Yanbaru National Park is a place where you can see the unique nature of Okinawa.
Yanbaru National Park is a vast park administered by the national government that stretches across the northern part of Okinawa Prefecture.
The word “Yanbaru” means an area of mountains and forests.
The park offers the great natural beauty of subtropical foliage forests and many of Okinawa’s endemic animals.
Yanbaru National Park is located in an area that includes Kunigami Village, Ogimi Village, and Higashi Village.
Yanbaru National Park is located at latitude 27 degrees north.
However, it is an area with a subtropical maritime climate, with high annual rainfall, and is said to nurture a large number of flora and fauna.
Point 1: You have a chance to see Okinawa’s endemic animals.
In Yanbaru National Park, visitors can encounter animals that cannot be seen anywhere else.
Typical examples are the Yanbaru rail, the Okinawan pond frog, and the Yanbaru long-armed scarab beetle, among many other diverse animals.
In Japan as a whole, half of the bird species alone and a quarter of the frog species can be seen.
Yanbaru National Park is home to many rare animals.
When visiting Yanbaru National Park, it is recommended to find out what kind of animals are there.
Point 2: Experience Okinawa’s unique nature
The Yanbaru area, where Yanbaru National Park is located, is about 80% forest.
The lush subtropical foliage forests are a unique sight of Okinawa.
Visitors can see Okinawan Sekkoku, mangroves, Sudajii, and iju, all of which are unique to Okinawa.
Some activities take advantage of this great nature.
You can enjoy trekking through nature, river trekking along the river, or kayaking through the mangroves and the ocean.
You can also enjoy camping in nature.
Point 3: You can see beautiful locations.
Yanbaru National Park is a large area of ocean, mountains, and rivers where nature remains.
Everywhere you go, there are spots where you can see beautiful scenery.
For example, in the ocean, there is Kayuchi Banta, where you can see the beautiful, untouched ocean and coastline.
In the mountains, there is Oishilinshan, where you can walk along a trail and see many rock faces.
On the river side, there is the Keisajigawa River where you can see mangroves growing close by.
There are many other spots with beautiful locations.
