Published on Jan, 2025
This was one of the best botanical tours we have ever been on! Our tour guide was Lauren. She had our three hour tour go at a comfortable pace (stop and literally smell the flowers) where everyone got a chance to learn and take pictures, and she was very attentive so that no one was left behind. The tour was very detail oriented for the groups. There were stops along the way set up for the tastings of fruit (starfruit, sugar cane, pineapple, and many more), hydration, trash and rinsing of sticky hands. Walking sticks, umbrellas and bug spray were all generously provided for use. They really have thought of everything! Both Lauren and the other tour guide presented the chocolate tasting and they both have very good energy and passion for their work. Our family has quite a love for chocolate and we learned so much from them! During the walking segment of the tour, Lauren (she could be a human encyclopedia) covered many interesting facts about the flowers, leaves, and trees, including where they are propagated from or if they are indigenous, their uses both culturally and historically, and the seasons and years of bloom and how rare they might be/how difficult they may be to propagate or grow. She can also define them in both general terminology as well as their Hawaiian names. The feedback we gave at the end was mostly beaming and a hint of constructive thought, and all feedback was received with the greatest appreciation. These grounds truly are attended to with passion and love. This tour appeals to so many different interests that we could recommend it to almost anyone. Even the inclines on the trails are gentle, and the paths were clearly marked out. We did notate that it may present some difficulty for anyone that may have leg issues (we have a friend with a knee replacement that we thought would love it but may have too many physical challenges on the trek).
We would love to return at a different time of year to learn even more. This was certainly a personal highlight for us on this trip!
