Our Story

Hawaii Forest & Trail is committed to keeping its tour groups small, well-outfitted, and comfortable for a pleasurable day of exploration. From their initial tours, Hawaii Forest & Trail has expanded their eco-adventure offerings to include exploring Hidden Craters, Waterfalls, Volcanoes, Stargazing on the Summit, Birds & Wildlife Tours, and more.

Rob has a passion for the natural world of Hawaii. It is a passion that began almost as soon as he stepped off the plane here in 1990 and quickly realized that these islands contain diverse and unique ecosystems rivaling any place on earth.

Because of its isolation in the middle of the Pacific and its volcanic geology, Rob realized that Hawaii is a place unparalled for studying evolutionary biology, extinction, endangered species and conservation. It is a place where the fundamental lessons of creation and earth sciences could be seen, experienced and understood.

At the same time Pacheco, who had worked as a naturalist on the mainland, concluded most residents and visitors were only seeing Hawaii’s beautiful scenery and had little knowledge of Hawaii’s natural history. Pacheco decided to combine his passion with a vision: to share his passion for natural history with others and to help conserve Hawaii’s endangered environment by educating them about it. It was a vision that fit well with the growing worldwide interest in eco-tourism. Soon thereafter, and with the help of his wife Cindy whom he had met in Kona, the idea for Hawaii Forest & Trail was born.

One of the integral ideas the Pachecos instituted was to establish partnerships with private landowners that would allow tours to places with wild and remote native ecosystems that had been previously inaccessible. Hawaii Forest & Trail is one of the few tour companies allowed access to private lands and controlled-access wildlife refuges.

Another important element Pacheco built into Hawaii Forest & Trail was the practice of having knowledgeable and qualified guides. In 1993, when Hawaii Forest & Trail began offering its first adventures, Pacheco was “the only guide” for every trip.

Since then he has built up a team of guides with strong academic backgrounds in biology, geology, Hawaiian culture and history, and extensive natural history field experience. It’s not enough for the guides to simply “know things”, they must also have a real passion for Hawaii’s natural world and enthusiasm for sharing it.

All adventures combine a journey to a special or endangered natural setting with fascinating information about the natural and cultural resources of Hawaii, including its biology, geology, history, and Native Hawaiian culture. Hawaii Forest & Trail’s adventure tours have attracted attention from major national and international media and have been featured in Town & Country, National Geographic Traveler, Men’s Journal,  San Francisco Chronicle, Orange County Register, the New York Times, the Robb Report, CNN’s “Travel Guide,” NBC’s “Evening Magazine,” Fox TV’s “No Boundaries” and The Travel Channel.