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Once I finished my time at Churaumi Aquarium I got back in my rental car to continue my exploration of northern Okinawa. I followed a scenic coastal highway for a while before turning inland towards my next destination.
The next item on my sightseeing list was Hiji Waterfall. From the parking lot it’s a 1.5 km hike through the densely forested Yombaru region of Okinawa. This part of the island has few population centers, which allows the local wildlife to flourish. It wasn’t overly hot that day and the hike to the waterfall isn’t difficult but it was incredibly humid in the forest and I was sweating like I was in the middle of a really intense cardio workout. Some of the men I saw on the trail had taken their shirts off instead of drenching them in sweat. I would have brought a towel with me had I known what I was in for.
After about 35-40 minutes I reached Hiji and thankfully the mist from the waterfall helped cool me off a little. Hiji Waterfall is about 26 meters tall and there’s a spot off to the side where you can get fairly close to it. Standing by the waterfall and taking in the sights and sounds of Okinawa’s natural side was a nice reward for the sweating required reach it.
The hike back to the parking lot was a bit quicker because I didn’t stop that often for photos. When I got back I dried myself off as best as I could and then I turned on my car’s air conditioning at full blast as I drove back to the coastal road. There was still more of northern Okinawa to see but thankfully I wouldn’t have any more intense sweating sessions on the island.
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