Expertly-led by trained volunteers, tours return for the first time since the pandemic
O‘AHU – One of Honolulu’s most storied and biodiverse botanical gardens is once again offering free guided tours!
Located in Honolulu’s historic Chinatown District, Foster Botanical Garden’s volunteers are eager to share their wealth of knowledge with interested garden visitors. For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic closures in March 2020, the 90-minute tours are now available on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays beginning at 10:30 a.m. rain or shine!
These docent-led tours are included in the price of admission to the garden, which is $5 for malihini (visitors), $3 for kama‘āina (locals), and $1 for keiki (children 6-12 years old). Children 5-years-old and younger can enjoy the garden for free.
To ensure your spot on these tours a reservation is recommended but not required. Make yours by calling 808-768-7135 or emailing hbg@honolulu.gov
“We are so thrilled to once again offer these tours to the public!” said Honolulu Botanical Gardens Director Joshlyn Sand. “Our dedicated and educated volunteers underwent six weeks of training to get them ready to share the garden’s ike (knowledge). Much like the changing landscape at the garden, and the diverse volunteers guiding these garden journeys, no two tours are alike. We encourage you to enjoy the tours whenever you stop by the garden, and experience Foster Botanical Garden from a variety of perspectives.”
With a rich history and internationally-renowned collection of plant life, the 14-acre Foster Botanical Garden has a world of wisdom to share. Opened to the public in 1931, a portion of the garden was once owned by Queen Kalama. It was later dedicated to the people of Hawai‘i by Mary Elizabeth Mikahala Robinson Foster, with some of the garden’s magnificent trees planted by Dr. William Hillebrand in the 1850’s. Thus making it the oldest of the City’s five botanical gardens.
It is home to 21 Exceptional Trees, including the Bo Tree at the garden’s entrance; a descendent of the tree under which Buddha achieved enlightenment. It also hosts hundreds of other species of tropical plants, trees and flowers, including the ever-popular Amorphophallus titanum, also known as the Corpse Flower, which last bloomed in July 2024.
Can’t visit the garden in-person, or want to know more about this lush, historic location? Check out the Virtual Tour of Foster Botanical Garden, sponsored by the Garden Club of Honolulu: bit.ly/VirtualFosterGarden
If you need an auxiliary aid/service, other accommodations due to a disability, or an interpreter for a language other than English in reference to this announcement, please contact the Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation at 808-768-3003 on weekdays from 7:45 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. or email parks@honolulu.gov at least three business days before the scheduled event. Without sufficient advanced notice, it may not be possible to fulfill requests.
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Follow the Honolulu Botanical Gardens online and on social media:
Instagram: @honolulubotanicalgardens Facebook: facebook.com/FosterBotanicalGarden
Website: honolulubotanicalgardens.com
