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Honolulu

Lulumahu Falls

A tall, narrow fall at the back of Nuuanu valley, up a bamboo-lined stream bed.

Why go

The walk in through the bamboo and the old reservoir ruins is better than the fall itself, and it is twenty minutes from downtown.

The catch

This crosses state watershed land that requires a permit, and people are cited for going without one. Sort that out first. The route is unmarked, muddy and easy to lose.

How long
1.5-2 hours
With children
Not really
Effort
Moderate
Cost
Free
Parking
Limited

After rain

Before you go

  • Reservation required
  • Minimum age 8
  • Flash-flood risk after rain

Getting there

Driving times on real roads, from the same data the trip planner routes on — not straight-line distance.

From Waikīkī24 min6.1 miles
From HNL airport51 min18.3 miles
From Ala Moana22 min5.3 miles
From Downtown Honolulu25 min6.2 miles

Add traffic. These are free-flowing times, and the H1 through town at eight in the morning is not free-flowing.

More on Lulumahu Falls: OpenStreetMap

Hours, fees and access rules have not been checked against a primary source for this entry yet. Confirm before you build a day around it.

See it on the map Build a trip around it

What else is close

Nearest by road, which is not the same as nearest on a map — and not the same as sharing a region either.

  • Punchbowl, National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific22 min awayA cemetery inside an extinct crater above downtown, for the Pacific war dead.
  • Honolulu Museum of Art22 min awayA museum built around a series of open courtyards, with a serious Asian and Pacific collection.
  • Ala Moana Center23 min awayThe largest open-air shopping centre in the world, between Waikiki and downtown.
  • Duke Kahanamoku Lagoon23 min awayFive acres of still saltwater behind the Hilton, cut off from the surf entirely.
  • Foster Botanical Garden23 min awayThe oldest garden on the island, in the middle of downtown, full of trees nothing else here has.
  • Kaimukī23 min awayA short main street behind Diamond Head that is where Honolulu goes out to eat.