Top 5 things to see on the island of Kauai
If you’re interested in seeing more than just your resort pool during your Kauai vacation, I hope this list will help narrow down the many options. Driving around Kauai is easy, but not stopping at every beautiful site is difficult. The map below shows one of the most important things to keep in mind when driving around the island, you have to drive the perimeter of the island to get anywhere. But to put it in perspective, you can drive from Polihale State Beach Park to Kapaa in about 1 hour and 30 minutes, if you don’t stop. But trust me, you’ll stop.
I encourage everyone to see as much or as little as you’d like. But keep in mind, that some of these stops are so beautiful, you may never want to leave! If you need help narrowing down the list, here are my 5 must-see suggestions.
A map of Kauai
5 places to see in Kauai
Polihale State Park
I covered this gem in a full post earlier. You’ll need at least a half day to get out to the beach and enjoy the view. The dirt road to get out to the isolated beach is slow and bumpy, but once you arrive you’ll likely have an entire pristine beach with an incredible backdrop all to yourself. Consider tacking it onto a morning drive to Waimea Canyon. Grab lunch at a local spot along the main road (you’ll pass a few good ones- Shrimp Station is my fav) and enjoy the rest of the day and night at Polihale. If you’re a camper, I strongly recommend you stay overnight!
Waimea Canyon
The Grand Canyon of the Pacific is on the Western part of Kauai. A long drive will take you up, up, up to the grand view. You’ll be able to stop at a few different lookouts and see waterfalls, beautifully colored canyons and rainbows.
A beautiful spot along the road to Waimea Canyon
Mahaulepu Heritage Trail *Shipwreck Beach
I don’t think I can go to Kauai and skip this spot. It’s a beautiful coastline walk (I don’t think it can really qualify as a hike!) that offers stunning views the entire way. Once you climb up the first section from Shipwreck Beach, you’ll be on mostly flat ground. But watch out, the terrain isn’t even and you’ll switch from rock to sand to grass throughout the journey.
The trail is about 4 miles total and the views do not dissapoint. Hawaii’s rugged coastline will be with you every step of the way.
Mahaulepu Heritage Trail
Mahaulepu Heritage Trail
As I mentioned, the trailhead is at Shipwreck Beach. A gorgeous, small beach that is great for a place to hangout by the water, but not a safe place to swim. The waves here are huge and the current will suck you right out to sea if you aren’t careful. That doesn’t mean it’s not worth your time. There are some residents who put on quite a show in the waves with a boogie board and a pair of fins.
Shipwreck Beach
Secret Beach
Secret Beach
This is one of those spots that you might miss if you don’t go the extra steps to get there. It’s a bit hidden, and you have to walk down a fairly steep path to get from the parking lot to the beach. Be careful, if it rained recently, it’ll be very slippery.
The walk down to Secret Beach
The walk is about 10-20 minutes depending on how wet it is. Once you reach the bottom, you’ll get to enjoy the beautiful water with cool lava formations, caves, and if you go far enough- a nude section. (Disclosure- I did not walk far enough to reach the nude section)
Hardened lava creates a unique contrast to the beautiful ocean blue
Playing at Secret Beach
Hanging in the cave
Hiking back up to the car after a morning of exploring Secret Beach
Secret Beach made me feel like a little kid again. Walking through a hidden path in the woods to get there, jumping off of sand dunes, exploring caves, and swimming in the waves. Such a joy to spend my morning there.
Pick a town- any town
Candidly, this will be the hardest decision to make, which is why I opted not to make it for you. In addition to the spots listed above, there are adorable Kauai towns that are worthy of a visit. They offer cute shops (I am a sucker for surf shop clothing), cafes with incredible Acai bowls (shout out to Anake’s juice bar), and of course restaurants and bars with beautiful views and tasty food and cocktails (Da Crack is also fantastic mexican food). Hanalei, Kapaa, Lihue, Poipu are the towns I’ve explored and I loved them all (maybe put Kapaa and Poipu at the top of that list!) I would suggest stopping in a town that makes sense base on your travels. Whatever is on your way when you have time is the town for you. No matter where you go, you’ll enjoy the Aloha Spirit!
Biking is my favorite way to explore
Poke bowl at food truck in Poipu
Check out this acai bowl
One of the many smoothies I purchases on my trip
Side note
Many people are interested in seeing Queen’s Bath, the famous tidal pool in Northern Kauai. We made the mistake of not getting insight from locals before making the drive. The gate will always be locked and the sign will always say if the gate is closed, the conditions are too dangerous. Well, it turns out, the gate is always locked. That’s because Queen’s Bath can be an incredibly dangerous spot. People die here every year, getting pulled out of the tidal pool and out to see. Please be incredibly careful if you decide to hop the fence and check it out. If you aren’t up for the risk, Secret Beach is down the street and as you know- one of my favs.
