Yamburu National Park resides in the northern part of Okinawa Island and a part of this whs. Our visit was late June.

By rental car the toll road highway took us from Naha Airport to the site. Arriving in the evening we took only a quick drive through the core of the park on narrow, overgrown roads and made plans for the next day.

After a night at the Ada Garden Hotel (remember to book half board) on the eastern side we re-entered the park, that is after we could watch the endemic Okinawa rail bird just outside the hotel. Another hotel guest told us she’d been here 8 years, but never seen it until now. Driving into the park we also spotted the tiny wild boar along the road.

We had decided for two hikes in the park, the first one to the peak of the National Park, Mount Yohana (no entrance fee). From the starting point we loaded up with insect spray, water and wandered off.

It’s a 2-hour hike return trip with only 200 m of elevation. The dense vegetation makes it hard to get an overview, so we focused on plants and hope to see some animals. The latter were sparse. There were insects and we could hear a lot of birds but saw only a few. The path was rocky, muddy, flat to steep (so bring good shoes). It was early morning so not so hot, but very humid.

The other hike is a small hour away, to Hiji Falls (it’s a 600 JPY entrance fee). It started at a camp site and a small artificial waterfall. The path started out paved (for wheelchairs) and was well arranged for walking with a lot of stairs (apparently not for wheelchairs anymore). The waterfall is nice but small, but in these surroundings, it looks like coming straight out of the vegetation and thus more special. We’ve reached mid-day and in addition to the humid the heat had turned on. The few open areas were very hot. Bring water.

From the west side we drove around the core and buffer zone. Up north to Cape Hedo, the northern tip of the island, and further on down on the east side. We found a good, deserted sandy beaches to use, which was much needed in the heat. 

Maybe a trip to one or two of the other islands would enhance this visit, but we were satisfied with this one.

After another night in the same hotel, we headed south - towards the Gusuku Sites of Ryukyu.

### Randi & Svein Elias