Princeville Botanical Gardens

Giving this tour 5 awesome stars for delivering what it promised. Even though I am not a botanical lover, I still enjoyed the pleasant views, great stories of the property and plants, and knowledgeable guides. While the chocolate tasting was interesting, definitely don’t expect to fill your mouth full of truffles, bars, and candies as in Willy Wonka. This tour is about respecting the indigenous and other plant life, and how they contribute to human culture — how cacao royalty hoarded the beans, medicines, and other uses. The trek through the gardens was very nice — the grounds so well kept and beautiful.
We had four girls ages 9 – 18 with us, and they survived the trip, albeit a bit antsy, and tired, for their limited attention span, and sun time. If you have very little ones (1 – 5), would caution bringing them unless you don’t mind carrying them for the majority of the tour, and putting up with their impatience. Yet, my girls enjoyed the tours — especially in trying the plants, M fruits, chocolates they had to offer. Their favorites were the cinnamon and all spice trees.
Great quality tour, positive guides, and wonderful grounds to take bonus pictures with your family for free!
Thanks!

What a fantastic tour! Our tour guide was so knowledge and really knew his stuff. When we first booked the tour, we thought three hours might be too long, but it was a pretty perfect amount of time. We learned so much and the tour helped put a name to many of the flowers and trees we have been seeing during our stay on the island. I would highly recommend it!

My daughter and I thoroughly loved this. We got lucky with perfect weather. Our guide was sweet and knowledgeable. We tasted different things throughout. The chocolate tasting was educational. There are so many things to see it was endless.

Great tour and beautiful. Our guide was Brad, he seemed very knowledgeable and insightful. Beautiful scenery and things we’ll never see again. And then the chocolate tasting and education was an added touch!

My husband Tom and I had Harold as our guide. Harold is enthusiastic, knowledgeable and made the tour thoroughly enjoyable. Gorgeous property and amazing what owners have developed in last decade! Worth the time for sure.

This is a hard one for me because I booked this tour specifically for my father in law who loves to garden and was fascinated by all the Kauai fauna on his one and probably only trip to Kauai. If he was a Unilocaler, he would rate this tour a 5+…I on the other hand would rate it a 3 simply because it’s not my thing. It was interesting, but a little bit slow for someone who does not care about the details of plants/​flowers and why/​how they grow.
For me, the tour was made better with the fruit tastings that were pretty amazing, papaya and mango like I have never tasted. The chocolate discussion and samplings made me feel better about paying the cost of this tour.
Our tour guide was wonderful and clearly is passionate about what he does. We tipped him accordingly as we enjoyed his enthusiasm.

Highly recommended! Not to be missed! You’ll sample many varieties of chocolate including those that are grown on property & meander through dense and exotic gardens that waken your senses. Tour guide, Steven is very knowledgable of the flora & fauna. Very friendly hosts.

I love botanical gardens and based on reviews this is the one that I booked during a recent vacation in Kauai. The BF hates going to gardens with me because he is usually standing around while I take photos. I was happily surprised at how much WE BOTH enjoyed the tour. They keep you engaged with information about the garden, the island, the history, the culture, etc. and that is punctuated with tasting fruits, honey, plants, etc. It kept my BF interested while I took my time taking photos (macro shots) of the plant-​life.
You get to tour the entire garden, even the area that they recently purchased and are starting to build up. Our guide seemed genuinely interested in what he does and invested in the garden. The owner came out a few times and answered group questions and welcomed us to wander the garden after the tour at our leisure.
The chocolate tasting was well timed, when people started lagging and they really take their time and was set up similar to a wine tasting.
The drive to this garden is beautiful so come with a few minutes to spare to snap some photos on the side of the road and use the restroom before the tour.
I would suggest you wear bug spray and walking shoes with traction. Some folks with flip flops were sliding down the terrace slopes and it wasn’t even muddy.
Minus one star because the price point seems at least $ 10 too high. They have a coupon for 20% off for a second person– its in a yellow coupon book you see all over the island at popular spots like shaved ice, shopping centers, etc. I booked my tour online while I was still home so I couldn’t take advantage of that myself, wish I could have.

My family of four are here for 3 weeks and took this tour yesterday. All of us consider it the best experience so far (with the exception of first time snorkeling for the younger ones). I have never taken so many pictures in such a short span of time! Vistas were grand; close-​ups were incredible; possibilities for memorable photos unlimited. The tour guide was enthusiastic and knowledgable. I loved the mix of history and biology. The weather was perfect, but even if it had been rainy, I would have used one of their umbrellas and had a great time anyway. No mosquitoes on this day. Do wear shoes with good grips. My hiking/​walking sandals were perfect.

Just got done with this tour. This really is one of the highlights of the island. If you are interested in a more mellow activity, but something that will hold your interest, this is it. You are taken on a two and a half hour tour that shows you a nice variety of native plants, the «canoe» plants, as well as what was brought over in recent centuries – but you get to see them close up, just inches away from you. They really do present a cornucopia for your eyes – there is an incredibly beautiful variety of plants that you are shown here. The tour guide was very knowledgeable, and friendly.
ADVISORIES: I was very glad I wore shoes, as there was a fair amount of rain, and we did quite a bit of walking over grass and dirt. For what it’s worth, four of us applied their natural, apple cider mosquito repellant – and got bit. The two of us that didn’t apply it, were ignored by the mosquitoes. There really isn’t any way to go back halfway through to your car, so if you are the type that gets hungry quickly, bring along a snack. Finally, I did describe this as a mellow activity, but some of the paths were so steep, and potentially slippery, that I would NOT recommend anyone doing this on crutches, or s wheelchair, etc.

Very Beautiful gardens, make sure to wear walking shoes and wear off. The chocolate tasting and learning hoe they make chocolate was very fun and interesting and fruit tasting was a lot of fun too. The tour guide was very good and knew so much about the plants and flowers. Very nice tour!

Great gardens, great idea, great stewardship of the land.
Very nice people that run this place. Make sure you call ahead and schedule a walking tour. They have a locals discount, as well.
+Many trees from all over. They have some endemic species, but mostly a great collection of tropical plants and trees.
+The tasting on the tours is very nice, from honey collected on the site, to sapote, to mango and of course their epic cacao nibs and chocolate!
+Knowledgeable guides will lead you through a pleasant walk around the property, aver a bridge and through the flowers.
One drawback: if you really hate mosquitos, come prepared. If you are outdoors anywhere in Kauai, they will come for you.
The Princeville Botanical Gardens was also happy to host a group of 10 children that are part of the Kauai North Shore Agricultural Program, so I highly recommend it for a field trip.

The Princeville Botanical Gardens and Chocolate Tour was absolutely fabulous.
The beauty of the gardens was spectacular and Karen, our guide, was outstanding. Her knowledge and presentation of the plants, flowers and trees was amazing!
Suddenly we would see a colorful bag at the base of a plant and in it would be delicious fruit for everyone to taste. At one point in the tour, we got to sit down for a chocolate tasting which was really fabulous!
If you have time for few activities on Kauai, be sure you include the Princeville Bitanical Gardens and Chocolate Tour.

Did the 3 hour tour. You get fruit samples and chocolate along the way. It’s very beautiful and a lovely way to spend a few hours!

We’ve done a bunch of garden tours (on Kauai, and elsewhere) and typically thoroughly enjoy them. I think, though, this is my first Unilocal review of one.
That’s because this was spectacular! When you hear the backstory (couple buys land, clears land, creates gardens, offers tours), you wonder — is it worth it? big enough? just a way to make a few bucks?
They advertise the chocolate tasting as a way to draw you in, which of course, works extremely well.
Ultimately, we had a wonderful time — a leisurely stroll through the gardens with Tewa, a very knowledgeable and fun guide. We talked about the plants — food, medicine, history, variety, rarity. It was cooperative and interesting.
We also talked about and tasted chocolate — about 7 kinds, including the chocolate they make from their own trees on the property.
I lost track of the complete list, but we tasted at least the following (* indicated grown on property):
— honey tangerine*
— cherry*
— papaya*
— lilikoi* (passionfruit)
— longan (from a sister property, different island)
— avocado*
— noni* (!)
— leaf of the ‘miracle tree’* (forgot the real name)
— chocolate*
— a flower that tastes like a mushroom* (forgot the name)
— another nutritious leaf* (from another nameless, to me, tree)
— honey*
This is a great tour! I highly recommend it. We’ve done, and enjoyed, Allerton, Na Aina Kai, and Limahuli and this one tops the list.

We did the three hour tour with Chocolate tasting and loved it. Our guide Tewa
is amazing and so knowledgeable about the Herbal uses of all the plants.
It was fun. professional, beautiful.
Really nice time and would highly recommend.

Very beautiful and informative! While it says 2:30 tour ours ran 3 hours plus and had we opted for the «meander back» would have been closer to 4. I didn’t get bored but my rendezvous for lunch was seriously delayed. Flip flops not a good idea, and when they offer you bug spray, lather it on, you won’t regret it.

Unilocal, sadly this is one of the first times you have let me down. Not only was this place WAY overpriced, what a misleading name! We would have paid to NOT have wasted our afternoon here. There are actual world class botanical gardens for a fraction of the price and are hundreds of times larger. (go to San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, Huntington Library & Botanical Garden in San Marino, CA, or Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden in Miami, FL)
Very little thought went into curating this backyard garden. The owners hacked down the native jungle to plant some non-​native fruit trees, and realized that maintaining this hobby of theirs was just so pricey, the only way to pay for it was to get unsuspecting tourists to pay! They make it seem exclusive by only offering tours 3x a week and only by reservation. I can’t believe we spent nearly $ 70 to walk around someone’s manicured backyard.

When you’re in Kauai and you have a hankering for Alice In Wonderland meets Willy Wonka, this is the place to go and see. A 3 hour walking tour of the most beautiful gardens you will ever have the privilege of seeing up close and personally. Your guide will be knowledgeable, and the workers who are improving this property daily will be friendly, answering questions along the way.
There will be many stops with many eats, all of which are from the gardens, and delicious. Forget the farmers market, the fruits from this garden are out of this world!
There is a long time out where you taste chocolates from around the world and learn a little about ‘free trade’, but if you’re on this tour, then you already know. Enjoy the chocolate.
Notes:
1– wear comfortable shoes
2– bug spray
3– sunscreen
4– camera
5– water, water, water

Great option if you’re looking for something different to do. Our guide Holly was very knowledgeable, personable and helpful in every way. The chocolate tasting alone is worth the price of admission, but also the small groups, impressive garden and educational value. I highly recommend going at the beginning of your trip to provide context to everything you see on the rest of your visit to Hawaii.

We had a great time at Ahonui. Our tour only cost $ 30 a person, as compared to the $ 40 I read in a previous review. We happened to be looking for the National Tropical Botanical Garden nearby, but as I couldn’t remember its name, I did a quick Google search and Ahonui came up instead. We actually just wandered in (noting the «by appointment only» on the sign by the driveway with dismay) but apparently we had the best of luck… a family of 3 had cancelled and we were there about 15 minutes before the tour was due to start. So, a most fortuitous beginning. Jason was quite helpful from the start, and welcomed us graciously. He chatted up our seven year old daughter, to make sure she was comfortable in the group of about 15 older adults. Luckily, we have a precocious kid who loves to garden, and she was very excited by the whole idea of a garden walk and then chocolate.
We were in an interesting group of people from Canada and the northwest only, so we all had a common interest in tropical plants. The beautifully terraced garden has a great selection of ferns, palms, and flowering plants, including some gorgeous orchid varieties carefully tied to the various trees — even a vanilla orchid. You walk down and down a valley, until at the bottom, you come across a few vigorous cacao plants. I’d use the bug spray that Jason hands out at this point — there were a few mosquitoes in the valley, looking for blood.
Along the way, we had gotten a chance to taste or play with various fruit products. We ate a tart yellow guava, and opened a pod that gave the vegetable dye, annato (my daughter loved this, and painted her hands and legs orange with the stuff.) We tasted the cacao pulp from a pod, and ate miracle flowers and leaves (like the Miracle Fruit… but in a different season. Quite interestingly spicy!) we even had a chance to eat some noni, but no one was brave enough for that one!
The paths are a bit muddy and slippery at times. Jason warns you of that ahead of time, and they do have walking sticks available.
Bill and Lucy came by about 20 minutes into the tour and offered additional comments about the history of the garden. Lucy really perked up during the chocolate tasting, and gave some insight both into the general process and quirks of the particular batch we were trying. Jason offered personality and humor throughout, but also admitted to being a book nerd. Even though he admits to not being a «professional», he knows quite a bit about the garden plants and their history and use, as well as chocolate making and tasting. I had a great deal of fun; our seven-​year-​old daughter especially loved the dog but said that the whole tour was great.