Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden

This is our fourth trip to the big island and this is a must-​do stop each time. While the ticket price seems steep ($ 15/​person for a garden?!?) it’s totally worthwhile. We typically spend a day Hilo side and tack on rainbow waterfalls and the volcano at night.
Formerly am unused piece of jungle, a mainland couple purchased this 17 acre track of land and cultivated an island paradise for public use.
The garden is filled with some of the most beautiful, odd and rare Polynesian plants you can find and its arranged in such a way that it looks totally natural. There is so much to see on this little hike we typically spend 90 minutes just strolling around.
In addition to the plants, you’ll see a picturesque waterfall and a staggering view of the Hilo coast line.
Some pro-​tips:
1) this is a rain forest and mosquitos abound. The ticket booth/​gift shop sells singe use deet and a $ 10 bottle of lavender spray. Stop in town and get some Off! first
2) the initial walk down is on a wood boardwalk that is quite steep. We had no problem doing it with our stroller, but for anyone with mobility issues plan ahead
3) bring your camera! My phone held up reasonably well this trip, but I kicked myself for not remembering to bring the good camera for what would have been amazing macro shots

Cost is $ 15 for adults and $ 5 for kids. If you want a fun hour strolling through a lush tropical botanical garden with small waterfalls, trees, tropical plants, flowers and a view of the ocean then this spit is for you. Parking is free, gift shop does sell bug spray (lavender) or bring your own. They do provide free umbrellas in case it rains so take them just in case. Staff are pleasant and provide you a map of garden exhibits. They do have some large parrots too!
Easy walking down the boardwalk but a little tiring after the walk around the gardens. Some benches to rest on and expect mosquitos.
5 stars

A must see if you are in/​around Hilo! tickets are only $ 15 bucks and for an extra $ 5 you can have a golf cart drive you and a friend down and back up, complete with narration from the driver!

This is a fun way to spend some time, walking around seeing the beautiful flowers and scenery, watch out the climb up the hill is not for the faint of heart it’s a wonderful way too get that heart rate up
Don’t forget the bug spray

This is one of the prettiest of gardens on the big Island. My kids went here for a field trip I was quite fascinated with the beauty in such a small area. Well laid out. If you love Gardens this is the place to go

I love this place so so much. It’s like seeing the tropical flora equivalent of an African safari, where you can see all sorts of happy orchids climbing on trees, and tons of colorful flowers popping out to say hi, and just something beautiful to see with every step.
The garden itself is pretty small, and you can most of it over a 30min brisk walk. But its well packed with variety — the paved route takes you through a well and some waterfalls and a giant cannonball tree, and the mid-​point stops you along the coastline to hear the waves roaring in. Even though there’s a lot of people, there’s so much forest that its easy to get lost in your own thoughts. Very peaceful.
The place itself can be a hassle to get to, but its really not that far and the fresh greenery just screams rain forest and fresh oxygen. It’s amazing to see knowing the other side of the island is the opposite. $ 15 admission and I had no issue with bugs.

My favorite place on the Big Island! A fairy tale walk through jungle gardens and along the shore. Breathtaking!

This place was incredible! So much biodiversity and very well maintained. The coastline was remarkable with big surf. Easy to navigate. Saw a guy with a broken leg pushing one of those bent-​knee scooter things around so you probably don’t have an excuse to not do this:)

A nice private botanical garden located on the scenic drive path. $ 15 per person entry fees. It was a nice walk inside the botanical garden that stretch out to the ocean. There was a nice water fall area too. I fell in love with their orchids garden. This is a good place to walk and learn about hawaii tropical plants. Lots of shades which helps to keep cool when you walk around. Wear comfortable shoes and definitely use bug repellent.

So I was nervous about going to the Hawaii Botanical Garden due to the heavy rainfall, but it turned out to be one of the highlights of my trip. I’m actually glad it rained because it help keep the bugs and mosquitoes away.
The lady that worked the front desk was so friendly! She said that complimentary umbrellas were provided for use and that with an extra charge we can purchase a plastic rain coat.
The minute you walk inside the garden, you automatically get that feeling of paradise. All of the plants, trees, flowers were more than amazing. I haven’t been able to stop talking about the botanical gardens to my friends and family.

Visiting this garden was one of my most memorable events from my trip to the big island!
Really well kept preserve, with a ton of different species for viewing! There’s a lot of great photo opportunities here, with the ocean and a few natural wateralls, and lots of huge, beautiful flowers. There’s even an aviary!
Be aware that it’s a pretty steep hike down (mostly back up when you’re done) so you might be a little sweaty after hiking back up… we came in the early afternoon (~10−11am) towards the end of July and it was pretty warm by the time we were finished. Definitely bring some water!
The drive here is beautiful too, located on the 4 mile scenic detour off the main highway. And there’s a nice gift shop where you can even buy some of the local plants to grow at home! They’re conveniently «pre-​screened» for the agriculture inspection/​declaration that you have to go through on your way back.

We came across this garden while driving the scenic road. It is a nice and well maintained garden with a lot of different plants. the ocean view is stunning. Little downside: they had a few parrots in a really tiny cage, which was sad to see! We walked really fast and saw everything in one hours. Entrance fee is 15 $ and they provide umbrellas.

In Hilo this is a wonderful Botanical Garden to walk through. They provide a self guided map to walk through the paved walk ways. Your able to see so many waterfalls, native plants, flowers, birds, fish and the ocean, including a blow hole. I recommend using and taking bug spray and water. The boardwalk back to the gate is steep, so be prepared. Admission for a day is $ 15 for adults, children ages 6 — 16 are $ 5. Children under 6 are free.

Best botanical gardens I’ve ever visited. We’ve been to many gardens in the US and Europe. My kids were really thrilled by the tropical plants and waterfall. We visited on a rainy day and umbrellas were complimentary. The ocean trail was magnificent. The garden is off the beaten path, and the drive to the gardens was almost as spectacular.

BRING THE BUG SPRAY! Okay, I had to get that out of the way. After coming here my legs were absolutely covered in bites. That’s pretty much my only gripe and it was completely my fault.
This garden was a little hard to find, but if you have the Google maps app you’ll be fine finding your way here. Admission was $ 15 per person, which I think is a pretty fair price. Parking was a breeze. If you happen to have forgotten the bug spray, I think they have some for sale inside.
Walking down to the garden itself is a very steep hill. You have to be super careful not to slip and fall like I saw a few people do. Once coming down the hill, you enter a rainforest of waterfalls, tall leafy tress, gorgeous and some kinda weird looking flowers, and tons of paved trails. There is even a trail that goes out to the ocean.
I recommend bringing a backpack to carry water bottles and extra bug repellant. And make sure your camera or phone is completely charged because the scenery will make you want to take tons of pictures. Also, good quality walking shoes are a must. I wouldn’t want to do all that walking in sandals. You’re just asking for blisters.
Bring the bug repellant, water, and camera and you’re all set for a great day of exploring at this amazing garden.

Nice Botanical garden. definitely use bug spray!!! We went it was hot and very humid. The trip down hill was easier than coming all the way back up. had to stop a few times to rest and take pics. Speaking of Pics take a camera … lots of interest to photograph even if your not a photo nut like I am. I’d read reviews having trouble find it. .there aren’t signs but we put in address in our gps and had no trouble. I gather Hawaii puts lots of restrictions to limit signs and though it makes it harder to find things … I value keeping the scenery gorgeous vs scattered with signs.

We’ve been to a few botanical gardens on the different islands & this one beats them ALL. It has everything: flowers, ferns, trees, waterfalls, ocean coves & patriots. Even if flowers & plants are not your thing, it’s a beautiful walk with amazing views; our trip was complete with a rainbow!
Almost everything is marked so you know what you are looking at. The walkways are paved with the occasionally bench if you want to sit down. They have more types of flowers than I ever knew existed & it is apparent that for Dan & Pauline (the founders) this is an obsession, as well as a labor of love.
My only tip: ¡BRING A MOSQUITO REPELLANT CLIP! & some water! Dan & Paulina have created a rainforest next to the ocean & decided to share it with the world. I for one am grateful.

The Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden was a pretty cool place to stop and visit. It’s not far from Hilo and we saw some gorgeous plants here. We parked in the lot and went into the gift shop to pay for admission ($ 15/​person). Having just been at Akaka Falls and having suffered the wrath of some pesky mosquitoes, I asked the cashier if they happened to also sell bug spray. He told me that he didn’t have spray but they had insect repellent wipes. I don’t remember how much it was, but I was so happy to hear that he had something — I didn’t want to get bitten anymore. There are also restrooms in the building adjacent to the parking lot.
We crossed the street to the entrance of the garden. When we paid admission, we also received a paper map that shows that different areas of the garden. There’s a lot to see, including a waterfall, the orchid garden, a birdhouse with beautiful macaws, a little lake with lilies and lily pads, and tons of cool flowers and plants. The paved trail also goes out to an overlook where you have gorgeous views of the ocean and the Twin Rocks. Some of my favorite plants that I saw were the dwarf pineapple, starry spike moss, and the purple waffle plant. The plants are labeled with their common names, scientific names, and country of origin, so you can know what they are.
We spent a good 2 to 2.5 hours here walking around and taking pictures. It’s very lush and green (and humid). Another plus was that I had picked up a brochure for the botanical garden and on the brochure it said to bring it in to redeem a free gift. I figured it would be a postcard or something, but the guy gave me a plant that I could plant at home. It was packaged and had a label that said it was already cleared to go back to the mainland. Pretty sweet gift!

If you are intent on visiting a botanical garden while in Hawaii, this is an absolute gem and a must-​visit. We stopped here en route to Hilo, followed by Volcano. For $ 15 per person, you get nature’s best of Hawaii all in one stop-​waterfalls, tropical plants, birds, sweeping waterfront views and palm trees.
Easy and free to park, you pay at the gift shop and then cross the street in to the garden. From there you descend to a tropical paradise with so many wonderful flowers and birds chirping. It’s nearly sensory overload! The paths are well marked and the map is easy to follow. Be sure to allow at least 90 minutes to 2 hours to stroll through and soak everything in.
A lot of the paths offer shade, but it’s hot and humid with mosquitoes. Dress accordingly and bring bug spray and plenty of water. The path winds through various gardens-​orchids, a lotus pond, and just so much more, I can’t even list it. At the end of the path you reach Onomea Bay. What a glorious pay off it is! Crystal clear blue waters, contrasted by the dark rocks along the coast. Cliffs sweeping down towards the water when you look to your left and just overall amazing.
This was one of the highlights of my trip and a place I’d love to go again and again. I’d post photos but I feel that none of them would do it any justice. Very well done!

If you have the time and happen to be in the Hilo area of the Big Island, then you must stop by the Hawaiian Tropical Botanical Garden. Admission is only $ 15/​per person for adults, but well worth the price. Very important: MAKE SURE YOU WEAR PLENTY OF INSECT REPELLENT prior to entering the garden to prevent yourself from being eaten alive by those pesky mosquitos.
The garden itself is quite large and one can easily spend a few hours walking through it and admiring all the lush, tropical plants. There are also waterfalls within the garden. However at the time of our visit, they were making repairs to the bridge, thus we were unable to see it. My favorite area within this botanical garden was their orchid garden. There were so many different types of orchids in a variety of colors, sizes and shapes. Orchid fans would really enjoy this place!
There is also a nice bench within the garden that overlooks Onomea Bay. The bench is a perfect spot to relax, enjoy the view and free your mind of stress and worry.
TIP: Bring some bottled water with you. It gets hot and humid and the hike back to the entrance is up hill!