Take a hike through Diamond Head crater, go back in time to the days of King Kamehameha at Iolani Palace, visit the Manoa Falls, or snorkel with the fish at Hanauma Bay. Sure, as lo-cals of this beautiful island paradise, you may have done all these activities. But consider these adventure options again – this time, environmentally.

Lately, the term “eco-tourism” has been getting positive hype from trav-elers and environmental activists. De-fined as responsible travel to natural ar-eas that conserve the environment and improve the well-being of local people, eco-tourism is a form of tourism that involves visiting delicate and pristine areas. Eco-tourism allows travelers to discover destinations where the pri-mary attractions are nature and cultural heritage.

Educating travelers, providing funds for ecological conservation, and foster-ing respect for different cultures are the goals behind eco-tourism. By offering travelers insight about the impact they have on the environment, eco-tourism fosters a greater appreciation for our natural habitats.

From picturesque mountain panora-mas to world-renowned beaches, Oahu is filled with incredible, natural beauty – making it a perfect destination for eco-tourism to flourish. Eco-tourism in Hawaii holds true to malama aina, or protect the land, an important value to the Native Hawaiians and many of the local people.

“I think eco-tourism is a good idea. Preserving the environment is a big is-

sue and I think eco-tourism is a way that we can do that while having fun at the same time.” says senior Christopher Fernandez. Popular eco-tours on Oahu include visiting the lush rainforests of

the Koolau Mountains, hiking through the Valley of the Rainbows, scuba div-ing at Rainbow Reef, exploring old Ha-leiwa town/North Shore or horse-back riding through Kualoa Ranch. The eco-friendly adventure possibilities are endless here in Hawaii.

Eco-tourism is being seen as a great contributor to environment protection. Responsible eco-tourism includes pro-grams that minimize the negative as-pects of conventional tourism on the environment and enhances the cultural integrity of local people. In addition to this, an essential part of eco-tourism is the promotion of recycling, energy

efficiency, water conservation, and creation of economic opportunities for local communities. It not only requires the participation of travelers and tour-ists, but also local residents to keep the

‘aina clean and to share the history be-hind these wonders with everyone.

Deciding to do something produc-tive and eco-friendly over Christmas break, seniors Briana Lopez, Andy Troung, and Christopher Fernandez hiked up Leahi, or as most of us know it, Diamond Head Crater. According to Troung, “Hiking Diamond Head was a truly unique and challenging expe-rience to say the least. Never in my wildest dreams had I imagined how rewarding climbing up an extinct vol-cano would be.”

The hike up Diamond Head began early in the morning to beat the burn-

ing rays of the Hawaiian sun. It took about a good forty minutes to get to the top of the crater, with extra time for breaks and pictures. From the trail head to the summit, the hike is about 0.8 mile one way and a climb of about 560 feet from the crater floor. The trail follows an uneven and steep terrain re-quiring much caution and appropriate footwear. Portions of the trail involved steep stairways, so it was important for the hikers to take their time.

“The hike up Diamond Head was fairly easy. I didn’t like that the hike up the mountain was winding and had a lot of stairs, but the suspense was well worth it,” commented Briana Lo-pez after the hike was done. Chris also agreed, saying,“it felt good to go hik-ing. I felt that the hike was fairly easy and that it was fun. I liked getting to the top because it gave me a sense of accomplishment and the view was fan-tastic.”

This group of good friends felt that hiking provided a perfect eco-friendly experience. They learned about the his-tory behind Diamond Head crater and about what efforts are being taken to preserve the natural wonder. Briana, Andy, and Chris all agree that eco-tourism is very beneficial to the envi-ronment and they would love to go on another eco-tour sometime soon.

Whether you are looking for some-thing to do in your down time here in Hawaii or while you are traveling, look into taking an eco-tour. You will be do-ing your part in conserving the environ-ment and you will get an unforgettable adventure out of it.

Rediscover Hawaii - environmentally!By Eugenia Fernando || Na Hoku Guest Writer

Photo Courtesy of Eugenia Fernando

Looking for an adventure? Grab some friends and go on an eco-tour today!

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1. The top of Diamond Head provides mind-blowing views of the city of Honolulu. 2. Once hikers reach the summit of Diamond Head, they are at an elevation of 761 ft. 3. Deciding to run up the 99 steps proved to be a chal-lenge but it was a great workout. 4. The early-bird hikers get ready for the narrow, winding trail up Diamond Head. 5. Seniors Briana Lopez, Andy Troung, and Christo-pher Fernandez are all smiles for their hike up Diamond Head. 5Photos Courtesy of Eugenia Fernando

Page 7March 2012