Big Island's Most Breathtaking Botanical Gardens

Join local expert Kalani Miller on a journey through the Big Island's most stunning botanical gardens. From the wild rainforests of the Hawaii Tropical Bioreserve to the serene Japanese oasis of Liliʻuokalani Gardens, discover which living Eden is perfect for your visit.

The Island as a Garden

Aloha mai kākou.

There's a feeling you get when you step off the plane onto Hawaiʻi Island. It's more than just the warmth on your skin. It's a change in the air itself. It might be the sharp, salty scent of the ocean carried on the Kona breeze. Or the cool, damp breath of the misty uplands on Hualālai mountain. On the Hilo side, it's the fragrance of rain on rich soil and a million blossoms opening at once.

As someone whose family roots are sunk deep into the soil of these islands, I've learned that this air, this ʻāina (land), tells a story.

Many visitors come to the Big Island and see it as a place with gardens. But I invite you to see it differently. The Big Island is a living garden. Our home is a miracle of creation, a place where Pele's fire gave birth to a land of impossible diversity. On this one island, you can travel through nearly all the world's climate zones. From the wettest tropical rainforests to cool, temperate forests and dry, arid coasts. This incredible range, born from our massive volcanoes and blessed by the Pacific winds, has created a horticultural canvas you won't find anywhere else on Earth.

For kamaʻāina, those of us who call this place home, these gardens are more than just collections of beautiful plants. They are wahi pana—storied, sacred places that hold the spirit of the land and the history of our people. They are living libraries, each telling a different part of our island's story. To understand the Big Island, you have to understand its gardens. Each one has a unique personality, a different mana, or spiritual energy. They reflect the diversity of the island itself. From the wild, untamed heart of the Hāmākua Coast to the misty, sacred slopes of Hualālai, each garden is a gateway to understanding a different facet of our home.

So come, let's explore them together. Let's walk the paths, breathe the air, and listen to the stories the ʻāina has to tell.

A Journey Along the Hāmākua Coast: The Great Gardens of Hilo

The drive along the Hāmākua Coast is one of the most spectacular in all of Hawaiʻi. It's a world of dramatic, emerald-green cliffs plunging into the deep blue Pacific. Of valleys so lush they seem to breathe. Of life-giving rains that feed countless waterfalls. This constant embrace of sun and water makes the Hilo side of the island the perfect cradle for some of Hawaiʻi's most magnificent gardens. This is where the land shows off its power to create overwhelming, breathtaking beauty.