From the summit of Koko this botanical garden might not look like much, but you are missing out if you don’t head into the crater to visit. If you are a plant enthusiast, GO, there are once in a lifetime plants thriving in this garden! I love a botanical garden and this one was so interesting and fantastical! The garden is so different from any other that I’ve ever been to and is totally free. It’s set up in different sections: Africa, Hawaii, Madagascar, the Americas. It’s totally wild and relatively unmaintained, so you can see the whole life cycle of the plant growing out in the open, and not in a contained greenhouse. Some of the enormous palms didn’t have any fronds removed, making homes for plenty of birds. They were everywhere and sounded beautiful! It’s December so most of the plumerias and hybrid hibiscus were not in bloom, but lots of the cacti were blooming! For those house plant lovers, there are enormous gardens of snake plants growing in the ground! It was so crazy to see how they grow in the wild. And the Madagascar section is so spectacular because a lot of the plants are rare or endangered. Seeing a dragon blood tree irl growing in the ground was mind blowing! 🤯 Keep an eye out for wild mongooses scurrying around everywhere! So cute!

Great nature walk with free admission! This botanical garden is a fairly easy and very peaceful walk. The loop is about 2.0 miles with about 250 ft. elevation. A dirt path winds its way around the interior of Koko Crater, which features a variety of plants including a cactus garden (my 4y.o. twins' favorite). The path is rocky with large gravel or palm-sized rocks at times so this nature walk is not stroller friendly. There are benches and picnic tables scattered throughout the garden but there are no bathrooms (only 1 portable toilet) and no water fountains. Bring lots of water, a hat, and sunscreen. Covered shoes are highly recommended. Toddlers will need extra help navigating the rocky parts of the path but my twins have done this walk since they were 2.5 years old. Definitely a beautiful way to spend a couple hours!

Very unique garden with a wide variety of plant in probably the coolest location of any botanical garden I've ever visited. The parking lot and trails are unpaved. The ground is easy enough to walk on, but we had to give up on trying to push a stroller on the trail. There were several routes to take of varying length, but the view and setting are incredible from the very beginning. Lots of birds and critters around as well. Peaceful way to spend some time outside, in a volcanic crater.

I think this is my favorite place in Oahu. I love it! So here’s the scoop. Arrive early to get parking, avoid the crowds, and avoid the heat. Wear comfortable shoes, although I saw one person hiking in flip-flops and another person hiking barefoot. But unless you’re an avid, barefoot hiker, I do recommend sneakers or hiking boots. It took me a total of 39 minutes to go up in one hour and 55 minutes for the round-trip and that included resting time at the top and taking pictures. The views are amazing and well worth it. I am not going to say that this was an easy hike but it is not the hardest hike I’ve ever done. I am not in shape or do I have a good physical conditioning, but I was able to do it. About halfway up you will come across a bridge or you can take what they call Murphy’s bypass. I recommend you take Murphy’s bypass if you don’t have a good coordination because you can fall between the steps. There is no restroom on the trail, but there is one between the two parking lots so use it before you start your hike. There isn’t water either and you will definitely need to take some. You can always take snacks and eat at the top but remember you must take your trash back with you. Have fun!

Great walking experience! A lot bigger than we expected the main loop is 2 miles and the whole thing probably near 2.5. There was a desert, cactus plant area and African and Hawaiian. The trees were impressive and some of the Plumerias were starting to bloom (early February). FYI it's free and there's no attendants or anything that we saw. There is one public toilet and everything is outdoors!

If you are into Botanical Gardens, you’ll like this one. It comes with a two-mile hike with 250 feet of elevation change, but it shows many interesting plants, and provides a lot of information. If you are in a hurry (or too lazy), do only the cactus area.

the Botanical Garden is located within a crater on a 2-mile round loop. it's a great, colorful and beautiful walk, but it can be quite hot during mid-day! Best of all it's FREE.

An amazing experience I had. Just wished there were more direction to know that we were getting closer to the end or proper sign that indicate a different type of plants/trees 🪴 🌿 🪴

Wonderful, clean garden! A flat, Quick 2 mile loop to take through the different sections. Not much signage, but not hard to stay on the trail. Beautiful plants from all over the world! The plumeria grove was exceptional. Even got to see some mongeese.

So incredibly neat! The hike isn't strenuous and the plants are gorgeous and the views are beautiful. I recommend grabbing the self tour map and seeing all the labeled plants, it was fun!

Loved the selections of plants. It is definitely for plant lovers/people curious about plants as some plants aren't labeled, so you have to be patient and resourceful. There are a few very impressive varities here as well. I learned a lot about native Hawaiian plants by coming here. The parking lot is small, and it is very hot, so I recommend arriving early and bringing personal water. There is a portapotty. The walk took us, with lots of stops to look up plants, about 1.5 hrs. The path is a little rugged and though it doesnt look fully like a complete loop on the map (which is located in a mailbox at the sign near the entrance,) it's easy to figure out where you are as you go. The paths are a little rugged at parts, so I recommend appropriate footwear, especially since tripping in several parts would end with cactus. There is no office/welcome center and we saw no guides or gardeners on a Saturday. Very cool setting and great views of the crater, peaceful and quiet.

Great atmosphere! Interesting and exotic plants. Great for kids. Sunlight can be intense, but there are shades here and there. It's not as crowded as during the pandemic. Maybe the plants don't look as well maintained as before the pandemic.

A nice, short and easy place to take a walk around the garden anytime of day. Beautiful flowers, amazing cactus and awesome big trees. Parking not a problem.

Excellent garden with free admission, and a large and varied spread of plants from all over the world. The gardens cover the entirety of the floor of Koko Crater, and the crater walls provide a stunning backdrop to any view. Some highlights to look out for include the aloe, cacti, baobabs, and plumeria.

It’s a really nice botanical garden. Not super huge, but it’s worth going through the trail. Something to know is that you will be in the Koko valley and won’t gain elevation. So if you want views from up top you need to climb the Koko Stairs Summit trail.

This place at first looked a bit empty, perhaps it was the time of year we came. However once you walk through the trails and make your way to the palm 🌴 area, that place really shines. Lots of trees to look up and learn including all the seed pods and fruits. Quite interesting. Great place to picnic.

Best 4th of July spent hiking this beautiful place with my son. I live here in Oahu but first visit here my son visited for the second. He showed me around and made sure I had good shoes and water.

Hardest hike I did in the island. A very rewards price at the top with the view. Wish I lived here for a great workout routine.

Absolutely stunning and free botanical garden that is also by public transit (#23 bus I believe). The layout is great for those who want to just stroll and take their time. There are four main sections (diyad palms, South African, Hawaiian and “Americas”). I’m a cactus lover and this seemed like one of the few gardens on the island with a cacti section. It did not disappoint - besides the huge clusters of cereus-type columnar ones there were several unlabeled copiapoas that looked fantastic. There were a few smaller plants that had succumbed to drought conditions though. I visited just at the start of blooming season (mid-may) so you might want to visit in June/July to really see the maximum beauty. The South African section with pachipodiums was also incredible. The staff seemed to enjoy their day to day, so that’s always a plus when it comes to maintenance of the gardens. Can’t recommend this enough if you want to see something besides tropicals!

Super cute and cool, I got to see a bunch of neat plants in a very beautiful fashion. I also got to see a Small Asian Mongoose! I learned a bit about the plants too. They have plants in almost every stage, so you could find one you like and then realize its a baby when you see another with almost a whole tree looking thing coming out of it. Lots of them seemed comparable to giant succulents!