Kualoa Ranch on the Hawaiian Island of Oahu is Hawaii’s Jurassic Park and a private nature reserve. Kualoa Ranch has incredible picturesque mountain views. The Ranch has been and continues to be a famous filming location for movies and television because of the amazing scenery of Oahu in this area. Jurassic Park is the most well-known movie filmed at Kualoa Ranch. In addition to Jurassic Park, some tv shows and movies filmed at Kualoa Ranch include Kong: Skull Island, Lost, 50 First Dates, Pearl Harbor, Jurassic World, and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. Kualoa Ranch, is easily one of the best things to do when visiting to Oahu.
A Little Bit About Kualoa Ranch
Kualoa Ranch was purchased by Dr. Gerritt P. Judd from King Kamehameha III. The land has remained with the descendants of Dr. Judd since it was purchased. Nowadays, not only is Kualoa Ranch a famous film location used in many movies and television shows, but it is also a working cattle ranch. Pigs, lamb, shrimp, and oysters are also raised on the ranch. There are various types of produce grown on Kualoa Ranch that the general public can purchase. There are many different aspects that make Kualoa Ranch a unique place to visit in Oahu. Plan a day to visit Jurassic Park Hawaii, one of the best family friendly things to do on Oahu.
Things to Do at Kualoa Ranch, Hawaii’s Jurassic Park
There are many things to do at Kualoa Ranch which are appropriate for people of all ages. Many tours take you to the areas used for filming on the Kualoa Ranch property. Additionally, you can see part of the working ranch area of Kualoa Ranch. You may even get to experience and learn about the agricultural process on the working ranch. Whether you want to see filming locations, have an adventure, or learn about the working ranch. There is something for everyone to experience at Kualoa Ranch, Hawaii’s Jurassic Park.
Go For a Thrilling Ride on the Kualoa Ranch Zipline Tour
The Kualoa Ranch Zipline Tour is one of the popular activities at Kualoa Ranch. If you are interested in doing the zipline tour, we recommend you book it in advance. The zipline tour is popular, and the likelihood of the tour getting sold out is high. Kualoa Ranch refers to the zipline tour as the Jurassic Valley Zipline since, during the tour, you zipline through the valleys seen in the Jurassic Park movies.
The Kualoa Ranch zipline tour gives you breathtaking views of the Jurassic Valley of Kualoa Ranch, known as Ka’a’wa Valley, out to the ocean. There are 7 tandem ziplines which enable you to ride side-by-side with someone in your group. You will also have several short hikes to some of the zipline platforms and cross two suspension bridges. When I went, you could take your phone or camera, but taking your phone or camera is at your own risk. If you drop it, you will not be able to retrieve it. There is now a photosystem to purchase photos taken during the zipline tour.
Checking In For the Jurassic Valley Zipline
When you check in for the Jurassic Valley Zipline, you will need to brush your shoes. Brushing your shoes protects the ranch’s ecosystem. You will also be weighed during check-in. This is done so you can be fitted with the proper harness for ziplining. Once everyone checks in, the group is driven to the Kualoa Ranch zipline basecamp. The zipline basecamp has lockers available for you to leave items like bags, jackets, and phones.
Go on the Horseback Tour of Kualoa Ranch
If you are interested in horseback riding around Kualoa Ranch, this tour is for you. While riding on horseback on the Kualoa Ranch property, you will ride through the Kaaawa Valley, commonly called the Jurassic Valley, and the forests on the Kualoa Ranch property. This tour is about two hours long. There is a minimum age of 10 years and older for riders. The workers at Kualoa Ranch provide training and safety information before the horseback walking tour of the property. No prior horseback riding experience is required for this tour.
The Kualoa Ranch Horseback Riding tour is a leisurely tour through Hawaii’s Jurassic Park, Kualoa Ranch Valley. You will see different parts of the ranch and will also get to see some amazing ocean views along the tour. If you love horses and want a leisurely activity to do at Kualoa Ranch, the Kualoa Ranch horseback riding is for you.
Ride Around Hawaii’s Jurassic Park on the Kualoa Ranch UTV Tour
The Kualoa Ranch UTV tour is a lot of fun. The UTV open-air vehicles can seat 2 to 6 people. To drive the UTV, you need a valid driver’s license and need to be over the age of 21. Multiple people in your group can take turns driving the UTV as long as they are 21 or older. In my opinion, driving the UTVs at Kualoa Ranch is similar to driving a golf cart.
During the UTV Raptor tour, you drive around the Jurassic Valley, remote areas, and dirt roads on the Kualoa Ranch property. While driving through the Kualoa Ranch property, you will stop in different locations to take pictures, some of which will be Jurassic Park dinosaur props. Towards the end of the tour, you will get an amazing view of Kaneohe Bay and Mokoli’i Island, Chinaman’s Hat.
If you do the Kualoa Ranch UTV Raptor Tour, be prepared to get dirty. Depending on the weather, you can get dusty or a bit muddy, as the tour will happen rain or shine. I recommend bringing an extra change of clothes. How dusty and dirty you get will depend on what position your UTV vehicle is in the line of other UTV vehicles. The closer you are to the back, the dirtier you will get. You will be provided with a pair of goggles to prevent dust from getting into your eyes. You will be given a gator to cover your mouth and nose. The gator helps prevent dust from getting in your mouth and nose.
Get Your Cardio on with an E-Bike Tour of Kualoa Ranch
Kualoa Ranch offers an e-mountain bike tour through the valley and dirt roads on the property. If you would rather bike around the Kualoa Ranch valley, this is one of the perfect Kualoa Ranch tours for you. There are two different electric bike tours. There is a tour for those who do not mountain bike often and those who frequently mountain bike.
Like the other tours, you will stop in various photo-op locations so you can take pictures. The tour for those with minimal mountain biking experience is about 6 miles. Whereas the experienced mountain biking experience is about 9.5 miles. Since you will be riding the bike on dirty roads, you are likely to get dirty. We recommend bringing a change of clothes for after the tour in case you do get dirty.
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See Filming Locations on the Hollywood Movie Sites Tour at Kualoa Ranch
The Hollywood Movies Sites Tour at Kualoa Ranch takes you to different areas used to film movies and television shows, including Ka’a’awa Valley. Ka’a’awa Valley is referred to as Hawaii’s Backlot because of the number of television and movies filmed at Kualoa Ranch. Some of the iconic film sites you will see are the boneyard from the King Kong movie Kong Skull Island and Godzilla’s footprints. You will also get to go inside a former WWII bunker used for filming and displaying film props.
Along the movie tour, you will learn about the history of Kualoa Ranch and its continued use for farming. You will also learn about Hawaiian culture and the importance of Hawaiian mythology connecting to ancient Hawaiian legends. Unlike some of the other Kualoa Ranch tours, you will be driven around the property in a vintage school bus. This tour is great for young children and people of all ages.
Experience Hawaii’s Jurassic Park on the Jurassic Adventure Tour
Of the movies filmed at Kualoa Ranch, the movie most known for being filmed on Kualoa Ranch is Jurassic Park. The Jurassic Adventure Tour focuses on the original Jurassic Park movie and the Jurassic Park sequels. You will see the iconic Jurassic Valley, made up of the Hakipu’u Valleys and Ka’a’awa Valleys of Kualoa Ranch. The journey to the various filming locations is in an open air vehicle, which makes taking pictures through the property easy. The ride is bumpy as a large portion of the drive is on dirt roads.
You even see areas where other movies and television shows were filmed, like Lost and Pearl Harbor. Since this tour focuses on Jurassic Park, you can go to areas that the other Kualoa Ranch tours do not. You will see numerous dinosaur cages and bunkers with Jurassic Park dinosaur props used during filming. You will also see where the gyrospheres launched in the Jurassic World movie.
An awesome tour feature is seeing the Indominus Rex paddock with its 60-foot wall enclosure from Jurassic World. Not only do you get to see the Indominus Rex paddock, but you also get to go inside the control room to look out into the paddock. You will also get the opportunity to take a short video, with the help of the tour guide, where it looks like a T-Rex is chasing you. If you are a fan of the Jurassic Park movies, we highly recommend going on the Jurassic Adventure Tour.
Go on the Jungle Expedition Tour in Hawaii’s Jurassic Park
The Jungle Expedition Tour drives you through parts of Kualoa Ranch and its Hakipu’u Rainforest. On the Jungle Expedition Tour, you will ride through the property in an open-air truck so you can see the amazing views of Kualoa Ranch. Throughout the tour, you will see various locations used for filming different movies and television shows. During the Jungle Expedition, you can also take many beautiful pictures of the Ka’a’awa Valley.
On the Jungle Expedition Tour, you will also be taken to the side of Kualoa Ranch, facing Kaneohe Bay. From here, you will have a fantastic view of Kaneohe Bay and Mokoli’i Island, Chinaman’s Hat. This tour is done rain or shine. The roads are bumpy and can be steep in some spots. Due to the bumpiness of the roads, those who are pregnant or have back problems are advised to look into one of the other Kualoa Ranch tours. The minimum age for this tour is 3 years old and older.
Ocean Voyage Adventure and Secret Island Beach Adventure
The Ocean Voyage Adventure tour at Kualoa Ranch will take you over to the ancient Hawaiian Fishpond on the property. You will then go over to Secret Island Beach to get on a passenger catamaran to tour Kaneohe Bay. The fishpond is an 800-year-old Hawaiian fishpond. You will learn about Kualoa Ranch’s sustainable fishing practices and about their oyster farm.
After seeing the old Fishpond, you will board a catamaran and ride around Kaneohe Bay. You will have amazing views of Mokoli’i Island, commonly referred to as Chinaman’s Hat, Kualoa Ranch Valleys, and the Ko’olau Mountains on your catamaran ride. Unlike the Secret Island Beach Adventure, you cannot get in the water during the Ocean Voyage Adventure tour.
The Secret Island Adventure tour at Kualoa Ranch includes time to enjoy Kaneohe Bay and water sports on Secret Island Beach. There are different time slots for the Secret Island Beach Adventure tour. You can spend the morning, afternoon, or all day on Kualoa Ranches Secret Island Beach. If you want, you can kayak and standup paddleboard in Kaneohe Bay. You can also play beach volleyball, table tennis, or horseshoes on shore. If you choose the all-day tour option, lunch is included.
Learn About KualoaGrown, A Working Ranch
Aside from the various adventure tours Kualoa Ranch offers, the ranch is a working ranch. Grass-fed cattle and pigs roam the ranch. There are also various produce grown on Kualoa Ranch, and a Hawaiian fishpond used to raise oysters sustainably. Tours are available so you can learn about farming and food production at Kualoa Ranch. The Kualoa Grown Tour and the Malama Experience tours, are the tours where you learn about sustainable farming happening at Kualoa Ranch. If you want to purchase some of the KualoaGrown products, you can buy them from the Ranch House and Market.
Are You In Need of a Wedding Venue?
If you are looking for a wedding venue in Hawaii, Kualoa Ranch has an area used for weddings. Kualoa Ranch is a popular place for weddings. You will want to contact Kualoa Ranch immediately if you have your sights on having your wedding on the property. The Kualoa Ranch wedding venue is typically booked more than a year out.
Kualoa Ranch’s wedding venue, the Paliku Gardens, is outside, overlooking Kaneohe Bay and Mokoil’i Island, commonly known as Chinaman’s Hat. When booking Paliku Gardens at Kualoa Ranch as your wedding venue, you can use your own caterers. You can also use Kualoa Ranch’s preferred vendors when planning your wedding. Kualoa Ranch supports local Hawaiian businesses, from photographers and wedding planners to caterers.
Amenities at Kualoa Ranch
Kualoa Ranch has a gift shop, a market, a grill, and bathrooms. The gift shop, also the visitor center of Kualoa Ranch, is open from 7:30 am to 6:00 pm. If you want to buy a souvenir from Kualoa Ranch and you are doing a late afternoon tour, we recommend stopping by before your tour. On one of our visits, the gift shop was closed when our tour was done.
If you are at Kualoa Ranch earlier in the day and want something to eat, check out Aunty Pat’s Cafe. Aunty Pat’s Cafe is open from 7:30 am to 3:00 pm and serves hot food and grab-and-go items. Since Kualoa Ranch is a working ranch, you can buy some of the produce grown from the KualoaGrown Market. The KualoaGrown Market is open Thursdays through Sunday from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.
If you do not want to store items in your car or carry them on your tour, lockers are available. The lockers at Kualoa Ranch are $5 for the day and are self-service for those who need one. There are also restrooms at Kualoa Ranch near the visitor center.
How to Get to Kualoa Ranch From Waikiki
Kualoa Ranch is about 40 to 45 minutes from Waikiki on the Windward side of Oahu. If you do not plan to rent a car on your trip, you can take a rideshare to get to Kualoa Ranch. You can also take public transportation like a taxi or the bus. If you take the bus, it could take about 2 hours instead of about 40 to 45 minutes. You can also purchase a tour that includes transportation to and from Kualoa Ranch from Waikiki.
The drive to Kualoa Ranch is stunning. Whether you take the Pali Highway or Likelike Highway to the Kaneohe Bay area on the way to Kualoa Ranch. The Kualoa Ranch parking lot is fairly large. There is parking in front of the main building and parking to the right. When we went to Kualoa Ranch, we were able to find a parking spot easily.
Is it Worth Going to Kualoa Ranch, Hawaii’s Jurassic Park
Yes, a visit to Kualoa Ranch is worth it! We have gone to Kualoa Ranch multiple times and have had a lot of fun. You can visit the surrounding area, Kualoa Regional Park, and other nearby Oahu beaches to see the lush green mountains of Kualoa Ranch. But nothing beats driving through the property and standing in the gorgeous valley. Getting to see where television shows and movies were filmed at Kualoa Ranch, Hawaii’s Jurassic Park, is amazing. The various adventure tours they offer are a lot of fun, and we highly recommend you do one.
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