Top 3 Things To Do On Kauai

Our contributer Kelsi shares more of her honeymoon in Hawaii

1 – Zipline in Poipu

 

There’s no better way to take in the lush greenery of Kauai than by whipping across cable lines 200 ft from than ground.  Skyline Eco Adventures has 3 locations in Hawaii, and we were thrilled to enjoy the zipline experience on Kauai.  A few minutes outside of Poipu, the home-base is a very bright and clean storefront in lovely the Shops at Kukui’ula. There you get fitted for your harness and are then bussed about ten minutes to the course.  The guides are hilarious, and are there to keep you as safe as you are entertained.  The course has 8 ziplines, each with its own back story deep in Hawaiian culture.  Zippers can choose to do a 5-Line course or the 8-Line course.  The 5-Line course is about 90 minutes, and costs $99 USD per person. The 8-line course is around 2 1/2 hours and is $139 USD per person.  We did the 8-line course and were able to complete all but one of the different lines due to the wind conditions (we repeated a line to make up for it).  Though it might seem daunting to some, I can assure you that it really isn’t once you are up there. You kind of feel like you’re floating across the sky. Highly recommended! 

2- Hike the Kalalau Trail

The Kalalau Trail is a section of the Na Pali coast that is an 11 miles (17.7 km) long that leads from Ke’e Beach to Kalalau Beach. The Na Pali coast may look familiar to some from featured films (Jurassic Park, anyone?) and one of the best ways to see it is on foot.  Because we were only in the area for a short period of time – and we are not serious hikers – we chose to do the shorter part of the hike which is 4 miles round trip.  There is so much information out there on the trail, and I highly encourage you to do your research if you plan on hiking past the 2 mile mark, but for those who are looking for a great activity to do in a morning or afternoon, the 2 mile hike is for you.  We saw a number of families with small children along the trail, even a baby-wearing hiking mama!  Not that I would totally recommend that, but power to her. Our trek took us just over 3 hours including a 15 minute sit-down at the turnaround mark (Keʻe Beach to Hanakapiai stream and beach).  This section is moderate difficulty and you don’t need a permit. 

3- Visit the Waimea Canyon 

Located on the West side of the island, the Waimea Canyon is touted as the Grand Canyon of the Pacific.  It is 14 miles long, one mile wide and over 3,600 deep.  We drove round the base of the canyon road to the Waimea Canyon Overlook, stopping at a few turnouts for photos and a couple short nature walks. Unfortunately the weather was not on our side that day, and the temperature dropped 20 degrees F and turned cloudy and rainy by the time we reached the top.  We started the drive with our convertible top down and dressed in tank tops and shorts… by the time we were at the lookout point the top was up, heat blasting, and we were dressed in literally an piece of clothing or fabric we had on hand.  I fashioned our beach towels in a pretty amazing pair of pants, lol.  Though the weather was slightly tumultuous, the view was still stunning. What we could see through the fog was very impressive, and I can only imagine what an clear view would yield.  We chose not to drive to the higher lookout point due to the fog, so instead drove back down the canyon road and through the teeny tiny town of Hanapepe (home to Lilo and Stitch for all you Disney fans) and enjoy some local browsing and grub.  The above right photo is a Hawaiian delicacy called “Spam Misubi” – rice topped with Spam and wrapped in seaweed.  Served piping hot, it was actually delicious! 

These are just a few of the things we got up to on Kauai, but definitely the most memorable.  Have you ever been ziplining?  What other activities would you love to do in Hawaii?