- Visiting Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium: From Coral Reefs to Whale Sharks
- Okinawa Battle Sites Tour
- Day Trip To Cape Hedo, Okinawa
- Zamami Island, Okinawa
- Hiji Falls Hike, Okinawa
- Tsuken Island Okinawa, aka “Carrot Island”
- Iriomote Island, Japan – Beaches, Jungles, and Wild Cats
- Okinawa World Heritage Sites
- Indiana Jones Trail, Okinawa
- Exploring Ie Shima, Okinawa
- Tunnel Rats, Exploring Okinawa’s WWII Caves
- Okinawa Night Hike, Photographing Wildlife
- Walk the Gusuku Route in Kitanakagusuku
- Spending a Day on Kudaka Island, Okinawa
- What to Know about Okinawa’s Shisa: The Guardian Lions
- Visit Kumejima – Beaches, Caves, Views, and So Much More
- Visiting Kouri Island: A Must Visit Destination in Okinawa
An Okinawa night hike has been on my to-do list since moving to the island. After all, Okinawa especially the jungles of Northern Okinawa in a region known as Yambaru has a rich biodiversity. Many animals in Yambaru exist only here and no other place on the planet to include the Okinawa Rail, Okinawa Woodpecker, Ryukyu Long Haired Rat, Spiny Rat, Ishikawa’s Frog, and Yanbaru Long Armed Scarab Beetle.
There is a fantastic photographer here in Okinawa that does guided night hikes and other excursions. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity on joining him for a night hike in Northern Okinawa. His incredible work can be found on his seawildearth website. He is a professional and led a guided tour that was one of the best experiences I’ve had to date. The hike itself was an adventure and the animals we saw were even more incredible.
Join me on an adventure as I bring awareness to hiking at night in Okinawa, how to prepare for a night hike, and share photos and information on the incredible wildlife encounters.
The night hike took place on a Friday, which is especially important because we were out past 3:00 am and had the following day to rest. We met in Yomitan and drove two hours north to Yanbaru National Park before turning right on a side rode and driving another 45 minutes to the trailhead.
Once at the trailhead, we hiked for about 1.5 hours before hitting the turning point. The trail itself was not very long nor difficult, but we made many pit stops to photograph wildlife.
After the hike, we made two stops alongside the road at locations known to our guide where unique species were generally found.
There are so many trails, hiking locations, and small pull offs within Yanbaru National Park, so it’s guaranteed you will spot some wildlife at night no matter where you are in Northern Okinawa.
Checklist - What to Bring
Hiking at night in Northern Okinawa is no walk in the park. It takes planning, paying attention, and common sense. There are venomous snakes in Okinawa and other dangerous animals not to mention the terrain can be extreme with weather conditions being unpredictable at times. To help you better plan for an Okinawa night hike, here is a checklist of necessities.
- Water
- Hat
- Light source (flashlight or headlamp)
- Good pair of hiking boots or rain boots
- Insect repellent
- Layers of clothes depending on weather and time of year
- Long pants
- Camera gear to include a good lens and flash for photography wildlife
Wildlife Encountered
Wildlife in Okinawa is truly unique. These endemic species exist here and nowhere else on the planet. Because of this, encroachment of humans, and the introduction of non-native species such as the mongoose and cat, wildlife numbers in Yambaru National Park are declining.
There are no large animals on the island besides wild boar who were also introduced to the island. Otherwise, most animals on the island are small. The animals in Okinawa may be on the smaller side but the biodiversity is rich.
Below are some of the animals we encountered on our night hike through the jungles of Northern Okinawa.
Frogs
Ishikawa’s Frog
Namie’s Frog
Okinawa Green Tree Frog
Okinawa Tip-nosed Frog
Lizards and Newts
Kuroiwa’s Ground Gecko
Okinawa Tree Lizard
Sword Tailed Newt
Snakes
Hime Habu
Ryukyu Odd Tooth Snake
Spiders
Okinawa Fishing Spider
Female Huntsman Spider with Egg Sack
Insects
Japanese Tiger Beetle
Long Legged Centipede
Mukade
Shooting Wildlife at Night
I must say, I am still new to photographing wildlife especially at night. During this hike, I used my Nikon D7500. At the time, I didn’t have any fancy lenses or flash. I have since bought a new macro lens and flash system in order to improve my night photography. I can see myself doing this a lot more now, so I made the decision to upgrade my equipment. I’ll most likely update the photos in this post as I encounter more wildlife and as my photography skills improve.
For shooting wildlife at night, I recommend shooting in manual mode and manual flash. This way you have control of the camera and can focus on what you want to take pictures of. Tripods are not necessary for photographing small animals at night as they tend to move around a lot.
Once I get more used to my new equipment, I will update this post with tips on proper settings and general shooting wildlife at night.
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