offwegooo.com
Travel guide
Kauai
5 days · 8 things to do
Best time to go: April to June, September to October
offwegooo.comPrint it, fold it, take it with you
Welcome
Kauai, in a few days
The oldest of Hawaii's main islands has had five million years to be sculpted by the rain: blade-like cliffs 1,000 metres high on the Nā Pali coast, taro valleys around Hanalei, tropical gardens at the bottom of the Lāwaʻi valley. A local rule limits buildings to the height of a coconut palm, and much of the island can only be seen on foot, by boat or from a helicopter.
- Day by day
- D1 Day 1 1 thing
- D2 Day 2 2 things
- D3 Day 3 2 things
- D4 Day 4 1 thing
- D5 Day 5 2 things
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
The trip
Day by day
Map of the sights (numbers follow the suggested order). It prints with the base map.
D1
Day 1
1 thing to do · at your own pace
- All day · Nā Pali Coast · 4 to 6 h by boat, about 1 h by helicopter27 km of fluted cliffs plunging over 1,000 metres into the Pacific, with hanging valleys and sea caves, seen only by catamaran from Port Allen or by helicopter from Līhuʻe.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Sheraton Kauai Coconut Beach Resort ↗ · All places to stay by budget →€330 a night
D2
Day 2
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Hāʻena State Park · half a day to a full dayAt the end of the northern road, the reef-sheltered lagoon of Kēʻē beach and the start of the Kalalau Trail, open to reservation holders as far as Hanakāpīʻai beach and its waterfall.
- Late afternoon · Limahuli Garden · about 1 h 30At the gateway to Nā Pali, ancient stone taro terraces, Polynesian-introduced plants and rare native species along an intact stream, on a 1.2 km loop with valley and ocean views.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Sheraton Kauai Coconut Beach Resort ↗€330 a night
D3
Day 3
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Hanalei Bay free · half a dayA 3 km horseshoe bay below waterfall-streaked mountains, with an 1892 pier, calm summer water for learning to surf and winter waves that draw the island's best surfers.
- Late afternoon · Kīlauea Point · about 1 hA clifftop peninsula crowned by a 1913 lighthouse, a national seabird refuge with red-footed boobies, frigatebirds and Laysan albatrosses, where dolphins and whales are often seen offshore.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Sheraton Kauai Coconut Beach Resort ↗€330 a night
D4
Day 4
1 thing to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Wailua River · half a dayHawaii's only navigable river, flowing past ancient Hawaiian temples, explored by boat to the fern-lined Fern Grotto or by kayak up to the trail for Uluwehi Falls.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Sheraton Kauai Coconut Beach Resort ↗€330 a night
D5
Day 5
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Poʻipū free · half a dayThe island's sunniest coast, with a natural children's pool, a snorkelling reef, endangered Hawaiian monk seals resting on the sand and the roaring Spouting Horn blowhole to the west.
- Late afternoon · Allerton Garden · about 2 h 30A garden of green rooms, pools and statues running down the Lāwaʻi valley to the sea, visited only with a guide, where the giant Moreton Bay figs starred in Jurassic Park.
Before you go
Worth sorting before you go
📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
Some links are partner links: we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
Good to know
Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Burgers and barbecue: brisket and ribs cooked low and slow, done differently in every state.
- Clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl: the classic lunch on the San Francisco waterfront.
- Mexican food: tacos from a truck in Los Angeles, a Mission burrito in San Francisco.
- Pancakes and weekend brunch: a national habit, generous to the point of excess.
- Craft beer, and California wine from Napa and Sonoma.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Tipping is not optional: add 15 to 20% in restaurants and bars.
- Prices on menus and in shops exclude sales tax, which is added at the till.
- Do not plan more than four or five hours of driving a day: the distances are larger than they look on the map.
- Never travel without health insurance. A night in hospital can cost thousands of dollars.
- In summer, do not hike down into the Grand Canyon in the heat of the day: the climb back out is where people get into trouble.
Getting by
Words that help
🗣️ English is the main language here, so there is nothing to learn by heart.
The essentials
The practical page
CurrencyUS dollar (USD, $)
BudgetAbout €260 a day, mid-range
Best seasonApril to June, September to October
PlugA/B · 120V
Tap waterSafe to drink
Tipping15 to 20%, expected
Emergency911
EntryUK, Australian and most EU passports need an ESTA, applied for online before departure, for stays of up to 90 days; a few EU countries sit outside the Visa Waiver Program and need a full visa. Canadians need neither, only a passport. Anyone who has been to Cuba since January 2021 cannot use an ESTA and must apply for a visa.
HealthNo vaccination required. Keep tetanus, diphtheria and polio up to date; hepatitis A is worth considering if you eat well off the tourist trail. In the desert parks, the heat is the real risk.
Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/kauai
Don't forget
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.