Things to do / Travel Guide
If botany is your bag, Kauai will certainly keep you busy! While there are formal locations to view the many various species of plant life that inhabits this island, just stepping outside your hotel door can often provide spectacular offerings. With regard to the more organized offerings, you will find all you can ask for, and more.
McBryde Garden
Nestled between rugged cliffs that drop down to a verdant valley floor, McBryde Garden is a spectacular home for tropical flora. At McBryde Garden, you can see rare and endangered plant species and hear about the efforts to save them. The site is open from Monday-Sunday, with 1½-hour-long guided tours starting every hour on the half hour from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Reservations are not required.
Limahuli Garden
Visitors to Limahuli Garden will be delighted by soaring peaks carved by centuries of wind and rain. Tours of these magnificent 17 acres of garden and rainforest portray unbridled beauty mixed with fascinating Hawaiian culture. The garden also offers professionally-guided tours from Tuesday-Friday, and on Sunday. Reservations are required for the guided tours only, which cost a little more than the regular entry fee.
Na ‘Aina Kai Botanical Gardens
Literally meaning “Lands by the Sea” in Hawaiian, this gem of a botanical garden is continually evolving. Visitors to the gardens will find a particularly rare combination of land, water, climate, flora, and fauna. Encompassing over 240 acres, Na ‘Aina Kai comprises 13 unique gardens, a hardwood plantation, a moss and fern covered canyon, and a spectacular beach. Visitors will delight at this once-private estate, which also displays more than 70 bronze sculptures - one of the nation's largest collections. The site is open daily, and the cost of admission depends on the type of tour chosen. Reservations are required.
Fern Grotto
The Fern Grotto is a natural amphitheater lined with ferns and other lush plant life. This was the site of Elvis Presley's movie, “Blue Hawaii.” To find Fern Grotto, you must first start at the Wailua Marina, located just off the Kuhio Highway. There, you must take a flat-bottom boat up the Wailua River.
Hawaiian Island of Kauai
Botanical-Gardens
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