Birding Hawaii

Day 1: Arrival Day in Honolulu, Oahu

Upon arrival in Honolulu (HNL), take a shuttle, or cab, to the New Otani Kaimana Beach Hotel in Waikiki, where we have already reserved a room in your name. We will gather in the lobby at 6pm to meet new friends before our welcome dinner together. Night in Waikiki.

Day 2: Birding Oahu

This morning we start our day in Kapiolani Park, next to our hotel, to admire visiting Pacific Golden Plovers and Honolulu’s city bird, the beautiful White Tern. While exploring the park we are sure to encounter a myriad of introduced species among the banyan and rainbow shower trees, such as Common Myna, Red-crested Cardinal, Red-vented Bulbul, Yellow-fronted Canary, Java Sparrow, Common Waxbill, Spotted Dove, Zebra Dove, and Rose-ringed Parakeet. After breakfast we will leave the city behind and enter the rainforests of the Koolau Mountains in pursuit of Oahu’s endemic honeycreeper, the Oahu Amakihi, before we transcend down into the valleys to search for the endangered Oahu Elepaio. While on our endemic bird adventure we will most likely encounter Whtie-rumped Shama, noisy flocks of Red-billed Leiothrix, an occasional Red-whiskered Bulbul, and chattering Warbling White-eyes. Night in Waikiki.

Day 3: Birding Oahu

Today we journey up the picturesque windward side to experience the serenity of Oahu’s North Shore in search of visiting shorebirds, such as the Wandering Tattler and sought-after Bristle-thighed Curlew. While cruising the coastline, famous for world class surf beaches and secluded coves with basking sea turtles, we are sure to find some flashy finches, such as the Saffron Finch and Chestnut Munia. The North Shore is also home to some of the last family farms on Oahu with crops of coffee, cacao, eggplant, papaya, pineapple, apple banana, and even scattered shrimp farms with Black-crowned Night Heron, the endemic Hawaiian Coot, Common Gallinule (endemic subspecies), and Black-necked Stilt (endemic subspecies). Night in Waikiki.

Day 4: Flight to Kona and Birding Big Island

Flight from HNL to KOA around 10am. Explore Kona’s coastal birding locations including Kealakehe Wastewater Treatment Plant and Aimakapa Fishpond for endemic waders and native waterfowl. Night in Kona.

Day 5: Birding Big Island

We begin our day on a quest for Hawaii Elepaio and the endangered Palila, the last of the finch-like honeycreepers. On our way to thesub-alpine dry forests of mamanae, sandalwood, and naio we will bird Saddle Road for Short-eared Owl (endemic subspecies), Eurasian Skylark, Chukar, California Quail, Wild Turkey, Erckel’s, Black, and Gray francolins and more. From the high elevations of Pu`u La`au along the slopes of Mauna Kea, we will drive to Waikoloa in search of more introduced species, like Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse and African Silverbill, on our way back to Kona. Night in Kona.

Day 6: Birding Big Island

Experience Hakalau aka Hawaii’s honeycreeper heaven! Hakalau Forest NWR is a publicly restricted cloud forest reserve and is home to many of Hawaii’s endangered plants, native arthropods, and endemic birds. We will search for the unique Hawaii Creeper, the gorgeous day glow orange Akepa, the stunning long billed Akiapolaau, the Hawaiian Hawk, Omao (Hawaii Island’s endemic thrush) with beautiful I’iwi, Hawaii Amakihi, and Apapane all over the blossoms of ancient ohia trees enshrouding us. Night in Kona.

Day 7: Pelagic Birding in Big Island

We embark on a pelagic birding charter out of Honokohau Harbor with an experienced local captain for Black Noddy, Brown Noddy, Sooty Tern, Brown Booby, White-tailed Tropicbird, Great Frigatebird, Wedge-tailed Shearwater, Sooty Shearwater, and Bulwer’s Petrel with hopes of finding: Masked Booby, Hawaiian Petrel, Black-winged Petrel, Juan Fernandez Petrel, White-necked Petrel, Newell’s Shearwater, Leach’s Storm Petrel, Band-rumped Storm Petrel, jaegar species, South Polar Skua, incidental cetacean sightings, and more! Night in Kona.

Day 8: Birding Big Island and Flight to Lihue

Only direct flight is 12:45pm from LIH to KOA. On our last morning in Kona we will try for Lavender Waxbill and any remaining estrillids that have evaded us thus far. On our first afternoon on Kauai we will search for the rare Greater Necklaced Laughingthrush and some of Kauai’s introduced specialty species. Night in Kapaa.

Day 9: Birding Kauai

We embark on a rainforest adventure with astounding views of Waimea Canyon, the Pacific’s Grand Canyon, on our journey into Kokee State Park to find Kauai’s endemic Kauai Amakihi, Apapane, Anianiau, and Kauai Elepaio with hopes of a glimpse of the rare Akekee. Other forest birds we should encounter in Kokee include Red Junglefowl, the skulky Japanese Bush Warbler and melodious Hwamei.  Night in Kapaa.

Day 10: Birding Kauai

Discover the beauty of Kauai’s North Shore in pursuit of impressive seabirds along Kilauea Lighthouse NWR’s stunning coastline and more endemic water birds amongst Hanalei NWR’s historicloʻiponds. While scanning the rugged cliffs of Kilauea covered with Red-footed Boobies and surveying the skies for Brown Booby, spectacular Red-tailed and White-tailed tropicbirds, majestic Laysan Albatross, and soaring Great Frigatebirds, we will enjoy up close views of Hawaii’s state bird, the Nene (Hawaiian Goose). We will then explore Hanalei valley’s lush important bird area for more of Hawaii’s endangered water birds, such as the Hawaiian Duck. Night in Kapaa.

Day 11: Departure

Depart for home from Lihue airport after breakfast at the hotel or begin Extreme Kauai Extension.

This is the only tour of its kind! Other all-inclusive birding tours to Hawaii rush through on a cookie cutter itinerary with guides traveling from the mainland, and don’t get out on the water for pelagic species. Mandy has made Hawaii her permanent home and earns a living off of taking birders out of the city limits to experience the best Hawaii has to offer on a daily basis. She looks forward to sharing Hawaii’s best birds, wildlife, food, scenery, history and culture with new friends.

Dates

2021: February 3-12 and September 12-21
2022: January 17-26, February 21-March 2, April 4-13, September 12-21
2023: January 22-31, February 20-March 1, April 10-19, September 18-27, November 13-22

Pricing

$5,900 (double occupancy) plus tax
Single supplement: $975
Extreme Kauai Extension:

Please contact us directly for availability and pricing on booking this as a private tour. Private tours can accommodate up to 11 participants.

Included

The tour fee is $5,900 for one person in double occupancy. It includes all lodging from Day 1 through Day 9, all meals from dinner on Day 1 through breakfast on Day 10, all ground transportation (including airport shuttles), both inter island flights, one checked bag per person on inter island flights, and the guide services of the tour leader. Tipping at group meals on pelagic trips are included in your tour fee and will be handled for you. However, if you would like to recognize your guide/ driver/ logistics coordinator for exceptional service, it is entirely appropriate to tip.

The single supplement for the tour is $975. If you do not have a roommate but wish to share, we will try to pair you with a roommate from the tour; but if none is available, you will be billed for the single supplement. Tour fees are based on double occupancy; one-half the cost of a double room is priced into the tour fee. The single supplement is calculated by taking the actual cost of a single room and subtracting one-half the cost of a double room (plus any applicable taxes).

Not Included

The above fee does not include your airfare to Honolulu and from Kona, airport taxes, transfers, visa, any checked or carry-on baggage charges imposed by the airlines, any alcoholic beverages, phone calls, laundry, or other items of a personal nature.

Activity Level and Recommendations

To reach the highland forests where the native birds are found and search for pelagic birds by boat, we will have to start our days early, as we’ll want to be near our destinations close to dawn. Much of our birding will be easy walking on roads, wide trails, and boats. Most trails will be uneven, wet and can be muddy. Shoes with good grip and ankle support are recommended. You should be able to easily get in and out of a van (sometimes repeatedly), and able to walk at least three miles, where traction may not be the best and where footing is uneven. You should be prepared to bird in hot, humid, and cool environments, expect some rain. Sea conditions on the pelagic trip can range from calm seas to moderately rough, so you must have decent balance and an ability to steady yourself on a moving boat if you plan to take that trip. Those with balance and stability issues should bring a collapsible walking stick with a wrist loop, and those who find it difficult to stand for long periods should bring a small travel stool. If you’re uncertain as to whether this tour is a good match for your abilities, please don’t hesitate to contact Mandy.

Cancellation

Full payment is due 90 days before all-inclusive set departure date tours. Credit cards will be taken at the time of booking and charged a $500 per person non-refundable deposit. If you cancel outside of 90 days, you will receive a full refund minus your $500 deposit. If you cancel outside of 60 days, you will receive a 50% refund minus your $500 deposit. If you cancel within less than 60 days of the tour no refund fees will be provided. No shows are responsible for 100% of trip fees.

Day 11

We will bird depart for an off-roading adventure to reach the start of our ascent into the Alakai before dawn. We will hike 5-9 miles and spend the entire day in the field searching for some of the most endangered birds in the world including Akekee, Akikiki, and Puaiohi. This is one of the wettest forests in the world and the trek is not for the faint of heart with stream crossings, narrow cliff edges, a 1,200’ elevation gain and lots of mud.

Day 12: Pelagic Birding Kauai

Take in views of the remarkable garden island coastline while heading out on our Kauai pelagic birding excursion with an experienced local captatin in hopes of Hawaiian Petrel, Mottled Petrel, Bulwer’s Petrel, Christmas Shearwater, Sooty Shearwater, and Newell’s Shearwater amongst curious Spinner Dolphins and visiting Humpback Whales.

Day 13

Depart for home from Lihue airport after breakfast at the hotel.