Cowboys of Hawaii Mendes Ranch 5.0 (reviews)

What images do Hawaii conjure up for you? Ocean, luaus, leis....cowboys? Strange! But at the Mendes Ranch, you can be a cowboy yourself!

Imagine taking to the horse trails on your very own steed, enjoying the amazing scenery of the Hawaiian coastline...nothing like that Pacific Ocean air in your face as you imagine yourself herding 5000 head of cattle back in the old west days!

The Mendes Family originated on the island in 1866 (that's a pretty long time ago!), all the way from a group of islands called The Azores. The land was originally a homestead in the 1940s, and grew into a ranch over 3,000 acres, with 300 head of cattle and 80 horses. That's impressive!

The trail ride that your family will be enjoying is actually right across a working ranch, so you can see what it really takes to be a cowboy (and kids can see what hard work REALLY looks like!)

There are two options you can choose with the trail ride - The Aloha Ride can be enjoyed in the morning or the afternoon, and will take you down the edge of an amazing valley, and stop at some beautiful points for a photo with the seascape in the background. This 90 minute experience has refreshments and a whole lotta fun ready to be had!

Because of the history of the ranch, there are lots of fun historical facts that kids can take in too, and sites to explore. Your ride will start at the Blacksmith Shop (Kids, do you know what they do?), and then you go through the breaking pen, through the rolling hills and you might even spot cattle being herded - it's not an easy task!  

Some of the historic sites you might encounter are the Red Track where the famous Parker Ranch Thoroughbreds were trained (AND they still hold the world record for speed - how fast do you think they went!)

So if you are feeling a little horse today - join the club! Head on over to Mendes Ranch and REALLY get into the spirit of the cowboy way!