With the backing of 170 years of history, beauty, and adventure, Kualoa Ranch off of Kamehameha Highway in Kaneohe is a private nature reserve that features shopping, dining, and all sorts of adventures on site, not to mention being an incredible location for events like weddings, should you want to make this your event’s location.
Kualoa Ranch is listed twice in the US Department of Interior’s National Register of Historic Places, and the 4,000 acres that make up the ranch are all used to enrich lives through the preservation of the sacred land as well as to celebrate the history of the Oahu region. The mission of Kualoa Ranch is to enhance the natural beauty of the land while protecting it and featuring recreational activities in the form of tours and other adventures that are all compatible with the environment.
Traditionally, Kualoa was considered one of the most sacred places on the island of Oahu. It was the residence of kings and served as a place of refuge or a sanctuary for Hawaiian royalty as well as being used as a training ground in the art of social traditions, history, and war. Today, the owners of Kualoa Ranch and all the employees aim to conserve its history, share it with others and never do any harm to the land.
When visiting Kualoa Ranch, you have an abundance of tours and activities to enjoy. One of the guest favorites for obvious reasons due to the popularity of the hit movie franchise is the Jurassic Adventure Tour. This guided, bumpy, rainforest trek takes you on a 2.5-hour adventure to both the Kaaawa and Hakipu Valleys. These spots were made famous by Jurassic World, Jurassic Park, and Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom. Just be on the lookout for the t-rex! Just kidding! There are no real dinosaurs that will show up to ruin your day, although there are real walls, cages, and bunkers from the movie.
Another option to enjoy is the Hollywood Movie Sites Tour. This takes you to the Kaaawaa Valley, known by many as “Hawaii’s Backlot.” As part of this tour, you will visit the sites where over 300 of Hollywood’s biggest blockbuster movies were filmed including filming sites from 50 First Dates, Jumanji, and of course Jurassic Park. This tour lasts 90 minutes.
The Horseback Walking Tour is yet another option for you to enjoy when visiting the Kualao Ranch. This two-hour, guided horseback tour allows you to experience the amazingly beautiful scenery of the Kaaawa Valley, also known as “Jurassic Valley.” This is a relaxing adventure with beautiful scenery you get to see from horseback.
The Novice Rider E-Bike Tour and Experienced Rider E-Bike Tour are still other ways to spend your time at Kualoa Ranch. You will experience nature via the state-of-the-art eBikes that will assist you as you trek this two-hour tour. You have two options to choose from when you determine if the novice or experienced rider will be best. In general, if you are an experienced rider who mountain bikes regularly, you will enjoy the steeper terrain and dirt trails of the experienced tour.
In addition, the Aloha Aina Farm Tour is an open-air Trolley tour that will educate guests on many farming operations taking place on Kualoa ranch. The tropical fruit, flower gardens, and the ancient fishpond, as well as the shores of the secret beach, are our favorite aspects of this 90-minute tour experience.
Kualoa Ranch also features the Best of Kualoa Experience Package or the Kualoa Half Day Package. These experiences combine some guests’ favorite tours like the Hollywood Movie Sites and the Jurassic Jungle Expedition with the Aloha Aina Farm Tour. These “Best of” and “Half Day” Packages also include a buffet lunch.
Insider Tips:
-Booking online via a reservation is ideal in order to schedule a specific tour. Many of these tours are extremely popular and sell out in advance.
-All tours and activities at Kualoa Ranch are guided by experienced, trained employees.
-Kualoa Ranch offers self-service automated lockers that you can rent for $5 a day to store your possessions while enjoying your tours or other experiences on the ranch.