Hawaii's Cloud Forest
Come experience this magical reforested Hawaiian tropical cloud forest jungle
About the Cloud Forest
Cloud forests make up less than 1% of all forested land around the world. These rare ecosystems are quickly disappearing. One very special cloud forest is in Hawaii above Kailua Kona. This Hawaiian cloud forest is a biodiverse ecosystem resulting from a unique microclimate unlike anywhere else in Hawaiʻi. The cloud forest extends approximately 50 miles long between 2,500 ft and 5,000 ft elevation on Hualālai Mountain. As opposed to tropical rainforests, which are typically at lower elevations and may receive twice the amount of rainfall or more, cloud forests receive much of their water from the condensation of the clouds onto the leaves, trunks and branches of the plants and trees. The cloud forest plays an essential role in the Kaloko ahupua’a, replenishing the aquifer, purifying water, keeping our reefs and coastal waters clean, providing refuge to many native species, and supporting much of West Hawaiʻi. It is a forest worth protecting! This is why the Kona Cloud Forest was created with love!
Location
15 minutes up the mountain from the Kona Keahole Airport, and 20 minutes from downtown Kailua-Kona, on the west side of the Big Island of Hawaii.
Weather
Mornings are usually sunny blue skies, with cloud mist transitioning into light showers mid-day, and clear skies again by sunset. March – November is our wet season, and December – February is our dry season.
Temperature
A comfortable 60 – 75 degrees ºF, about 10-15 degrees cooler than the coast 3,000 feet below.
Size
What started as a 20-acre sanctuary expanded to 70 acres of family stewarded tropical cloud forest.
Important points
1
The Kona Cloud Forest Sanctuary is collectively 70 acres: 15 of which is an intentionally reforested tropical cloud forest jungle and 55 of which is preserved old-growth native forest. The Kona Cloud Forest Sanctuary is committed to protecting and being a voice for this healthy vibrant ecosystem, which is home to many spectacular trees, palms, bamboo and other plants from all over the world, including Rainbow Eucalyptus, Blue Marble Trees, several banyan species, coniferous redwoods, and about 200 species of palm and about 100 species of bamboo. As well as native and threatened plants and birds, including the ʻōhiʻa lehua, koa, loulu (Pritchardia palms), hapuʻu ferns, amaumau ferns, Hawaiian hawk (ʻio), pueo (Hawaiian short-eared owl), and honeycreepers, among many others.
2
The Kona Cloud Forest Sanctuary is within the only dry winter tropical cloud forest in the United States. Maybe you’ll even get to experience the misty clouds rolling in, the true essence of a cloud forest experience.
3
The Kona Cloud Forest Sanctuary is located on Hualālai Mountain which is one of five volcanoes that make up the island of Hawai’i island, and is one of three that is still active! Therefore, this forest is very young, all growing on lava rock between 200 to 600 years old. You’ll experience this unique terrain of roots and lava rock on our trails!
What is a Tropical Cloud Forest?
Many visitors ask what the difference is between tropical rain forests and tropical cloud forests. A tropical rainforest receives more than twice the amount of rainfall than a tropical cloud forest. In a tropical cloud forest, the water from cloud mist condensates onto the leaves, branches and trunks of trees and drips down to the feeder roots, hydrating the tree.
As large amounts of water are deposited directly onto vegetation from clouds and light mist; the highest elevations of the forest are almost always dripping water from the leaves, creating a very unique ecosystem. This constant supply of above-ground water makes a cloud forest an excellent habitat for epiphytes (plants that grow on other plants).
Cloud forests occur on high mountains in the tropics, and on Hawaiʻi island most commonly between 2,500 and 5,000 feet elevation.
