Hospital Hill Lookout, Rarotonga

If you’re keen to see some views of the lush green interior of Rarotonga without breaking too much of a sweat, the Hospital Hill Lookout could be for you. It’s much easier than the Cross Island Track and the views are almost as good!

Getting to the Hospital Hill Lookout

The lookout is just above the hospital in Rarotonga. If you’re driving you can park at the hospital, otherwise catch a bus (or walk from nearby hotels) and then walk up the hill from there. We walked from the Edgewater, one of the big resorts on the West Coast of Rarotonga. From there it took around 20 minutes to walk to the hospital. There are some decent views from the road including one good spot overlooking the airport.

A Short Walk

Once at the car park you’ll see a track heading up the hill. It only takes around 10 minutes to walk to the top but it’s steep! You’ll get occasional views from the track, and you’ll have to walk through a gate which says it’s closed, but I’m pretty sure it means it’s closed to vehicles (it’s a 4WD track).

Hospital Hill Lookout

Once at the top you’ll see some tracks cutting through the overgrown foliage. Explore a bit and you’ll see some awesome views, but the overgrown branches were really sharp and it made it uncomfortable to walk through. Hopefully they’ll trim it a bit, although it did look cool.

READ MORE: Check out my post about Muri Beach — I reckon it’s the best spot to stay in Rarotonga!

From the Hospital Hill Lookout you can see some of Rarotonga’s west coast as well as the inland mountains. This lookout has heaps of potential. Hopefully, someone tidies it up a bit and creates some more tracks as there are more potential views that were blocked by rough tracks and trees.

Hospital Hill Lookout VS Cross Island Track

The Hospital Hill Lookout is a great alternative to the Cross Island Track, which is by far the most popular hike in Rarotonga. Not everyone is willing or able to walk across the island, and having such an easy short walk as an alternative is a bonus. Obviously the views aren’t as good, but they’re good enough for the effort you’ll expend seeing them!