The Pana'ewa Rainforest Zoo is a small zoo about 20mins drive from central Hilo which specialises in showcasing local and tropical wildlife. They have an extensive collection of monkeys, and some extremely personable parrots! Einstein and the Umbrella Cockatoo and Zoey the Hyacinth Macaw were particular favourites. Namaste the white tiger is an island celebrity, and the day after we... more

This was a great experience for us. We had our 13,11,and 7 year old daughters with us and everyone loved this zoo and garden. Just enough animals to see and beautiful flowers. It is free admission but we made sure to leave a nice donation so the zoo stays nice for future trips. The highlight was seeing the White Tiger. more

We stopped at the Zoo on our trip to Hilo. My husband wasn't too pleased to go at first, because we had a zoo back at home, and he couldn't understand why we would go to another zoo. However, the Panaewa Rainforest Zoo is unlike any other zoo I've ever been to, and surpasses other larger zoo, such as the... more

While staying in Hilo during our Big Island part of our honeymoon we decided to visit a zoo. The Pana'ewa Zoo was a great part of our Hilo experience. It is not the largest zoo that I have ever been to but does a great tribute to some of Hawaii's local animals as well as some other fun additions. The... more

Our group of 7 visited the zoo a few weeks ago and enjoyed it. One of the teenagers who were with us had never been to a zoo, so that may have made it a little more enjoyable, but we had a good time. First of all, it's free which is nice. They have a little gift shop right at... more

We stopped by the zoo in early February. It's not on the scale of something like the North Carolina Zoological Park, but it's well worth a visit. The landscaping is nice, the animals are interesting, the staff is friendly, it isn't crowded and it is free. Not a bad combination! more

Wonderful Zoo. The white tiger was beautiful. Very nice place to slow down and spend some hours. Even nicer, there is no entrance fee! more

Pana'ewa rainforest zoo was the most charming surprise we stumbled upon on our trip around theBig Island. It is free, and small enough to spend a little time up close and personal with the animals. Namaste, the white Bengal tiger at this zoo is from the Sigfried & Roy line of tigers in Las Vegas. If you arrive just before... more