I’ll admit that the main reason I wanted to go to Waimea Valley was a bit superficial. I wanted to see the waterfall that had been featured in some scenes of the TV series LOST. As a fan of the show, I enjoyed the hunt to find LOST filming locations on the island of Oahu. Of course I was excited to see the waterfall, but I discovered that Waimea Valley is so much more that a waterfall swimming spot!
Waimea Valley’s Beautiful Botanical Gardens
Waimea Valley has 52 themed gardens with over 5,000 documented types of tropical and subtropical plants! Unless you are a botanist, I can practically guarantee you’ll see trees, shrubs, plants and blooms that you’ve never even imagined.
Of course, Waimea Valley features many Hawaiian plants. We appreciated how information was provided on the cultural and historical significance of Hawaiian plants.
The pathways meander through delightful plant discoveries. You’ll be surrounded by gardens beneath a canopy of trees and a chorus of bird songs.
Speaking of birds, Waimea Valley has a population of the endangered Alae Ula, a Hawaiian moorhen. We enjoyed seeing their colorful beaks and legs.
A Bucket List Waterfall Swim at Waimea Valley
Many folks have a bucket list desire to swim at a waterfall in Hawaii. The waterfall at Waimea Valley is an ideal spot to mark of that item from your bucket list.
On Oahu, there’s not an abundance of waterfalls that the public can access. Manoa Falls is an amazing Oahu waterfall, but visitors aren’t allowed to swim there. The good news is that Waimea Falls (also known as Waihi) in Waimea Valley offers a safe place to swim at a waterfall. Conditions are monitored by friendly lifeguards.
When we were there, flotation devises were available for use. A changing room and restrooms are also available here. I don’t think there’s anywhere else in Hawaii where you’ll find these safety features and conveniences at a waterfall.
The waterfall is located approximately 3/4 of mile from the entrance. The way there is on paved paths that meander through beautiful forests.
There is an admission fee to get into the valley. Learn more about admissions and other logistical information at this link.
Here’s a video Andy shot during our visit to Waimea Falls.
LOST Scenes at Waimea Valley
Waimea Falls may look familiar to LOST viewers. In the earlier seasons, the plane crash survivors collected fresh water here. Kate and Sawyer also had a romantic swim here.
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Have you been to Waimea Falls for a swim? What did you think of your visit?
For more reviews of Waimea Valley, see these TripAdvisor reviews.
Sheila Beal
12 comments
Love it! When we went we didn’t know you could swim so didn’t go prepared. My son was just turned 5 and he announced he was going to slide down the waterfall. Ouch! ha ha!
Hehe…that would have been an exfoliating waterside. 😉
I went to this waterfall when I was in Oahu for Christmas last year. I was the first one there that day and the first one in the water. Most of the people that showed up later were afraid to go in. I loved having it to myself for over an hour. The lifeguards were awesome. They watched my stuff for me (as I was by myself) and offered to take pictures of me with my camera. I highly recommend going there. The waterfall is located in a botanical garden (the reason for the entrance fee)which was really fun to checkout after my swim.
Kathleen – how cool that you had the waterfall all to yourself for a while! The lifeguards that were there when we were there were super nice. Glad you had a good experience!
We went in November of 2009 and the water was sooo dirty that we did not dare go in..our tour guide also turned us off by saying to be pre warned that animals sometimes use this as their “relieving” area. yuck..the gardens are absolutely beautiful but you couldn’t pay me to go in that water!
Lisa – that’s too bad that the water was dirty. My initial guess was maybe you were visiting after they had a heavy rain which carried mud down the stream from the mountain. Wonder if that might have been the case.
I have to wonder if your tour guide might have been pulling your leg a little. There’s not a lot of animals there around the pool and animals don’t normally go to a waterfall pool to do their business. But, stranger things can happen. 🙂
The animals that he was probably referring to are HUMANS!!!!
I don’t think he was pulling my leg, because it just wasn’t me in the tour but about six of us, and none of us dared go in..It also had a bad smell. It was really disappointing, because it was supposed to be the highlight of the tour and it turned out to be
disappointing. It may have been that day, because of bad run off, but no one was in the water at all. They should close it off or post a sign before you pay so at least you know before hand you cannot swim in it when you enter and pay.
Yeah, sounds like the time was unfortunate. I hope you’ll have better luck next time!
Hi Sheila,
Thanks so much for this awesome guide to Hawaii. I’m in Waikiki at the moment and getting the car early next week to properly explore Oahu. I wanted to ask you, please – are there shower facilities at Waimea Falls? Sorry I can imagine most people cringing as I ask this but I’m a bit of a germaphobe!!!
Many thanks for your help,
Jelena
Jelena – I don’t recall shower facilities by the waterfall.
I’ve been plenty of times as I live here and I’ve never smelled anything bad from the waterfall and there are no animals in park so whatever tour guide you paid for was poorly educated on the valley. I am sorry you had a bad experience.