Experience the best of Hawaii, its beautiful parks, and its gorgeous birds with local experts! After working for other top birding tour operators and with conservation groups in Hawaii for years, Mandy Talpas, has designed the ultimate all-inclusive birding tour throughout Hawaii's parks! She is ecstatic to get you off the beaten path so you can enjoy the real Hawaii while supporting wildlife conservation initiatives and local businesses. She invites you to enjoy birding in paradise with Hawaii’s premiere local guides in search of Hawaii’s endemic forest birds, majestic seabirds, native water birds, visiting shorebirds, and introduced specialties with scrumptious meals and oceanfront accommodations.

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 comfortable boats. Most trails can 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 two miles, where traction may not be the best and where footing is uneven, and stand for long periods of time. You should be prepared to bird in hot, humid, and cool environments while expecting some rain. Sea conditions on the pelagic trip can range from calm seas to moderately rough, so you must have decent balance, an ability to steady yourself on a moving boat, and  be able to go up and down a ladder, 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 us.

Experience the best of Hawaii, its beautiful parks, and its gorgeous birds with local experts! After working for other top birding tour operators and with conservation groups in Hawaii for years, Mandy Talpas, has designed the ultimate all-inclusive birding tour throughout Hawaii's parks! She is ecstatic to get you off the beaten path so you can enjoy the real Hawaii while supporting wildlife conservation initiatives, our national parks, and local businesses. She invites you to enjoy birding in paradise with Hawaii’s premiere local guides in search of Hawaii’s endemic forest birds, majestic seabirds, native water birds, visiting shorebirds, and introduced specialties with scrumptious meals and oceanfront accommodations.

Upon arrival in Honolulu (HNL), take a shuttle, uber, Lyft, cab, or allow us to book you a private car to your hotel in Waikīkī, where we will have already reserved a room in your name. Check in is any time after 3pm. We will gather in the lobby at 6pm to meet new friends before our welcome dinner together.

Night in Waikīkī

This morning we start our day in Kapiʻolani 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 Koʻolau Mountains in pursuit of Oʻahu’s endemic honeycreeper, the Oʻahu ʻAmakihi, before we spend our afternoon at Pearl Harbor National Memorial. 

Night in Waikīkī

After a local breakfast we will transcend down into ʻĀina Haina's valleys to search for Oʻahu's endemic monarch flycatcher, the endangered Oʻahu ʻElepaio. While on the trail we will most likely encounter White-rumped Shama, noisy flocks of Red-billed Leiothrix, an occasional Red-whiskered Bulbul, and chattering Warbling White-eyes. After our forest bird walk we will explore a diversity of habitats before our visit to ʻIolani Palace. Birding stops include a lagoon for waders, a stunning coastline in search of seabirds, and a wetland area for the endemic Hawaiian Coot, Common Gallinule (endemic subspecies), and Black-necked Stilt (endemic subspecies). 

Night in Waikīkī

Today we journey up the picturesque windward side to experience the serenity of Oʻahu’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 Oʻahu with crops of coffee, cacao, eggplant, papaya, pineapple, banana.

Night in Waikīkī

After breakfast we fly to Līhuʻe and discover the beauty of Kaua'i’s north shore in pursuit of impressive seabirds along Kīlauea Lighthouse NWR’s stunning coastline and more endemic water birds amongst Hanalei's historic loʻi ponds. While scanning the rugged cliffs of Kīlauea covered with Red-footed Boobies and surveying the skies for Brown Booby, spectacular tropicbirds, majestic Laysan Albatross, and soaring Great Frigatebirds, we will enjoy up close views of Hawaiʻi’s state bird, the Nene (Hawaiian Goose). We will then explore Hanalei valley’s lush important bird area for more of Hawaiʻi’s endangered water birds, such as the Hawaiian Duck.

Night in Kapaʻa

We embark on a rainforest adventure with astounding views of Waimea Canyon, the Pacific’s Grand Canyon, on our journey into Kōkeʻe State Park to find Kaua'i ‘s endemic ʻApapane, ʻAnianiau, Kaua'i ʻElepaio, and hopes of the rare, Kaua'i ʻAmakihi. Other forest birds we could encounter in Kōkeʻe include Red Junglefowl, the skulky Japanese Bush Warbler and melodious Chinese Hwamei. 

Night in Kapaʻa

On our last morning on Kaua'i we will search for the introduced, rare Greater Necklaced Laughingthrush and any of Kaua'i’s introduced specialty species we haven’t already found before our flight to Kahului, Maui.

Our afternoon arrival to Maui will allow time for those interested to attend a traditional luau.

Night in Kīhei

After a local breakfast stop we will bird Keālia Pond National Wildlife Refuge for migratory shorebirds and any new introduced species. We will spend the rest of our day exploring Haleakalā National Park, which will most likely be some of our best photographic opportunities for for some of Hawaii's iconic honeycreepers, like the I’iwi, Hawaiʻi ʻAmakihi, ʻApapane and hopes of Maui's only endemic within our reach, the Maui 'Alauahio.  

Night in Kīhei

After breakfast we will make a brief birding stop before our flight to the Big Island to search for Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse, African Silverbill, Red Avadavat, Short-eared Owl (endemic subspecies), Eurasian Skylark, Chukar, California Quail, Wild Turkey, Erckel’s Spurfowl, Black, and Gray francolins and more. 

Night in Kona

Experience Hakalau aka Hawaiʻi’s honeycreeper heaven! Hakalau Forest NWR is a publicly restricted montane cloud forest refuge and is home to many of Hawaiʻi’s endangered plants, native arthropods, and endemic birds. We will search for the unique Hawaiʻi 'Alawī (creeper), the gorgeous day glow orange Hawaiʻi ʻAkepa, the stunning long billed ʻAkiapōlāʻau, the ʻIo (Hawaiian Hawk), Hawaiʻi ʻElepaio, and ʻŌmaʻo (HawaiʻiIsland’s endemic thrush) with gorgeous I’iwi, Hawaiʻi ʻAmakihi, and ʻApapane all over the blossoms of ancient 'Ohi'a trees enshrouding us. We will bird Saddle Road on our way to the refuge looking for Short-eared Owl (endemic subspecies), Eurasian Skylark, Chukar, California Quail, Wild Turkey, Erckel’s Spurfowl, Black, and Gray francolins and more with a stop in Waikoloa in hopes of more introduced specialties, like Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse and African Silverbill. 

Night in Kona

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, Mottled Petrel, Juan Fernandez Petrel, White-necked Petrel, Newell’s Shearwater, Christmas Shearwater, Leach’s Storm Petrel, Band-rumped Storm Petrel, all three jaegar species, South Polar Skua, incidental cetacean sightings, and more! 

After our pelagic adventure we will take a rest at our hotel before dinner along the Kona coast with an opportunity for an evening manta ray snorkel for those interested.

Night in Kona 

We start our birding journey from Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park on the leeward side to enjoy more waterbirds to Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park to explore Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park in southern Kailua-Kona. We will make a stop to search for Green Sea Turtles along a black sand beach with a local lunch stop at a famous Hawaiian bakery. We will then continue our adventure through Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, looking for Hawaiian Hawk along the way, before our dinner overlooking the Kīlauea Caldera, in hopes of a lava glow.

Night in Hilo

Enjoy breakfast at your hotel at your leisure from 6:30 -10:30am at your leisure before check out at 11:00am. Depart for the Hilo airport (ITO) to board your flight home with a short ride from a shuttle, uber, Lyft, cab, or allow us to book private car to the airport for you.

OR EXTEND YOUR STAY!

***Please see our additional add ons for more sight-seeing and birding from the Hilo side of the Big Island.