This one I'm going to have to file under one of the hardest things I've done in my life! But I'm so…read moreproud we accomplished this and did this! So many people talk about kayaking the Wailua River and hiking to Secret Falls. We didn't get a chance to do this on our last trip, but my youngest and I tackled this on this trip! Our guide, Ronda, arrived a couple minutes after our tour start time at 1pm. The morning guide said she'd be along "in island time." Once she got there, she took the time to tell us a little about herself, went around our group and had us each introduce ourselves and share a few words. She took the time to memorize all of our names! She also explained to us as all the other tours were heading out, that she liked to hang back and let everyone go do their thing so we can experience the falls privately as just our group. This girl knows what she's doing! It was about a two mile kayaking journey up the Wailua River with stops intermittently along the way for our "kayak kisses" so Ronda could tell us about the history and other aspects of the island. We were almost in our own little version of Survivor, thinking up ways we could survive out there and what we would need. It was honestly very cool. Once we got the end of the kayaking journey, we were given walking sticks for the moderate 1 mile hike to Secret Falls. There are a couple of areas where you have to cross through water, but nothing higher than the knees, at that time. The hike was beautiful! Ronda pointed out the Hawaiian Woodrose, kukui nuts, which we got to crack open and have a small sample, we washed our hands with awapuhi from the awapuhi plant, etc. it was such a cool adventure. We met the local songbird and dug to find worms for him to eat. He ate right from our hands! He actually landed on my hand and looked at me for a couple seconds! We saw cows on the journey home as well. Secret Falls is amazing. We had a blast swimming around there and resting from the journey. We met a lot of great people in our tour. It was like we all became a little family. We packed up and hiked back to our kayaks and headed back down the Wailua for the journey home. This time the wind was against us, so it was literally like paddling upstream both ways lol! This was such an amazing experience. I'm sure I'm leaving some things out because there was so much! I would say, if you're doing the 1pm tour, don't have any other plans the rest of the day. You don't want to be in a rush to get out of there. Our 5 hour tour ended up being close to 7 hours. It was nice because on the way back the motorized vessels were no longer on the river, so we didn't have to worry about other traffic. I'd also recommend having dinner for that night figured out ahead of time because most places locally close at 8pm. We were able to grab dinner from a spot about 10 minutes prior to their closing. They recommend tennis shoes or hiking boots, but my daughter and I used our water socks/reef shoes and while there were a couple times when we were bouldering I would have liked to have better shoes, ultimately it wasn't an issue. Ronda gives you an opportunity to unplug from the world, get yourself on island time, and take in all the beauty Kauai has to offer. Take it!

Had a great time renting kayaks for a half day 12:30-5:30. Called in to make the reservation and…read morestaff was very accommodating. Wes met us at the river and went over very clear instructions and tips. It was great that they included wet bags to store your things. The river itself was beautiful, the waterfall 'hike' is generally very easy with a couple stream and river crossings that are slip hazards but overall not physically strenuous, and the waterfall is beautiful and the pool is swimmable. Plenty of time to check out both arms of the river. **WARNING - DO NOT park in the adjacent thrift store parking lot if the park parking is full. They slapped a huge sticker on our windshield and demanded $25 in payment when we got back to our car despite actually spending some time in the thrift shop and scheduling a donation time.

It was everything we hoped it would be…read more Living on Oahu, you hear about all of the things people go do on the other islands. And this is always the top thing mentioned when you talk about Kauai. This is the only company who does this specific activity on the island and they do it well. The guides were amazing. I was typically in the back and A-A-Ron was lovely. She was so funny and helpful. She asked everyone's names and remembered them! We did one of the first tours out that morning and I'm glad we did. It was cooler and we weren't in the hot sun the whole time. Some of the tunnels are long, and they are dark. You are given headlamps, gloves and a helmet. You're in a big group and will absolutely be separated from the people you go with at some point. 10/10 highly recommend!

We came from Texas and we are no strangers to what tubing entails and this place did not…read moredisappoint. First of all make sure when you go you request Eddy he is extremely funny, polite, professional, and will show your group a good time from the very beginning of the end. Everything was very well organized, the staff was all polite and very welcoming and helped with giving directions for everything we needed to do to get our tour started. The tubing goes quickly, but it is well worth it and all the caves and sites are a lot of fun and very enjoyable and everything is family friendly. I highly recommend this establishment and once again make sure you get Eddy because he will make your trip to this establishment even better.

Scotty's Surf was an amazing experience for our family to kayak the Wailua River. The gentleman…read morewho helped us, (Ben's dad), was extremely helpful and kind. What a great man! His information was spot on and easy to follow. We cannot recommend this small business enough and will certainly be back in the future!

We tried to book a kayak at multiple places closer to our hotel and no one would call us back. On…read moreour first call here, they answered and were very helpful so we knew we wanted to use them. Their prices were better also and they give you a ton of tips and tricks. They gave us a map and told us how to get to the rock jump after the waterfall. We noticed none of the guided tours were going that way so if we hadn't gone to Scotty's we never would have had the amazing opportunity to jump off a rock jump as a family. They also have an after hours drop off which meant we weren't on a time constraint which was great since we have kids who get tired kayaking. I wish I could give them 6 stars instead of 5 because the service was so top notch and we had not had that good of service anywhere else on Kaua'i!

I'm so grateful for this experience! Michael was so wonderful gave us great instructions, helped us…read morestrap up the kayaks and off we went! Thank you

Good communication and flexible set up. Easy and convenient location with quality boats. they…read morehelped me load and unload four kayaks onto my vehicle. the paddle was an awesome work out. the river and waterfall hike adventure was one my family will remember forever. highly recommend.

Did the Na Pali: Haena to Polihale, and it was so worth it! A lot of exertion and some thrill, but…read moregorgeous payoffs. J was our guide, and he was super knowledgeable about Hawaii, kayaking, everything. He was also extremely kind. The team brought a delicious lunch for us that we ate half way, and they had the van waiting for us when we finished. Time management on a 12-hr excursion with lots of contingencies was incredible. I felt well taken care of throughout, but also like I was having the adventure of a lifetime.

We had a wonderful experience with Kayak Kauai from start to finish. They were extremely…read morecommunicative and supportive during the booking process, answering all of our questions and making everything feel easy and stress-free. In particular, Micco was incredibly helpful and kind, making sure we felt comfortable and well taken care of. The tour itself was peaceful and absolutely beautiful. Paddling along the river was such a calm and scenic experience. We especially loved the winter paddle-only option--it was just right for me and my mom's needs and allowed us to fully enjoy the surroundings at a comfortable pace. This was a perfectly balanced, relaxing experience and one we truly appreciated. Highly recommend for anyone looking for a beautiful and well-organized kayaking experience.

I had never kayaked before. Jacob was so patient with us giving instructions while letting us enjoy…read moreourselves. He provided a good amount of information about our surroundings during the hike. He even duh up a worm so that we could hand feed a bird during the hike. Overall it was a fabulous day, we thoroughly enjoyed both the kayak and hike. Jacob was friendly, funny and informative. I would definitely recommend to friends and family.

Call Jacob! He is an amazing guide. We went on a 1 mile kayak trip, hiked for a mile to a waterfall…read morethen hiked back and jumped back in the kayaks. Being on the older side of young he was very patient with us. Would definitely do this again!

We booked this experience with less than 48 hours' notice, which was super convenient. The check-in…read moreprocess was quick and smooth--just arrive at your scheduled time, get ready, and head out. You pull your kayak (on wheels) to the launch site and push off from there; it's definitely doable. We opted to go without a guide and simply followed the provided map, which was very straightforward. However, in my opinion, the activity wasn't worth the price. Paddling two miles each way was pretty strenuous, especially with kids. The hike to Secret Falls was extremely muddy, particularly after rain, and we saw lots of people slipping and falling. It's not a huge problem, but you'll definitely want to plan for a shower afterwards. They do provide a large wet bag, but ours smelled strongly of body odor from repeated use without proper cleaning--definitely unpleasant. If I could do it over again, I would have canceled and just explored the state park on foot. For the amount of effort required, I felt the experience was overpriced.

We did the Guided Wailua River "Secret Fall" Adventure with Wailua Kayak & Canoe, and it was an…read moreabsolute blast! The scenery along the river and hike was stunning, and the whole experience felt like the perfect mix of adventure and relaxation. Our guide, Michael, really made the trip special. He shared so much interesting information about the river, the history of the area, the plants, and the wildlife--and kept us laughing the whole way with his endless supply of dad jokes (now upgraded with 10% more!). If you're looking for a unique way to experience the natural beauty of Kauai, this tour is it. Come for the adventure, stay for Michael's humor. Highly recommended!

Secret falls was the kayak and hike of a lifetime! You need to go ! We took 2 kayaks with a 8 & 10…read moreyo. The hike was muddy and slippery but SOOO WORTH IT SOOO BEAUTIFUL!

If you want to enjoy a water activity that doesn't involve the ocean, then Wailua River is your…read morejam. Next time we visit, we plan to rent kayaks and navigate this river either in a tour or on our own. There's so much to see and explore along this river. It's so lush and beautiful! We took the Smith's guided tour this time up to Fern Grotto and it was awesome!

One of the best things we did on Kauai. Very happy we did this with KA. The kayak was peaceful, the…read morehike was very pleasant, but the waterfall was something else. Our guide Ty was extra friendly and informative throughout the trip. The guide you always want on any trip to make it special. Note the paddle back is into the wind, so be sure to save some energy for that.

What an amazing adventure. Levi (pronounced: Leh-Vee) was our tour guide. It started with kayaking,…read morethen hiked to the waterfall, hung out for about 45 minutes, hiked back to the kayaks, and then kayaked back. It was a fun adventure. It was a group adventure with other families which also made it fun. I would recommend water shoes for the entire trip since you'll be hiking thru water and jungle. Hiking boots are ideal if you don't mind getting them dunked in the water crossing. Take your time and really take in the scenery.

We had a great adventure with Ali's Kayak Rental! Booking…read moreonline was easy, and since the guided tour was full, we did the self-guided kayak and hike to the secret waterfalls. Its a more budget friendly option but you don't need to drive your kayak to the river, its just a short walk. Before launching, the owner gave us a quick and helpful presentation on where to go and how to handle the kayaks. Just note there is an additional $5 per person river fee (or a state park fee). The trip involves about two miles of kayaking and a mile-long hike each way. Because the trail has lots of rocks, muddy areas, crossing a river and roots, I wouldn't recommend it for small kids or anyone who isn't relatively fit. Overall, the equipment was excellent, the staff was great and we highly recommend it!

On May 5, 2026 my husband and I went on a Kayaking adventure with Ali'i Kayaks in Wailua, Kauai…read more This was our first kayaking experience and it did not disappoint! Our guide for the day was "K-man". He was awesome! He had a great personality, was very knowledgeable and was funny. He was also great with names; he remembered everyone's, and he made it a point to make conversation with everyone single one of us. Our adventure started off by meeting at the office/pick up location. Then we loaded up into a van and made the short drive to the slipway. There we selected kayaks and were given oars and life jackets. Once we got situated, we hit the water. The weather that day was perfect; the sun was out with some clouds, and there was a light, constant breeze. Our journey on the water was a beautiful one. The water was cool, the scenery was green. I'll admit, the kayaking distance was a bit challenging. Maybe a bit more so as my husband and I are competitive and we were nearly racing with another couple. LOL! Once we reached shore, we gathered up and made our way to the hiking path. Honestly, the hike itself is not hard, with the exception of a few spots that may require teamwork/assistance. (**READ TIPS BELOW) Once we reached the waterfall, most of us went into the water. We stayed there for about 20-30 minutes. Our guide never rushed us. He sat back and let us enjoy ourselves. It was only when we all gathered up again that we headed back, same hike in reverse back to the kayaks. Once in the kayaks it was the same way back as well. The scenery was VERY beautiful. Several pictures were taken. Overall we had a great day. We would definitely recommend to anyone who has never been to Kauai and to anyone who is interested in being surrounded by beautiful scenery. TIPS: - [ ] Wear good shoes! The terrain can be unstable due to river rocks, tree roots, mud, and uneven ground. Your feet WILL get soaked and the ground is unstable. My husband and I both opted to wear sneakers that we were ready to retire. When we were done we threw them away. Another couple wore aqua shoes and they said they were extremely uncomfortable: good for water, bad for the rough terrain. Another couple wore brand new hiking boots and they became water logged. - [ ] Wear sunscreen!! Even if it's overcast, the harsh island sun will magnify through the clouds. - [ ] Sunglasses and a hat/visor is a wise choice. **if you wear a hat or visor, it may create a blind spot. Keep your head up! One person in our group hit their head twice on the same tree branch! - [ ] Wear clothing you can get wet. You will get wet from the waist down from the kayaking and hike. - [ ] Wear swimwear underneath your clothing. When you get to the waterfall, there is a pool of water you are able to swim in. - [ ] Bring a backpack/secure bag with water and snacks! You will need it! - [ ] Bring towels and leave them in the car. At the end of the day, when stripping off your wet shoes and socks the towels come in handy. *** For reference, our groups ages ranged from 52 to approximately early 70's.