Panaewa Rainforest Zoo and Gardens
800 Stainback Highway
Hilo, HI
The only zoo in the country set inside a natural tropical rainforest, small, free, and drenched in Hilo's forty-inch-plus rains.
Panaewa Rainforest Zoo and Gardens, just south of Hilo, holds a distinction no other zoo in the United States can claim: it sits inside a natural tropical rainforest, on the wet windward slope of the Big Island where more than a hundred inches of rain can fall in a year. Rather than recreating a jungle, the zoo is built within one, so the enclosures are threaded through real ohia forest, tree ferns, and tropical plantings that thrive on Hilo's constant moisture.
It is small, and it is free, a combination that makes it a beloved local outing rather than a tourist headliner. The collection leans toward animals suited to a hot, wet climate, from a white Bengal tiger to native Hawaiian birds, spider monkeys, and a walk-through aviary, alongside gardens of orchids and other tropical species that are worth the visit on their own.
What Guests Love
- A genuine rainforest setting where the animals live among real ohia and tropical growth
- Namaste, the white Bengal tiger, the zoo's best-known resident
- That admission is free, which makes it an easy stop for families
- The botanical plantings, including a garden of tropical orchids
Worth Knowing
- This is Hilo's rainy side, so bring a rain jacket and expect the ground to be wet
- It is a compact zoo, walkable in an hour or two, best paired with other Hilo stops
- Mornings tend to be calmer and cooler for the animals and for walking
- The zoo relies on community support and its nonprofit friends group, so donations at the gate go a long way
Details
Hilo, HI
Learn about Panaewa Rainforest Zoo and Gardens
A zoo grown in the rainforest
The zoo opened to the public in the 1970s on county land in the Panaewa Forest Reserve area, and from the start its identity was tied to the forest around it. Where most zoos plant tropical landscaping at great effort, Panaewa simply is tropical, sitting in one of the rainiest inhabited zones in the country. That heavy rainfall shapes everything, from the lushness of the grounds to the kinds of animals the zoo can comfortably keep.
It is operated by the County of Hawaii and supported by a nonprofit friends group that funds improvements, education programs, and animal care beyond what the county budget covers. Keeping admission free has long been a point of pride, part of the zoo's role as a community and educational resource for East Hawaii families rather than a commercial attraction.
Who lives here
The zoo's celebrity is Namaste, a white Bengal tiger who came to Panaewa as a cub and has been its signature animal for years. White tigers are not a separate species but Bengal tigers carrying a rare recessive color trait, and Namaste's enclosure and daily feedings are the visit's highlight for many families.
Beyond the tiger, the collection includes spider monkeys, lemurs, a variety of tropical and native birds, reptiles, and small mammals suited to the climate. A walk-through aviary and areas devoted to Hawaiian birdlife give the zoo a local focus, spotlighting species that belong to these islands alongside the exotic draws.
The animals here are ambassadors as much as attractions, and the zoo's education programs use them to teach visiting schoolchildren about habitat, conservation, and the particular fragility of island ecosystems.
The gardens
The gardens half of the name is not an afterthought. The grounds hold extensive tropical plantings, including a dedicated orchid garden and collections of gingers, heliconias, and other rainforest species that flourish in the constant warmth and wet. Even on a day when the animals are dozing out of sight, the plantings and the towering forest canopy make for a pleasant, shaded walk.
Because the zoo sits within the Panaewa rainforest itself, the line between exhibit and surrounding forest blurs, and native and introduced tropical plants grow close together along the paths, a small living lesson in the botany of windward Hawaii.
Hilo's rainy world
Panaewa's setting is inseparable from Hilo's climate. The windward side of the Big Island catches moisture-laden trade winds that rise against Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa and drop their rain on the lowlands below, which is why Hilo is one of the wettest cities in the country and why its landscape is so green and lush.
That same rain that keeps the zoo's rainforest thriving means a visit is best planned around a jacket and a flexible attitude. Showers blow through and clear off quickly, the light shifts constantly, and the forest is at its most vivid and dripping right after a passing squall.
Closest Boutels
The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.
Things to Do Near Hilo
Downtown Hilo and the bayfront
About 6 miles, a 15 minute drive
A historic main street of shops, galleries, and eateries along Hilo Bay, home to the twice-weekly Hilo Farmers Market and a string of gardens and museums.
Rainbow Falls
About 8 miles, a 20 minute drive
An eighty-foot waterfall on the Wailuku River just above Hilo, tied in Hawaiian tradition to the goddess Hina, often crowned by a morning rainbow.
Liliuokalani Gardens
About 7 miles, a 15 minute drive
A serene Japanese-style garden of ponds, arched bridges, and stone lanterns on Hilo Bay, named for Queen Liliuokalani.