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Kapaa, HI

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Kayak Wailua Tours

4.7 (463 reviews)
Closed • 7:00 am - 6:00 pm

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Ivan A.

This was a great experience. It's not too difficult to do and the kayak, hike and waterfalls were awesome. The tour guide did a great job keeping us together and giving us some information about the area. Water shoes is really important as there are some muddy areas to hike through. Highly recommend doing this.

Rick B.

Had a fantastic time today with our Guide Mckayla! She was amazing! Kayak trip was just long enough to be challenging but definitely doable for most. The hike was fun, muddy, and was a great adventure. The falls did not disappoint! If you go make sure to get the full experience and go under the falls! Can't say enough about Mckayla our guide though, she was amazing with her knowledge and how she interacted with our 6yr old son. He loved her in his words "Mckayla was the best person ever, and she made the best vacation ever"

Mandi R.

If this review were about the overall fun time we had, kayaking, hiking and swimming in the waterfall with our family, I would give it five stars! However, as a warning to others looking for a great tour/guide, I would sadly have to rate our experience with Kayak Wailea with two stars (which is generous). We chose to go with this company based off of their stellar reviews. After multiple reviews recommended Lisa as the guide, we scheduled our trip for a Thursday when come to find out, Lisa doesn't work Thursdays. When we arrived to the site, we got waved in by an employee who we assumed was our guide, only to never see her again. They provided us with dry bags and coolers, as well as told us what the best kayaking arrangements would be best for kayaking with five kids and five adults. After the few minutes it took our group of 10 to get sunscreened up, get life jackets for the kids, and lock away our belongings, we proceeded to sit around for the next 30+ minutes while another guide chit chatted with the other group. We all kind of sat around looking at each other, like, when are we going to get going? We finally loaded up the vans and headed to the river 50 min after our scheduled start time. Reed was the guide that drove our group of 10 plus two others to the river, though he never introduced himself to our group as our guide. After telling him what arrangements we wanted for the boats, he provided no instruction to our group as to kayaking technique, tips, etc., despite the majority of us being first timers. He simply instructed us to stay on one side of the river and to watch out for boats. Luckily, our group made it to the area where we stowed our kayaks and no kayaks flipped on the river in the process. At this point, we were still never told who was our guide, and there were two groups of 12 people. We began the hike and just followed the other large group for the duration. The hike itself was easy, albeit slippery in many areas. I definitely would not classify it as good for "all abilities" as advertised. After a little over a mile of hiking, and no guidance whatsoever along the way, we made it to a beautiful waterfall. At this point, Reed kindly took a nice group photo of our family. We stayed and played in the pool for a good 45 min or so before the kids in our group were cold and we were ready to head back. It was then that the two guides, Reed and Lisa, (it turns out Lisa joined us after all) had to strategize on how to get our group back at the same time as the other large group, as Lisa was planning on staying at the waterfall longer with a couple that arrived late to falls and wanted to enjoy it for more time. Initially, she alluded to us arriving back after dark? No thanks. Reed began heading back on the hike, and leading the group of 20, though this was never clearly communicated to us. We just followed him away from the falls, and when our 5 year old took longer than the others from the large group, our family fell behind. Instead of waiting at any point, the guide just plowed ahead and we ended up not seeing him again until we made it back to our kayaks. Never was there any apology, or "You made it!" offered. The lack of guidance was disappointing and frustrating, especially when reading the other reviews about how amazing the guides were. We were lucky to have had great weather and made it to the kayaks in a timely fashion by ourselves. We again kayaked back with no guidance or encouragement along the way. When all was said and done, our family/group of 10 had a wonderful time, in spite of the absolute absence of a guide or help. This review gives two stars; one star for the kayak and equipment provided and one star for the van ride. Maybe they had an off day, but our experience with Kayak Wailua was lacking, just like our guide.

Great views from the river
Nate G.

Our guide Brandon was informative and funny. The kayaking was amazing. The hike was good but really slick and muddy, which we knew it would be going into it. Highly recommend wearing close-toed shoes but they had a whole bunch of "loaners" if you forget. They also have 3-seat kayaks. Great for a family or group with an odd number. Plan about 5-6 hours total including check-in, orientation and transportation to and from the location. It's our favorite excursion on the island, hands down.

River, Set out on a guided kayak trip on the scenic Wailua River

Tour was fantastic and very informative. Amazing views, amazing hike, and the waterfall experience was next level. Jonathan was awesome and made the whole trip fun and easy. Knew so much about the island and the landscape and really made us feel so welcome and educated. Would give 100 stars if possible, would recommend this for anyone! Families, Couples, solo riders looking to get close to the culture and history of the island. Can't wait to come back!

Ashley C.

We had a morning tour with McKenzie. She was AWESOME it seriously felt like we were best friends and I had known her forever. She was funny and also informative. I love that she shared stories and pointed out things I never would have noticed. She was so caring and seemed genuinely interested in our trip and where we came from. The tour itself was just breathtaking and hard to believe it's a real place. A very perfect way to spend our morning

Sean T.

This was the highlight of our first trip to Kauai. The cost of a tour with Kayak Wailua is lower than renting a kayak from other companies. The equipment was in good shape, and they even offered dry bags, cooler bags, and loaner shoes. Our guide, Lisa, was introduced by another guide we ran into on the hike as one of the OGs on the river, and it showed through her mindfulness of keeping everyone safe at all times and sharing her wealth of knowledge with us! We learned about so many flowers and even got to taste some of the sweet nectar. She was very engaging with my 13-year-old son. She even played a drum for a portion of our hike. A passerby remarked, "bare feet and playing a drum, she must be a local." Lisa made a magical experience even more memorable. Highly recommend this company!

Kayaking up Wailua river
Pete R.

We really enjoyed our guided kayak trip up there Wailua river. Our guide Kyle was great. We chose the early morning time and greeted our 7 other kayakers at the tour headquarters. A brief discussion on safety and shoes and we were off. My wife and I did a double kayak while our daughter did a single. While it's not super hard you will feel pain the next day from muscles you've never used! It took 45 mins to go up the river. Then it was a 30 minute walk to the waterfall. It's worth having a guide because we saw so many people not knowing where to go and it was great to have some help up a couple of the difficult terrain and name some of the plants and history of the area. Definitely jump into water, it's cold but so worth it!

Check in

Very late review! Was here on a girls trip in September. Lisa was our guide. She is the best!!! She was patient and kind. She sang to us and told great stories. I was a little behind on the way back and she hung out with me as I struggled up stream. LOL!! I thought I was cool cuz I had my own kayak. Coming back this November and I hope we run into Lisa on the river. I highly recommend this company for your kayak adventures.

Samantha P.

We had a wonderful experience with Kayak Wailua. Although our experience was cut short due to high water levels, we still had a great time. I really appreciate the staff caring about the safety of those attending to say that it was unsafe to cross. We also got a partial refund since we could not go the entirety of the trip. Even though we didn't make it to the falls, the view was absolutely beautiful. The part that made the trip as great as it was, was our tour guide, Makayla. (I am not sure if I am spelling her name correctly). She was very kind and helpful. She was very attentive to each person that attended and was very knowledgeable of things to do on Kauai and the nature along the kayaking route. We would definitely recommend using Kayak Wailua and if you can get Makayla as your tour guide, you'll have an amazing time.

Tour guide said the waterfall was never empty like this, but we went on a windy day. I guess everyone was too scared.
Laura J.

This is probably going to live in my memory as my favorite adventure ever. You have to carry all of your items with you the entire time. They provide huge wet bags and bag pack style coolers. My husband and I were fine with only bringing 2 small towels, 3 liters of water, hats, and 2 protein bars each. The kayaking was just challenging enough for my husband and I in our late thirties. The hike was very easy, but you had to watch your footing. The stream crossing was very simple, but I guess with more rain it would be more challenging. Our guide was able to do the whole hike barefoot. I don't think our 10 & 8 years old girls could have done this trip. The hike moved too quickly and the kayaking would have been too much. Our guide, Annie, gave us the most incredible experience. She was so fun and encouraging. She knew the best photo spots along the river and was our personal photographer. I wouldn't count on being able to change and shower at the location afterwards. There's only 1 spot to shower and everyone has to double park, so unless you're ok with making everyone wait then make other plans.

Today's trip 10 and 12. Another great day.
Ben C.

This was our third time using Kayak Wailua and this time was just as great as before. Our favorite guide is Lisa, we first met her 6 years ago when our girls were 4 and 6. The river, hike, falls and experience have changed over the years and the amount of people on the river now is genuinely excessive. That being said, this business and their guides are top notch. We have kayaked and hiked all over the world and these guides are truly special. It's hard for a small business to keep employees for years and even harder in a tourist destination but this one has and will continue to do so. Thank you for another fantastic day and a priceless family experience.

Lorie N.

I can't rave enough about our kayak adventure to Secret Falls with Kayak Wailua. Our guide Fayd taught us so much along the way about the plants, foods and animals! I highly recommend both him as your guide and this organized and friendly company. This is a must-do family adventure for those interested in some outdoors fun on the island.

The beautiful massive waterfall! Water was very refreshing.

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2 years ago

$100 per person! Cannot beat this deal! The tour and hike was absolutely perfect for our first time in Kauai.

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Lisa was an amazing guide. She actually taught us how to paddle and we felt like rock stars by the end of the tour!

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Ask the Community - Kayak Wailua Tours

Review Highlights - Kayak Wailua Tours

“The path to the waterfall can be slippery (highly suggest water shoes) but it's completely worth the trek.”

Mentioned in 181 reviews

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4.9(70 reviews)
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My wife had been wanting to make her own chocolate bar for years and I was primarily interested in…read morethe process every time we come to Kauai. Well, we finally pulled the trigger on it and did the experience...and it was well worth it. Lance, the owner and instructor was fantastic. With only 8 spots available, you have to book this as soon as it is available. The shop is only 300 sq. Ft. So any more people would be too much and the set up was perfect. It is amazing this small space produces the chocolate! The overall lesson is great because he takes you from bean to chocolate. This is not tree to chocolate because he doesn't have the trees nor does he have the pods and that part of the collection process (however, Lance, if you or your wife are reading this, it might be a great future endeavor to have an option to work with one of your partners and add on the collection tour before!). While he doesn't have the collection process, Lance does an excellent job speaking to the process once beans are collected. From there, the chocolate making and tasting process is thoroughly explained and you are part of it. Finally, making your chocolate is a lot of fun and there are roughly 30 ingredients you can use for your 2 bars. I personally made: an Indian spice flavor chocolate for half a bar, coconut sea salt for second half, matcha coconut sea salt for 3rd half, and coffee bean sea salt for last). Bring your creativity! Thank you Lance for this fantastic experience.

Fantastic experience! Very fun and we learned so much from Lance! Plus...chocolate! Highly…read morerecommend!

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Wild Kauai Chocolate - Finished Santas.

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Kauai Farmacy - Curry and Moringa powder

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Beautiful gardens and great selection of herbal medicine…read more The team here is incredibly knowledgeable and helped me find the right products I needed to nourish my skin. I love their culinary powders as well- makes my curry and soup taste amazing!! Thank you

KAUAI FARMACY is off the beaten path and I love it…read more They offer Tea Tasting Events and we couldn't make it to those so I figured we could drive up there to check out the store anyway. Well, the "shop" is actually a small trailer beside their lanai, which they were busy setting up for lunch for their farm workers. How cool was that? I don't think anyone is supposed to be there when there is no Tea Tasting Event, but they were gracious enough to accomodate us and even allowed us to buy tea drinks. Like they made it for us and served it! I might have ruined it for everyone else now though and they will make sure that they are closed outside of the event times. Sorry! The LOVE POTION TEA was weirdly soothing. Felt like I was wrapped in a blanket indoors looking out of a window on a rainy day. The TROPICAL HIBISCUS felt like I was in a tropical island. Oh wait... Anyway, I love how I couldn't really pinpoint the flavors, but the feelings the tea evoked is clear. Tasted, and bought, some honeys too. Interesting take on the honeys. They had spices and nuts so they were more like marmalades that honeys that you could add to your teas. The garden is beautiful. There is limited parking, but it's surrounded by beautiful greeneries, fruits and flowering plants. It was a beautiful outing for sure.

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Our visit to Hanalei Spirits was one of our favorite experiences on Kauaʻi. We absolutely loved…read moreTutu's Gin, it is such a unique and special spirit that truly captures the beauty and spirit of Tutu, the owners Mother. You can feel the care, passion, and connection these folks have to the land in every bottle. We especially appreciated learning about their farming practices and how thoughtfully they source and grow the ingredients that go into these amazing spirits. The tasting with the owner was such a memorable experience. He was incredibly welcoming, knowledgeable, and generous with his time, answering all of our questions and giving us a wonderful tour of the distillery. His passion for what he does really shined through in every bottle. We loved the ʻOkolehao made with Ti root and cane sugar, it was such a unique taste of Hawaiʻi and made the perfect gift for my boss when I got home (he promised to share). The vanilla rum, dark rum, and lilikoi liqueur were also incredible, and we loved getting to try such a creative variety of spirits. Hanalei Spirits is a true gem. The quality of the spirits, the care for the land, and the genuine hospitality made this visit unforgettable. We're so grateful for the experience and can't wait to enjoy these special bottles at home!

What an amazing time! I love that they made me feel as if I was ohana, even SETI & Piper had…read morenothing but warmness for us. I learned sooo much from Grant and of course, they make a great lineup of spirits and i LOVE the Okolehau!! I HIGHLY recommend you do this tour & tasting when you come to Kauai aloha!

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Kayak Wailua Tours - tours - Updated October 2026

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