Oahu Things to do: Guide to Oahu Botanical Gardens

Of course, Oahu is known for its amazing beaches, incredible food, pacific weather and beautiful tropical landscape. All across the island of Oahu are wonderful Botanical Gardens that feature a wide variety of tropical plants, ferns, trees, fauna, water features and amazing flowers.

In this Oahu Travel Blog article, 'Oahu Things to do: Guide to Oahu Botanical Gardens'  – we introduce you to the top Botanical Gardens you can enjoy during your visit to Oahu. These incredible, natural wonders offer a variety of plant life and impressive landscapes and even a garden owned by a Hawaiian Queen.

Why you should consider visiting Oahu Botanical Gardens:    

Quite simply, the Botanical Gardens on Oahu are incredibly beautiful, natural wonders that cover acres and acres of land. Often visitors can stroll through these gardens at their own pace and enjoy the amazing display of primitive and newer plant species, trees, foliage and more. Other Botanical Gardens offer tours with experts giving insight and histories of these beautiful gardens.

Here are our choices for 'Top Oahu Botanical Gardens’ – enjoy:

Foster Botanical Gardens: This 14-acre garden first opened in the 1850’s making it one of the oldest Botanical Gardens on the island. Foster Botanical Gardens is located close to Waikiki so it’s a quick trip to these gardens. Some of the highlights of visiting Foster Gardens is the prehistoric glen that includes primitive plants and flora species from all over the world. There is also a beautiful, open air Butterfly Garden. Foster Gardens also includes an Amorphophallus Titanium, also known as the ‘Corpse Flower’ made popular because of its odor that resembles dead body. Foster Botanical Gardens is a great way to spend an hour or 2 enjoying this beautiful, historical garden.

Hoomaluhia Botanical Garden: This beautiful rainforest garden is the largest city run Botanical Garden covering 400 acres and lush landscape. The Hoomaluhia Gardens were developed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to serve as a flood protection facility for the area. The rainforest includes a lake that covers 32-acres here you can actually fish with old fashion Bamboo poles – what a great family activity. 

All across the island of Oahu are wonderful Botanical Gardens that feature a wide variety of tropical plants, flowers, ferns, trees, fauna, ponds and even Waterfalls. 

Koko Crater Botanical Gardens: This 60-acre garden is located at the mouth of the extinct volcano, Koko Crater. The garden offers a 2-mile, easy hike that includes a selection of tropical flowers, plants and foliage from Hawaii, the Pacific, Americas, Africa and Madagascar.

Wahiawa Botanical Garden: This very unique Botanical Garden sets 1,000 feet above sea level giving it a humid, cool and wet climate that is ideal for creating a flourishing environment for plants, trees and foliage that are native to Australia, Africa and Asia and of course, Hawaii. The 27-acre gardens were created to help early sugar planters with experimental plants and ‘nurseries’ for trees in the 1930’s.

Liliuokalani Botanical Garden: The ‘Queen’s Garden’ or the gardens once owned by Queen Liliuokalani are 7.5 acres of beautiful, natural Hawaiian plants, ferns, trees and other plant life as well as the Waikahalulu Waterfall and the Nuuanu stream. The Liliuokalani Botanical Garden was once the only place in Honolulu to feature native Hawaiian plants. This small but beautiful garden was once the favorite picnic area of the last reigning monarch and was donated to the city so that the gardens could also enjoy the gardens.

Moanalua Gardens: This 24-acre garden features many rare plants, ferns, trees and a large Monkeypod Tree and beautiful Koi Fishpond. The location also features a cottage that was once lived in by King Kamehameha V. The Moanalua Gardens are also home to the popular, annual Hula Festival, the Prince Lot Hula Festival, the largest in the state of Hawaii.

Waimea Valley: This 1,875-acre nature park includes a 150-acre Botanical Garden that hosts over 5,000 plants from all over the world and other rare plants native to Hawaii. Visitors can enjoy other 35 different themed gardens that feature a variety of plants, trees and flowers. Within the area is Waimea Falls, a 50-foot waterfall that is an easy 30-minute hike within the valley. If you like, you can enjoy a refreshing swim in the pool below the falls.

This Oahu Travel Blog article: 'Oahu Things to do: Guide to Oahu Botanical Gardens' features just some of the amazing Botanical Gardens you can enjoy during your next visit to Oahu.

If you have any questions about visiting the Botanical Gardens mentioned in this guide, please feel free to ask our Concierge for more information. 

Visit our Oahu Visitors Guide for more recommendations for all there is to do, see and experience when visiting Oahu.

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