Doing a zipline in Hawaii was one of those top items on our family's bucket list and Brian and Kaleo at Skyline gave us a perfect family adventure! We certainly have photo's of our adventure, but the memories we have will last a lifetime! If you are thinking of ziplining in Hawaii, this has got to be one of the best one's out there!!
The whole team at Skyline in Hilo were welcoming, friendly and knowledgeable and had our safety always in mind. The gear was clean and well maintained including harness and helmet and were properly fitted by the team. Skyline even provided sunscreen and mosquito repellant for a couple families who had not brought any. The trip to the top of the zipline was a bit bumpy in the van going up the dirt farming roads, but throughout that part of the trip Brian and Kaleo shared some interesting information about local farming, products and suggestions for the best places to visit and things to do in the area...all peppered with some good natured humor, which made the ride up the mountain a memory in its own right!
Once at the top, Brian and Kaleo taught us how to zipline, to turn and glide and how to safely "land" at the end of each zip run. There were 7 legs of the tour with each zipline increasing in length and height. The first line was an easy short "confidence" building zip of about 50 feet and the last was an awesome 3,000+ foot long and over 200 foot high zip over Akaka Falls. Each leg of the 7 ziplines were focused on a particular local plant variety and it's associated history with the Hilo area and Hawaii overall. Brian and Kaleo showed us how banana's are grown and harvested, for example and we also learned the "sweet" difference between a pineapple and a white pineapple. Who knew? We also tasted some freshly cut sugarcane and apple banana's that the Skyline team had found along the way in the tour, which was a pleasant surprise. Lastly, there was cold water and shade available at all but one of the 7 legs. In all, Brian and Kaleo took very good care of us throughout the entire afternoon!
What to bring: sneakers, hiking shoes (no open toe / open heel scandals), mosquito repellant (really just for your legs), sunscreen, sunglasses (with a lanyard so you don't lose them), pocket camera with a wrist strap (leave the honking Nikon locked in the car...you'll spend more time trying not to drop it and will just miss the shear awesomeness of the zip!). Wear shorts and short sleeve top if the weather is warm. Bring along a bandana to wipe away sweat if the day is to be a hot one.
What to leave locked in the car: Hats, glasses of any type that you don't have a lanyard for (you can buy lanyard at the Skyline tour office for about $3 before your tour), big honkin' cameras (you can rent go-pro's from Skyline), water bottle and anything in your pockets or on your wrist that you would not want to lose on the zip. Skyline provides a free group lock box for car keys, wallets, watches, etc. before the tour begins.
This adventure was an excellent afternoon for me and my family. We loved every minute of it and will remember it always! Thank you Brian and Kaleo for being excellent guides! Next time we ride, we'll try to beat your longest "mark"!