Spotlight: The Island of Kaua'i, 73 miles northwest of Oahu, measures 562.3 square miles (1,456.4 km2), making it the fourth-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. The island's population in 2020 was 73,298, fourth most among the 8 major islands. Known as the "Garden Isle", KauaŹ»i is a tourist's paradise, particularly for those hoping to avoid the heavy crowds of Oahu, and even Maui. Kaua'i was probably settled as early as 900 AD by Polynesian explorers from the Marquesas. Captain James Cook arrived at the island in January 1778, making the first recorded European contact with the Hawaiian Islands. Though Kauai originally remained apart from the Kingdom of Hawaii (established by King Kamehameha in 1795), it reached a diplomatic agreement with Kamehameha in 1810, eventually uniting it with the other islands. Today, the island's most famous inhabitant is Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, who currently owns a 1,500 acre estate.
Activities: Waimea Canyon State Park is sometimes referred to as the Grand Canyon of the Pacific because of the 10-mile canyon roughly 3,000 feet deep. "Waimea" means reddish water, which refers to the color of the Waimea River that takes on the color of the soil that it carves from the sides of the canyon. The park is connected with Koke'e State Park via an 11-mile road with easy access to numerous hiking trails and fabulous viewpoints of the steep, red cliffs, covered with lush, green vegetation, and dotted with towering waterfalls under the bright blue sky. The best times to visit are early morning and late afternoon to get the best colors.
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| Waimea lookout |
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| A view of the Grand Canyon of the Pacific |
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| Giant waterfalls in the canyon |
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| Accessible roadside waterfalls |
Location: The park is located on the western half of the island. The coordinates are: 22°03′22″N 159°39′55″W / 22.05611°N 159.66528°W
Hours: open all year long (24/7) during daylight hours
Cost: Driving through the park is free, but when you stop at a parking area, the cost is $10/vehicle or $5/person, but is good for all the viewpoints in the park.
Things You Should Know: - There are no gasoline services in the state park.
- Be aware that drones are prohibited in all Hawaiian state parks and are subject to heavy fines.
- Cell service is spotty, so make sure that you download any hiking maps prior to heading into the canyon.
Rating: 4 stars
Activities: Mountain Tubing at the Lihue Sugar Plantation is one of the most popular tourist spots on Kawai. The plantation was founded in 1849, taking advantage of Hawaii's unique climate to produce this bumper crop. Chinese laborers dug tunnels and flumes to funnel water from the nearby rainforest into the sugar cane fields. When the plantation closed in 2000, it was one of the last remaining sugar plantations on Hawaii. Today, the plantation houses a museum on sugar production, a working farm and botanical gardens. The irrigation ditches were left abandoned until someone came up with the bright idea to float down them on tubes. The three-hour tour takes you on a smooth, and occasionally exhilarating, ride down the irrigation ditches that are bordered by Kawai's lush vegetation. The ditches travel through 5 underground tunnels, but you are provided with a head lamp, so you can still see where you're going. Our guides were both helpful and informative, and we all had an enjoyable time.
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| Boarding the tram to the launch spot |
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| On your marks, get set,... Go! |
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| Exiting one of the Underground Tunnels |
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| Semi-White water rafting |
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| A Lazy River - but with scenery |
Hours: Monday - Friday with tours leaving hourly from 9 am to 1 pm. (Additional tours may be added during peak tourist season). The tour takes about 3 hours.
Cost: $169 per floater
Things You Should Know: - Advanced reservations are required. If you don't book your tour weeks ahead of time, it will likely be sold out.
- Adventurers are provided with: gloves, helmet, headlamp, and innertube. You should bring: swimwear (or clothes that can get wet), footwear that can get wet, towels, a dry set of clothes, bug repellant and sunscreen.
- Minimum age is 5 years old and 43 inches tall. Maximum weight is 300 pounds, Adventurers must be free of neck and back injuries. Children under 16, must be accompanied by an adult. Pregnant women are required to have a doctor's note.
Rating: 4 stars
Activities: The Secret Falls Kayaking Tour is an adventure to one of the greatest treasures on the island of Kauai. You start by kayaking two miles up the Wailua River. Because this site is believed to be the original home of the first human colonizers, voyagers from the Marquesas Islands, of the Hawaiian Islands, it is considered sacred by native Hawaiians. On this expedition, you will paddle past many ancient Heiau (sacred shrines) and the ancient village of Kamokila before arriving at the trailhead for the second leg of your adventure. The 1 1/2 mile trail through the jungle leads to the 120 foot tall Secret Falls. The beautiful falls cascade into a refreshing swimming hole where you can take a swim and relax while eating a picnic lunch while enjoying the scenic view that used to be the private swimming hole for the Hawaiian monarchs. Of course, you then have to hike and paddle back to your starting point.
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| Kayaking up the Wailua River |
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| Hiking to the Falls |
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| Family picture at Secret Falls |
Location: Kapa'a on the eastern side of Kauai.
Hours: Most guided tours start between 7:45 am and 1:00 pm Monday through Friday. The full tour lasts about 5 hours. Independent daily Kayak rental hours are typically from 9:00 am to 6 pm.
Cost: $132 per adult; $113 per child for a guided tour. Or you can rent your own kayak for a self-guided tour for about $75.
Things You Should Know: - The tour has a minimum age of 5, and a maximum age of 70. Book ahead of time.
- Although part of the trail to Secret Falls is over bolted down wooden planks, about half of the trail is over a rough, jungle path with rocky, uneven soil filled with ruts and roots. You will also cross the creek a few times, over mossy rocks and mud, so make sure that you wear the proper footwear.
- Make sure that you bring sunscreen, bug repellant, a hat, sunglasses, a towel, an extra water bottle, a camera in a water proof bag, and rain gear.
- Unless your group is made up of expert kayakers, who are accustomed to tramping through the jungle, I recommend the guided tour. Your guide will make sure you get to the right place and share lots of interesting information to boot. However, by renting your own kayaks, you can avoid the crowds by making your own schedule.
- Be prepared for headwinds that will slow you down on the trip back.
Rating: 4.5 stars
Activities: One of the most interesting activities we did on Kauai was a Zodiac tour of the Na Pali Coast. The Zodiac is a 30-foot, rigid-hull, inflatable motor raft. The tour includes entering sea caves (weather permitting) and snorkeling (when conditions are safe). Some of the animals you may see on the voyage are whales (Dec. to April), dolphins, sea turtles, seals, and lots of fish, including the occasional shark. The scenery is stunning, varying from rocky coastline dotted with sea caves, magnificent beaches, towering cliffs, and lush valleys. Your tour guide will entertain you with historical facts, ancient legends, and entertaining stories about Hawaiian culture, Island history, and the Na Pali Coast. We were told a fascinating story about how the ancient kings were buried along the coast to preserve their "mana." We also entered a cool sea cave called the Shark House that had an island in the middle. Warriors would battle on the island, with the loser being knocked into the water where the sharks patrolled.
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| Aboard the Zodiac |
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| The Na Pali Coastline |
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| Photo op from the front of the boat |
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| This beach has been featured in several Hollywood movies |
Location: First you go to the Na Pali Riders Office () where you pick up your gear. Then you take your own vehicle to the Kikialoa Small Boat Harbor where the tour will depart.
Hours: The tour is 4 hours long.
Cost: $199/adult, $179/child; You will be charged $20 for parking at the Kikialoa Small Boat Harbor.
Things You Should Know: - You must arrive 45 minutes prior to your departure time in order to check-in.
- The 6:30 am tour is the most popular time because of better weather conditions and more dolphin encounters. So book your reservation well in advance.
- Although entering sea caves and snorkeling is part of the tour experience, the captain will determine whether or not it is safe to do so.
- Make sure that you bring sunscreen, comfortable clothing, a light jacket, swimsuit, sunglasses, a towel, water socks (shoes are not permitted), a tie-down hat.
- The tour company will provide life vests, snorkel mask and fins, a waterproof duffel bag and light snacks.
- The Zodiac ride is fast and rough. Visitors with back or neck problems, recent surgeries and pregnant women shouldn't go on this tour. I recommend bringing some sort of pain medication in case you get a headache while riding the boat (I did get a bad one even though I don't get headaches often).
Rating: 4.5 stars
Activities: Island Helicopter Kauai is the best way to see the island. This was hands down the most exciting adventure we had on Hawaii. Part of this was due to the novelty of being in a helicopter. However, even more thrilling was seeing the island, including dozens of magnificent waterfalls from above. The tour covers a significant portion of the island, and gives you a greater perspective of island life. Although we originally were scheduled to land at Manawaiopuna Falls (the famous 400-foot waterfall made famous by Steven Spielberg's cinematographic masterpiece Jurassic Park), our flight had to be rescheduled to the Grand Skies Island Tour. Despite the inconvenience of adjusting our schedule, the tour was worth effort!
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| View of the High Rent District |
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| Dressed in Black |
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| Coastal Shot |
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| Waterfall shot than can only be seen from the air |
Location: 3788 Ahukini Road Lihue, HI 96766
Hours: The Grand Skies Island Tour is 1 hour long (50-55 minutes of flight time); The Jurassic Falls Landing Adventure is 75-80 minutes long (including landing time), and is offered 5 days/week.
Cost: $286/passenger for the Grand Skies Island Tour; $432/ passenger for the Jurassic Falls Landing Adventure.
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| Jurassic Falls |
Things You Should Know: - You should arrive 45 minutes prior to your departure time in order to complete the check-in process.
- Tablets, large cameras with extended lenses, or selfie sticks are not allowed to be used on the flight. Other prohibited items include: explosives, compressed gases, flammable liquids and solids, oxidizers, poisons, corrosives, radioactive materials, guns and ammunition. Drones are not allowed at Manawaiopuna Falls. The helicopter are not able to accommodate walkers, wheelchairs and animals of any kind (including service animals) onto the helicopter.
- Just because you have a reservation, doesn't mean that your tour is guaranteed. The helicopter tour will be cancelled if it is not safe to fly. For example, we had our tour scheduled earlier in the week, but the helicopter didn't pass it's preflight inspection, so the trip was postponed to another day. Luckily, we were able to juggle our schedule around and go on the tour on our last day on Kauai. This might be an inconvenience, but frankly, dying in an avoidable accident would be an even bigger one. My advice, schedule the tour for your first day or two so that you have the flexibility to reschedule as needed. If your tour is cancelled, and cannot be rescheduled, you will be refunded.
- Make sure that you wear comfortable black/dark clothing. Light clothing causes reflections on the glass that will affect picture quality.
Passengers weighing 240 pounds and above, and/or two passengers traveling together that have a combined weight of 420 pounds or more, are required to purchase an additional seat. Every passenger, including their carry-on items, will be discreetly weighed upon check-in.
Rating: 5 stars
