The Kings Gardens Maui

Tourism in Makawao HI
Star Score
Average 5.0 / 5
Reviews & Ratings 45
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Nestled in the lush landscapes of Makawao, The Kings Gardens Maui offers an enchanting escape into Hawaii's natural splendor. Guided by the charismatic "Maui" and his delightful parrot, visitors embark on a private journey through a serene jungle, culminating at a picturesque waterfall. Along the way, guests are treated to a rich tapestry of plant life, cultural insights, and an exclusive chocolate tasting experience. Ideal for families and couples alike, this tour is a unique blend of education, conservation, and pure enjoyment. The Kings Gardens Maui is not just a tour; it's an unforgettable adventure that supports a noble cause, preserving the island's precious environment for generations to come.

The tour was terrific, and the guide OUTSTANDING. It is a beautiful walk, and despite the nude dude, it was a great trip. The nude dude was an unexpected gift for my lady on her birthday!
Educational, Entertaining and Edifying.
This is a must do for your Maui vaca.

-Rk Kliebenstein - Posted Jan 22, 2024

Gorgeous hike into the rainforest with a beautiful view of a waterfall.
We saw lots of native plants and some Hawaiian artifacts. We learned about Hawaiian culture and traditions. Our guide, Jiva was informative, entertaining and attentive. We were impressed by his knowledge of the property and the chocolate we enjoyed. The tasting part of the tour was a lot of fun and super delicious!
I will definitely return!
Thanks, Jiva for wonderful morning!

-Loraine Mulrane - Posted Jan 20, 2024

We just completed our tour with T. It was great. Pretty easy to find. Parking is on site. We had T as our guide. He was incredibly knowledgeable on plant species and native historical sites also on the property. And of course tasting the chocolate at the end is just an added bonus. Hopefully next time we visit we will be able to taste chocolate from the cacao on their land. Make sure you pack your bug spray and wear sneakers or hiking shoes.

-Michelle Schlegel - Posted Jan 18, 2024

Fun Easy Hike with Delicious Chocolate tasting! Our guide was knowledgeable, we definitely recommend it.

-Earl Hill - Posted Jan 17, 2024

Fun, Fascinating, Historical! Our family loves historical places, the waterfall views were great! We give them Two Thumbs Up!

-Steven Reimer - Posted Jan 09, 2024

The tour was shorter than I thought but we still had a great time and were able to get some good pictures. Kana was our guide and he was hilarious and informational. Overall, we had a great experience!

- Kim Nguyen - Sep 10, 2022

This was an awesome and informative activity Would recommend any plant or nature lover and/or chocolate fan to take this tour!

- Tom Rhoten - Sep 02, 2022

- Donna Crump - Mar 25, 2022

Hard to identify 1 thing as favorite, the whole experience was fun! From learning about Hawaiian history to botany to making your own chocolate... it was amazing.

Our tour guide was entertaining with a great sense of humor. Not your ordinary tour of just listening. Interactive with games. Hands-on.

I wouldnt call this a "hike" though and scare people away. Easy walk through a beautiful forest with 6 types of ginger plants! However, you do need to wear closed-toe shoes.

Chocolate taste testing at the end is very informative. Remember to buy "free trade"!

- Deb K - Feb 05, 2022

I was blown away with the King’s Garden . It was so beautiful , I felt like I was in another world. A tropical rain forest with majestic tall trees , purple ginger plant beautiful waterfall. A real paradise experience. I learnt how easy it was to make chocolate. I also learned some ancient Hawaiian . The guide was very knowledgeable . A hidden gem.

- Virginia Van Pelt - Dec 01, 2021

I’ve been many places both around the US and abroad and this experience was absolutely one of the best! Our guide was very knowledgeable, funny and made the experience one to remember. Not to mention the chocolate making and taste test.🤙

- Ronald W - Nov 23, 2021

- Helena Jeen - Nov 23, 2021

Wow this property is really special! Chocolate, waterfall, nature, and centuries of history here - the best things in life all in one experience. Kana was an amazing guide, so knowledgeable and funny! It's great to learn everything he knows about the ancient history of the land and the natural environment thriving in the jungle. The waterfall is quite impressive, even from a distance. We had the 2pm tour to ourselves, so that made our chocolate tasting much more enjoyable and intimate with a good view. Mahalo Kana and Kings Gardens! A hui hou!

- Sam Schafer - Nov 22, 2021

This tour was wonderful! Our guide (Nakiiaweawe Kanekoa) was absolutely phenomenal. We loved the sense of connection to the island and its history, as well as looking out for its future. The chocolate sampling was a fun way to end the trip! Walk was pretty doable for most ambulatory individuals. Beautiful space. They have a lot of plans to develop and preserve the area- we can’t wait to check it out in a few years to see what they’ve done!

- Rebecca Boyle - Nov 20, 2021

Loved this intimate tour while in Maui. The Kana guides you through the garden and educates on Hawaiian culture and the beautiful plants. Every picture taken in the garden feels like it belongs in a calendar as it’s so unreal. He takes his time to answer all questions. There is also a chocolate demonstration and snacks at the end. The hike is easy, but if you are prone to tripping or slipping, know that the ground is uneven at parts. Definitely recommend this tour!

- Janine Savage - Nov 17, 2021

Friendly and knowledgeable guide through a beautiful rainforest of Maui! Very easy hike and slow paced! I’m so glad I took this tour. Highly recommend for people of any age!!

- kathy saka - Nov 17, 2021

This experience was amazing! The guide, Kana, was super knowledgeable and personable. We had a great time and were to able to learn Hawaiian history while enjoying nature. The chocolate was absolutely amazing and the waterfall was beautiful. Highly highly recommend!!

- Victoria Damiano - Nov 13, 2021

Absolutely a beautiful experience! From beginning to end. From our guide to all the knowledge he shared on the history and the beauty! From mixing and sharing the tasting of the chocolate! An absolute great experience! Highly recommend!

- Maggie Bejarano Sandoval - Nov 10, 2021

- Renee engle - Nov 07, 2021

This experience at The King's Gardens was full of learning, love and great chocolate! Full of fascinating Hawaiian history and Cacao education, the guide was fantastic.

The majesty of this jungle oasis so close to central Maui is wonderful as it saves the tricky and long trip to Hana for similar jungles and waterfalls.

I now love chocolate even more and know how to make super healthy chocolate creations at home that friends all love.

It is easy to honestly say this was the highlight of my trip to Hawaii. Thank you and Aloha to The King's Gardens!

- Noah E - Oct 30, 2021

Magical experience. Truly felt our 'guide`was guided. The island speaks to those who listen & Nahkee interprets the message of our ancestors in a way that I hope we all can share together as we grow, heal & transform.
Mni Wiconi

- Jai W - Oct 30, 2021

5 stars, A+ all around. Location is superb. Just a short scenic drive from Kahului Airport on Hana hwy takes you to a majestic rainforest that rivals the look of the Amazon. Full of rich history as this was home to a former King of Maui. Our top notch tour guide, Nahkee, took us on a spiritual journey back in time with his ukulele as we started with a beautiful chant of offering to the ancient trees and plants of the forest.
We enjoyed every minute of it. Hike was easy yet truly majestic. Very informative but not overbearing. We took this tour at the end of our vacation and was perhaps the highlight of our vacation. Seeing and learning about the chocolate process made it taste even better as we had quite a variety to snack on.

Highly recommend this tour to anyone. You will not be disappointed!

Aloha,
The Sederberg family

- Greg S - Oct 30, 2021

Enchanting!!!
This was an enchanting, explorative, educational, fun and tasty experience. Our tour guide took us through this sacred, historic sight that was overflowing with incredible scenery. From the seven different ginger species, to the dragon cave, the waterfall and chocolate tasting; this was an experience that I would highly recommend to nature lovers of all ages

- Addie Voss - Oct 30, 2021

Awesome awesome tour
We did not want to do the whole tour to Hana
This was a great alternative - not too long, not an extraneous hike, and lots of chocolate included !!!

Our tour guide kana was wonderful - not only was he funny but so so educated and intelligent on the topics - plants , chocolate, culture and Hawaii! we played fun games and learned a lot !

- Shannon Foley - Oct 24, 2021

Kana was a very knowledgeable and personable guide. We enjoyed learning about the plants in the gardens and Kana frequently offered to take pictures of us with the plants, which was nice since we could only get selfies together up till then on our trip. Kana also taught us a lot about the history of the islands and of the gardens. I especially loved the few moments of just listening to the waterfall in the jungle. At the end of the tour we enjoyed a chocolate tasting and some snacks and cool sparkling water. Kana also made and taught us how to make our own chocolate confection at home using easy-to-source ingredients. The hike was really easy and gentle.

- Grace Ganel - Oct 21, 2021

If you like chocolate or botany, this hike is for you. Would have wanted to learn a bit more about the culture as it was advertised (hence the 4 stars), but nevertheless a very fun and informative 2 hours you spend in nature with an excellent tour guide.

- Steffen F - Sep 10, 2021

Awesome tour that offers a nice and isolated view of Maui landscapes and natural fauna. Finishes with an opportunity to taste various local chocolate

- akante - Sep 04, 2021

This was an absolute amazing tour. My husband and I went to Maui for our honeymoon and as I searched for activities, I came across this hike/chocolate tour. We love both the hike and chocolate and thought this would be a great thing to experience while we were there. It was absolutely beautiful, Kana our tour guide was great, very knowledgeable and funny! We honestly learned so much and are so grateful for this experience. The chocolate was also amazing and we tried cacao for the first time, as well as a variety of chocolates.
This is such a wonderful tour and you just get lost in nature, in the sounds, the wonderful weather and I just wanted to wander around the garden! I would totally recommend this hike/chocolate tour if you love nature and learning about it. I would do it again when we go back:)

- Annia Barajas - Sep 01, 2021

Best Experience in Maui! Guide was great in making it a fun and informative experience. Small group with participation from all! A MUST!!!

- Trish Dalia - Aug 17, 2021

Very educational and beautiful I went with my husband and my two teenagers daughters we had a good time I the tourist guide was very nice very patient It’s safe for all ages and give you time to see other tours around

- Claudia O - Aug 13, 2021

This was a really fun low key small group tour! We were able to book it only a few weeks in advance which was great. Kana was an awesome guide, lots of great information and good humor. The free chocolate from all around the world at the end was super cool! Definitely recommend this tour!

- Shaun Chatelain - Aug 12, 2021

- Josie Whitfield - Aug 10, 2021

Our guide, Naki Kanekoa or "Kana", was wonderful! He was very knowledgeable about the history of the gardens and plant life, and was very engaging and charismatic! Kana provided a history for many of the Hawaiian flora and elaborated on the meaning behind many of the more commonly used Hawaiian words. This really gave us a new point of view that helped us respect the natural beauty of the island and Hawaiian culture even more. The chocoholic ending was also a big win!

- K T - Aug 10, 2021

- Kimberlyntruong - Aug 10, 2021

What an amazing tour!!! Our guide, Kana was extremely knowledgeable, funny and made us feel so comfortable. Learning about the history of Hawaii, their cultures, traditions and the sacred garden was an out of this world experience. My family and I enjoyed ourselves, especially with all the chocolate tasting..FUN! The King Gardens is a must on a trip to Maui!

- Mya Baker - Aug 08, 2021

By far one of the best tours we have have in Hawaii, if not ever, all due to our amazing guide Kana. Not only was it educational, but he was hilarious. You will not be disappointed by the scenery. At the end of the tour we learned how to make chocolate and then sample several others from around the world. We would highly recommend for any age!!!

- Lauren Strauss-Smith - Aug 02, 2021

- Lauren S - Aug 02, 2021

- Lauren Strauss-Smith - Aug 02, 2021

We had a great tour! Beautiful place. Your guide was great and very knowledgeable. Saw a lot of plants we would have missed otherwise.

- Mark Rankin - Jul 24, 2021

We absolutely loved this tour. Our guide was deeply knowledgeable about not just the flora and fauna, but also the history of how native peoples lived on the island. The group size was small so we were able to ask a lot of questions. The organization running these tours is amazing. They are one of the very few groups in Hawai'i working to preserve land on the islands and educate locals and tourists. I felt very good giving my money to this important cause. Thank you for the work you do Kings Gardens Maui!

- Kelsey Sobomehin - Dec 19, 2019

Jessie (Maui) was a fun and enjoyable guide. Great plant and cultural knowledgeable imparted over a relatively short walk through a rain forest down to a view of a waterfall. We also met his pet Macaw who was a hoot, with great behavior and vocalizations. Not strenuous, not a huge waterfall, but a nice exposure to the culture and plants of Hawaii. Overall a nice outing, with donations for a good cause.

- 20bradleyg - Aug 15, 2019

We really enjoyed this experience! Our guide “Maui” made the adventure great! Private tour through a beautiful jungle with a narrative as you go! You end up at a waterfall for pictures and then a break for snacks and an education on chocolate and chocolate tasting! My adult children really enjoyed it as well. Very private and very secluded. I highly recommend!

- Nanjohn75 - Jun 12, 2019

I had the best time! You get to interact with the plants. If you ask for Jesse, he will introduce you to the best macaw in existence. I would pay just twice as much just to hang out with the bird. BTW, I GOT ENGAGED IN FRONT OF THE WATERFALL. Story for a lifetime.

- Julia Hahn - May 15, 2019

- Rachel Castro - May 12, 2019

We had a really great time with our guide (Maui) and his parrot. Our teens enjoyed their rainforest adventure. We recommend this tour.

- Kim A - Apr 20, 2019

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The Kings Gardens Maui | 1135 Makawao Ave. #103 pmb 108, Makawao HI 96768, United States