Embark on a Garden Isle adventure with a half-day kayak trip on Kauai’s legendary Wailua River. Paddle through lush tropical landscape with a guide, passing a traditional Hawaiian village and learning about the river’s ancient, sacred history along the way. Feel like an island explorer as you hike to a sparkling waterfall.

Explore Kauai's only navigable river with a guide
Great way to experience the Garden Isle's lush scenery by land and by water
Learn about the Wailua River's importance to ancient Hawaiians
All kayaking equipment included

What's Included

Guided kayak tour
Double sit on top Ocean Zest Kayaks
PFD (Life jackets)
Water Resistant Dry Bags
Guide(s) State Certified with lifeguard, CPR and First Aid safety
Day Coolers- Bring a sandwich or light lunch and our coolers will keep it fresh throughout your tour!
Snacks
Bottled water

Gratuities
Hotel Pick Up or Drop Off
Lunch

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting point

4-484 Kuhio Hwy
4-484 Kuhio Hwy, Kapaʻa, HI 96746, USA
We are located inside the Coconut Marketplace. "Meet us under the Water Tower" at our new kiosk.

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Get an early start to make the most of the fresh tropical morning, and meet your guide at the launch point near the Wailua River, Kauai’s only navigable waterway. Get outfitted with a provided kayak, paddle, and life vest, and store your belongings in a dry bag before setting off on the gentle currents.

Soak up the verdant jungle scenery and views of volcanic peaks in the distance on a 2-mile (3.2-km) paddle upriver towards the north fork. Feel transported back in time as you pass by the traditional huts of Kamokila Village and hear tales of the native Hawaiian people who once lived around and traveled the river more than 1,500 years ago.

Take a break from paddling to explore the rain forest by foot on a moderate hike to the Ulewehi Waterfall, where you’ll be rewarded with views of the majestic falls cascading 120 feet (36 meters) down a mountain cliff. Recharge with a refreshing swim in the cool jungle pool before heading back to the trail and paddling back on the Wailua.

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not recommended for pregnant travelers
Children must be accompanied by an adult
Minimum age is 5 years old
Not wheelchair accessible
Not recommended for travelers with back problems

No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
Trail conditions vary from super dry to very muddy depending on recent rain
Hiking sandals like Tevas or Keens, water shoes or sneakers (your feet will get wet & muddy).
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 12 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Featured review

Chirag_V

Our guide John was awesome. Weather was beautiful as always. Heard some interesting local stories from John. Overall very relaxing experience ! Hike was moderate and some areas are somewhat challenging for people with injuries and bad knees. Waterfall was amazing and made it all worthwhile.

Reviews

5.0

843 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

Showing 1-10 of 843 reviews

Best Tour!

Jennifer_G, Oct 2023

We had the best tour guide, John! Very knowledgeable, kind and super genuine! We enjoyed this so much! Kayaking, hiking and the Falls were amazing

Being able to talk with...

Justin_M, Oct 2023

Being able to talk with our guide (Nathan) was amazing! Very knowledgeable and helpful with everything you needed! The waterfall was astonishing and the kayak is short enough to enjoy but long enough to feel like you get to see so much!

Beautiful trip, relatively easy kayaking

Michael_L, Sep 2023

Beautiful hike and swimming. Levi was a great guide! Definitely a relatively easy paddle for experienced kayakers

Very relaxing g experience

Chirag_V, Sep 2023

Immersive nature experience

Scott_S, Sep 2023

Amazing experience. Our tour guide Nathan did a wonderful job sharing information with us along the way. Small group of only 8 other people with us which allowed us to meet new friends and chat one on one with our guide or ask questions. This is a wonderful activity that gets you the full experience of being immersed in the nature of Kauai. The kayaking was long but as someone who isn’t experienced it was very manageable and the “hike” was amazing and more like a laid back walk through the jungle along the beautiful Waimea river. The falls were spectacular and we had plenty of time to eat our lunch when we stopped and take plentiful pictures. Definitely wear a swimsuit to get in the falls and water shoes for walking on the rocks. Would do this again!

Great guide, cool waterfall, lots of people

Connor_S, Sep 2023

I thought our guide was awesome, he was super interesting and made great conversation. He also had tidbits of information to provide about the whole trek to and from the waterfall. This company only does morning tours, so I didn't feel rushed to get there and get back. Some of the other groups were really on a schedule so they could make it back for an afternoon group. the waterfall itself was super cool, but the hike was really muddy and there were a ton of people due to all of the groups that do this tour. Overall though, not super strenuous and definitely worth our time and money.

Well worth it tour

chris_o, Sep 2023

Well worth it. Two mile kayak ride down the river. Then mile hike back to the secret falls. Very easy kayaking. Hike is all flat. The falls are beautiful must walk right under them. Our tour guide John was amazing. Spoke the whole way about the history of the river and the people that used to live along this route.

An experience for the inexperienced!

Lorrie_W, Sep 2023

Levi made the experience very memorable. It was great to have a guide who was a native of Kauai and able to share the history. He also made sure that even the most inexperienced kayakers were successful.

Great Experience

julie_h, Sep 2023

the guide was very friendly and so knowledgeable. He cared about the quality of our experience and even carried one of the group across all the water crossings.

Adventures in Kauai!!!

Siddharth_A, Sep 2023

Simply amazing and wonderful experience in Kauai! And couldn't ask for a friendlier guide! Thanks Gabe!

Great adventure and super fun.

Dave_C, Sep 2023

Beautiful river kayak. The hike was easy with no elevation and along the river with beautiful views. We were tired by the last part of the kayak back. Our guide provided all info and Hawaiian cultural elements. Good value and I recommend.

Hurried but Great

Jessica_H, Sep 2023

As a 50 year old with Parkinson’s, this was a challenge, but doable. Our guide was great, equipment was great. It was very much a hurry up and paddle, hurry up and hike, hurry up and eat lunch/swim/look at the falls then reverse. I wanted more time to savor the experience and really notice the sights and smells. If I do it again it’ll be on my own with a rented kayak first thing in the morning so I can slow down and enjoy the jungle.

Such an awesome...

Kori_L, Sep 2023

Such an awesome experience! Levi was amazing. Thank you! He gave us the history to go with the beauty.

Scenic Kayak/Hiking Adventure

Carissa_A, Aug 2023

We had a wonderful guide who took the time to make sure we all felt included. He spent time talking with us about the culture and history of the water and trail. He inspired me to hike barefoot through the trail and I felt incredibly grounded! Spectacular activity to do!

Fun day in Kauai

Lawrence_R, Aug 2023

It was a beautiful day. The kayaking was relaxing, the hike ended at the most beautiful falls. Our guide Gabe provided us with a great tour and a lot of information about the plants and the history of the island.

Great BUT not easy!

Lauren_S, Aug 2023

Great experience BUT not easy. Kayak back was tough and the hike is very uneven. Take a Walking stick. We went in thinking it was easy.

Great adventure!

kat_b, Aug 2023

Gabe was a great host and tour guide! He made the experience fun, safe and inviting. He cared about safety and island and I would take a tour with him again!

Calming River, Mudding feet, beautiful waterfall

Jy_L, Jul 2023

Sooo much fun! Nathan (guide) was super chilled and friendly with everyone on our tour, even those who hadn’t kayak before. The river was calm, easy kayaking journey. The hike was fun, highly recommend taking the most grip-able shoes you have as the mud part of the hike is slippery and you may slip over in it. Take the hiking stick if your guide off. Once you arrive to the waterfall, eat first before getting into the water as other tours will be finishing up and finalising their photos. Should allow you time to get the waterfall pretty much to your group. I wouldn’t recommend the hike to those with any balancing or knee injuries, bit risky with the mud part. You can skip the hike and chill with the kayak’s, it would be about hour or so you’d need to entertain yourself for. Overall, differently recommended tour to do in Kauai!

Native to Kauai

Elizabeth_G, Jul 2023

Conch shell, history, culture, and falls were gorgeous. Thank you so much Levi for the experience and sharing your history.

Kayak/Secret Falls hike

Marlene_W, Jul 2023

As usual any excursions I book with Viator are outstanding. You can do a lot of excursions on your own but doing it with an expert guide (Nathan) giving you history, instruction/advice, great equipment, and camaraderie make the experience that much richer .

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