The Ultimate Kauai Guide
Kauai is known as the Garden Island because of its tropical rainforest scenery. Use this guide to plan your visit to vistas of the Nā Pali Coast, Waimea Canyon, and the rest of the island.
Sightseeing in Kauai
Sightseeing in Kauai can require a lot of coordination with the weather. The beautiful scenery makes it worth it, but you may want to plan an extra day or two here in case weather messes up some of your plans.
Helicopter tour
If this had been the only thing we were able to do in Kauai, it would have been worth coming still. This was my favorite thing we did between all three islands. Nothing else even compared to it.
We booked a doors off helicopter tour with Mauna Loa Helicopter Tours (The Kauai Experience). They do private tours for 2-3 people which means everyone gets a window seat. To get good pictures, doors off is the only way to go. It cost about $80 more to do the private tour, but it was completely worth it in my opinion because it guaranteed we both got a window seat for the best views.
I thought I would be terrified with the doors off, but it really wasn't scary at all. It did make for a bit of a bumpy flight with the wind. I get motion sick very easily and was not bothered on the flight. It does get a bit chilly without the doors, so they recommend wearing a light jacket. The flight is about an hour long. The tour meets in a strip mall in Līhuʻe and takes off from the Līhuʻe airport.
The first big attraction is Manawaiopuna Falls, also known as Jurassic Falls. This is where the helicopter landed in Jurassic Park and they play the theme song as they fly over the falls.
Up next is Waimea Canyon. While there are great views of the canyon from the ground as well, it's really cool to see it from the air.
I've loved rainbows since I was a kid and we saw the most incredible rainbows during the tour. I had never seen a rainbow arch on its side before.
The highlight of the flight is the Nā Pali Coast. It's really hard to see from land and some of the best views come from a helicopter or boat. Every second of this portion was stunning.
The helicopters fly into different valleys to get close to unique views. They also do a good job making sure both sides get good shots of the best views.
After flying over Princeville and the north shore, the tour makes its way back to the airport over dozens of waterfalls. Since it was so rainy while we were there, we were told we saw more waterfalls than most people see.
It's not cheap to do a helicopter tour, but the views are absolutely worth it.
Waimea Canyon
This is known as the Grand Canyon of the Pacific for good reason. It's gorgeous and there's nothing else like it in Hawaii. There's a road that follows along one side of the canyon and goes all the way to the end. There are many great stops and viewpoints throughout.
There are hiking trails at many of the stops as well. Since we only had a day here, we didn't have time to hike, but the views are great from the side of the road.
Waipo'o Falls is located in the canyon and can be seen from a couple of different stops.
The last stop on the road is supposed to have great views of the Nā Pali Coast. Unfortunately, as we climbed to higher elevation on the road, it got very foggy and we could barely see anything by the time we got to the end.
Kekaha Beach Park
This beach is a great place to relax after exploring Waimea Canyon. It's a huge beach and not crowded. As an added bonus, they have nice pavilions with picnic tables and shade. The most incredible thing about this beach are the massive waves.
Wailua River State Park
This is a good rainy day activity. If it's raining, take Smith's Fern Grotto Boat Tour which is about an hour and a half tour. The boat was covered so you won't get wet.
The tour itself is a bit cheesy. They play music and teach hula on the ride out to the fern grotto. The views along the river are pretty.
The fern grotto itself was beautiful. It is a short walk from where the boat docks. If the weather isn't rainy, I would rent kayaks and kayak down the river to the fern grotto instead.
After the tour, you can drive to 'Opaeka'a Falls. It's a quick stop on the side of road. The parking lot is small. Make sure to walk across the street to get a view of the river as well.
Make one last stop in the state park at Wailua Falls. This one is a bit more out of the way compared to the other waterfall. The parking lot here is also small and hard to maneuver.
Kalalau Trail
This was by far the biggest disappointment of our trip to Hawaii. This is an 11 mile trail (one way) and a permit is needed to hike past the two mile mark. We just planned to hike the first two miles. We didn't do much research about the trail, which was our downfall. The trail was closed a couple days because of flooding, but it was open on our last day there.
Unfortunately, when we arrived, we found out that while a permit is not needed to go to Ke'e Beach (where the trail starts) or to hike the first two miles of the trail, advanced reservations are required to get into Hā’ena State Park (for vehicles, walk-ins, shuttle riders, and Kalalau Trail day hikers). Since we found out about this upon arrival, it was too late for us to be able to get a reservation.
I've heard great things about this trail. It's really the only way to get views of the Nā Pali Coast on foot. Luckily we got great views of the Nā Pali Coast on our helicopter tour, but we were sad to miss out on this hike. Make sure to plan ahead better than we did for this one!
Where to eat in Kauai
Porky's Kauai
These are the perfect Hawaiian loaded hot dogs. Pick the type of meat/sauce and all come loaded with kalua pork, pineapple, and onion.
Koloa Fish Market
The wasabi poke was the crowd favorite here. It's served with sides and rice (which isn't always common in Hawaii). It's hard to beat fresh tuna in Hawaii.
Puka Dog
This was more of a basic hot dog with some unique condiments. Pick the hot dog type, sauce, relish, and mustard. The bun is closed on the bottom, so the hot dog is in a little pouch peeking out the top.
Chicken In A Barrel
This place had some very flavorful chicken. I don't even like white meat, but even the white meat was good here.
Wailua Shave Ice
The ice here is shaved very finely which is an important quality in shave ice. The fruit purees here are very fresh and really set it apart from other places.
Getting to and around Kauai
The main airport for both international and domestic travel on the island is in Līhuʻe. The easiest way to get around Kauai is by car. This island also seemed to have the biggest traffic problem compared to the Big Island and Maui. Trying to get anywhere between 3 pm and 6 pm usually resulted in sitting in a traffic jam.
Where to stay in Kauai
Because of price and proximity to both sides of the island, Līhuʻe is a convenient place to stay. Most people stay in Poʻipū or Princeville which have more resorts but will be more driving to get to the opposite side of the island. The northern side of the island is rainier than the southern side, so I would stay on the southern side.
Best time to visit Kauai
While Kauai is known for its beauty, being nicknamed the Garden Island, that beauty comes from the rain that the island is also known for. The winter is the rainy season, so it's not the ideal time to visit. It's also a bit cooler than the other islands and is only around 70 degrees in the winter which is a little too chilly to go swimming at the beach. I would recommend visiting in the summer for the best weather.
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