The ultimate nature park in Okinawa

This facility is one of the few places on the island where you can ride in a water buffalo-drawn cart. A leisurely, 20-25-minute water buffalo cart ride enveloped in nature costs ¥2,200 for adults and ¥1,100 for children.

Okinawa is the only place in Japan with a subtropical oceanic climate. Because Okinawa has such a unique natural environment, visitors can enjoy the clear emerald-green waters, lush evergreen forests, and the spectacular scenery of dense primary jungles with subtropical plants and mangroves covering the island. Okinawa's wilderness is home to many endemic species that are rare even in the world, and it is said that there are still many unknown wilderness areas that have not been fully researched. Bios Hill, a facility where visitors can enjoy such great nature all at once, is a 65-acre (26-hectare) site based on recreating the natural landscape of Okinawa as it was in the past. The facility in the hills near the Okinawa Expressway Ishikawa exit boasts one of the largest number of orchids in Japan. It is designed with an awareness of the natural ecosystem as much as possible. Canoeing and buffalo cart tours are also available. It is such a treasure house of nature that 51 of the 57 species of butterflies in the prefecture have been spotted on the grounds of Bios Hill. This is a recommended healing and forest bathing spot that you should visit at least once while in Okinawa.

Bios Hill boasts the largest variety of orchids in Japan. Horticulturists nurture the young orchids in the park's greenhouses and then transplant them in various locations throughout the park. Other plants and trees, including pines, pineapples, ferns, and a wide variety of flowers, are also cultivated. Trees cut into unique shapes, such as dragons and scrolls, are scattered here and there.