The Monoa tour was great, it blows the mind that a lush green jungle like environment exits just 20 minutes from the hectic commercial center that is Waikiki. Dianne was our tour guide, she lead us up to the waterfall and told us fun facts as we went up the mountain. Wife and I had casual hiking boots, kids had sneakers. We saw people going up with flip flops, I would not recommend trying the trail with flip flops. It rained the night before, parts of the trail was muddy and some rocks were a little slippery...with our shoes it was fun and easily navigable. Rocks, greenery, water...for an urban boy like me it was incredible, I can't find words to do it justice. Its got to be the best bang for the buck in terms of ROI..hike a little...see a LOT. With a little common sense (i.e. don't wear flip flops and don't try bringing grandma/grandpa if they are frail.), this is a great tour. December is the off season and the trail was somewhat busy...I'd imagine during the high season its like Disneyland. Almost everyone we saw on the trail were smiling and in awe...tourist types like us. Then there were the super-serious, hike as fast as you can types on the trail...apparently they were training for a competition that involves this mountain...just let them pass and get back to enjoying the scenery. Be sure to bring water and spray down with insect repellent. Although I didn't see any bugs, the Mrs got bitten several times..much more than the one/two I got. Great tour and kudos to Dianne.