With a climate unlike the rest of the United States, Hawaii is home to some of the country’s most unique botanical gardens, from the enchanting Liliuokalani Park and Gardens in Hilo to Kauai’s famous Allerton Garden and the Koko Crater Cactus Garden on Oahu’s southern shore, and everything in between. These gardens feature thousands of species of tropical plants as well as flora indigenous to our beautiful gardens, and while they are all gorgeous in their own way, there is one garden that stands out in a crowd.

Nestled on the rugged Hana coast along the far eastern shore of Maui, near mile marker 31 on the Hana Highway, is the Kahanu Garden, a 294-acre gem that grows in splendid isolation.
Ron Cogswell/Flickr
As one of the five gardens that make up the non-profit National Tropical Botanical Garden, Kahanu Garden is, quite simply, breathtaking. Established in 1972, the garden is surrounded by rugged black lava coastline and one of Hawaii’s last undisturbed hala forests.
National Tropical Botanical Garden/Website
Focused on plants traditionally used by Pacific Islanders, the Kahanu Garden is home to the world’s largest breadfruit collection, with approximately 150 varieties of breadfruit collected from field expeditions to more than 1 Pacific Island groups in Polynesia, Micronesia, and Melanesia, among others.
Forest and Kim Starr/Flickr
You’ll also discover everything from bamboo, banana, coconut, and kava to sugarcane, taro, turmeric, and vanilla.
Forest and Kim Starr/Flickr

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In addition to a variety of incredible native and non-native plant species, Kahanu Garden also contains the 3-acre Pi’ilanihale Heiau, a National Historic Landmark built from basalt blocks thought to be the largest ancient temple in the Hawaiian Islands.
jdegenhardt/Flickr
This impressive landmark extends 341 by 415 feet, with a high front wall rising 50 feet into the air. Construction of the main terrace dates back to the 14th century.
Joel Bradshaw/Wikipedia
As visitors wander leisurely around the garden, stopping to linger at whatever it is that intrigues them, they will not only be treated to spectacular views of the coastline…
jdegenhardt/Flickr
...but will learn all about the cultural relationships between Polynesians and the remarkable plants that were transported across the Pacific via ancient voyaging canoes.
https://ntbg.org/gardens/kahanu#tours
So, what are you waiting for? Relish in the serenity of this secluded place as you learn all about ancient Hawaiian plants at the Kahanu Garden.
drazz/Flickr

The Kahanu Garden and Preserve is located at 650 Ulaino Rd., Hana, HI 96713, and is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. They are closed on Sundays. Admission is $10 for adults, and free for children under 12 years of age, while guided tours will set you back $25. For more information, visit their website. Have you ever visited this sprawling botanical garden? If so, we’d love you to share your experience in the comments below.

On the other side of the spectrum, Oahu’s Foster Botanical Garden is one of the state’s smallest, measuring in at just 13.5 acres.

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