Oahu Nature Tours, Honolulu

Don't try to go to this tour. You can not see anything in nature. They ask you to imagine the pictures that they show in their add!! Not worth it at all. Don't waste your time and money!

Our tour guide wears hiking boots and actually told us that they don't recommend hiking boots because they would loose customers. At least he was honest, but that came too late for us. This from a company that is supposed to be run by a scientist. Their description includes seeing birds (we saw none and I doubt anyone does). The picture of the waterfall on their website is accurate, but is an extreme closeup. This is a SMALL waterfall. Be prepared to walk on narrow, slippery, wet, steep, clay trails and get your shoes and socks dirty with mud that will not clean out. You will see many green plants and even a couple flowers along the way. Overall, this was a waste of money and time!!

In the tour pamphlet they have shown so many interesting pictures but guys, don't believe any! Won't see any! There is no bird no waterfall. Not wort it to pay 42$ just to see turtle! We were told to just imagine the waterfall in the left side of the rain forest and birds somewhere around! You can do that when you are sleeping in your comfortable bed in your hotel. It is even free and you don't need to pay for it. We had twice trip to Hawaii and had been in multiple tours. Never had such an awful experience. The airconditioner was broken long before we got to the bus and boys imagine we were boiling in the back seats. When we asked the driver to have a better service he was too rude to the customers instead of fixing or changing the bus . The company personals were the same as well no wonder that nobody cared about us being in the bus for 5 hours. The only thing they care is to receive the money they do not care about good service at all. Please do not ever try to waste your time with this company. Go ahead and enjoy your life with more responsible and more enjoyable one. I will never recommend this company or any of thier tours. Thanks, Concern Costumer

There is bounch of lies in the pamphlet! Pictures look good but you won't see waterfall or bird. Service is too bad. There is no airconditioner in the bus! 5 hours driving in the tempreture around 90 degree for nothing. Do not listen to their promotions. Driver also was too rude could not even talk to him. We won't recommend any tour with this company!! They ruined our afternoon. Enjoy your life in Hawaii with better service somewhere else not with this one ever!

Here is a quick run down of the tour we took and the truth behind what was advertised in their brochure (Trip #2 "Discover Honolulu's Hidden Waterfalls") : "On this excursion (within the confines of Honolulu, you never leave the city), we visit the beautiful Liliuokalani Gardens (stuck between houses and the busy freeway), home to many native Hawaiian plant species (and trash and the smell of urine) and the scenic Waikahalulu Falls (small, dirty, trash-filled lead-in to a sewer). Travelling into the lush Nu'uanu Valley (a housing estate), we stop at the Royal Mausoleum (that you can't go into), the sacred resting place of Hawaii's kings (so sacred you can free to steal fruit from the ground), and then visit an ornate Buddhist temple (not ornate, more imaginary, as you never visit it). We walk along a cool (dirty, mosquito-infested) stream (located behind a funeral home), to observe ancient Hawaiian petroglyphs (or alternative 21st century graffitti) and visit the myth-endowed Kapena Falls (so myth-endowed that rituals involving breaking glass beer bottles and leaving sanitary towels behind are commonplace. Oh, and the cars on the road driving past add to the ambience of the area.) We drive to the Pali lookout to see one of the most beautiful views in the world (nice, but take a taxi there instead.) We observe, from a distance (take binoculars, but be sure to look quickly, as you see it while stopped momentarily at a junction on the way back to Waikiki)..." We have travelled around the world extensively and found this to be one of the most expensive and worst trips we have ever taken! Avoid like the plague. A fellow daytripper had nothing good to say about another trip by this company, so we'd advise steering well clear.

We took the North Shore tour with Shayna and were impressed both with the natural beauty and diversity of the island and the knowledgeability and energy of our tour guide. Shayna was friendly, funny, and likeable, and her infectious good mood ensured that the tour felt fresh and exciting, unlike some other lacklustre tours we've taken in other parts of the world. We would highly recommend the North Shore tour as a "primer" for anyone who has just arrived on Oahu, as it's a great way to get a feel for what's on offer so that you can visit points of interest yourself later at your own convenience. Oahu Nature Tours has contributed greatly to us leaving Hawai'i with very positive impressions, especially of the natural splendour and warmth of the people. We look forward to going back!

We went on the Likeke Waterfall Hike yesterday. We travelled about 30-40 minutes to the trailhead. The scenery was beautiful, we drove through mountains, a tunnel, banana fields, giant flowering trees on the roadside everywhere (I think they said it was African tulip), it was a very picturesque ride. Then we started the hike. It was moderate, about 2-2.5 miles probably. Trail was well maintained, but kind of hidden and on a private land where we had to sign in our group. There was a view from the waterfall where you could see the whole Kaneohe Bay with the small island that is called Chinaman's Hat. The waterfall was medium size and we could stand pretty close to it for some cool pictures. We didn't see anybody else on the trail the whole time. The tour guide was very professional, he helped everybody on the trail and was happy to ansawer all our questions about Hawaii. I would definitely recommend this tour to my friends.

Our guide was Michael and he gave us greatest tours of our live. It was better than “National Geographic”! His enthusiasm and concern were consistent and his love of nature and the environment was catching. I was impressed with his desire to educate the public on the past and present environmental issues in Hawaii. I have his autographed book, “Images of Natural Hawaii”, right in front of me. I have shared it with my family and friends. If I come back to Hawaii I would definitely like to go on another tour with him.

We just returned home after 10 wonderful days in paradise. We joined Oahu Nature Tours on their "Natural Highlights of Oahu Adventure" tour on May 05th. We have been to Oahu and several of the other Hawaiian islands many times over the last 25 years, but all seven of us agreed that yours was by far the most enjoyable and informative tour we've ever taken. Our guide sharing his knowledge of Hawaiian flora and fauna, and giving us the historical accounts of the islands, were things we enjoyed learning about, but hadn't ever heard before. We had a really wonderful time. (I also sang praises to one of the tour arrangers in the Hale Koa Hotel. She seemed pleased to receive the feedback, but didn't appear to be especially surprised; I figured she must hear it quite often from others. :-)

Oahu Nature Tours has a variety of tours ranging from "ride in the van" (not my thing) to a 4 hour hike in the nature preserve. I liked them so much that I took 2 tours (rainforrest and a 2-hour waterfall walk). Stan (the guide) had a good knowledge of the natural processes in the area and was very personable; also was great at recommending off-the-beaten-path restaurants and other activities on the island. Scenery, animals and plants were not to be believed. Definitely gave an appreciation of how special a place the rainforrest is on the island. Because both of the tours I took are on the side of a hill, walking had a lot of up and down hill. I'd recommend good hiking shoes. It was exactly what I was looking for. However, they also offer tours with shorter walks. To me, the main advantage was the opportunity to get out of the city and tourist area and see the glamour of Hawaii.