Kauai kayak tours are so different than on any other island. Kayaking in Kauai is overwhelmingly done on rivers rather than the ocean. Since the island has so many navigable rivers that are suitable for kayaking it is a simple happenstance of the specific geography of the island that has made Kauai the kayaking capitol of Hawaii. See which rivers are best suited for kayaking. Learn why hiking is often a portion of Kauai kayak tours and understand which times of year are suitable for the ocean kayaking experiences.
Kayaking in Kauai is more popular than kayaking on any other Hawaiian Island.
This "Kayaking in Kauai" section of our website is very popular. With a certain degree of astonishment we are always intrigued by the amount of interest people have in kayak tours here. The reason for our amazement is that we have nowhere near the amount of curiosity and interest regarding kayaking tours on any other island even though we provide discount kayaking tours on those islands as well.
Here is the reason why the Kauai Kayak Tours are more popular:
The reason of course is obvious: the kayaking tours here on Kauai are so much different. We bring this to your attention now before you begin reading further about this fun and exciting activity because we want you to pay a bit of focused attention to these kayaking tours. Visitors totally enjoy and appreciate these -Kayaking in Kauai - adventures primarily, as you will see, because they are unique when compared to any other kayak tours throughout the entire state!
Kauai has Navigable Rivers
The one great advantage Kauai has that none of the other Hawaiian islands have is that it has an abundance of navigable rivers. With these rivers come the opportunity to go river kayaking and these river kayaks open up some other opportunities as well.
Kayaking and Hiking
Not only will you be able to paddle a kayak up one of Kauai's gentle and meandering rivers but since these rivers cut right through the dense and luscious jungles your Kauai kayak tour will deliver you into the very heart of the island. This would be unavailable to you with any other form of transportation. Once you've paddled into the interior of Kauai you'll be able to take a hike further in if you'd like, in many cases to a beautiful waterfall and pool. Paddling yourself up a Kauai river on kayak and finding yourself in the midst of a triple-canopy jungle is an extraordinary experience.
Kauai has a Geological Advantage that makes it Ideal for Kayaking.
Kauai's volcano's have been extinct for over 5 million years and since Kauai is considered to be the "wettest spot on Earth" you can assume that all the erosion that has occurred over time with its sculpted cliffs and carved river beds and iconic mountain precipices will provide a landscape that you perhaps might only see in Jurassic Park. Being able to see, and walk and paddle through this scenic jungle paradise is the advantage that you are given when you opt to enjoy a wonderful Kauai kayak tour.
Kauai Kayak Tours comes in two basic versions and they are quite different.
Kauai River Kayaking
Taking a kayak tour up one of Kauai's sensational rivers is your first option. Picture gentle rivers here, not rivers with rapids that you might find in the Great Northwest. These gentle flowing rivers have a mirror like quality that reflects the sunlight shimmering through the jungle valleys leading deep into Kauai's interior. On many of these kayak tours you'll tie your kayak at stream's edge and hike a short distance to one of Kauai's beautiful waterfalls for a dip and some lunch. The trip back may include some cliff jumping and additional swimming.
Kauai Ocean Kayaking
Kauai Ocean kayaking is you're second option, generally along Kauai's spectacular Na Pali Coast, and is recommended for those over the age of 16 and for those in relatively good shape. The reason for this is that once you begin the 11 mile Kauai ocean kayak adventure you're pretty much committed to completing the voyage. Ocean currents usually flow in only one direction and except for the frequently passed isolated beaches protected by absolutely monster cliffs on each side, there is no place to land. The ocean kayaking tours on the famous Na Pali Coast are particularly spectacular but are generally reserved for the summer months when the northern ocean swells and giant surf have subsided.
Here are three of the most beautiful rivers available for kayaking in Kauai.
The Wailua River
is probably the most traveled and winds kayak riders deep into the island's interior. Its waters are very calm and beautiful. They are so calm in fact that the first portion of the river is actually used for water skiing as well.
The Hule'ia River
is located in the Lihue area and provides wonderful river kayaking as it winds through the beautiful Kipu Ranch which has been the site of many Hollywood movies including Jurassic Park and Raiders of the Lost Ark.
The Hanalei River
is the least traveled and can be found in the unbelievably beautiful Hanalei Valley emptying into picturesque Hanalei Bay in Kauai's northern sector. You can kayak on this river well up close to the mountain base that funnels the waters to this beautiful river.
Pride of America Cruise Ship:
None of the Kayaking Tours will pick up cruise ship passengers at the cruise ship dock at Nawiliwili Harbor. Dependent upon the specific tour listed below passengers can either walk to the tour located near the harbor, will need to take a taxi to the departure point or have Tom Barefoot's Tours arrange for a Rental Car shuttle to pick them up directly at the dock. Dependent upon the specific tour, Kauai kayak rides can be arranged for the Thursday or Friday of your cruise ship schedule. Please book well in advance to assure availability.
Kayaking tours on Kauai are hugely popular. Since Kauai is the only Hawaiian Island with navigable rivers into it interior, it is easy to see why. What many people don't immediately understand about the nature of these rivers is that they are more like the surface of a lake than what many people picture as a river. No rapids here. These rivers are often so glass-like that you could water ski on them, and people do. The surface is so calm that it makes the paddle a breeze and what makes it even easier is that most of the kayaks are two person kayaks so you can both work at paddling, and occasionally (this has happened to me) one person can serve as the motor while the other takes pictures, sings songs, recalls old memories and is generally speaking, along for the ride in style... read more.
Look for this symbol in the tour descriptions below to indicate if it is Pride of America compatible.
Kayak Hanalei and Hanalei Wave Riders provide three ways to enjoy the Hanalei River and the ocean areas surrounding Hanalei bay. Kayak, Stand up Paddle or Surf the coast along Hanalei Valley on the North side of Kauai, one of the most beautiful places on Earth. More Info / Buy Now
The Princeville Ranch is certainly one of the most beautiful of any in the whole state of Hawaii. With its backdrop of the romantic Hanalei Mountains and it rolling hills to the sea, the Princeville Ranch is the home of a spectacular zip line course, river kayaking, hiking and some of the most amazing horseback riding country to be found anywhere. More Info / Buy Now
Known as one of the longest zip-line courses on the island, Back Country Zip-line Adventures, lives up to its reputation. This three-and-one-half hour zip-line excursion is also partially traversed on a 4-wheel drive vehicle that negotiates its way up to the zip course through rugged roads at the base of Mount Wai'ale'ale. At tours end you'll be treated to a dip in a waterfall fed pond. More Info / Buy Now
Join Alii Kayaks on an unforgettable journey up the famous Wailua River. This is truly one of the most beautiful rivers in the world and Alii Kayaks offers both kayak tours and stand-up paddle tours up its serene tributaries. A hike is also included which takes you through the remarkable Kauai jungles to a beautiful waterfall and pond for a refreshing swim. More Info / Buy Now
Kayak Kauai Outbound is one of the original kayak and adventure companies found on Kauai and specializes in kayaking, hiking and surfing. The owners and originators of the company are the Cuban born brothers Micco and Chino Godinez. More Info / Buy Now
Outfitters Kauai is an adventure company on Kauai that offers a combination of ocean and river kayaking experiences, hiking tours, bike tours and zip-line adventures. Methodically developing one adventure at a time over the course of years, this popular company has produced some of the most notable Kauai adventures available on the island. More Info / Buy Now
One of the best places to rent your kayak for a day's paddle up the spectacular Wailua River is with the company called Wailua Kayak and Canoe. Because they are located directly on the Wailua River, you will not have to haul your rented kayak to the river on your car so it is very handy. Single kayaks, doubles and tri-kayaks are available for 5 hour rentals. They also offer guided kayak tours up the river as well. More Info / Buy Now
I think it would be safe to say that there is no Hawaiian island that has kayak tours anything like the kayak tours you can do on Kauai.
Actually, Kauai has two different types of kayak tours. This is an example of an ocean kayak tour, going up along the Napali Coastline.
The other type of tour we have is on the rivers. Now, Kauai is the only major Hawaiian island that truly has navigable rivers, and these rivers are perfectly suited for kayak trips. These rivers are in the eastern coastline, coming off the mountains onto the Alluvial Plain that is very flat. These rivers just wind their way through the jungle on their way to the ocean. They are very, very tranquil, calm, peaceful, very serpentine. They are just a gorgeous outing in a kayak.
These will start generally down at the ocean, and you'll catch the tour there on a kayak. Then you'll wind your way back up along the river. As soon as you pass the first or second bend of the river, and you look back, and you can't see the ocean anymore, all you really see is two sides of the banks that are just totally jungle on both sides. You realize that you could possibly in Bolivia or somewhere. Just like that, you're on a different planet.
We have a number of rivers, let's get to a map here, that are really suitable. The Huleia River is in this area, Lihue area, the Wailua River, which is really the biggest of the rivers that we have that goes back through the jungles and up toward the mountains back here. But also in Hanalei, we have the Hanalei River. These are the main rivers that we actually offer tours on. They're all different in terms of ... The rivers are completely different, and what you do as you cruise them is different as well.
The Wailua River is one of the most interesting. As I say, it's the largest and widest, but that one, you can actually take a couple miles back into the interior of the jungle, and you'll be able to get off. When you start getting into the tributaries, it gets narrower and narrower. You finally pull your kayak up on the shore, and then you'll be able to do a little hike, maybe a one mile hike or so, that takes you deep into the rain forest into a gigantic waterfall.
We have tours with tour guides that will take you on these kayak excursions, usually two persons in a kayak. They'll be with you the entire time as you're paddling, but also as you're doing hikes, if that's part of the tour that you're deciding to do. You're always in good hands with these folks, and you can also ask questions of the guides, and so on. There's a lot to be learned. These are the river trips, and these you won't find on any other islands.
We also, back to this photo, we do have the sea, or ocean, kayak trips that take you along this spectacular Napali Coastline. This is an amazing, amazing trip. It doesn't happen all the time. It really only happens in the summertime when we've got conditions that are less wave-like on this coastline. In the wintertime, it gets to be huge and very dangerous out there. But it's very calm, generally, in the summertimes. You'll be able to really appreciate the Napali Coastline from a kayak is wonderful. You start at one end, the Hanalei end, and you head all the way down. The entire shoreline, or the Napali coast, is about 11 miles, and the tour's a little bit longer than that. You end up on the other side, so you coast down one way, you're picked up there, and then brought back in a van.
In a kayak is really one of the best ways to appreciate the Napali Coastline. You've got a series of caves, and cliffs, and all that, that are happening. You're able to actually get into these little inlets and caves, and explore them, things you really couldn't do very well in larger boats, but you can do them perfectly on the kayaks. This is a wonderful way to visit the Napali Coastline. Kayaks, either going up the rivers or on the oceans, are really special on the island of Kauai. This is something that everyone that's coming that wants to do something different that you could really only do on specific islands, this is the island to do a river kayak, and also the Napali coast.
If you have any questions about Tours or Activities in Hawaii, just give us a call, or check out tombarefoot.com. We're here to help.
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