Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Rail (Yanbaru-kiuna), a flightless bird; Pryer's woodpecker (Noguchi-gera), a single species
in a single genus; and several types of salamander, turtle and frog, all unique to the Yanbaru
Forest. You won't be disappointed when you reach the falls as the water supply in the north
runs fairly consistently year round. The cascade measures 85 feet (26 meters) high, making
it the highest waterfall in Okinawa. Swimming and diving are prohibited. There have been
many accidents (and several deaths) here, but you are allowed to wade in the cool waters at
the base of the falls.
Incidentally, from the moment you arrived at the Hiji Falls parking lot or, for that matter,
when you crossed Route 58 coming east, you entered Okinawa's vast northern jungle forest,
the Yanbaru (
やんばるの森
; Yanbaru no mori). The word descriptively translates from Ok-
inawan dialect as “mountain area with dense forests.” With the exception of a few northern
villages, almost the entire top one-third of Okinawa Island is covered by this great forest.
About one-quarter of it, the eastern side, is occupied by the Marines. It's the Camp Gonsalves
Jungle Warfare Training Center. This section is a restricted zone and only has a few public
roads crossing through.
Okinawa's vast northern Yanbaru Forest.
If the little hike to Hiji Falls only whetted your appetite for more, armed with a good map
or GPS you can explore east from here. Almost all of the north is criss-crossed by narrow
roads and jeep tracks. You might want a four-wheel drive vehicle, a dirt or mountain bike or a
sturdy pair of legs. Three miles (5 kilometers) east from the Hiji Falls parking lot, almost dead
center on this section of the island, is Mt Yonaha (
与那覇岳
; Yonaha-daké), Okinawa's highest
point at 1,634 feet (498 meters). It's a favorite place for hikers. Upon reaching the summit,
you'll find two aluminum ladders that lean against the trees. Climb up and now you've got
the highest view on all of Okinawa. You can reach the peak from the end of the track. The
other, more common entrance to the northern hiking trail is from the north, about 6 miles
(10 kilometers) south of Route 2.
