Kauai is known for being more remote than Oahu, Maui, and the Big Island. This island is home to the world famous Na Pali Coast. It receives so much rain that it seems like the whole island is just one big, lush, green garden. I would say that if I had to rank them, Kauai was probably the most beautiful of the four islands that we visited.
But just because it is more remote doesn’t mean that there aren’t things to do. During our visit we went ziplining, ATV riding, went on a dinner cruise, and hiked the beautiful Na Pali coast. (Just keep in mind that it does tend to rain a lot, so check the weather before you preplan your beach days!)
Things to Do
Na Pali Coast Dinner Cruise
One of the most iconic views in all of Hawaii is the Na Pali coast, located on the island of Kauai. A few days after visiting Kauai, I actually saw a picture of the Na Pali coast on my computer’s screensaver. :) If you are in Kauai, I highly recommend visiting this beautiful coastline.
There are a few ways to see the Na Pali coast, but one of the best ways is by boat! We took Captain Andy’s Star Na Pali Dinner Sunset Sail to see the breathtaking coastal mountains. After traveling around the USA, I can safely say that there isn’t anything quite like the Hawaiian mountain coastline. The steep, green cliffs cascading straight into the breaking waves is an incredible sight. The view was the highlight of the dinner cruise, but the food was a close second. The filet mignon and shrimp made it the best meal that we have ever had on a dinner cruise. We had a lot of fun talking with the crew and fellow passengers. I would say that if there is one thing you are going to treat yourself to in Kauai, be sure to check out Captain Andy’s dinner cruise.
(Note: If you typically get seasick, be sure to take Dramamine before the cruise. Most of the cruise was smooth, but it can get a little choppy at the mountain coastline. The captain told us this is because the waves hit the rocks and ricochet backwards. I made it without getting sick, but it was definitely choppy at times. =)
Hike Kalalau Trail to Hanakapiai Beach
One of the most popular hikes in Hawaii, and possibly even in America, is the Kalalau Trail. The total hike is 11 miles one way, but there are shorter hikes too. (Note: As of 2019, visiting any of the Kalalau Trail requires you to get a permit prior to visiting.) We didn’t do the whole trail, but instead opted to hike to Hanakapiai Beach and Hanakapiai Falls. This was only a 4 mile hike one way and was still really beautiful. The first 2 miles wound up and down along the coastline to Hanakapiai Beach. These were the best coastline views we had of the trail.
There was a no-swim warning at the beach because of how choppy it was when we were there, but it was still a beautiful view! We made pretty good time walking the first 2 miles that we decided to keep going to the next 2 miles to Hanakapiai Falls. However, this part of the trail goes off the coast and into the forest and is considerably slower. Fortunately when we were there it wasn’t raining, but the trail still was pretty muddy and slippery at times. (I can only imagine what it would be like if it were raining). The waterfall was pretty cool and a great reward at the end of the trail. Unfortunately we were trying to beat out the rain and didn’t take the time to go swimming in the 300 foot waterfall =( But we did manage to make it back without any rain!
Here are some of my thoughts on the Kalalau Trail hike to Hanakapiai Beach and Hanakapiai Falls hike (not the full 11 mile Kalalau Trail). If you are hikinh the trail primarily to see the Na Pali coast, then do a boat or helicopter tour. Although it is beautiful, you can’t really see the whole coastline like you can from the water or air. Also, unless you just want a challenge, don’t hike in the rain. The overcastness will take away the views and it gets really muddy really fast! Also, no matter the weather, watch out for flash floods when crossing the streams (this is on the falls portion of the hike). There have been people who have died from the rushing stream. If you are pressed for time but still want to experience the hike, I would suggest just hiking the first 2 miles to Hanakapiai Beach. The Hanakapiai Falls is a lot slower going.
ATV Tour
A cool way to experience the beautiful Kauai landscape (and Kauai dirt) is through an ATV tour. Ever since getting our dual sport motorcycles and riding them around the country, Em and I have really liked riding off-road vehicles. We booked our ATV tour with Kauai ATV and had an awesome experience. It was a great mix of adventure without being too difficult for beginners. The Polaris RZRs that we drove are amazing and a lot of fun to go through the mud. We definitely got muddy! I don’t think that there was an inch of our side-by-side that wasn’t covered in mud (which makes it all the more fun).
Kauai ATV does a great job of providing goggles, a bandana to cover your mouth, a change of clothes, and outdoor showers so we didn’t have to worry about packing muddy clothes. Halfway through the tour we stopped for some drinks and snacks and washed the mud off by jumping into a waterfall! Then we got back into the ATVs and got muddy all over again!
Koloa Zipline
The same location as Kauai ATV is Koloa Zipline. We did their zipline tour as well, and it was really cool to see the area both on the ground and through the air! The Koloa landscape is beautiful and clear to see why it is used in so many movies. Our guides were great and made the whole experience a lot of fun. They told us about different movies that they saw filmed there and actors that they saw.
There were 8 different ziplines, but it never got boring. Not only are the views amazing, but the harnesses allowed us to zip sitting, head first, and upside down! The last line is nearly a half mile long and is over a large reservoir of water. This was probably our favorite zipline tour that we’ve done in America.
Places to See
Wailua River Lookout
This was our first sight in Kauai and it was a great introduction to the island. It is just a pull-over on the side of the road, but looking back it was a great representation of Kauai. Right when we got out of the car, we were greeted by a host of wild chickens running around.
On one side of the road you can overlook a green, winding river. The other side of the road there is a beautiful waterfall. Just like the rest of Kauai, pretty much any way you look there is a breathtaking view.
Other Kauai Views
Some other picturesque spots that we went to were Tunnels Beach, Hanalei Pier, Kilauea Lighthouse, and Waimea Canyon. Between the beaches, mountains, canyons, and countless activities, you really can’t go wrong wherever you visit in Kauai.
Places to Eat
Kapa’a Food Trucks
We didn’t get to eat at the Kapa’a food trucks, but we heard that they are a lot of fun. We found that a lot of Kauai is more remote than Maui or Oahu, so it is more important to plan ahead where you want to eat rather than just finding a place along the way. I imagine that even if you aren’t hungry, the food trucks would make a great place to grab food for a later picnic.
Hawaiian Shave Ice
A popular dish in Hawaii is shave ice. Because it is so popular, we decided that we had to give it a try. I am convinced that it is a genius marketing ploy to get tourists to spend $8 for a snow cone. (Yeah, I said $8 for some colored ice!) I am sure that there are plenty of cheaper places, and in their defense the shaved ice was really big, had pieces of fruit on the side, and probably would make for a great picture. Em really liked it, but I just couldn’t get over the fact that it costs $8 for something similar to a $0.89 Seven Eleven slushie =)
Chicken in a Barrel BBQ
This place wasn’t on our lists of places to eat, but after hiking and driving all day we happened to find this place and loved the food. I’m not sure if the food was good, we were just super hungry, or just tired of eating Subway for the third time of the trip, but Chicken in a Barrel was pretty great!
It was in Hanalei, which has a fun little town square full of food and shopping. We meant to get the chicken to go, but ended up eating the entire half chicken before making it back to our car! My biggest regret was not also ordering one of their Kobe Beef burgers too. (Haha Em knows that after a busy day I am hopeless to talk to until after we eat because all I can talk about is food =)
Transportation
Enterprise Kauai
A rental car was essential for our stay in Kauai. There are so many different areas on the island and things to see! We had a great experience with Enterprise Kauai – it made an especially huge difference going from 18 mpg Jeep Wrangler on the Big Island to getting over 40 mpg in a Ford Fusion Hybrid. We were super happy about how much money we saved in gas!
We really liked how Enterprise Kauai had two different pickup locations. The first is close to the airport so if you need a car when you arrive, they are just a short shuttle away. But their second location is just about ten minutes north of the airport in Coconut Marketplace (which they will also shuttle you to if you’re staying in Kapaa). This means that if you are staying at a resort or hotel in the Kapaa area, you can spend the first few days enjoying the area and then pick up a car later in the week. This is a super great option to help save time and money!
Place to Stay
Bed & Breakfast
Accommodations can be really pricey in Kauai. We stayed at a local bed and breakfast in Koloa that we found through Couchsurfing. The room was clean and was connected to this big, wrap around porch. It rains a lot on the island of Kauai, so one of my favorite things to do was sit and eat lunch on this porch while watching the rain! The owner Yvonne was very kind and has some incredible travel stories. It was a great place to stay and end our trip to Hawaii.
Final Thoughts
This was the perfect way to end our time in Hawaii. From Waimea Canyon to the Na Pali coast, it seemed like everywhere we went there was a new postcard worthy view. Even the chickens ;)
Each island is so unique and special, but if I were planning a return trip to relax in Hawaii I would probably put Kauai at the top of the list (depending on the rain of course).
Here are our guides to Oahu, Maui, and the Big Island if you plan to visit other islands in Hawaii!
