Top 10 in Kauai

Kaua’i is hands-down one of the most beautiful and inspiring places I’ve ever visited. Matt and I spent a little over a week on this island on our honeymoon and we both instantly fell in love. I had this terrible misconception that all there was to Hawai’i was beaches. I was wrong. There is something there for everyone. Kaua’i is a beautiful example of it with its canyons, valleys, waterfalls, mountains, food and more. Here are my top 10 in Kauai.

TAKE IN THE GARDEN ISLE FROM ABOVE

Before visiting Kauai, I had never taken a helicopter ride. That’s all it took. I’m obsessed. We flew with Jack Harter and took their doors off ride, which was unreal. I loved doing this because you had unobstructed views of the entire island. Our pilot was phenomenal and showed us all the hikes that we planned to do later in the week. You get to see waterfalls and peaks that you’d never even know existed without taking flight over the island.

CHECK OUT THE VIEW (AND BIRDS) AT KILAUEA LIGHTHOUSE

If you’re driving from end to end on this island, don’t forget to make a stop at the gorgeous Kilauea Lighthouse. Located closer to the north shore, this lighthouse extends out on a beautiful peninsula. This is a gorgeous view in itself, but it’s also a prime spot to take in wildlife. Birds love to flock here, we saw loads of nenes, and at the right time of year you can even see humpback whales!

EXPERIENCE THE NĀ PALI COAST

There are multiple ways to experience the Nā Pali Coast and whichever way you choose to do it, you can’t go wrong. We experienced it from above on our helicopter ride and then we hiked part of the Kalalau Trail into the Nā Pali Coast. It’s just so beautiful. You can also take a catamaran to explore the hidden beaches and valleys here. You can’t get here by, so plan out the best method for you.

TAKE A DIP IN QUEEN’S BATH

I had read all of these posts about how swimming here was unsafe and multiple people had died. However, I think most of the people who died here weren’t actually in Queen’s Bath ( the tidal pool pictured above) but in what we called The Death Pool that has violent wave crashes and looks positively terrifying. This place definitely comes with a warning, and should be explored at your own discretion but at the very least, go take a look at this gorgeous tidal pool if you’re up for a smudge of a hike.

CHASE AFTER THE MASSIVE HANAKAPI’AI FALLS

The hike to Hanakapi’ai Falls breaks off from the Kalalau Trail. You hike through the Nā Pali Coast, through valleys and over rivers, etc. It’s a difficult hike, but it’s so very worth it. It’s such a stunner, but start the trail early because the parking area fills up quickly and they ticket if you park on the road. Plus, you’ll beat the crowds and get to the waterfall before everyone else. This trail is tough, but so very worth it. The pool at the base is accessible to take a dip in, just know that that water is frigid.

SEE THE GRAND CANYON OF THE PACIFIC

Waimea Canyon has been dubbed the Grand Canyon of the Pacific and it’s very easy to see why. This iron-rich canyon is a stark contrast to the green that you see all over the rest of the island. This red canyon is deep, wide and striking and even has a waterfall gracing its landscape. Waimea Canyon State Park has trails as well as beautiful overlooks so that you can enjoy the beauty on foot or from your car, depending on how you enjoy nature.

WATCH THE SUNSET ON KE’E BEACH

Ke’e Beach is one of those places that just inspires awe. I’ve never felt so small and so far removed from other land as I did  standing on a beach in Hawai’i. Ke’e Beach has that extra something special. There are views of the Nā Pali Coast peeking out. This is where the road on the island ends and getting here is pure magic because you drive through the beautiful Hanalei area. Plus, it’s a great place to picnic/hang out under these huge fig trees. To do the Kalalau or Hanakapi’ai Falls trails, you’ll park in the Ke’e Beach area. Since we stayed on the North Shore we went to Ke’e Beach a handful of times and absolutely loved it each and every time.

STUFF YOUR FACE AT DIFFERENT FOOD TRUCKS

I love, love, love food trucks. Anywhere I go, I love to try out these genius little restaurants on wheels. We frequented several food trucks while we were in Kaua’i. Two really stood out to me though. We went to Porky’s, which has hot dogs and other sandwiches. I had their pulled pork sandwich and it was insanely delicious! My other favorite was Trucking Delicious. We ate here several times because I loved it so much and it was right by our condo. My go-to was their veggie fried rice. It’s just so amazingly yummy and full of typical and unexpected veggies like carrots, mushrooms and more. Don’t miss out on their amazing macaroni salad either!

PICNIC AT HANALEI VALLEY OVERLOOK

Seriously, this is an over look in Hanalei. It’s 100% free to sit here and watch rain, rainbows, sunsets anything roll in. This overlook was just outside of our condo, so a couple of nights, we picked up something to eat, parked our car at this overlook and listened to Jack Johnson (and even the Jurassic Park soundtrack haha) while enjoying the nature. Don’t miss out on this gorgeous overlook on the North Shore.

GET YOUR DAILY FIX AT WISHING WELL SHAVE ICE

Shave Ice is a treat that we enjoyed daily. We tried out several places, but nothing compared to Wishing Well Shave Ice in Hanalei. They have regular syrups and delicious organic syrups as well. In addition to these, they had other ways to spruce up the shave ice. Unfortunately, we devoured our most beautiful creation they made before I could photograph it. It was papaya/lime + black berry syrups over delicious ice-cream and topped with bananas. It was glorious and I recommend stopping here to everyone who asks what to do in Kaua’i.

THINGS ON MANY OTHER TOP 10 IN KAUAI LISTS:

AWA’AWAPHUI TRAIL – We did the Awa’awaphui Trail after seeing an article describing it as the greatest view in all of Hawai’i. However, it’s only that spectacular view if you go off trail to the end of this narrow ledge that drops off hundreds and hundreds of feet on either side. So, only do this hike if you’re planning to do that.

A LU’AU – We enjoyed a luau, but if you’ve done a lu’au on one of the islands, I don’t think you’d have to see another one, unless that was your very favorite thing from your Hawaiian trip. We did the Lu’au Kalamaku at Kilohana Plantation. We really enjoyed the show and loved the food and drinks, which were all you could indulge in.

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