Kualoa Ranch operation offers many ways to learn, have fun in nature

Bruce Keller and Christene "Cookie" Meyers take a pause for a selfie, framed by the
skeleton of a dinosaur on the beautiful "Jurassic Park" backdrop at Kualoa Ranch, on Oahu. 

FROM MOVIES TO ZIP LINE, BIKES, HORSEBACK RIDES, TREE PLANTING, KUALOA RANCH OFFERS TOURISTIC FUN

STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS

Keller, Cookie and their fabulous guide on Kualoa Ranch.  

PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER

PUT YOURSELF on set. You're right there in Jurassic Park, escaping growling dinosaurs, running for your life to your get-away jeep. Phew. Made it. A  quick escape, close call. You're safe for now.

Well, perhaps that's a bit more dramatic than what actually happens at Kualoa Ranch's picturesque Jurassic Valley. But you truly get a feel for the making of this Steven Speilberg hit film.

All aboard a Kualoa bus to tour movie sets.

We spent a lovely afternoon when we visited one of the places the movie was made, at Kualoa Ranch on the island of Oahu.

THE RANCH is a kind of rural Disneyland, located northeast of Honolulu on a verdant valley which provides an appealing environment for a working cattle ranch and enough tours to keep you busy for several days. Kualoa is a 4,000-acre private nature reserve, ranch and popular tourist attraction. As one of the world's prime filming location, it spreads out on prime land on the windward coast of the island, just 24 miles from Honolulu,

Movie fans from around the world enjoy the chance to
walk around Kualoa Ranch's "Jurassic Park" where many
hit films and TV shows have been filmed.

The beautiful ranch is home to some famous movie and television sites but offers much more than movie making entertainment.

The tour we chose is one of eight various and diverse offerings. Others focus on a leisurely horseback ride through fields,a zip line over the valleys, a boat trip to a private hideaway and more.

You can even exercise your green thumb and plant a tree, one of many ecologically hip offerings at this pretty and progressive place.

Our movie tour didn't disappoint, and several of our fellow participants had signed on for a second tour.

Hard to beat the setting for movies, TV
shows in this beautiful valley on Oahu.

A family from San Jose had enjoyed  a jungle expedition earlier. Friends from New Jersey enjoyed a pleasant horseback ride with their teen-age kids. A young honeymoon couple from Japan was still smiling after a zip line jaunt, soaring through the canopy. They were coming back the next day for a raptor tour.

WE'LL TAKE a jeep excursion or a mountain bike ride next time.

The "best of Kualoa Ranch" tour combines a jungle expedition by jeep in a rain forest, a farm trolley tour, and a look at filming locations we enjoyed. A buffet lunch and informal talk explores the state's history and culture for those wishing a deeper look at the island's rich heritage.
 

It's wise to choose 2 or more options to make a full day of it since the drive, although beautiful, is a good 40 minutes from Honolulu.

Keller climbs aboard one of the jeeps used in filming
"Jurassic Park." The studio left several remnants behind.

We're movie tour junkies, and this one is great fix for "on location" fans. The eye-popping setting is named  “Jurassic Valley” and beside that famous film, the ranch provided backdrop for other big box office hits, including "King Kong," and TV's popular "Hawaii Five-0," plus new trending treasure-hunt movies including "Finding Ohana" (which means finding family.)

 THE CLIENTELE comes from all over the world, much as tourism to Hawaii does. Australians are in abundance; we met several adventuresome Aussies on our tour.

As a working cattle ranch, a tour through
the terrain includes a chance to come face
 to face with cattle, such as this prize bull.

A bonus to our day was a stroll through the photo gallery of Hawaiian notables, and a stop at "Kualoa Grown Market," a lovely little store with meats, vegetables and tropical flowers grown in the ranch's award-winning and diversified agricultural operation. A team of 45 staff grow, cultivate, and raise food for Hawaii's residents and visitors. This inventive operation includes 60 crops, an array of the state's world famous tropical flowers, plus beef, pork, shrimp, oysters, and lamb. We bought delicious teriyaki beef which we prepared with the ranch's vegetables for a fabulous meal in our condo. The ranch also offers two gorgeous venues for weddings, corporate events, celebrations.

Highly recommended for a fun time for family, couples or singles looking to meet like minded folks. Tours average from $58 to $150.

kualoa.com

UP NEXT: Get ready for a wild ride on the Big Island of Hawaii, with a Body Glove tour, full of information and insights from a scholarly but lively narrator. We prepared for the beauty of a Hawaiian sunset while enjoying a glass of wine and a scenic, narrated ride to some of Hawaii's most stunning bays along the tropical South Kona coast. We stopped at Kealakekua Bay, home to a spectacular coral reef, where our guide described Captain Cook's visit and pointed out the nearby lush Kona coffee coast area. Besides its historical significance, the area holds many archeological and historical sites. We enjoyed an ahi supper while experiencing the beauty of the Hawaiian sunset while enjoying a scenic ride to one of the most stunning bays in the world on our 41ft super-raft.

bodyglovehawaii.com