Of all the Hawaiian islands, Kaua’i is the fourth largest, and is known as “The Garden Isle” or “Garden Island”. And for good reason. Lush rainforests, jagged cliffs, beautiful waterfalls and some of the best beaches in Hawai’i. There’s not much this island doesn’t have to offer. So here’s (nearly) 7 free things to do on Kaua’i Island that will surely leave you feeling good after your trip!
ENJOY BEACHTIME
This may be a bit obvious, but when spending time on an island in the Pacific, it’d be silly not to spend some quality time enjoying the beaches and ocean. You’ll find a number of beaches along the north, east and southern sides of the island which are very accessible. While there are some beaches on the western side of the island along the Na Palī Coast, many of these are not accessible, or designated as sacred grounds.
Cost – FREE
HĀ’ENA BEACH
The furthest north of the beaches we’ll touch on, this beach is ideal for laying out in the sun and sunbathing, a nice walk along the water, or having a nice picnic. We would not recommend going in to the water unless you are experienced and aware of the conditions. The sand drops off in many spots leaving large slabs of rock exposed under the water, and the waves can be quite intense. Be smart and safe if you do go, or just enjoy the views from the sand.
HANALEI BAY BEACH / BLACK POT BEACH
This is by far the largest beach of the bunch, and is also incredibly accessible. Unfortunately, that also means much more crowded. This beach is LONG and spans nearly the entire length of the bay. The water isn’t exactly clear, but it makes up for it with its views, and perfect waves for basic surfing or boogy boarding. You’ll find a number of public parking lots and areas giving you relatively easy access.
PU’U POA BEACH
Princeville is known as the luxurious side of the island and is also the side of the island that gets the most rain. Near the end of highway 56, you’ll find Hotel Hanalei Bay (previously called Princeville Resort), and just to side of it is Pu’u Poa Beach (also known as Princeville Beach). When we visited, the hotel was still under construction, and access to the beach was rather hidden and required walking down stairways and corridors along the side of the construction site. But once you arrive there, you’ll find a beautifully secluded beach with an incredible view of Hanalei Bay. Parking is almost non-existent (around 5 parking spaces), and there is no other street parking. So we recommend getting there early, or plan to hike a long ways to get there from Princeville.
POIPU BEACH
At the southern most point of the island, is Poipu Beach. This is a rather popular beach not only due to its size and accessibility, but also because of the marine wildlife that can be found underwater. This is one of the best places on the island to go snorkeling. Beautiful schools of fish and sea turtles can be seen right off the beach. We’d highly recommend visiting here!
KEĀLIA BEACH & KAPA’A BEACH
Kapa’a and Wailua are where you’ll find a number of big beach resorts, and thus many beaches as well. However, in addition to these, you’ll also find a number of beautiful public beaches. While we did not get to visit either of these beaches, they both looked beautiful, each with relatively large parking lots, so we’d be remiss not to mention them.
HIKE QUEEN’S BATH
This one comes with a massive disclaimer. So please read below and exercise caution and safety. Queen’s Bath is a large tide pool on the northern side of the island near Princeville. The hike to this is a bit strenuous as you literally have to hike down a barely maintained muddy trail through some forest. The trailhead is also not obvious; you have to park in a residential neighborhood and have to know where the entrance is located, otherwise you’ll completely miss it. But once you break free of the trees, and you reach the coastline, it becomes obvious why this is an amazing spot to visit.
- Difficulty – Moderate
- Length – 0.8mi/1.3km out and back
DISCLAIMER: The Kaua’i Visitors Bureau strongly recommends NOT doing this hike as a blanket statement. During winter months, the trail is closed due to the ocean tide rushing up over the rocky area where Queens Bath is located, and people have died as a result of being pulled out to the ocean. Please read and adhere to the signs posted. Please do not end up as a hashmark on one of the signs.
Cost – FREE
SPOUTING HORN BLOWHOLE
If you’ve read our (NEARLY) 7 FREE THINGS TO DO ON MAUI article, then you know how cool (and dangerous!) blowholes can be. If you’ve never been to or seen a blowhole, this is a natural occurrence when a hole is formed in a cliff on the edge of the ocean, and as waves crash up, the water comes shooting out like a geyser. Spouting Horn is no different. Just west of Poipu, you’ll find a turnout and parking lot giving you perfect viewing of this incredible phenomenon.
Cost – FREE
CHASING WATERFALLS
Of all the Hawaiian Islands, Kaua’i isn’t exactly known for its waterfalls. That being said, there are a number of them on the island worth visiting. In total, there are roughly 10 waterfalls. We opted to visit a few, and were quite happy with our choices.
Cost – FREE (excluding Waimea entry fee, and/or Nā Pali Coast tours)
WAILUA FALLS
One of the largest waterfalls on the island is Wailua Falls. It is also one of the most accessible! A 15 minute drive from Lihue, or 30 minutes from Kapa’a, and you’ll find yourself at the end of a dead end road with a parking lot and viewing area of this incredible waterfall. There ARE a couple of hiking trails which lead you down to the base of this waterfall, however the county now recommends that people DO NOT attempt to hike down due to unsafe hiking conditions. Trust us when we say the view from the lookout is more than worth it.
‘ŌPAEKA’A FALLS
Much like Wailua Falls, ‘Ōpaeka’a Falls is incredibly accessible. It’s also less than 1mi / 1.6km from Wailua Falls. Unfortunately it’s an 11mi / 17.7km drive between the two waterfalls. Never the less, given that these two falls are so close to one another, they are a perfect pair to visit back to back if you’re chasing waterfalls. Also similar to Wailua Falls, there is an ‘Ōpaeka’a Falls trail which is VERY challenging and has been closed by the county.
WAIPO’O FALLS
You’re gonna notice a theme here. Waipo’o Falls is located inside Waimea Canyon, and can be seen from a number of different lookouts along the Waimea Canyon rim. We’ll touch on Waimea Canyon State Park in a bit. And like all other falls we’ve mentioned thus far, you have the choice of simply viewing from the lookouts, or there are some hiking trails that will give you those up close and personal views.
- Difficulty – Moderate
- Length – 3.0mi / 4.8km out and back
Waipo’o Falls via Pu’u Hinahina and Canyon Trail
- Difficulty – Hard
- Length – 2.6mi / 4.2km out and back
NĀ PALI COAST FALLS
There are quite a few waterfalls along the Nā Pali Coast (we’ll touch on this more below) that are visible only from the ocean. Viewing these falls requires either taking a boat tour or helicopter tour. Both of which we would HIGHLY recommend.
OTHER FALLS
Here are some of the other waterfalls should you decide to see more!
- Halii Falls
- Hanakapiai Falls
- Hinalele Falls
- Kalihiwai Falls
- Kilauea Falls
- Manawaiopuna Falls
- Red Dirt Falls
- Waialae Falls
WAIMEA CANYON STATE PARK
Known as “The Grand Canyon of Hawai’i”, it’s easy to see why this would be something you’d want to visit. Visiting the Waimea Canyon Overlook gives you a view that is arguably the best view on the island. And if the view isn’t enough, the State Park has a couple of hiking trails that will allow you to immerse yourself more in the park and canyon.
- Difficulty – Hard
- Length – 5.0mi / 8.0km out and back
- Difficulty – Easy
- Length – 0.3mi / 0.5km loop
Cost – $5 Entry fee per person & a $10 vehicle fee
NĀ PALI COAST STATE WILDERNESS PARK
Doing a Google search of things to do in Kaua’i, will almost certainly result in a ton of images of the Nā Pali Coastline. The Nā Pali Coast State Park covers most of the western side of the island, and is known for its rainforest and ridged coastline. The park is quite remote, so visiting it will require one of a few things: hiking, taking a boat tour, or taking a helicopter tour. Hiking is VERY strenuous and not for the faint of heart. Boat and helicopter tours are pricey, but in many cases, the best options as these provide you with the best views of the coastline. We opted for a boat tour through Blue Ocean Adventure Tours. However, if you are an experienced hiker and up to the task, there are some hiking options:
- Difficulty – Hard
- Length – 8.0mi / 12.9km out and back
- Difficulty – Hard
- Length – 22mi / 35km out and back
Cost – Hiking requires making reservations through the Hawai’i Division of State Parks and may be subject to fees
GO RUM TASTING AT KŌLOA RUM CO
One of the most laid back, fun and (adult) family friendly things to do, is going rum tasting at the Kōloa Rum Co.’s tasting room. Kōloa Rum is known for being the first licensed rum distillery on Kaua’i Island and uses all natural local sugarcane in their rums. They focus on making good quality rum that has incredible flavor, without using all the added flavor ingredients and artificial sugars that other rum companies use. And the best part: rum tastings are FREE!
Yes, you read that correctly. You can go to their tasting room and have a full rum tasting experience at NO CHARGE. They believe in their products and experience so much, that they are willing to forego the price of doing tastings, in the hopes that you will purchase some of their rum on your way out. And trust us when we say you’ll want to. The only catch is that you’ll need to make reservations in-person on the same day as the tasting.
Cost – FREE (excluding rum purchases)
KAUA’I MAP
(NEARLY) 7 FREE THINGS TO DO ON KAUA’I HAWAI’I
We hope this has given you inspiration and some ideas of things to do on Kaua’i Island. If you’re interested in learning more about the other Hawaiian islands, check out some of our other articles below:
- 8 AWESOME THINGS TO DO ON OAHU HAWAII
- (NEARLY) 7 FREE THINGS TO DO ON MAUI HAWAII
- (NEARLY) 7 FREE THINGS TO DO ON HAWAI’I ISLAND HAWAII
- HOW TO PICK WHICH HAWAIIAN ISLAND TO VISIT
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Thanks for stopping by!
- Ryan & Katy
