A Hiking Tour with Swimming in the Koolau Mountains
Hikers will board a 4-wheel drive vehicle in Haleiwa town and off-road 7-miles to the trailhead. High in the Koolau mountains is a valley of unparalleled beauty with an abundance of exquisite freshwater pools and the best mountain swimming on the island! Possibly the most delightful hike on Oahu, this trail includes more than 10 stream crossings and an amazing array of tropical flowers and fruits. See wild tangerines, lilikoi (passion fruit), ohiaai (mountain apple), mango, hau (sea hibiscus), and much more! Enjoy the islands through Hawaiian eyes as your expert guide shares the history, language, and moolelo (stories) of Hawaii and its fascinating environment. The “Nui” however, is all about the wai (water), so get your swimsuit on and strap up the hiking boots North Shore EcoToursis taking you on an adventure – Hawaiian style!
Schedule:
- Availability: Thursday and Saturday
- Tour Times: 9:00 AM
- Duration: 6 Hours
Recommendations:
- Water shoes or rubber sandals (for stream crossings).
- Bring a reuseable water bottle for liquid fuel and snacks.
- Be prepared for wet clothes/shoes and be mindful of personal electronics.
- Don’t forget sunglasses to protect your eyes, environmental & reef-safe sunscreen and mosquito repellant.
- A camera…charged and ready to go.
- Light backpack for all the stuff you packed.
Requirements/Restrictions:
- Trail Rating: Intermediate
- Skill Level: Novice/Intermediate
- Length: 2-mile round trip
- Age Requirement: 10 years
- Covered shoes are a must
- This trail has an elevation gain of 200ft. thus all hikers must be able to traverse up and downhill sections.
- This trail is not suitable for people who are unable to manage high heart rates for prolonged periods of time / intensive aerobic activity or people with hip and/or knee ailments; vertigo; or an extreme fear of heights.
- All guests are required to sign a waiver a
Location: Aloha General Store at the North Shore Marketplace
Address: 66-250 Kamehameha Hwy, Haleiwa, HI 96712
Google Maps: https://g.page/NorthShoreMarketplace?share
Parking: Park at the North Shore Marketplace is located in front of Kono’s (restaurant). It is on the main street with high visibility and a roving security guard from the mall.*
Check-in: Please arrive 30 minutes prior to your scheduled tour time.
Special Notes:
- *Please do not leave any valuables in your vehicle while out on tour. Keep bags and other belongings out of view by placing them in the trunk or under the seat. North Shore EcoTours and North Shore Marketplace are not responsible for any stolen items or damaged vehicles due to break-ins.
- Please remember that it is an actual mountain trail. As such, hikers can expect exposure to: rain, sunshine, wind, and/or high humidity.
- Trail conditions can include: slippery stream crossings, loose gravel, slick mud, and cliffy sections.
Tour Reviews
This was the perfect tour for me and my wife. We don’t really do a lot of hiking but we loved getting closer to nature along the trails here. This definitely gave us some amazing photos for our trip.
I can tell you this is one of the best swims that we had during our time in Hawaii. The vehicles that they have on this tour are absolutely incredible and exploring the mountain/being taken to some of the private swimming areas made for some amazing photos at the end of the tour.
Excellent for an all-day activity, guides are full of information, we learned many new words and their meaning, the pool was the crown jewel of the tour.
Very cool tour. Educational and fun. It has everything you could ask for in a mountain hike, from wild animals to colorful plants and the dip in the pool was very refreshing although it was raining it was filled with excitement and fun.
My friends and I enjoyed this activity yesterday and even though I am sore the tour was a wonderful thing to do as a group, we all loved to swim in the water pool. The views from the top were breathtaking. even the first part on the truck, it was very fun and bumpy, we all loved this tour. we recommend this to anyone that loves outdoor activities.
Awesome tour today! Ready for a different experience then this is a must do. Started off with a friendly greeting and expectations for the day. Took a 20 minute ride leaving from North Shore Marketplace. Then started hiking toward our destination. Ryan, our guide, would stop to point out different native and non native plants that grew along the path. He would tell us about the history of Hawaii as we continued up and down the trail. Our first river crossing was the start of some more adventurous trail hiking than we had ever done before. After getting our feet wet we plunged through 5 river crossings before the final stop at a pool of refreshing water. The snack/lunch was a local chicken spring roll. After resting for a bit we headed back down the trail. It was an enjoyable hike and loved our experience. I highly recommend this company.
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