National Tropical Botanical Garden - Kalaheo, Hawaii

Address:3530 Papalina Road
Kalaheo, Hawaii
Tel: (808) 332-7324

Visit the only tropical botanical garden in the U.S. to have been chartered by Congress. With its multitude of plants, flowers, ancient Hawaiian stone walls, and taro terraces, National Tropical Botanical Garden in Kauai is a magnificent oasis of tropical beauty. The Garden consists of Lawa'i and Alberton Gardens. Lawa'i is a 186-acre preserve which claims the world's largest collection of rare and endangered plants. It has an Herbarium containing 26,000 specimens of tropical flora. Alberton Gardens boasts a 100-acre oceanfront garden, originally planted in the 1870's by Queen Emma, and features beautiful sculptures, pools, fountains, and flowers, set among pathways that follow the stream and ocean. Living collections here include native Hawaiian plant species, many of which are threatened, endangered, or have already disappeared from their native habitats. The Gardens are a useful base for teaching about Kauai's history, culture, tropical foliage, and preservation efforts for restoring Hawaiian native species.

To get here, take Highway 50 from Hanapepe towards Lawa'i. Just past Mile Marker #11, turn right on Koloa Road (Highway 530). Continue to Po'ipu Road and turn right again. When the road forks, near the ocean, take a right onto Lawa'i Road. Entrance to the Garden is located right across the street from Spouting Horn Park, about one mile down Lawa'i Road on the right.