Outdoorsy Kauai Recommendations
edith head
5,106 Posts
Uh, I just bought a ticket to Kauai on impulse without doing much research and was wondering if y'all can recommend outdoorsy stuff one would to do there such as helicopter rides, waterfall kickboxing, volcano-side picnics, etc. I've never actually been to Hawaii and aside from the summer camping trips, I've only had getaways to other metropolitan cities, so this beach stuff is actually really new to me.
Comments
Hike or kayak the Na Pali coast.
I'm jealous - haven't been back in years and I loved it there.
Also, this:
It's funny--when I went with my girlfriend at the time, we had this big list of things we wanted to do, and we were super psyched to start working our way through said list, but once we actually got there, our mood shifted to, "Let's just go check out one of the towns, then hit a beach." It was a phenomenal vacation.
We went hiking in one of the big rainforests in the middle of the island (can't recall the name). Na Pali coast - yes. Also, we found this white peoples Hindu temple in the most epic setting: http://www.himalayanacademy.com/ssc/hawaii/
But honestly, it's full of beautiful beaches with decent reef, so just plan to go and c.h.i.l.l. on the sand with a snorkel.
> I'm jealous - haven't been back in years and I loved it there.
THIS.
We are staying at this Aston Islander place right next to some beach
Hope it's as nice as it looks. but honestly, I don't expect to be hanging there that much so if the money I saved can go toward helicopter rides, snorkeling, kayaking etc that would be great. Stuff I wouldn't normally be able to do in this fog trap.
forgive me my ignorance on this subject, but how do people get between islands? Can i rent a car and drive it onto a ferry?
I really want to see some MEGA-volcanoes if possible.
Don't rent a car until you get to Kauai, and get the cheapest one you can get because you won't be able to go fast anyway.
There will be plenty to do on Kauai, so you won't need to go to Maui etc.
That's my only contribution to this thread because even though I've lived here all my life I've never been to Kauai!
Kudos on the impulse decision. Kauai is, by far, one of my favorite places anywhere.
So looks like you're staying outside of Kapaa; wouldn't have been my pref (north shore, all the way) but it's a small island and you can get anywhere fairly quickly.
Outdoorsy: hike the Na Pali trail. You could kayak it if you want the trouble and expense but the hike - while vigorous for the first half - is pretty great and is *absolutely worth the effort*. The trail starts at Ke'e Beach, at the very end of the highway on the north shore. Start early enough and you can make it to the first beach (don't swim there - hella dangerous but a gorgeous beach) and then also hike inland to a very nice waterfall. The main thing: you just do NOT want to be on the Na Pali trail back to Ke'e if you're not going to make it back by dusk. I've made that mistake before and walking on a narrow and wet trail...in moonlight? Not smart.
Ke'e also has great snorkeling; you don't have to go too far out to see coral, fish and - if you're lucky - sea turtles. Alas, it's a bit too popular for its own good and all those people have killed off the inner part of the reef. C'est la vie.
Tunnels would be another solid snorkeling beach.
Waimea Canyon is also worth a day trip; from the Kapaa area, you can make it there in less than an hour.
I've driven to the west shore for sunset but frankly, I didn't think it was really worth it. However, since you're there for a week, if you're looking for something to do, you could drive out the Barking Sand beach.
Personally, if the weather looks like it'd be amendable, I think it's totally worth renting a convertible. TRUST me on this one. Besides, it won't really cost that much more b/c they have so many of them in volume.
Food: Aloha Diner is relatively close to you. They do classic Hawaiian fare and are completely unpretentious.
Hamura Saimin usually has a wait but if you're rolling through Lihue at some point, it's a decent bowl of noodles. It's not Santa Ramen or anything but again, not a bad bowl of noodles.
Roy's used to be more special before they began popping up like PF Chang's but one of the older ones is down south in Poipu. Butterfish (black cod), all the way.
Have fun out there!
don't bother going to any other islands, kauai is the best.
after college i lived there for a short bit and worked for the national tropical botanical garden. which you should visit.
the farmers markets there are incredible as are some of the aforementioned things to do- hiking into kalalau, waimea canyon.
i would also recommend hiking into the less crowded waterfall up the hill in lihue that is the waterfall from the intro to 'fantasy island' and if you get in there, after a rugged downhill climb you can sit under the waterfall and let it give you a killer deep tissue back massage.
if you want to link with one of my good friends who has a farm on the north shore send me an email. he grew up there and is now doing some amazing local agriculture projects with schools and is an all around radical dude.
ah i miss that island, it's so beautiful.
You can't really go wrong if you're willing to put in the work hiking and don't lose track of time enough to get stuck at night. That said the eastern side of the island IMO has much more to offer. Also remember that Kauai does have snorkeling spots, but they pale in comparison to the vibrancy I've seen off the big island - Kauai is about the island much more than the beach or the ocean.
Initially, my friend had sent me for a cheap deal to Oahu but I am so happy I went with Kauai after reading your suggestions. I love a rewarding hike so thank you for the insider tips on some epic trails and views. I'm definitely going to do the Na Pali hike and pay attention to the daylight. Being stranded on some rocks during high tide is one of my worse nightmares and I've come close to doing that at Point Reyes here in California before.
Snorkeling with sea turtles sounds like a dream to me, even better if I don't have to play underwater Frogger avoiding jellys. Is kayaking overrated then? Maybe I can do some elementary kayaking.
Are there caves to snorkel in Kauai?
Cripes, I didn't even begin to think about Hawaiian food. Thanks for the recommendations on that O- and I will definitely rent a convertible.
Good luck mama.
- spidey
Someone mentioned the farmer's market. It's fine but don't expect the Ferry Building on weekends; it's pretty small, all said.
Here are some pics
a catamarn view from a catamaran
things you see underwater
Na Pali Coast from the helicopter
Cute trees and taro fields
7am kayak and hike to waterfall
view from our hotel balcony
this is called the Beefsteak Heliconia, hahaha
I did a long trail run up there in April with legs on the Awa`awapuhi trail, across the Nu`alolo cliffs and down the Honopu ridges... kind of sketchy terrain but very beautiful. Not very many people up there. Awa`awapuhi is spectacular and pretty short. The Waimea canyon ditch trail is incredible but kind of confusing to get to the trailhead.
the pic of the dolphin lurking and plotting our demise below our boat came out slightly better
i can't imagine paddling 35 miles in the ocean, especially since it's so choppy compared to the river. you must have been so exhausted! i bet it was gorgeous scenery. i could not believe how turquoise that water was, not to mention really warm for jumping into.
It can run a lot faster than river paddling - you're going downwind so you pull into waves and surf the canoe. Although this year was pretty calm. Maybe 90 minutes of clean 4-foot windswell and the rest was flat and choppy. The format for this race is that women & men's crews switch out every 30 minutes, so you're only working half the time. It goes by pretty quickly.
I'm not sure that I even looked at the scenery once! Although I've kayaked around the coast two or three times so I checked it out then.