I had the pleasure of ringing in my 32nd birthday on the beautiful island of Oahu, Honolulu. I was blown away and left speechless by how beautiful this island is. This is one of my favorite destinations and I know I will return to explore more. Oahu is the perfect place for adventurers and outdoorsy people. Here are my list of must dos for Oahu.
Manoa Falls | I enjoyed the walk to the falls than being at the falls. I expected the falls to be a bit grand so I was a bit underwhelmed once I got to the top. Regardless I highly recommend doing the hike up to the falls, the beauty and lushness of the forrest was breathtakingly beautiful, it made up for the falls.
Stairway to Heaven Hike | I did it. After 8hrs of hiking in the worse conditions I made it to the top of the Stairway to Heaven Hike. Honestly, this was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life (so far). I don’t think anything could have prepared me for how hard this hike would be- also I was told by an experienced hiker that the day we hiked was the worse he’s ever seen the trail. To add to this experience, we made a wrong turn and climbed an entirely different mountain so we spend 2.5hrs going the wrong way and then had to recenter.
Overall, I am happy I did it, I am still upset that we had a really foggy day so the view was not clear. Overall the most memorable part of my trip!
Hoomaula Botanical Gardens | Yes, there was a guarding SCREAMING at me while I tried to get this photo, it is illegal to take these photos- aside from that, exploring the gardens is open to the public. I saw Hoomaula Botanical Gardens and I felt all the photos I saw weren’t real. I made sure to reach before 9:00am to get the Gardens all to myself, when we arrived there were people trying to get a photo in the middle of the road. Needless to say, I took a bit of screaming but this photo was totally worth it. Aside from the photo, the gardens are well maintained and I do recommend you give it a go. Also its free.
Byodo-in Temple | What struck me was how well maintained the grounds of this temple is. A peaceful place to visit and learn about the history behind the temple. They offer daily tours to the temple. Go for the peace.
Pillbox Hike | A short hike but you will be well rewarded with the most breathtaking view in Oahu. I could not get over how beautiful the view was of Lanikai beach. This is a MUST do if you are in Oahu- best time would be sunrise or sunset.
Lanikai Beach | Beautiful, clear white sand beach. Yes I am from the Caribbean and I totally appreciated being on a such a beautiful beach.
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