Opinions differ about this hiking trail. Is it allowed to walk it or not? In the "Ultimate Guidebook of Big Island" you can find this trail. Some claim that the rainforest there is public land. Residents, on the other hand, say that it is on private property and that you are not allowed to walk it. There is also a prohibition sign at the beginning of the trail. I guess the park ranchers just want to keep the tourists at bay. Exciting adventures beyond the tourist hotspots might require ignoring a prohibition sign. (Without that we would like to ask you to do so!) In America almost everything is forbidden...

The way to the highly active PuuOo crater is not easy to find. From Hilo, take Highway 11 in the direction of Volcano Village. After Mountain View, turn left at the gas station onto S. Glenwood Road, which becomes Captain's Drive. Follow this road to the end. There, where prohibition signs point to the "Rainforest to PuuOo Hike", you leave your car and hope on your return that it remained unharmed. Again and again one hears of car break-ins there. It is advisable not to leave valuables in the car and to open the glove compartment. A tip you hear again and again. This shows the thieves that nothing is up for grabs. It's up to you to decide whether you want to embark on this adventure. What awaits you there, however, is more than spectacular. It is to be said, however, quite clearly that this hike is only something for adventurers who know something about volcanoes. The path itself, however, is with a length of 12 km for outward and return well to master.

The rainforest itself is dreamlike. A narrow path leads through lush greenery rarely seen. And a silence that is unparalleled, disturbed only by melodious birdsong. Again and again rustling in the rainforest makes me pause. There are supposed to be wild boars here from time to time. How to deal with them I don't know, I haven't seen any. Probably panic and attack is the wrong choice. When you have passed the rainforest, you are standing directly in front of the bombastic PuuOo crater. The surroundings resemble a battlefield. Fallen, burned trees, here and there columns of smoke billowing out of the ground and pointing to underground lava tubes. Whether one can see molten lava here is uncertain, but can be found on the Kilauea observatory page. Or you can approach the smoke columns or follow the flight paths of the helicopters that circle above you and show tourists the crater from the air.