Into the Mist: Why Cloud Forests Are So Rare (and Why That Matters)

Michelle Gallagher Escobar
Jun 26
2 min read

There’s something rare about this retreat that I want you to know.

The Kona Cloud Forest isn’t just a beautiful location. It’s one of the rarest ecosystems on Earth.

Cloud forests make up less than 1% of the world’s forests. They exist only in very specific high-altitude zones near the equator, where mist and moisture cling to the treetops like breath. There are only a few of these forests left—most have been lost to development or climate disruption.

In Hawai‘i, even fewer remain. And even fewer are protected, privately stewarded, and open to small groups with care and intention.

That’s where this retreat will be held.

Most visitors only get a glimpse—this sanctuary is usually reserved for daytime access, short guided experiences, or private events.

But this retreat is one of the first of its kind: we’ll be living inside the forest for five full days. Waking and sleeping with the mist. Slowing down into the rhythms of the land itself.

This place isn’t a resort. It’s not luxury.

It’s a living sanctuary—restored, tended, and quietly thriving.

The mist moves through trees.

The forest breathes.

Birds sing in the canopy.

And the stillness doesn’t feel empty—it feels sacred.

We’ll gather in the old way—close to the land, close to each other.

Not to do or fix or lead, but to soften.

To listen.

To remember what it means to belong.

Our rhythm will be gentle.

Movement in the morning,