August 1, 2017

The Best Way to Spend 3 days on Kauai

My trip to Kauai lasted four days, was packed with activities and was a total blast. I had such an amazing time that I’m convinced I have THE best 3/4 day itinerary for your first or fast trip to Kauai.

My 4 day itinerary:

Day 1: Fly to Kaua’i, Wailua Falls, Dinner at Dukes
Day 2: Kayak Wailua River to Secret falls trail, Shopping in Kapaa, Kilauea Lighthouse, Lumahai Beach, Queen’s Bath, Tunnels Beach
Day 3: Na Pali Coast Snorkel tour, Waimea Canyon, Kilauea waterfall & slide, Secret Beach (Kauapea Beach),
Day 4: Opaekaa Falls, Glass Beach, Early pm flight back to Oahu

My recommended 3 day itinerary:

Day 1: Kayak Wailua River to Secret Falls trail, shopping in Kapaa, Kilauea Lighthouse, Lumahai Beach, Queen’s Bath, Tunnels Beach
Day 2: Na Pali Coast snorkel tour, Waimea Canyon, Kilauea waterfall & slide, Secret Beach (Kauapea Beach)
Day 3: Opaekaa Falls, hike down to Wailua Falls, Glass Beach

As you may notice, the majority of my activities were on the north/east side of the island. If there is something else you want to add that is on the west/south, make it the same day as your visit to Waimea Canyon.

♦ Side Note: I stayed at the Kauai Beach Resort, which was beautiful. I wish I had taken pictures.
◊ Pro Tip: Especially if you’re under 25…Rent a car on Craigslist! I had an awesome experience with the place we found. $100 for 4 days- PERFECT.

Wailua Falls

THE BEST part of Kauai. This is meant to be a lookout spot, but when I saw the falls I knew I needed to get down to it. The guy selling homemade jewelry in the parking lot wouldn’t tell us if there was a path down to the falls, but made it obvious it was possible. We ended up finding a trail down, and the entire hike took about 30 mins. Part of the hike consisted of trekking through tall grass and walking on rocks upstream. (btw there is a shorter/easier way)

Arriving at the falls, I was blown away. To this day, this is the largest, most majestic waterfall I have ever seen. We swam in the pool, climbed behind the falls, and had the place to ourselves for about an hour before another couple came. They were the ones who showed us the easier way out. When you are facing the falls, to your left is a trail that goes straight up towards the parking lot. I think we made it to the top in about 5 mins…heh, oops!

Kayak Wailua River to Secret falls trail

This has to be the prettiest place to kayak, a MUST DO. Gorgeous kayak ride and a hike to a beautiful waterfall?? Yeah, can’t go wrong doing this one. I recommend going early before it gets too crowded. We went right when it opened.

Lighthouse photo opp

Lumahai Beach

We saw people parking on the side of the road, so we decided to see where everyone was headed. After a quick walk down a hill, we arrived at this GORGEOUS beach.

Na Pali Coast snorkel tour

I am such a cheapskate and rarely pay for tours. Partially because I don’t like spending money, partially because I try to travel like a local & not a tourist. However, I was told that a tour of the Na Pali Coast by boat was a must do. I wanted to do a tour on a small boat in order to go in the caves. We chose Na Pali Riders, and they did not disappoint. The coast is SO gorgeous- one of the highlights of the trip.

Kilauea waterfall & slide

Okay we got LUCKY on this one. We were actually looking for Kilauea Falls, when we saw a group of Kauai locals pulled to the side of a road. We asked them if Kilauea Falls was nearby, and they told us the falls are on private property and that the owners are strict about not letting in visitors. They told us they were going to another waterfall, and asked if we wanted to join them. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! It was AMAZING & yes, that’s a water slide.