This windswept native cloud forest supports one of the rarest ecosystems on earth. Managed by the Nature Conservancy, the 8951-acre preserve provides the last stronghold for hundreds of species of native plant and forest bird. Open only by guided tour, the preserve is a place to look for the ʻiʻiwi and the ʻapapane (both honeycreepers with bright red feathers).
The yellow-green ʻamakihi flies among the preserve’s koa and ohia trees.
A four- to five-hour hiking tour currently runs the second Saturday of the month starting at 8am. To make reservations and confirm the meet-up location (currently in Pukalani), phone or email (hike_waikamoi@tnc.org) the Nature Conservancy. The hike is moderately strenuous. Bring rain gear. Due to concerns about the spread of rapid ohia death, no one who has visited the Big Island within six months of the tour date may access the preserve.