Kualoa Ranch Oahu's Premier Adventure Destination

Flanked by a beautiful mountain range in the Ka'a'awa Valley on Oahu's north shore, Bruce Keller and Christene "Cookie" Meyers enjoy the view and a UTV ride, one of many all-ages activities available at Kualoa Ranch.

Story By Christene Meyers

Photos By Bruce Keller

"The Carpe Diem Kids"

Kualoa Ranch gets continually high ratings from tourists who come to horseback ride, try a zipline tour, enjoy a boat ride, shop for homegrown produce and prowl famous movie locations.

The ranch has been an important part of our visits to Hawaii for 10 years. The huge, beautiful private nature reserve in Oahu's north has been in the Morgan family for six generations dating back to 1850 when a Morgan ancestor purchased 4,000 lush acres from King Kamehameha.

Long a working farm and cattle ranch, it has become a favorite tourist destination.

We've sampled its lively option of tours. They're all great fun but our favorites are the exciting UTV tour, the fun movie tour and relaxing "secret island" boat ride.

One of the props in "Kong: Skull Island" is part of a movie tour at Kualoa Ranch. Here, tourists enjoy posing for the camera in the ranch valley, where giant bones and many other movie props are enjoyed by tourists.

There are plenty more options -- including horseback tours, a farm-to-table gardening tour, zipline tours for the adventuring and a wonderful buffet with island cooking.

A prime spot for movie locations since the 1950s, the ranch began offering various tours in the 1980s to help make the property sustainable.

We've sampled some of the most popular and highly recommended things to do at Kualoa Ranch. Tours emphasize the island's rich cultural history and pass by various Hollywood film locations, with guides dropping names as they tell stories of star visits. We recommend:

With the lush backdrops of Hawaii, Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler starred in "50 First Dates" shot partly at Kualoa Ranch. Participants in the Hollywood Movie Sites tour stop at that movie location and many others.

1. Hollywood Movie Sites & Ranch Tours

We've explored Kualoa’s famous filming locations by both guided vehicle and vintage bus tours. Movie buffs see locations from dozens of movies and TV shows including "Jurassic Park," "Lost," "50 First Dates," "Jumanji," "Pearl Harbor" and more. The tour includes stops at iconic sites like Godzilla’s footprint. Participants also walk through old WWII bunkers, which we walked through, admiring vintage posters and movie lore.

2. UTV Raptor & Off-Road Adventures

One of the most popular choices, we opted this time for the UTV Raptor Tour. It takes guests along a rugged off-road vehicle across Jurassic Valley with scenic viewpoints and movie backdrops. You can drive yourself or take a guided ride-along. Either way, it's fun. We opted for a guide this time so we could just watch and enjoy.

A working cattle ranch and farm, Kualoa Ranch tours offer an opportunity to get up close to the cattle, see crops and stop at movie sets, all in a beautiful valley. Here, we photographed a snacking cow from our UTV.

3. Jungle & Jurassic Adventure Tours

Take an open-air safari vehicle on a Jungle Expedition through the rainforest or book a longer Jurassic Adventure Tour to see famous film spots with more in-depth narrative.

4. Secret Island Beach Adventure & Ocean Voyage

We really enjoyed this tour, too, heading out by catamaran across the ancient Mōli‘i Fishpond to Secret Island, a unique private beach. Options include kayaking, beach games, paddleboarding, or just relaxation, surrounded by gorgeous mountain and bay views. Some equipment is provided. Confirm specific requests at booking time with helpful ranch staff.

The ocean voyage tour is a delightful immersion in nature, with a couple short walks to two different boats, the second boat taking tourists around the bay to view Chinaman's Hat, a small islet with hiking and kayaking.

5. Kualoa Grown & Cultural Tours

We enjoy this tour, for its focus on Hawaiian sustainable agriculture and cultural history. The Kualoa Grown Tour includes a visit to the ancient 800-year-old Mōli‘i Fishpond and tropical gardens. Beauty at every turn and you can buy produce, meat and cookies at the store.

Agriculture and farming are an important part of Kualoa Ranch's agriculture where flowers and produce are grown, sold and shared with the community, on tours and in a charming store on the property.

6. Horseback Riding

Guests to Kualoa experience the valley at a slower pace with a peaceful horseback tour through scenic pastures and trails. It's a great way to see remote areas and enjoy the serenity the ranch offers. Kualoa stewards continue to uphold a reverence for the land.

7. Zipline & E-Bike Adventures

For more active thrills, friends have tried the Jurassic Valley Zipline Tour (several lines and fun suspension bridges, they report.) The ranch also offers E-mountain bike tours through varied terrain. Figure out your skill level and the ranch will recommend an option.

Movie sets at Kualoa include the partial filming of "Jurassic Park" where a dinosaur might try to attack. Here Christene "Cookie" Meyers and Bruce Keller fend off a potential raptor assault, all in good fun.

8. Bundled Half-Day or Full-Day Experiences

If your time is limited and you have only a day and want to pack the best in a single visit, Kualoa offers Half-Day and Best of Kualoa Full-Day Packages that combine top tours (like movie sites, jungle, beach, and a buffet lunch) into a single itinerary. The buffet features favorite island meat dishes, homemade salads, delicious fresh island fruit grown on the property and some of the best chocolate chip cookies we've had anywhere.

Tips for visiting Kualoa Ranch:

Tours are popular and can sell out, especially UTVs and beach adventures, so reserve ahead.

Many experiences are family-friendly and couples also love Kualoa, so choose based on your activity level. Older folks might prefer a scenic tour or movie set tour while younger, more athletic people enjoy the ziplines and UTV options.

Quick Recommendations

Choose Kualoa Ranch if you:

Love dramatic landscapes, lush farm and ranch settings and outdoor adventure.

Are a movie fan and enjoy seeing where famous films were shot.

Prefer shorter tours and a variety of activities within a single day.

Bonus Tip

If your schedule allows, many travelers also visit the Polynesian Cultural Center. It's a long day to do both, but arise early and enjoy. The drive breaks it up nicely because Kualoa Ranch and the Polynesian Cultural Center are only about 25 minutes apart on Oahu’s windward coast. If you have a week or so, we recommend a couple days at Kualoa Ranch and Polynesian Cultural Center, one day at the trip's beginning and the other near the end.

Information, tickets: www.kualoa.com

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