There’s a reason that Kauai is known as the Garden Isle among the islands of Hawaii. Perhaps you’ve watched South Pacific, Blue Hawaii or even Jurassic Park with the craggy, dramatic, velvet-green mountains that meet with rolling ocean waves and swaying palm trees and wondered where Hollywood found such a lush tropical paradise, the answer is Kauai.
As with any one of the Hawaiian Islands, it’s best to try to spend 4 or more days on each island, or even better, spend a week on each! A little more laid back than Oahu and more rugged than Maui, Kauai is an adventure seeker’s dream.
Day 1. Hiking Na Pali’s Eastern Edge & Surfing Hanalei Bay
Start your day early and hop into your rental car and take a right onto the main road (there’s really only one) that runs in a crescent around the Kauai’s perimeter. Stop when you get to the end of the road (you can’t miss it) and meet up with the north eastern edge of the otherwise car-inaccessible Na Pali Coast. Here you can either brave the Kalalau trailhead to
or snorkel or sunbathe at the beautiful Ke’e Beach. Next, head back to Hanalei for a surf lesson on the idyllic Hanalei bay. Refresh yourself with a mai tai and chat up the locals at the island’s best tiki bar, Tahiti Nui.
Day 2. Hule’ia Waterfalls, Waimea Canyon & Mt Waialeale by Air
Enjoy a morning of kayaking and hiking through the Hule’ia National Wildlife Refuge to visit the series of 3 pool-drop waterfalls with a swimming hole known as Hidden Falls. After your noon-time plate lunch, head to the helipad for a Kauai Helicopter Tour. See Waiamea Canyon (famously dubbed “the Grand Canyon of the Pacific” by Mark Twain), the remote waterfalls, and the rain-soaked alien landscape of Mt. Wai’ale’ale, which is officially one of the wettest spots on earth at 460 inches of rainfall each year!. Round off your evening with some kalua pork, lau lau and poi at a Hawaiian Luau.
Day 3. Forbidden Island Snorkeling & a (Romantic!) Sunset Cruise
Mysterious and completely off limits to tourists, your third day of Kauai adventures will take you to Ni’ihau, a privately owned island off the west coast of Kauai. A few Ni’ihau facts: 1. Unless you are related to someone on the island, forget about visiting. Only the Robinson family, who own the island and Ni’ihau natives allowed. 2. English is a second language. So, think twice about swimming over unless you’ve brushed up on your Hawaiian. 3. Ni’ihau is the island most likely to be 
left out of your Hawaiian Island travel guide. Luckily, select tours are able to gain access and you must take the opportunity to see the island up close on a boat trip from Kauai to Niihau snorkel adventure. What’s not to love about a trip to a forbidden island and a chance to come face to face with Hawaii’s state fish, the humuhumunukunukuapuaa (hoo-moo X2 noo-koo X2 ah-poo X1 and the tricky ‘a, which is equivalent to sound between “an” and “apple” in Hawaiian it would be spelled “an’apple”). Last, set sail along the Na Pali coast and Kauai’s western shore on a Hawaiian sunset cruise. No fireworks needed for romance, seeing the sun set in paradise just can’t be missed.
Happy Hawaiian Travels and Mahalo!
February 6th, 2008 at 12:48 am
Very nice pictures!
I love Maui but can’t wait to visit Kauai as well!