Canopy lines, bridges and rappel

Kohala Zipline

Kohala Zipline runs Big Island canopy tours in North Kohala, with ziplines, sky bridges and a rappel through a private forest reserve.

Kohala Zipline's aerial course threads through tall eucalyptus and ironwood trees in North Kohala, at the very tip of the Big Island. From the quiet sugar-mill town of Hawi you climb a short 4×4 road, step onto a shady platform and feel the day shift from country back road to high-forest adventure in a heartbeat.

Nine dual cables carry you more than half a mile altogether, and every line is built two at a time so you can fly beside a friend instead of waiting turns. Between flights you cross suspension bridges, rappel thirty feet to the forest floor and clip back in on smooth decks wrapped around living trunks—no clear-cut towers here. Guides keep the pace lively without rushing, sharing trivia on native-tree restoration and on the plantation era that once shaped this corner of the island.

Tour choices stay intentionally small. The classic Kohala Canopy Adventure runs about three hours round-trip and focuses purely on the zips, while the half-day Zip & Dip adds an off-road drive to a private waterfall where you can swim beneath a cool cascade. Either way, groups top out at eight guests per pair of guides, leaving room to breathe—and to spot Maui shimmering across the Alenuihaha Channel when the ridge clouds part.

Check in thirty minutes early at the company base in Hawi, an easy addition to any zipline tour or a relaxed north-coast drive from Kona. Closed-toe shoes are required; lightweight long sleeves fend off the occasional mist drifting over from Pololu Valley. GoPro-ready helmets and water refills come standard, and free lockers keep phones dry while you fly. Finish back in town with mac-nut ice cream and art galleries lining the plantation-era storefronts, and the tour feels perfectly balanced between pulse-quickening fun and laid-back North Kohala charm.