Kauaʻi is small on a map and slow in practice. There is no road around the island, one highway does most of the work, and the northern end of it narrows into a sequence of one-lane bridges where you yield to oncoming traffic. Five days here goes badly if you base in one place and commute.
So this plan splits the week in half. Two nights on the south side for Waimea Canyon and the dry, reliable beaches, then three nights up north for Hanalei and the Nā Pali coast. One move, halfway through, on the day you would have wasted driving anyway.
The other thing to accept early: the north shore rains. Not occasionally, constantly. Plan around it rather than hoping, and the trip works.
What this week covers
- Waimea Canyon early, before the cloud fills it
- A Nā Pali boat trip from the west side
- Hanalei Bay and the one-lane bridge country
- Kēʻē and the start of the Kalalau trail
Landing, Poʻipū and the south shore
Based in Poʻipū
Land at Līhuʻe, collect the car and drive 30 minutes south. Keep the first day simple: the south side is dry, sunny and close to the airport, which is exactly what you want after a long flight.
- Afternoon
Līhuʻe airport to Poʻipū
About 30 minutes. Stop at the big supermarket in Kōloa or Līhuʻe on the way through, because the north shore has very little and charges for the privilege.
Tip Buy mineral sunscreen and a cheap cooler here. Both cost noticeably more at resort shops.
- 4pm
Poʻipū Beach Park
Protected swimming, a lifeguard and monk seals that regularly haul out on the sand. Keep well back if one is resting, the roped area is a legal requirement rather than a suggestion.
- Sunset
Spouting Horn
A blowhole five minutes west of Poʻipū that fires hardest with a decent south swell. Ten minutes of your time and it faces the right way for sunset.
- Dinner
Eat early in Kōloa
Old Kōloa Town has the closest cluster of restaurants. Kauaʻi eats early and kitchens close early, so do not plan on a 9pm table anywhere on this island.
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