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    Kilauea Lighthouse

    4.4 (243 reviews)
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    Kilauea Lighthouse Photos

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    A 3 month old
    Diane W.

    Reserved a few weeks ago ($1). Unfortunately government shutdown meant visitors center was closed, but thanks to volunteers Nancy and Nicole who were present by the lighthouse to answer questions. Gorgeous views, amazing birds, lighthouse currently under restoration so that itself was closed, but I knew that going in... Birds were amazing!!!

    Julie C.

    Kilauea lighthouse is located at the Kilauea point national wildlife refuge on Kauai. It's a fun place to visit to see the lighthouse and also the bird sanctuary. You can see a lot of the Hawaii state bird, the Nene, the albatross, and the red footed booby. You do need reservations to enter, but they do have both military and kamaina discounts. The kids enjoyed it very much!

    Katherine K.

    The lighthouse is only open in the summer months until 4pm. For $11 you get to explore the lighthouse for 1 hour. The free binoculars you can use were nice and really helped since the built in binoculars didn't do much. There was a very enthusiastic worker that was explaining a lot about the birds, the sanctuary, and the views. While there are many signs posted throughout with details, it was nice being able to hear about it while knowing where to look. The 1 hour was up way too fast, in my opinion. It was very empty the day I went, so it would've been nice to stay longer. It's not like anyone one came up to me to tell me I had to leave, but still. It honestly is such a beautiful and unique view of the surrounding areas. I think $11 is a bit pricey when they limit you to only 1 hour. I feel like I spent half of the time simply walking to and from. I would've liked to look more into the books and info they had within the little house there, but I had zero time to do so. I did get a few cute things from the giftshop including keyrings and fancy brochures. Most of what I saw seemed decently priced and good quality. The guy that was working there was also super friendly and personable as well.

    Travis P.

    Bummer the lighthouse was being fixed up from storm damage but still a cool place to checkout for 30-45 minutes. I got a reservation online for $22 for two people and felt it was worth it especially since it goes to helping take care of the land. There were nice views, bathrooms, a gift shop, and a few things to checkout. There is also some parking before the entrance but be sure to pay and park your car inside, I saw people getting turned away for trying to walk in. I believe they accept ticket purchases there without reservation unless it's full.

    Entrance sign
    Stevo O.

    This is such a nice area and so clear! Apparently whales spawn here and travel through this area on their migration. The facility was undergoing some renovation, so was not accessible to the public until June or so. I would not mind working the lighthouse with such a wonderful view and nice surroundings too.

    Map of Kilauea and Ko'olau areas
    Barbara L. A.

    The lighthouse which was built in 1913, is inside the Kilauea Point Wildlife National Wildlife Refuge area and is accessible by a short uphill walk, about 5 minutes, unless like me you stop and gaze at the beautiful view. There is an entrance fee as for all National Parks, it's also listed on the National Register of Historic Places. I think the fee was $10 but I have a free handicap parks access so check price to make sure it's current. Nene (Hawaii goose ) are plenty in the refuge, in the area near the lighthouse and crossing the access road, so please be extra careful; Nene are protected and are the Hawaii state bird. Nene strut like they own the place, which they do; aren't afraid of humans, and are closely related to the Canada goose. There were a lot of other birds nesting on the cliffs nearby, and flying around between nests and keeping an eye out on the people walking the grounds. The birds flying above you are Petrels, Black-footed Albatross, Auks, Red-footed Booby, Frigate birds and Terns; do look at the panels along the way to read about them, the ones I didn't mention. Humpback whales migrate along this shore from Alaska for mating season December to April. Inside the lighthouse its history is written on panels; read the cool story of the "Bird of Paradise" flight in 1927 saved by the lighthouse beacon. Docents are on site should you want more information on the Refuge as well as the lighthouse. In 2013 it was officially named for US Senator Daniel Inouye. Enjoy your visit !

    Marjorie A.

    To be honest I was a bit disappointed with the activity. I am not into birds for the most part but respectful of the conversation effort of the refuge. For me, I really only wanted to see the lighthouse and take in the view. The view was nice but not worth the effort to make the reservation and pay the fee. Know in advance...there is a timed entry and view time limitation for a reason. Parking is very limited. Visit if you have time but this is not a 'must do' activity when on the island.

    Emily T.

    My husband and I drove here close to when the sun was setting. Unfortunately the lighthouse, wasn't open on that day so we couldn't pay to in, but they have a little parking lot where you can park and observe the lighthouse and view from the lot. It's a stunning view! Lots of gorgeous birds and a cute little bird reference sign so you can try to identify the different bird types!

    Cynthia M.

    If I could give this 10 stars I would! This place is absolutely stunning! Make sure you purchase your ticket online ahead of time because parking is very limited. If you can't get in or you'd rather bypass the lighthouse, you can still get great views off of a small parking lot where you can walk up and see it from afar. You can even spot whales here if you catch them during whale season & you have luck. We were able to, but didn't get great photos. There is plenty of wildlife, gorgeous views, and a wonderful breeze! This is a must stop, in my opinion.

    Jillian G.

    Beautiful views at the Lighthouse both of the lighthouse itself and the landscape around it. Accompanied by free binoculars and a nice little museum/gift shop. Nice bathroom facilities on the premises. A bit pricey for admission - $10 a person - but probably goes to upkeep and preservation efforts. Worth it to stay a while if it's cloudy/rainy to see the views open up when the sun comes out. We also spotted a few whale spouts.

    Feb W.

    Came here twice but both days they are closed. So unfortunate ayt! Haven't had the chance to see the lighthouse closer which is kind'a bummer. Anyhow from afar it is still a picturesque view and I always had a great time staring from afar and the horizon makes it perfect for photo-ops. The lighthouse was active for 62 years providing a valuable navigational aid. It was then preserved and its habitat surrounding area and is home for migratory birds. I recommend you bring binoculars with you to have appreciation of the place. It is still worth the time to come here even if the place itself is closed. Take note that it is only open on Wed-Sat 10am to 4pm & reservation is required. There is also a fee to enter unless you are military or pass holders. For more detailed information go check out their website. Mahalo for reading & happy juandering fellow Yeeps.

    Lynn O.

    I'm not sure if my review is justified. But the last three times I've been here over the past 2 years, they were closed. I don't know if the hours are reduced, they happened to be closed during the times I went, or they just don't open the gates anymore since covid. The best we could do was park outside the gate, walk up to the fence, and look at the lighthouse and cliffside in the distance. It is beautiful, don't get me wrong. But I want to go inside the gates and near the lighthouse.

    Hours of operation
    Margaret P.

    While we didn't get a chance to see the lighthouse from up close (they're closed Sun-Tuesday), we did get a chance to get to the gate entrance. From there, they had a few parking spots to park at so you can get a view of the lighthouse from a distance. The viewpoint from the entrance is one you see from movies! It really is beautiful, and you can see the lighthouse from a distance. I wish I was able to get up close and personal, but I guess it just leaves us with something to check out next time we make it out to the island. PSA: They accept the America the Beautiful pass here if you have it, so don't forget to bring it with you from the mainland.

    Love this coastline perspective of Kīlauea Lighthouse from the overlook viewpoint.

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    8 months ago

    The view! The birds! And if you're lucky the whales! There is an entrance fee but it's worth it.

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    Page 1 of 7

    Ask the Community - Kilauea Lighthouse

    Can i go after hours to see the sunset?

    Unfortunately, you can't make it out to the lighthouse after hours as the gate is closed. We were hoping to be able to do the same thing.

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    Review Highlights - Kilauea Lighthouse

    The gift shop is very nice and bought a watercolor of the lighthouse to remember or special vacation to Kauai.

    Mentioned in 42 reviews

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    Queen's Bath - At a glance - Queen's Bath (Kauai, HI), Sunday, 8/3/2025

    Queen's Bath

    4.4(347 reviews)
    5.4 mi

    While staying in Princeville, we decided to check out Queen's Bath, and it was absolutely worth the…read moreeffort. Parking in front of the entrance is extremely limited, and the surrounding residential area doesn't allow non-permitted parking. I ended up dropping off my wife and her friend so they could start the trek while I parked at the nearby golf course, which added about a half-mile walk to the entrance. From the entrance, the hike down to Queen's Bath is about half a mile. It's not too long, but there are a few tricky spots that require some careful footing. It's definitely manageable for most people, including kids, as long as you take your time. Once you arrive, you're rewarded with a beautiful natural tide pool filled with seawater and fish. Some people were even jumping from the surrounding rocks into the water below. The spot was lively, with plenty of tourists and families making the hike down to enjoy the view and the experience. A little extra work to get there, but the payoff is huge. Queen's Bath is a must-see if you're in Princeville.

    Was pretty excited about this one, but didn't adequately research it. Just saw the 4.4* rating on…read moreYelp and assumed it would be like any other beach. Plus I had chatted with a local and while she did note that there was a walk to get to QB, she also called it "no big deal." So we show up in flip flops, wanting to check out QB quickly before heading out for another excursion at 11:00 AM. Huge mistake. It had been raining and the "no big deal" walk was an epic disaster in flip flops. One of us fell multiple times, and Kauai mud stains are VERY difficult to remove. No one even wanted to scramble down the rocks to the Bath area after getting covered in mud on the way down. We just went back to the hotel room, where I nearly used up a whole bottle of Oxi Clean MaxForce trying to get mud stains out of our bathing suits and towels. This one just isn't for me, but if you know what you're up against going in, it's probably a lot more enjoyable. To my wry amusement, we saw some little kid dropping F bombs on his way up the path as we were headed down, so we clearly weren't the only ones who had bitten off more than we could chew that day, lol.

    Photos
    Queen's Bath - Waterfall along the path.

    Waterfall along the path.

    Queen's Bath - One of the several swimming coves.

    One of the several swimming coves.

    Queen's Bath

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    Ho'opulapula Haraguchi Rice Mill - 5th generation farmer Lyndsey planting huli (taro seedlings). Learn from her on a tour! PC: Kahahawai Photography

    Ho'opulapula Haraguchi Rice Mill

    4.6(25 reviews)
    6.1 mi

    We did this tour as a family, over Thanksgiving. The guide is the owner. She is enthusiastic,…read moreknowledgeable, and, as my wife and the other women in the group noted, glamorous for someone toiling in the fields. Basically the activity turns on her story telling. Her accounts of flash flooding are vivid. She sure is accomplished. Her anecdotes are authentic, sincere, and funny. There isn't all that much walking, and they bring chairs out for people who need to sit. One fellow fell over in the mud (the leg of the stool sank and he toppled over; he was unhurt). There are three parts. First, there is the taro farm. Second, there is the rice mill. Third, there is lunch. The taro farm is a real, multi-generation family enterprise. I don't understand how they make money. It looks as if it is all done by hand. And taro is not a luxury item. You help them gather the eggs of invasive snails. Presumably they have some other task if needed and that doesn't work. The rice mill is fascinating. It's too bad it doesn't work anymore. You look at everything that has ben restored. You also drink fresh coconut milk, extracted right from the gourd in front of you, and you eat tarot snacks they make as you watch. The lunch is excellent. We enjoyed, among us, all of the menu choices. The quantities also are vast. The food truck would be worth visiting on its own, without any of the rest of the activities.

    If you are looking for a unique tour on the North Shore or you want to step back it to old…read moreHawai'iI, you have to check out the taro and rice mill tour. know a taro farm and rice mill tour may not on the top of your Kaua'i to do list but if you like its definitely worth checking out, especially if history is your thing. The tour is conducted by Lyndsey, a fifth generation farmer, who had grown up out in the taro fields. She makes the tour worth while. Yes, everything you will learn and see is educational and quite fun. And, the food and smoothies are fantastic enough that you will probably want to stop there stand for more the next time you are in Hanalei, but Lyndsey just puts it over the top. You could tell how much she loves her family, their farm, and educating others about their tradition and what they do. First, after meeting at Hanalei Taro & Juice and sampling an ono smoothie made with taro, we headed down the road a bit to go see one of their many, many taro fields. The view was nothing short of breathtaking. There we learned about taro and how its grown and some of the history of farm. She also educated us on the endangered birds the lived in and around farm, which is located on a wildlife refuge. There we did the first hands on activity. If you wanted you could help pick up and collect apple snails and their eggs. It may sound a tad gross but it wasn't at all. I don't really even know how to describe the tool you use to remove them, besides saying that it looked like a metal kitchen strainer attached to a long pole. After the fields we stopped at the rice mill. The mill is no longer in use but the history behind it is incredible. After touring the inside of the mill and looking at old family photos and artifacts we finally got to try the taro. We drank coconut water from a coconut cute open in front of us. We also got to taste taro which was cooked, mashed, and mixed with shredded coconut straight from coconut we just drank from. It was delicious. I've had poi at luaus but this was nothing like that. It was the consistency of mashed potatoes (and those not poi but and other dish) so good. My dad had five servings he loved it so much. At the end of the tour you are taken back to the family's taro and juice cart for lunch. The kalua pig was out of this world. I have tried the kalua pig at at least 20 places on Kaua'i, but their pig, along with the Koloa Fish Market's are my all time favorites. Their taro mochi is a much try! I can't even begin to describe how much I am obsessed with their mochi.

    Photos
    Ho'opulapula Haraguchi Rice Mill - Brittany, assistant tour guide

    Brittany, assistant tour guide

    Ho'opulapula Haraguchi Rice Mill - Lindsey Haraguchi showing off taro

    Lindsey Haraguchi showing off taro

    Ho'opulapula Haraguchi Rice Mill - Lindsey

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    Lindsey

    Holoholo Charters

    Holoholo Charters

    4.7(1.2k reviews)
    25.7 mi
    Locally owned & operated
    25 years in business

    The sunset cruise with Holo Holo Charters down the Nāpali Coast was an unforgettable experience. We…read morebooked it to celebrate my husband's 40th birthday, and it was perfect from start to finish. Captain Max was incredible--his sense of humor kept us laughing even as the rain and mist rolled in. The two women on the crew (I wish I could remember their names) were fantastic, making sure everyone was comfortable and answering all our questions with a smile. The playlist on board was spot on, setting the perfect vibe. I wish I could find it on Spotify! Despite the weather, the views were breathtaking, and getting a little drenched just added to the adventure. The food was delicious, especially the smoked pork, salad, and fresh fruit, and my husband loved the mai tais. Even without the sunset, the whole experience was magical. After chatting with other travelers, I'm convinced we had one of the best tours available. especially after talking to a couple at our hotel pool who had paid more than we did and only got snacks limited alcohol. I can't recommend Holo Holo Charters enough, and I'm already looking forward to trying their breakfast or snorkel cruise next time. If you're looking for an amazing adventure, this is it!

    My husband and I did the sunset dinner tour to the Na Pali coast with this company a couple weeks…read moreago on 4/1/26 at 2:45pm. Price was $250 per person and we booked a couple days before the tour date. (we went at the end of March - the weather was fantastic and not too hot, also not raining). Although it was pricey, I felt like it was worth the experience and highly recommend anyone do a tour, even if it's not with this company. We got back to shore around 7-7:30pm, so total time was 5 hours ish. Pros: - the Na Pali coast is BEAUTIFUL - the views were truly a once in a life time experience for me and I saw the fullest rainbow I've ever seen - The tour guide was super informative, we learned a lot about whales, and they also taught us a lot about certain mountains and waterfalls that we passed on the Na Pali Coast (like where Kauai kings were buried). - We stopped to watch whales multiple times and it was really cool! - The 3 staff working on board the ship were extremely helpful in answering questions, providing drinks, and instructing people from a safety perspective - Safety - I felt very well taken care of the whole time. It's a barefoot cruise but people can choose to keep their shoes on if they want. They provided bags for people feeling nauseous and gave good advice when people were feeling seasick. - Food provided - it's not fine dining or anything (chicken teriyaki, salad, etc) but it does beat having to pack your own food or go hungry around dinner time. Also unlimited alcohol or nonalcoholic drinks. - The staff helped us take photos and there's a lot of great photo opportunities at the coast - Champagne toast at sunset, which was beautiful to watch out on the water - bathrooms available on board - My husband didn't feel like eating on board due to the motion sickness so they were kind enough to pack a to-go box for us! - Parking was easy and the meet up location was easy to find - we stood outside for most of the ride since it felt better than sitting inside, so we did get a bunch of sea-spray and got super wet from the 10 ft swells, but it felt really fun! Cons: - I think they need to put a huge disclaimer with statistics or something to show people how common it is for people to get seasick and vomit. I think maybe 5 people from our whole boat got really sick and either fell or vomited during the trip (can feel a little weird enjoying the beautiful view while someone smells like vomit next to you lol). They do tell you at the beginning that you can walk away and get a full refund after hearing the captain briefing during the meet up starting spot, but I don't think they really emphasize just how many people get sick. I personally felt fine but I felt really bad for people who had to gut through the five hour round trip feeling terrible. bring Dramamine!! This was definitely a highlight of my first time in Kauai, I wouldn't necessarily do it more than once due to the price, but it was a fantastic experience for the views!

    Photos
    Holoholo Charters - Kauai boat tours

    Kauai boat tours

    Holoholo Charters - Niihau + Napali Coast Tours

    Niihau + Napali Coast Tours

    Holoholo Charters - Napali Coast Tours

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    Napali Coast Tours

    Kalalau Trail - Doesn't do it justice.. north shore Kauai

    Kalalau Trail

    4.7(311 reviews)
    14.2 mi

    We did this Kalalau trail in 2022 when visiting Hawaii and it was absolutely amazing! Please know…read morethis trail is HARD, and tough if you are not a major hiker, just know your limits! I think we ended up hiking around 8+ miles or so as we hiked down to the beach and checked and climbed a lot of boulders and did some rock climbing as well that was pretty tough but worth the adventure. Bring a lot of water and you have to make reservations in advance to take a shuttle to the base as you can't take your car there. We brought sandwiches and had a picnic at the beach, seriously bring a lot of water and snacks and food and be careful of the beach waves as they have signs all over that there are riptides and not to get in the water, basically follow all safety rules!! It was a difficult but an incredible hike; we got so much bursts of rain which felt magical and I am excited we crossed it off the bucket list

    Usually I have an itinerary when I go on vacation. But I didn't for a week long stay in Kauai…read morethinking we'll just hang loose. We'd been to Kauai before but it was many years ago. I was reading up on the Napali Coast. Want to see it without going by air or by sea. Take a hike. We didn't know what we were getting ourselves into. But got a clue on the park and ride shuttle when our driver gave a hint. He said if you only want to get a shot of Napali Coast it'll only take you 20 minutes. We started following the signs in Haena State Park where the Trail begins. Folks left sticks that you can use as walking poles. We each took one. Immediately I'm not liking it. The Trail begins as a steep climb on jagged rocks. And it's wet & muddy as it rains intermittently. We were the first group out at 6:30am. More hikers as the day went on. It's 0.5 miles to the lookout. It took us an hour there and an hour back. 2 hours. We got our photo.

    Photos
    Kalalau Trail
    Kalalau Trail
    Kalalau Trail - Instagram: @telephonesmoothie

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    Instagram: @telephonesmoothie

    Kilauea Lighthouse - landmarks - Updated August 2026

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