Let your inner nature lover loose on this gentle trail, hiking along Kuilau Ridge for up-close looks at tropical blooms and sweeping views of waterfalls and the surrounding peaks. With an expert guide leading the way, get some fresh air and exercise as you learn about the traditional uses of the plants that line this jungle trail.

Get picked up from your hotel or make your own way to the tralihead to meet your guide. Stop to watch Opaekaa Falls tumble 151 feet (46 m) over fern-speckled basalt cliffs, and then tighten your shoelaces and set off along the wide, well-maintained trail. Your guide points out unique plants, from towering Sydney blue gum trees to grand albizia. Learn how the native Hawaiians used plant fibers and leaves to craft sails for voyaging canoes, thatched roofs on pili grass huts, and hula skirts.

Climb higher, spotting delicate wild orchids and spiky, fiery-hued ohi'a lehua flowers. Arrive at an open lookout point, where you can catch your breath at a picnic table as you snap photos of Kahili Mountain to the south, Mount Waialeale and Mount Kawi to the west, and the Makaleha Mountains to the north.

After looping back to the arboretum, study the incredible multi-colored bark of tropical rainbow eucalyptus trees, which displays stripes of bright green, purple, orange, and maroon. Afterward, cool off with a refreshing dip in a mountain stream or a muddy walk up for a final view of the cloudy summit of Mount Waialeale.