Built on the footprint of our Hawaiian ancestors, Limahuli Garden and Preserve is located on the north shore of the island of Kaua'i in one of the most biodiverse valleys in the Hawaiian Islands. Home to dozens of endangered plants and birds found nowhere else on earth, Limahuli Garden and Preserve highlights native and culturally-significant species in an authentic Hawaiian landscape.
Limahuli Garden is a pu'uhonua (place of refuge) for an ecological system that honors the connection between nature and humanity, where indigenous traditions live in the 21st Century. At Limahuli NTBG adapts ancestral resource management practices to address contemporary conservation challenges and restore health, function, and resilience to the valley. This approach is known as biocultural conservation. By visiting or volunteering in the garden you become part of our team and part of the solution.
Limahuli Garden History
For at least 1,500 years the Limahuli Valley has been a Hawaiian place. Today, Limahuli is one of of the last easily-accessible valleys with intact archaeological complexes, native forest, pristine stream, and the presence of the descendants of the valley’s original inhabitants caring for it.
Learn more about Limahuli Garden and the early history of this biodiverse valley.
Limahuli Garden Self-Guided Tour, North Shore, Kaua`i
Ancient terraces, ancient wisdom, life and relationships with the land, the forest, and the water… the stories unfold as you open your guidebook and make your way through this special place. Envision what the valley might have looked like when the first Hawaiians arrived as you follow the path through the native forest walk. Discover the plants that traveled with them in their canoes and how their culture was inseparable from the plants that sustained them. Contemplate the impact of plant invaders and learn what is being done today to protect fragile ecosystems. Ascend to the Whale Trail and take in the dramatic panorama of the ocean. Feel the spirit of Limahuli.
No reservation needed.
Limahuli Garden Guided Tour, North Shore, Kaua`i
Explore this timeless place with a small group as the inextricably interwoven stories of Hawaiian history, culture, natural history, and plants unfold during your visit. As you enjoy legends that abound about this ancient valley, you’ll see the features that inspired them. A guided tour offers you a deeper understanding of the delicate balance of the ecosystem in both ancient and modern times, and how today’s stewardship of the land is modeled after the traditional practices of its earliest inhabitants. Our docents are knowledgeable, enjoy ‘talking story’, and are passionate about sharing this living Hawaiian landscape.
Reservations required.
Tour Type:
- Guided Tour
Limahuli Garden Family Tour, North Shore, Kaua`i
Explore Limahuli Valley as an outdoor classroom. Listen to the singing birds of the forest, the splashing waters of the stream, and hear stories of the valley that teach lessons about relationships and behaviors. This is recommended for families interested in guided tours.
Reservations required. Your family group must include at least one child 12 years of age or younger.
Tour Type:
- Guided Tour
Limahuli Garden Specialty Tour, North Shore, Kaua`i
Are you looking for a group experience built around a particular theme or topic of interest, perhaps one that could be a mix between a guided tour and a hands-on component designed to reinforce the lessons of the day? We offer an opportunity to build a custom experience that includes elements of Hawaiian history, culture, natural history, sustainability, plants, and more in such a way that is tailored to your group’s interests.
Phone or email reservations required; (808) 826-1053, limahuli@ntbg.org
Tour Type:
- Guided Tour
Limahuli Garden Private Tour, North Shore, Kaua`i
Have an exclusive VIP experience that is tailored to your schedule and interests.
Phone or email reservations required; (808) 826-1053, limahuli@ntbg.org
Tour Type:
- Guided Tour
Want to spruce up your own garden and go native?
On Wednesday, July 19, 2017 Ryan Ozawa and Burt Lum of Hawaii Public Radio's Bytemarks Café interviewed Kawika Winter, Ph.D NTBG Director of the Limahuli Garden & Preserve about the use of drone technology in rare plant conservation efforts in the Limahuli Preserve.
Click here to listen to the program online. NTBG interview starts at 9:55 minutes.
Conservationists at National Tropical Botanical Garden (NTBG) have discovered new populations of a number of species listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List including Laukahi (Plantago princeps var. anomola).
