hike was pretty easy, physically. Be prepared and bring water shoes (or borrow theirs, though they have limited sizes, so I’m glad I brought my own since I’m a size 6) for the stream crossings. The rest of the hike goes at a nice and easy pace. The only strenuous part is at the very end, and even at that you get the fresh breeze at the top, so it’s worth it. 4) The fresh water pond in the middle of the hike was sooo refreshing. I felt so relaxed and rejuvenated after jumping in that water, I wanted to float out of that place.
A fun-​filled day highlighted by a light lunch and a really great experience. It totally felt like I was on another island for the day. I would definitely do this hike again, and I want to take on the Huaka’i Nui hike next!

Went on the Huaka’i Iki (Little Adventure) tour this weekend. If you want a hike that’s never crowded, has gorgeous views and an awesome reward at the end… this is the hike to go on! I went on the eco tour with no expectations on what to expect. We met Keola and his crew at North Shore Marketplace (super convenient meeting point) and after a round of intros we were off! We drove through the private land owned by Kamehameha Schools to get to the trailhead, access to that was really cool.
The hike itself was awesome. Sweeping views of the mountains and valleys and you have the trail to yourself (plus your tour group). No other public access. While you hike, Keola talks about all of the native plants, trees and history. His knowledge really helps you appreciate the hike even more. Another PLUS… tons of strawberry guava along the trail to snack on ;)
The hike ends at a mountain pool where you can jump in and cool off, the perfect reward. It was only about a 2 mile loop, so easy for me but the trail can get narrow and you cross streams so probably not good for little kids. It’s well worth the time commitment (about 4 hours) and I would do it again. Actually looking to do the «Big Adventure» next time!

A friend of mine invited me out to the North Shore for a day of hiking. I really didn’t know what to expect, her only information to me was that it was a commercial tour on private land owned by Kamehameha Schools. Be ready to see and hike areas that the public doesn’t have access to… be ready to do some river crossing and be ready to go for a dip in a fresh flowing water pond!
My friend and I met up with our group at North Shore Marketplace early Saturday morning and was greeted by Keola and the crew from North Shore EcoTours. Needless to say I was a bit worried when I saw what we’d be riding in… a retired military Pinzgauer… but after getting on board I knew it was going to be a fun ride.
If you think you’re going to get away with sneaking on to the private land and getting to the hiking area good luck. Not only is the property gated, you’ll have to travel through miles of farm land and lush overgrowth. The drive to the hiking ground is beautiful in itself. You’ll go higher over sea level and you’ll be able to see most of the Wailua north shore area as well as above the hill tops to the north shore wind mill farm. It’s really a breath taking sight to see.
Once we arrived to the start of the Huakai iki trail we were greeted instantly by the sounds of nature. Truly an area uninhabited and rarely touched by man aside from passing through the area where the army practices their helicopter training. The valley was called Opae’ula and it’s a loop trail of about 2 miles. You will travel above the ridge and down into the valley where you’ll cross rivers, pass through lush overgrowth of tropical plants, wild koa, strawberry guava and ohia trees. At the bottom of the trail is a fresh water swimming pond. For those worried about lepto, fear not as the water is free flowing and fresh. I had no problems jumping into the cool refreshing water after building up a sweat. Once you’re done, you hike back out of the valley and back to the Pinzgauer where you are transported to a camp ground for a quick refreshment of food and drink.
If you plan on taking the tour, make sure you bring extra socks, water, a towel, and water shoes for the river crossing. You’ll also want to bring a water proof camera to document your time here as I did since it’s a once-​in-​a-​lifetime experience. I highly recommend taking the tour if you’re one that enjoys hiking or nature. You don’t have to be an expert to hike these grounds as Keola and his staff make it as easy as possible for you. You’ll also be educated with many of thing surroundings as far as plants, legends and anything else you could ask.

Keola and the gang at North Shore Ecotours know their stuff! Our entire day was filled with information about Hawaiian customs, flora/​fauna and traditions. Born and raised in Hawaii, I was pleasant surprised at how much I learned! If I could some the Huakai iki trail up in three words it would be: FUN, breath taking and cultural! We started off the hike with Keola doing an oli (chant) asking the Gods for permission to be on their land. As we waited to begin the hike we all felt a huge gush if wind, our sign that we were allowed to enter. Along the trail, you will be able to see plants that are scarce in Oahu but more often seen in outer islands (Koa, Ohia Lehua). Throughout the hike there are tons of places to stop, take pictures and embrace the natural beauty of our island. We saw beautiful views of the Ka’ala mountain range and the Pacific Ocean.
The Huakai iki trail is a 2 mile loop
Trail which involves 3 river crossings and a fresh water pond to swim in. Wear hiking clothes and your swimsuit and be prepared to take tons of pictures! No worries about bringing your own watershoes, North shore ecotours has watershoes, backpacks, sunscreen, bug repellant, walking sticks and ponchos for you to use during your tour (this is especially a bonus for out of towners). And they provide you with a light lunch! We has roasted veggie and hummus focaccia sandwiches, fresh pineapple and pita chips! NorthShore EcoTours comes prepared!
I would definitely recommend this hike to everyone! It’s a perfect balance of beauty, nature and exercise. For the most part the hike is relatively easy, the most difficult part is the end with multiple switch backs all
at an incline, but no worries they don’t rush you. Just go at your own pace and trust me the privacy of having the trail to yourself, the beautiful views and all the knowledge you will acquire from Keola and his staff makes the hike worth it!

I had an excellent time hiking. The guide was very knowledgeable teaching Hawaiian culture, history and conservation. Well worth it. Do not recommend for young kids.

An awesome experience. Beautiful views and lots of important knowledge shared along the way! Definitely recommend it for anyone who would like to learn more about Hawai’i’s amazing bio-​diversity. A nice hike in and of itself as well.