Jurassic Park Hawaii Filming Locations: Real Islands Behind Isla Nublar

Isla Nublar is fictional. Michael Crichton’s story places it off the coast of Costa Rica, but Steven Spielberg’s 1993 film found its valleys, giant trees and waterfall in Hawaii. Hawaii’s state film history describes the helicopter arrival at the waterfall and says the film was shot on Kauai, with its raptors running on Kauai and Oahu (Hawaii Film Office press kit).

So the short answer is two islands. On Oahu, the stop is Kualoa Ranch and its Ka’a’awa Valley. On Kauai, Allerton Garden has the fig roots seen in the film, and Manawaiopuna Falls is the waterfall from the arrival. They are separate trips on separate islands, each with its own booking.

This guide covers the original film only. Kualoa and Kauai have also hosted later Jurassic productions, and a Jurassic-themed tour name does not tell you which film a stop belongs to.

The locations at a glance

Place	Island	Link to the 1993 film	How visitors see it
Kualoa Ranch, Ka’a’awa Valley	Oahu	Listed by the ranch among its film credits	Guided tours on private ranch land
Allerton Garden	Kauai	Moreton Bay fig roots featured in the film	The garden’s own booked guided tours
Manawaiopuna Falls	Kauai	The waterfall linked to the film by state tourism	Air tours only; no public trail

Kualoa Ranch: the valley on Oahu

Kualoa Ranch is a private nature reserve and working ranch on Oahu’s windward coast. Its owners describe 4,000 acres across three valleys, Kualoa, Hakipu’u and Ka’a’awa. The northern valley, Ka’a’awa, carries the nickname Jurassic Valley because it holds many of the ranch’s movie locations (Kualoa Ranch).

The ranch’s production list includes Jurassic Park (1993), alongside later titles such as Jurassic World (Kualoa Ranch film credits). That is a firm link between the film and the estate. It does not make every ridge or field an exact shot from the original. The valley has hosted many productions, and a view that looks familiar may come from a different film.

The same mix applies to tours. Kualoa’s Jurassic-themed tour says it visits filming spots from the original film as well as sets from Jurassic World and Fallen Kingdom (Kualoa Ranch tour). If the 1993 film is your interest, ask the guide which film each stop comes from.

Visiting Kualoa

• Kualoa is private land, seen on the ranch’s own guided tours. Its movie-sites tour runs by bus through Ka’a’awa Valley with little walking (Kualoa Ranch movie tour).
• Book with the ranch itself at kualoa.com. Some similar-looking travel sites describe Kualoa tours without operating the land, so compare what each product actually includes.
• The ranch is still a working farm. Stay with your group and follow your guide.

Allerton Garden: the fig roots on Kauai

On Kauai’s south shore, Allerton Garden is part of the National Tropical Botanical Garden. Its film link is a group of Moreton Bay fig trees whose roots rise from the ground in tall, folded walls. The garden itself says these are the roots “featured in blockbusters like Jurassic Park” (National Tropical Botanical Garden). Hawaii’s tourism board also says you may recognise the trees from the film (Go Hawaii).

That is a more specific link than a general claim that Kauai looks like Isla Nublar. Still, the garden is not a film set. It is a botanical garden with its own history and plant collections, and the figs are only one part of a longer walk.

Visiting Allerton

• Allerton is seen on guided tours that the garden runs on set days. Tours need booking, and visitors ride a bus into the garden (National Tropical Botanical Garden).
• The garden warns that buses leave on time and do not come back for late arrivals, so arrive early.

• Stay on the paths and off the fig roots. They are living trees.

Manawaiopuna Falls: the waterfall from the arrival

The film’s arrival sequence shows a helicopter dropping toward a tall waterfall. Hawaii’s film history describes that descent and says it was shot on Kauai (Hawaii Film Office press kit). The state tourism board’s film list tags Manawaiopuna Falls with Jurassic Park and notes that it can be seen by air tour only (Go Hawaii).

That access note is the key fact. The falls lie in a remote valley with no public trail. The tourism board places them among the scenic areas of Kauai that are largely out of reach by land or water (Go Hawaii).

Seeing the falls

• Visitors see the falls on helicopter tours of Kauai. A sightseeing flight and a product that includes a landing are different experiences, and any landing depends on the operator, the landowner and the weather. Read the operator’s current terms before you book.
• Don’t try to hike in. There is no public route, and the terrain is steep and remote.
• Other Kauai waterfalls have their own names and access rules. A cascade that looks similar is not the film’s waterfall.

What about the Nāpali Coast?

Many guides add Kauai’s Nāpali Coast to this list. The state tourism board’s film list links the coast to The Lost World: Jurassic Park, the 1997 sequel, rather than to the original (Go Hawaii). The coast can be seen by sea or air, but it is not a confirmed stop for the 1993 film.

Questions visitors ask

Was Jurassic Park filmed in Costa Rica? No. The story places Isla Nublar off Costa Rica, but the island scenes were filmed in Hawaii.

Can I walk to the Jurassic Park waterfall? No. Manawaiopuna Falls has no public trail, and the state tourism board lists it as viewable by air tour only.

Is everything on a Kualoa tour from the 1993 film? No. Kualoa has hosted many productions, including later Jurassic films. Ask the guide which film each stop belongs to.

Do I need a tour for Allerton Garden? Yes. The garden is visited on its own booked guided tours.

Can I see Kualoa and Allerton on the same day? Not easily. Kualoa is on Oahu and Allerton is on Kauai, so you need an inter-island trip between them.