As travel advisors, how can we advise our clients on what to see and do, if we haven’t done it? So, we did— the Kualoa Ranch Hollywood Movie Sites Tour in Oahu in November 2022.
Let me preface this by saying that I REALLY wanted to to the UTV Raptor Tour but it is not recommended for people with back or neck issues, so being the adult that I was, I did pout for a while and we booked the Hollywood Movie Sites Tour. As travel advisors, we were generously offered a discount on the tour but I will be as unbiased and truthful as possible.
Would I recommend it? 110%.
Some people may think it may be too touristy- and it was, but the scenery and the knowledge of the tour guides were absolutely amazing! We stopped at some of the sites of movies and TV shows that we saw. We saw the agricultural areas of the ranch. Yes, it is still a working ranch and farm selling farm fresh beef, pork, shrimp, oysters fruits and vegetables.
We thought we knew a lot about what was filmed in the Hawaiian islands and kept telling clients that Jurassic Park was filmed in Kauai. Well, I was partially right. I learned that Hurricane Iniki in 1992 destroyed the movie lot in Kauai and it moved to finish up in Kualoa Ranch in Oahu.
YES, Oahu- the island of Pearl Harbor and Waikiki Beach. Yes the island that has the most hotel rooms and is the most touristy. Once you get out of Waikiki and Honolulu, you can see why Jurassic Park was completed in Oahu.
There are a lot of other top shows and movies you might recognize as being in Hawaii and they, too were filmed on the stunning Kualoa Ranch.
- Lost
- Jurassic World and the sequels
- Godzilla
- 50 First Dates
- Magnum PI
- Hawaii 50
- Kong: Skull Island and so much more
Of course, we took tons of pictures and the collage won’t nearly show you the beauty of Kualoa Ranch. We had a car and drove from Waikiki to Kualoa Ranch but you can get transportation from Waikiki. Again, I really wanted to do the UTV tour or the Jurassic Adventure Tour but I would suggest the movie tour in a minute. The open air converted school bus comfortable, even when the paths were a bit bumpy. It is definitely good for families as well as couples, singles and multi generational groups. The views were incredible and I would highly recommend it.
My Vacation Lady is a top rated honeymoon and vacation planner, as well as a Hawaii Destination Specialist. We know what to recommend to our clients because we’ve been there and done it. We can help with a jam packed adventure or a laid back honeymoon. We help plan your vacation and honeymoon experiences!
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Contact us for more info on the tours at Kualoa Ranch and for help planning and booking your Hawaii vacation or honeymoon.