Kauai - what to see/do

We visited Kauai for the second time this past May. I think you will find a lot has changed since your visit many years ago. Traffic can be quite a headache from south of Lihue to north of Kapaa and beyond. Last time we stayed at the Kauai Inn in Lihue, this time we stayed further south at a short term rental in Kalaheo. There's a great little restaurant in Kalaheo called the Kalaheo Cafe and Coffee Company. We loved it and ate a number of meals there.

We did a Holo Holo catamaran sunset dinner sail up the Napali coast from Port Allen and thoroughly enjoyed it. The ocean can be a bit rough so if you're prone to sea sickness be sure to take meds to prevent it.

We had previously toured Waimea Canyon with a group but did it again this time on our own. Drove on up past Kokee Lodge and Restaurant (where we had lunch) all the way to the end of the road at the Kalalau lookout. Most enjoyable and at our own pace.

One day was spent doing the first 2 miles of the Kalalau trail (4 miles total.) These days you have to make reservations well in advance and for day hikers, your best option is to snag a shuttle ticket. You park in a lot a dozen miles or so from the trailhead and take a shuttle bus into the state park where the trailhead is. Even with the limits on hikers, it's still a busy trail and facilities on the trail are very limited and not terribly well maintained. In September there was an outbreak of norovirus that mostly affected campers at the 11 mile point. Ugh. Anyway, the beauty is spectacular as shown by this picture below that I took.

We also really enjoyed a visit to Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge on the north shore. Peaceful, beautiful and with interesting wildlife. Get reservations in advance for that too.

Unfortunately, we were somewhat disappointed in our Allerton Gardens tour. There was considerable flood damage so parts were off limits. Also a lot of the time was spent actually getting there and back. It didn't help that there were a couple of kids acting up on the tour. In contrast, when we toured the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden north of Hilo on the Big Island, we thought that was spectacular.

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I am SO tempted to do the helicopter ride but so nervous about the crashing part. Sadly I've had two friends on two different occassions die in small plane crashes so the fear is there, even though one is a small plane and one is a helicopter. All airborne and little...darn it. Maybe I can get past that...
I understand your trepidation. I think helicopters are actually somewhat more risky than small planes. We first took a helicopter tour on the Big Island. That was a thrill for sure. On our first visit to Kauai in 2022, a couple of our planned tours were washed out so we opted to take a helicopter tour. It was OK but weather was an issue and they skipped the Napali coast which was our main reason for going. Oh well. If you do decide to do a helicopter tour, ask if the tour has an onboard camera that records the entire tour. Our Blue Hawaiian tour on the Big Island did and it freed us from trying to get our own video and instead just took some pics. Not to scare you but there was a recent fatal helicopter crash this past July in Kauai off the Napali coast.
 
Just made reservations for the guided tour for Allerton Garden. Thanks so much for the recommendation. It looks really neat.
Wonderful! The combination of trees, plants, flowers, and fountains, combined with the histories of each, made it feel like a living museum. Hope you enjoy!
 
DW and I have been to Kauai 3 times, loved every minute of it We have hiked just about trail on the island. We have done Napali coast boat trips from Hanalei and from the western side. Highly recommend but last week I read that all activities on all islands on the northern shore have been cancelled because of high waves. Last time there was 2010.

If you like to cook and have cooking facilities, go to the farmer's markets and get some fresh veggies and fruits. There was a very small "shaved ice and fish shack" in one of the strip malls on the east coast (I can't find it now) that we bought some fresh fish from. 3 men and their wives ran the place; the men caught fish in morning then went to work at hotels and restaurants at 4. The wives ran the shack from 11 until 8pm. We would buy some of their fish that they didn't serve that day. Scrumptious!

We never stayed at any of the big hotels in the city, so our experience was that everything closed up by 9 o'clock. It may have changed, like everything else, since 2010. We stayed in some condos that were built on a former Shinto Temple and there were some resident green turtles below on the beach.
 
During the winter months, surf can get pretty rough along the north shore, and may disrupt activities like snorkeling.
 
There are some places and times on Kauai (and maybe the other islands) where it is not safe to swim. If you see a sign or red flag, stay out of the water even if you are a very strong swimmer.
 
I am SO tempted to do the helicopter ride but so nervous about the crashing part. Sadly I've had two friends on two different occassions die in small plane crashes so the fear is there, even though one is a small plane and one is a helicopter. All airborne and little...darn it. Maybe I can get past that...
Heck, you can die in a car crash... but you still drive...

I was the same as you when DW first suggested it... but saw that some companies have had zero crashes in decades...
 
We last visited Kauai back in 2008. Wow, I can't believe it has been that long.

We really preferred the lush green north shore. Just sitting on Ke'e Beach watching the sunset along the Napali coastline is worth the trip. It's also a great place to snorkel, though it can be a bit crowded at times.

Another favorite was Hideaways beach in Princeville. It was a steep hike getting down to it, but it was great snorkeling with very few people. https://www.tropicalsnorkeling.com/snorkeling-hideaways-beach/

We really enjoyed the quaint little town of Hanalei on the north shore, much more so than the larger towns.

Queens bath was a lot of fun, but I thought I heard it might be closed now?

Really, any place on the north shore is great. Each beach has it's own vibe.

Waimea canyon is also worth the drive, even if you're staying on the north shore.

I'm sure much has changed since 2008, so no guarantee any of this is still applicable...
What a great video, mountainsoft! Thanks for taking the time to post it. I'm really thinking that we need to make time to check out the north shore. Thanks for the recommendations.
 
I am SO tempted to do the helicopter ride but so nervous about the crashing part. Sadly I've had two friends on two different occassions die in small plane crashes so the fear is there, even though one is a small plane and one is a helicopter. All airborne and little...darn it. Maybe I can get past that...
When I went, I was mostly in it for the photos, and I won't shoot through windows, so I had to find a flight with open doors and a guarantee of the outside seat. You can see the result above. Here is from the zodiac, and Waimea Canyon.
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When I went, I was mostly in it for the photos, and I won't shoot through windows, so I had to find a flight with open doors and a guarantee of the outside seat. You can see the result above. Here is from the zodiac, and Waimea Canyon.
Beautiful photos! You're making me want to plan another trip there. :)
 
Hard to find one without doors unless you pay for the whole helicopter...

Then again, I did last time as I had 6 people... BTW, cheaper to rent the whole ride instead of paying for 6 individuals...
 
When I went, I was mostly in it for the photos, and I won't shoot through windows, so I had to find a flight with open doors and a guarantee of the outside seat. You can see the result above. Here is from the zodiac, and Waimea Canyon.
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I haven't done it myself but IIRC some of the tour operators have a camera and produce a video that you can purchase of YOUR flight. Of course, it's just a "dumb" camera with no special point of focus. I have one of these someplace that I bought at a resale shop. Pretty cool even if not "pointed" by a human.
 
Kauai is beautiful, there are so many fun things to do. Any of those listed already will be enjoyable.
We stay in the Kapaa area.
 
I haven't done it myself but IIRC some of the tour operators have a camera and produce a video that you can purchase of YOUR flight. Of course, it's just a "dumb" camera with no special point of focus. I have one of these someplace that I bought at a resale shop. Pretty cool even if not "pointed" by a human.
We have two of them here DW bought... and never watched!!!

I think one had a camera inside and did record the audio..
 
Well, we're back in Honolulu now; It was a short 3 day, 2 night trip in Kauai, but we had a great time. We stayed in Kapaa at Kauai Shores Hotel. It was a nicely renovated 2 story hotel with a "retro" vibe. We were not there much though.
On our first day we went to Allerton Gardens and had a superb guide and a wonderful time. Weather was forgiving...a shower right before the tour and one during the tour which only last 7-8 minutes and we found decent cover under the canopy of gorgeous trees. Luckily a nice group - no kids, Ian ...I'd recommend it for sure. It was there that our tour guide told me about Lydgate Farms, a cacao farm closer to Kapaa but a bit inland. We made reservations and went there on Day 3 before we had to head to the airport. It was an EXCELLENT tour - 3 hours long, a great guide (Jess)...We got to tour the farm, learn how cacao is grown and processed, taste an insane amount of chocolate (and cacao shell tea) and also taste tropical fruits grown there that I'd not tasted (the rambaton was my favorite, but also the more difficult to find white pineapple. It apparently has a short shelf life so is not generally sold commercially.)

On Day 2, we just wanted to drive and see as much as we could. Having been to Waimea Canyon before, we opted for an East and North drive, so we drove to Princeville, Hanalei and as far west as Kuhio Hwy would let us. We stopped along the way and had a wonderful time just absorbing the beauty of the island. It was, of course, wetter on the North shore but not a big deal and not a problem. We just wanted to get a feel for things b/c we've talked about coming back to Kauai and staying longer (of course, DH was ready to move there...)

Meant to say on Day 3 we drove through Lihue, looking for a bakery/coffee shop that was the ex-boyfriend's of a relative of ours...in the process, we ran into a Costco gas station. I don't think I'll ever tire of the roosters and chickens just roaming around everywhere, ha. I know they're a nuisance and the island is considering ways to humanely decrease the popultion (food with birth control), but they are a sight to see!

When we go back, I will definitely look for a place with a kitchen. I really hate eating out and it killed me to miss out on all of the offerings of the farmer's markets.

Again, many thanks. You were all very helpful.
 
^^^^^^

So glad you had a great time. Let us know about your stay on Oahu as well if you're so inclined.
 
I’m glad you made it to the end of the Kuhio Hwy. You got to see the most spectacular beaches IMO.
 
We bought a big bag of bird seed at Walmart to feed the chickens/roosters. There are a couple theories as to why there are so many but there is no definite answer. Love Kauai.
 
We bought a big bag of bird seed at Walmart to feed the chickens/roosters. There are a couple theories as to why there are so many but there is no definite answer. Love Kauai.
Heh, heh, the REASON there are so many is that people feed them! We have a state park on Oahu where feral cats AND feral chickens hang out together. They never have a problem because they are all well fed. I think it's the humane society but it may be another organization which takes care of the feeding. There are signs NOT to feed them because it's being done in a healthy manner for the animals.

Our neighborhood which is condos and SFHs has loads of chickens. People feed them. We hear the roosters every morning (and sometimes at night.). I had to brake for a "flock" running across the road today.
 
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