Alicia, Founder of Awapuhi Adventures

Alicia, certified as a wilderness first responder, is a born biologist/naturalist, environmentalist, and fourth generation native Californian.   She was born in Los Angeles into an art and science-minded family who camped and hiked regularly around the western United States, including Hawaii. As a young woman, she spent most of her free time at the beach until she relocated to San Francisco where she fell in love with hiking and backpacking. She has a B.A. in Microbiology and  a M.S. in Molecular and Cellular Biology.   While at the University of California, Santa Barbara, Alicia spent three years volunteering at the Santa Barbara Marine Mammal Rescue Center rescuing, rehabilitating, and releasing marine mammals.

After college she spent hundreds of work weeks behind a microscope discovering the hidden mysteries of life and most weekends and vacations solo-exploring domestic and international destinations including: Belize, Peru, Alaska, Nova Scotia, British Columbia, The Pacific Northwest, The Bahamas, The Caribbean, and Hawaii (Kauai and Maui).   She has climbed Mt. Shasta, a 14,000 ft peak in Northern California, and led friends on informal backpacking adventures in most major areas of the Sierra Nevada Mountains including Lassen, King’s Canyon, Sonora Pass, and Yosemite. She has kayaked in Alaska, the Pacific Northwest, Mendocino County, San Francisco Bay, Monterey Bay, and several alpine lakes.

While in Placentia, Belize she was invited to participate in a manatee rescue.   She monitored a mother and her calf who were penned in a shallow pond surrounded by mangrove and biting flies.

She was invited to guide tours at Ano Nuevo State Preserve in Northern California. However, Alicia declined the invitation and traded in her microscope for a snorkel mask, fins, and hiking boots to pursue her dream of helping people experience the true detailed beauty of Maui and the other Hawaiian islands. This decision was an easy one because her sister, a mother, acupuncturist, and organic farmer moved her family to Maui in 2005 and Alicia wanted to be close to her three year old nephew who stole her heart and refuses to give it back.

Alicia guarantees you will enjoy all your adventures with her while visiting Maui. As an Interpretive Naturalist she is knowledgeable about various plant and animal species on the island. She is an excellent bird spotter according to a Peruvian rainforest guide. And, she has been told she is a true kid at heart with a unique enthusiasm for exploration and gentle way of encouraging you to explore the path-less-traveled in some of the most beautiful spots on Maui.