Of all the Hawaiian Islands, Kaua‘i may be the most recognizable to moviegoers, its dramatic Nāpali Coast sea cliffs and cascading waterfalls having graced the silver screen with the likes of Harrison Ford and George Clooney. It’s an island where chickens run wild, old towns thrive, and the most ‘ono (delicious) foods are found along the roadside.
Don’t stress about the weather on Kaua‘i because it is going to rain on the wettest island of Hawai‘i. Embrace it: The precipitation is why the island is so green. However, Kaua‘i is made up of several microclimates, so it might be sprinkling on one side of the island and sunny on the other. The shoulder seasons of May, August, September, and October tend to be drier and less crowded. More than 96 percent of Kaua‘i County (which include islands Kauaʻi, Niʻihau, Lehua, and Kaʻula) are rural, making it a peaceful getaway for those looking to unplug and immerse in nature.
From helicopter rides over the Grand Canyon of the Pacific to tubing through a former sugar plantation, here are 10 ways to explore one of the oldest islands in Hawai‘i.
Waimea Canyon State Park covers about 1,840 acres.
Courtesy of Chair Asstic/Pexels
1. Ride high on a helicopter
With only 10 percent of Kaua’i accessible by roads, the best way to witness the island’s terrains is by helicopter. Several companies offer doors off—or on—rides that soar past the jagged, emerald-green Nāpali Coast, along dozens of waterfalls gushing over craggy cliffs. Soar over the rugged Waimea Canyon State Park, known as the Grand Canyon of the Pacific, and take in the 3,600-feet-deep, red- and orange-hued canyon dotted with trees.
After the ride, complete the high-low experience by visiting the state park, which offers five trails, ranging from an easy 0.2-mile trek to the canyon overlook to a five-mile round-trip journey down 2,000 feet into the canyon.
2. Tube through an old sugar plantation
Founded in 1849, the historic Līhu‘e was once the largest sugar plantation on Kaua‘i. Its ditch and tunnel system that was used to irrigate sugar crops has since been transformed into a refreshing adventure course. Guides from Kaua‘i Backcountry Adventures drive guests on an open-air truck through a bamboo grove to a scenic overlook of the 5,148-foot-tall Mount Wai‘ale‘ale volcano, before reaching the canals.
Floating on inflated tubes, travelers donning headlamps weave through 2.5 miles of hand-dug trenches, pass through five dark tunnels and mini waterfalls, and glide along a lazy river.
The word wailua is Hawaiian for “two waters”.
Photo by Enrique Bosquet/Shutterstock (right)
3. Hike and kayak to Uluwehi Falls
Uluwehi Falls is aptly nicknamed Secret Falls, in part because visitors can’t just walk up to it. To reach the 100-foot waterfall, tour guides from adventure outfitters (like Kayak Kaua’i) will take travelers on kayaks along the Wailua River, Kaua‘i’s only navigable river. After a two-mile upstream paddle, passing thick vegetation, travelers will then park the kayaks at a riverbank, before hiking about one mile along a mud trail. The path crosses a shallow end of the North Fork Wailua River, which leads through forests and a wooden boardwalk, before reaching the waterfall.
4. Visit a night market
Night markets on Kaua‘i are prime places to mingle with locals, artists, and musicians. On Friday evenings, shops and galleries in Hanapēpē are open late for the Hanapepe Art Night Market, which also hosts food trucks and art and craft vendors. (Known as Kaua‘i’s Biggest Little Town, the historic Hanapēpē is the inspiration for the setting of Disney’s Lilo and Stitch.)
Over at Old Kapa‘a Town, the First Saturday Art Walk is a long-held monthly evening tradition with food, music, and performers celebrating cultures of the island, including Hawaiian, Japanese, Chinese, Okinawan, Filipino, Korean, and Tahitian. On the second Saturday of the month, the North Shore comes alive with the Princeville Night Market, where more than 40 artists and craftspeople display ceramics, paintings, jewelry, and woodwork. Shop for an Aloha shirt, nosh on sandwiches from a food truck, or listen to live music at one of the three stages at the market.
Also on the second Saturday of the month, the Downtown Līhu‘e Night Market puts the spotlight on small businesses along Kress Street and more than 40 vendors, selling handmade items such as jewelry and baked goods.
The best part of the Chocolate Farm tour? Guests get to sample locally grown fruit and a wide variety of chocolate.
Courtesy of Lydgate Farms
5. Go on a chocolate and honey tour
Lydgate Farms put Hawai‘i chocolate on the international culinary map when its hand-crafted, single-source chocolate was recognized as one of the world’s best for three years by the Cocoa of Excellence Programme in Paris. The Chocolate Farm Tour shows how its chocolate is made, from growing to harvesting to processing, on its cacao farm.
For those craving something sweeter, the farm also offers a Honey & Bee Tour, where visitors put on a full bee suit, meet the hardworking insects, taste a freshly harvested honeycomb, and find out more about the history of beekeeping on the island.
6. Taste native Hawaiian food
Hawai‘i cuisine is usually associated with an amalgamation of cultural fusions such as shaved ice and Spam musubi. Native Hawaiian cuisine, on the other hand, features foods that nourished the Native Hawaiian people prior to European contact.
The Waipā Foundation’s Cultural Foodways Program offers food and farm tours for those who are interested in learning more about the cultural significance and farming practices of Native Hawaiians. Hands-on experiences include touring Waipā Valley’s farms and gardens and harvesting plants at the lo‘kalo (fields). Each experience is accompanied with a four-course lunch that incorporates fresh produce from Waipā’s gardens and orchards.
7. Explore Allerton and McBryde gardens
The 80-acre Allerton Garden was once a retreat for Queen Emma, who roamed the enchanting green space filled with the moss-covered sculptures, bamboo forests, and fairytale-esque Moreton Bay fig trees with python-like buttress roots.
The garden has themed outdoor areas, including a Mermaid Room shaded by serene monkeypod trees and adorned with a geometric mermaid fountain. Next door, the verdant 200-acre McBryde Garden preserves Hawaiian native plants, including breadfruit, koa, and ʻōhiʻa trees. The owners are dedicated to biocultural conservation and growing sustainable agroforests. Take a tour of both botanic grounds within the Lāwaʻi Valley during a 2.5-hour excursion, which includes an exclusive stop at ethereal Waihulili Falls.
Poʻipū Beach Park has plenty of parking, lifeguards, showers, and pavilions.
Photo by Jeff Whyte/Shutterstock
8. Swim and make sandcastles at Poʻipū Beach Park
While there are an abundance of adventures to embark on in Kaua‘i, a Hawaiian vacation is not complete without a visit to the beach. Kaua‘i has more than 50 miles of sandy white beaches, from North Shore’s Hanalei Bay with majestic mountains as the backdrop to the kid-friendly Lydgate Beach Park on the east side of the island.
On the South Shore, Poʻipū Beach Park is straight out of a postcard, with lanky coconut trees swaying in the background of golden-hued sand leading to crystal-clear water. The park comprises two crescent-shaped beaches separated by a tombolo of sand stretching into the ocean. On the western side of the tombolo, the natural sandbar creates a lagoon-like pool, which is shallow enough for young kids. The area’s vibrant reef attracts a wide array of marine life, including fish like yellow tang and Moorish idols, making the area an easy wade-in snorkeling spot. Lucky visitors might glimpse green sea turtles and even the rarely seen, endangered Hawaiian monk seals snoozing under the sun.
9. Snorkel at Nāpali Coast
Some of the best snorkeling on Kaua‘i is available just off the Nāpali Coast. Several tours, like those offered by Kauaʻi Sea Tours, take folks aboard a catamaran, which zips through the ocean. Keep an eye out for breaching humpback whales (usually from December to May) and pods of spinner dolphins that might swim alongside the boat.
Once docked, snorkelers will splash into the water and snorkel among turtles, rays, and schools of fish, including the blue-green Hawaiian sergeant and colorful reef triggerfish, the state fish. After passengers swim in the ocean, the boat tours the coast, veering close to the jagged cliffs, sea caves, and waterfalls.
10. Ride the train at Kilohana Plantation
Get on a forest-green train, pulled by a 1940s locomotive, and traverse the 104-acre Kilohana Plantation. A conductor tells stories about farm life, sharing tidbits about the fruit, flowers, and animals around the property, as well as tales of the former sugar plantation and home of prominent businessman Gaylord Parke Wilcox. Besides seeing horses, cows, and wild chickens during the ride, guests will also get to disembark from the train and feed pigs, goats, sheep, and donkeys.
