Consciour Travel on Oahu

Fun, Fitness, and Wellness in Oahu

Oahu provides bucket list outdoor activities and wellness experiences your clients won’t find elsewhere.

Clients can take part in numerous sustainable outdoor activities and practice responsible tourism. Snorkeling with marine biologists, restore ancient Hawaiian fishponds, and explore native flora and fauna on an intimate cultural hike through the North Shore. Adventurous clients will love unique experiences as thrilling as helicopter jump and dives with former Navy Seals or as relaxing as yoga with horses and lei-making by a waterfall.

With everything from enthralling hikes, all kinds of yoga, and dolphin encounters, to lomilomi massage, waterfall meditations, and spa retreats, create once-in-a-lifetime itineraries.

Spotlight Interview:

Noelle Shaughnessy, Lead Crew Wild Side Specialty Tours

Wild Side Specialty Tours on Oahu’s Leeward Coast offers exceptional ocean and marine life experiences. Operating out of Waianae Boat Harbor, Wild Side’s intimate boat charters – with just four to 10 passengers – feature dolphin and whale sightings, swimming with dolphin encounters, reef snorkeling, and opportunities to help in research and conservation efforts.

Wild Side’s two vessels, Island Spirit and Alakai, are comfortable, environmentally friendly catamarans designed for enhanced dolphin viewing. Island Spirit hosts the Deluxe Wildlife Charter, the ideal adventure for families with kids under 12. Alakai gets underway with the Best of the West. While both excursions offer reef snorkeling and dolphin encounters, Alakai can travel further offshore in less time, and therefore offer year-round whale watching and sightings of wildlife such as seabirds and large fish.

With so few passengers, Wild Side delivers a unique guest experience that boats with 20 to 70 passengers simply cannot offer. “With four to 10 passengers, we’re like a family on each charter,” explains Noelle Shaughnessy, lead crew. “You get to know everyone. In fact, many guests return year after year.”

Smaller boats with fewer passengers are also better for marine life. “I see changes in dolphin behavior when they are with larger groups. With small groups, they are more relaxed,” notes Noelle.

Wild Side’s friendly, knowledgeable marine biologists and certified naturalists share their intimate knowledge of Oahu’s marine life plus Hawaiian heritage and history. Every part of the charter is guided from the dolphin swim to the reef snorkel. Guests learn about the dolphins and whales as well as the reef, its inhabitants, and the threats to this living system. “We also focus on the culture and history of Oahu’s West Side,” says Noelle. “We tell the stories of the first Polynesians who voyaged across the Pacific, were greeted by large schools of dolphins, and made landfall in beautiful Makua Valley.”

Guests can experience a variety of marine life species on Wild Side charters: spinner dolphins, sea turtles, tropical fish, and rays; rare species like bottle nose dolphins, pan tropical spotted dolphins, pilot whales, pygmy killer whales, false killer whales, and whales sharks; plus humpback whales November-April when they are in Hawaiian waters.

Wild Side passengers may also participate in conservation efforts. For instance, Wild Side partners with Cascadia Research Collective sharing photo identification of rare target species and observed animal behaviors such as pod composition hunting and traveling patterns. Guests can share their own photos and help count species while on board. Wild Side also works with Hawaii Uncharted, a new non-profit focused on tracking and counting whale sharks. Guests can help with these activities and even swim with the whale sharks.

While Wild Side’s marine encounters are amazing, the team also hopes to foster a better appreciation for the ocean and its creatures. “No matter where we live, we can do something for our oceans,” says Noelle. “If we lose our oceans, we lose ourselves. We want guests to enjoy wildlife and learn. And we hope they take away something they can share with someone else.”

Aina: Land Adventures

Oahu’s exciting selection of land-based activities showcase the breathtaking beauty of the island and Hawaiian culture.

Hawaii Forest & Trail

Hawaii Forest & Trail (HF&T) continues to roll out innovative programs since launching on Oahu last year. The new Oahu Sunset on the Ridge, available exclusively from Ko Olina Resort, is a hike on private lands in the Palehua highlands. Guests enjoy a serene forest walk and sweeping island views while learning about the legends, culture, and history of Hawaii and then enjoy sunset views with delicious appetizers. HF&T also now offers private, custom tours from Ko Olina Resort. The Spirit of the North Shore combines Kahuku Farms, lunch at a shrimp truck, Waimea Bay, and time at restored Loko Ea Fishpond. On the North Shore Waterfall Swim, guests swim at Waimea Valley and then stop in Haleiwa for shave ice. Contact HF&T to design something special for your clients or to book any of their adventures.

Agritourism Hawaii

Recently launched Agritourism Hawaii showcases Native Hawaiians’ historic aloha aina – love for the land – at three culturally significant sites. The tour visits Na Mea Kupono Learning Center, a six-acre taro farm where they use water sustainably to farm taro, the ancestral Hawaiian crop. In Waimea Valley, visitors learn about the ancient, mountain to sea ahupuaa land division system in which Hawaiians lived sustainably for thousands of years before contact with the West. The tour concludes at 400-year-old restored Loko Ea Fishpond where visitors learn about the sustainable aquaculture system of ancient Hawaiians. Visitors give back through malama aina (caring for the land) activities such as weeding and clearing out invasive species at the taro farm and helping to gather stones to rebuild the stone walls and throwing nets to catch fish at the fishpond.

Hawaiian Trail and Mountain Club

Hawaiian Trail and Mountain Club (HTMC) provides a safe way for both locals and visitors to explore Oahu’s trails. Visitors are welcome on many (but not all) HTMC hikes. Your clients can research upcoming hikes on the HTMC hike page. Clicking on a specific hike connects to a page with detailed information including hike mileage, difficulty rating (easy, intermediate, etc.), description, hike meeting place, and hike coordinator name and contact information. HTMC hikes are scheduled group hikes with a coordinator, but they are not guided hikes. All hikers are responsible for themselves and their own group. On the hike day, hikers convene at the trail head with the hike coordinator who will hold a short meeting, describe the trail condition, any possible areas that require hikers’ attention, and the recommended time to turn around and head back on the trail. HTMC trails are well marked with pink ribbons to guide hikers.

North Shore Ecotours

North Shore Ecotours offers off-road touring and hiking on private conservation lands in the company of Native Hawaiian guides who are also professional educators, conservationists, and cultural practitioners. Guests experience incredible natural beauty and gorgeous views in the North Shore back country without the crowds plus a unique, authentic cultural experience provided by local experts with insights into Hawaiian language, history, and nature. The company’s brand new Puaa Ahiu (the Wild Boar) tour–nicknamed the “hike on wheels” —is an exhilarating 4x4 off-road adventure aboard an ex-military Pinzgauer all-terrain vehicle that scrambles up steep ridgelines, negotiates muddy trails, and offers amazing mountain, valley, and ocean panoramas.

Kai: Ocean Adventures

From dolphin encounters to stand up paddle yoga, and scuba, Oahu provides bucket list activities for your clients.

Dolphin Quest Hawaii

Founded by two marine mammal veterans more than 30 years ago, Dolphin Quest Hawaii provides unique, interactive dolphin experiences with a pioneering organization committed to scientific research that supports the conservation of the species in the wild. Currently, Dolphin Quest is involved in 20 different scientific studies and contributes to many more while maintaining facilities that meet the highest standards of animal care in habitats that mimic the natural marine environment. Guests may choose from any of 10 intimate (six or fewer guests) experiences at the Dolphin Quest Hawaii lagoon at The Kahala Hotel & Resort. On the Kids’ Aquatic Adventure, children ages five to nine learn about dolphins, whales, and sea turtles through games and out of water experiences before interacting with dolphins in the shallow water. With Dolphin Adventure, guests enjoy an educational component and then a high energy water session. The emotionally enriching and educational dolphin encounters are unscripted and highly interactive, enabling guests to communicate with and ask the dolphins for specific behaviors.

Trident Adventures

Owned and operated by veteran Navy SEALS who have translated their old lives into fun and safe activities, Trident Adventures offers adrenaline-charged activities at Ko Olina Resort. On the Helicopter Jump and Dive, guests enjoy scenic views as the doors-off helicopter flies over the West Side mountains and valleys before jumping out of the helicopter straight into the water. After the jump, Trident Adventures pros outfit guests with scuba gear for underwater explorations. Another option is Sky Diving which involves tandem jumping with an instructor up at the North Shore’s Dillingham Field. Trident Adventures also offers Tactical Shooting at a private gun range. For the ultimate outing, Trident Adventures combines all three activities into the Exclusive Navy Seal for the Day. Also offered: scuba diving and snorkeling in the ocean or the protected Ko Olina lagoons.

Yoga Kai Hawaii

For stand up paddle (SUP) yoga on the North Shore, head to Yoga Kai Hawaii Classes are designed for all levels—from beginners to advanced. Even if students have never even tried yoga or been on a surfboard, owner and teacher Julie Fincher eliminates the intimidation factor some may feel. Simple yoga poses enable students to develop body awareness. Doing the poses on the board on the moving ocean just enhances that awareness. Most classes are offered at the North Shore’s Haleiwa Beach Park where the reef keeps the waters calm year-round. SUP Yoga classes are offered mornings and at sunset while SUP Glowga (night yoga on a glowing board) is available in the evening. Limited classes are offered in Honolulu at Ala Moana Beach Park’s Magic Island. Yoga Kai Hawaii’s first ever Yoga Oahu Retreat Nov 1-5 is a multi-day getaway featuring yoga, guided meditation, SUP yoga, Hawaiian culture, a spa day, and sound healing.

Yoga Floats

On the South Shore, Kelsey Barden and the Yoga Floats team take a friendly, lighthearted approach to SUP yoga by making classes fun and accessible. Classes are open to all levels of experience and all activities are done in warm, shallow water. In fact, most students are first-timers trying the sport on vacation. The idea is to slow down, connect to nature and one’s self while experiencing the waves, the sun, and the breezes. Yoga Floats offers SUP Yoga, Intro to Stand Up Paddling, Light Up the Night (SUP Yoga with underwater colored lights), Flow and Go (SUP Yoga and Paddle Combo) and private classes throughout the week at Magic Island at Ala Moana Beach Park.

Twogood Kayaks

Twogood Kayaks Hawaii’s new Kualoa Park Kayak Snorkel Beach Day is a fun fusion of sea and land adventures suitable for groups from 15 to 100. Guests spend the day at Kualoa Park enjoying snorkeling, kayaking, stand up paddle boarding, beach volleyball, croquet, and a catered picnic lunch. Trained staff are with the group all day. Lifeguards oversee snorkeling activities. And guides accompany guests who want to kayak out to Mokolii Island – also known as Chinaman’s Hat – where they can take a 20-minute- hike to the top for stunning views of Kaneohe Bay, the coast, and the Koolau Mountains.

Mind, Body, and Spirit: Wellness Experiences

Oahu wellness experiences include everything from yoga on the beach to yoga on a horse, meditation retreats, and ancient Hawaiian practices for creating harmony.

HorSea Yoga at Turtle Bay

HorSea Yoga at Turtle Bay take place at a breathtaking oceanfront setting. No horse or yoga is experience is required. Taught by a horse professional and a certified yoga teacher, HorSea Yoga is an intimate class with a maximum of six students. Horses are ideal for yoga because the human and horse connection is so historically deep and trusting. Yoga enhances that bond between humans and the horse and sitting on the horse also helps with body alignment of one’s shoulders, hips, and heels. Most of the time, horses are saddled, and the class does basic yoga poses such as pigeon, mountain, reverse pigeon, and windmill. If a class is small, and students are more advanced, the class be taken without saddles, thereby enhancing the student’s connection to the horse.

Mind Body Aloha

Susan and Jamie Alden of Mind Body Aloha are U.S. military veterans, yoga instructors, and meditation educators who offer an array of mind-body wellness retreats grounded in Hawaiian healing traditions and culture. Visitors are welcome at their one-day or multi-day retreats. One-day retreats might include yoga and meditation, lei making, hula workshops, and Hawaiian culture. Multi-day retreats enable deep dives into hula, ho'ponopono (the Hawaiian practice of creating harmony in all aspects of your life), yoga and meditation, kriya (yoga that combines breath work, mantra, mudra or hand movements, and movement to radically creative a positive shift in your energy), ukulele, and the Medicine Wheel (a Native American tradition designed to help move through life’s challenges). The Aldens also custom design one-day or multi-day retreats for clients.

Beach Sunset Yoga Hawaii

What could be more inspiring than yoga under the shade of a banyan tree just steps from the Pacific Ocean? Beach Sunset Yoga Hawaii offers 9 am and 5:30 pm oceanfront yoga classes daily, 60-75 minutes of mindful flow yoga that provide guests with a connection to the present moment and Hawaii’s nature. All classes accommodate first time yoga and more advanced students. Beach Sunset Yoga Hawaii also has the twice weekly, small group Jungle Yoga Hike, a day of mindful exploration in nature integrated with bits of hiking, yoga, and meditation by a waterfall. Karen Li of Beach Sunset Yoga Hawaii also leads retreats and teaches courses in MBSR (Mindful Based Stress Reduction).

Still & Moving Center

Located in a beautiful 6,000-square-foot space in the heart of Kakaako, Still & Moving Center welcomes visitors at their mind-body movement classes and workshops, wellness treatments, and Hawaiian cultural experiences. Adult classes include aerial dance, yoga hula, martial arts (Qigong and Tai Chi), meditation, Nia, Pilates, belly dance, and stability ball. Sitting baby hula, kids’ hula, aerial dance, and Mommy, Daddy, and Me Yoga, plus Yoga Sunday School are among the children’s classes. Extensive wellness therapies include Hawaiian lomilomi massage, Thai Yoga massage, and Body Journey Work. Hawaiian cultural experiences such as hula and ukulele strumming and a Waterfall and Lei Making workshop at beautiful Waimea Valley on the North Shore are led by a kumu hula (hula master).

Bliss Out at Oahu’s Hotel and Resort Spas

Discover Oahu’s heavenly Hawaii-inspired resort spas, a hotel designed around wellness, and a North Shore spa retreat for your clientele.

Hawaii Inspired Spa Treatments

Guests can relax at The Abhasa Spa at The Royal Hawaiian with the Abhasa Harmony, an East meets West treatment featuring a Hawaiian-inspired lomilomi massage infused with Japanese Shiatsu. Pressure is applied to tsu-bo points along the meridian of the body followed by a rhythmic lomilomi massage to melt tension away.

The total head-to-toe body rejuvenating Hawaiian Organic Spa Experience at Spa Khakara at the Sheraton Waikiki uses only the purest, most organic skincare found in Hawaii: extra virgin coconut oil, passion fruit, and Hawaiian honey.

At Laniwai – A Disney Spa at Aulani Resort, the Signature Lomilomi massage features a gentle, rhythmic massage that incorporates lomilomi sticks and warm river stones to release tension, pain, and fatigue while replenishing the mind, body, and spirit.

Island inspired treatments at Laakea Spa at Outrigger Reef Waikiki Beach include the Sea of Laakea, pure pampering that includes an exfoliating body scrub, Swedish massage, aroma journey facials, hydrating foot treatment, and infrared salt lounge session.

The Coconut Lava Shell Massage at Nalu Kinetic Spa at Turtle Bay Resort relieves muscle tension while the heat of the lava shell relaxes and smooths away knots. The lava shells give off calcium ions that when heated can help firm and regenerate skin while the coconut argan oil moisturizes, sooths, and help right free radical damage.

Couples can indulge in the Hawaiian Kuuipo Lomi Lomi Massage at Mandara Spa at the Hilton Hawaiian Village which takes place in a special spa suite. The experience features a 50-minute side-by-side massage followed by a 25-minute hydrotherapy bath.

The Awapuhi at Na Hoola Spa at Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort & Spa includes a sugar cane back scrub, lomilomi massage, and scalp massage. A plantain sugar cane scrub with taro and awa (kava plant) are used to exfoliate the back while the awapuhi (ginger) lotion used for the lomilomi massage is made with a special blend of organic Hawaiian herbs.

Wellness Experiences

Completely redesigned Renew Hotel is built around local wellness and features programs that cultivate a deeper connection to Hawaii. A Wellness Concierge directs guests to the best wellness minded dining, activities, shopping, beaches, and parks. Guests can volunteer with travel2change which offers opportunities to give back while having fun through bike tours and beach clean ups or kayaking and bay cleanups. Complimentary astrology readings, mini aromatherapy facials, and beach yoga; a Relax Station to promote better sleep; in room workout kits; on site Peloton bikes; a local welcoming tea and a departing gift of Oahu-made honey round out the wellness offerings.

SpaHalekulani at the Halekulani hosts Living Well presentations the first Saturday each month. On Oct 5, Brain Power! will showcase how foods and lifestyle can optimize brain health and enhance memory. The Power of Belief on Nov 2 is all about the powerful role that belief plays in one’s journey of well-being and how this concept can manifest dreams into reality. The Dec 7 presentation, Ultimate Vitality: Living the Best Version of Yourself, is designed to help participants feel empowered to make simple changes in lifestyle and enjoy a life of optimal health.

Over on the Moana Surfrider’s Diamond Lawn, Vino & Vinyasa is an evening of relaxation for the mind, body and spirit as a local yoga expert guides guests through a vinyasa yoga class designed to strengthen the core and increase flexibility followed by a glass of wine.

On the North Shore, The Sullivan Estate & JK7 Spa Retreat offers private and bespoke wellness experiences on a secluded five-acre estate featuring a luxurious home, salt water pool, lush tropical gardens, state of the art spa facilities and amenities along with breathtaking views. Private day appointments start with the five-hour Restore Yourself package featuring the Detoxifying Aroma Steam Sauna & Cold Plunge, the JK7-SPA Sensator Sensory Stress-Dissolving Treatment, the JK7 Skin Like Silk Signature Body Treatment, the JK7 Full Body Signature Massage, and an organic vegetarian gourmet lunch.

Tips from the Experts: Targeted Selling Strategies

Heather Di Pietro of Travel Sales Group discusses why Oahu is so perfect for outdoor adventure and wellness travel.

Oahu is ideally suited for experiencing a culture while getting exercise and outdoor activity.
Oahu has three different areas for pursuing outdoor adventure. On the West Side you can swim with spinner dolphins. On the North Shore near Turtle Bay Resort, you can do surf classes, take a mountain bike tour, or stop at Kualoa Ranch for ziplining and horseback riding. And in Waikiki, head down to the beach for surf canoeing.

Oahu’s hotel and resort spas weave Hawaiian culture into the spa experiences.
Lomilomi massage is a special Hawaiian treatment. Many spas use locally sourced oils and lotions in the treatments. And many spas’ design and surroundings are inspired by the Hawaiian location.

Use wellness as a business builder on Oahu.
When clients work with a travel agent, they should get an experience. For instance, the perfect way to start off an Oahu vacation after a long flight from the mainland is an hour-long massage at a one of the resort spas. If you book the spa before your guest arrive, it’s commissionable. And if your guests are happy with the massage, you’re the hero.

Enhance your clients’ travels with other unique Oahu experiences.
If you have clients staying at Turtle Bay on the North Shore, book a one-way transfer from Honolulu Airport on Paradise Helicopters. Imagine starting your trip with a scenic journey over Oahu. While expensive, it’s worth it. Another benefit: it’s commissionable.

Malama Oahu: Voluntourism Opportunity

With the motto “Keeping Hawaii Clean from Mauka to Makai” (Mountain to Sea), non-profit 808 Cleanups is dedicated to restoring Hawaii’s natural beauty by empowering volunteers to conduct group clean ups outdoor spaces. Beach clean ups, clearing litter and invasive species from hiking trails, and graffiti removal from sacred Hawaiian spaces such as heiau (temples) are among the group’s activities. Visitors to Oahu can check the website calendar page to choose a clean-up and download the app to connect with other volunteers. To organize a custom clean up during a trip to Oahu, visitors should join the 808 Cleanups Group on Facebook or email 808cleanups@gmail.com

UPCOMING WEBINARS

Reminder: Daylight Savings starts March 12 and ends November 5. Please adjust your calendars accordingly.