HILO (Big Island): Amazonia in 'The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull'.
It was 2008 when Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull came out, a time when green screens were all the rage. But, once again, we have to thank Mr. Spielberg for making the decision to travel with all the crew to Hilo, in the Big Island of Hawaii to reproduce the Amazon Rainforest in the film.
The lush nature of this island has nothing to envy to the landscape of the largest rainforest in the world. Spielberg’s original plan was to use a famous waterfall in the area as the background for this scene, but it was too risky due to a hurricane threat. So he was forced to send a second unit to the Iguazu Falls in Brazil and Argentina to film those establishing shots.
HULE'IA NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE (Kauai): Peruvian landscapes in 'Raiders of the Lost Ark'.
“South America, 1936”. This is the caption that appears on the screen in the beginning scene of Raiders of the Lost Ark. Only a few seconds before we see Harrison Ford in the “Peruvian jungle” looking for (no surprise) a hidden treasure.
This famous scene was actually filmed in Hawaii, specifically at Hulēʻia National Wildlife Refuge on Kaua’i Island. Sadly, the explorers who will nowadays travel to this paradise on Earth won’t be able to visit it. It’s currently closed to the public to preserve its wildlife.
But this doesn’t mean that you cannot have and adventure in Hawaii! There are endless trails and activities around all of its islands for you to explore its natural wilderness. Surely Indy won’t hesitate to join the Volcanoes National Park tour that you can find on our ‘Activities’ section!
