KAMAKOU PRESERVE, MOLOKAI

Climb to a place so hidden and so pristine you may even imagine you're the first person to find it. The 3,000-acre Kamakou Preserve east of Kaunakakai is Molokai the way Mother Nature intended.

See more than two hundred rare plants that can only be found in Kamakou. Hear the song of the olomao and kawawahie, two birds nearing extinction. Tread the three-mile round-trip Kamakou boardwalk through primal bog and rainforest.

Before getting to Kamakou make stops at Waikolu Valley lookout and the historic Sandalwood Pit. Loggers of Iliahi (native sandalwood) once tossed precious sandalwood into this ship-shaped depression. When it was full, they hauled their aromatic cargo down the mountain for trade.

QUICK FACTS

Name:

Kamakou Preserve

What is it:

Rain forest preserve

What to do:

View rare native plants and birds

What to bring:

Shoes, jacket or windbreaker, camera

Directions:

East of Kaunakakai near the summit of Molokai's highest mountain. Take a monthly guided hike with the Nature Conservancy