Best Things to Do on the South Shore
The south shore may offer the biggest variety of things to do, from hiking, snorkeling, sailing, ziplining, or touring botanical gardens.
Hiking and Exploring Waimea Canyon and Koke’e State Park
Waimea Canyon and Koke’e State Parks top our list of must-do activities on Kauai, especially for first-time visitors. For adventure-seekers and day-hikers, there are ample trails in both parks you can explore. Our favorites, as listed in our Best Hikes on Kauai post, include the Canyon Trail to Wai’poo Falls for up-close views of the Waimea Canyon, as well as the Awa’awapuhi Trail in Koke’e State Park for stunning views of the Nuololo and Awa’awapuhi Valleys along Napali. If you’re not interested in hiking, no worries. There are numerous pull offs and lookouts along Hwy 550, the road that winds through both parks. Don’t stop at the Waimea Canyon lookout, either. The road continues for several miles, including to the Nihau lookout and the Kalalau lookout, with its view over the ancient Kalalau Valley. This lookout offers what might arguably be the most photographed spot on Kauai. To access the parks, take the Waimea Canyon Rd (Hwy 550) out of Waimea town, roughly 30 minutes west of Poi’pu. Keep in mind you’ll be climbing as soon as you leave town from sea level to about 4,000 feet at the Kalalau Lookout. There is a $10 per vehicle entrance fee, payable at any of the lookout spots. There are pay stations where you can enter your license plate and use a credit card. Lookouts also have restrooms, and there is a restaurant at the Koke’e Lodge.
Boat tour of the Napali Coast
One of the best ways to see the Napali coast is by boat. There are multiple tour operators offering half- or full-day snorkeling tours, including a day-long trip that takes you to Napali and then snorkeling at Nihau, an island about 17 miles northwest of Kauai that is inhabited only by native Hawaiians. There are also sunset trips that offer dinner and drinks, with no snorkeling. Most tours depart from Port Allen on the South Shore, where the surf is easier year-round. Good tour operators we’ve tried include Holo Holo Charters. They offer a day-long trip that includes snorkeling off Nihau. We’ve also used Kauai Sea Tours and Captain Andy’s. Plan to spend at least $200 per person for sunset tours, and $250 for half-day tours with snorkeling.
If you’re traveling in the summer, we strongly recommend finding a tour that leaves from Hanalei. They can cost quite a bit more than the Port Allen departures, but you’ll spend a lot more time seeing Napali (and the beauty of the north shore, generally). Tours from Port Allen take about an hour before you see the Napali cliffs. Our favorite tour operator from Hanalei is Napali Catamaran.
Tour the Allerton and McBryde Botanical Gardens
When you need a break from the beach, consider visiting the Allerton & McBryde Gardens. The National Tropical Botanical Gardens are located near the end of Lawa’i Road, about a half mile from Spouting Horn in Poi’pu. You can take a self-guided tour through the McBryde garden, or a guided tour of the Allerton garden, where you’ll see the “Jurassic Park” trees. Tours can be booked with as little as a day in advance. Visit the Allerton and McBryde National Botanic Garden site for more information.
Hiking the Mahaulepu Heritage Trail
For a gorgeous morning walk, we recommend taking this shoreline hike from Shipwreck Beach to Punahoa Point. The 3.8 mile round-trip trail is relatively flat and offers numerous shoreline views where you can see the coastline stretching toward Lihue and past Poipu. Learn more on our Best Hikes on Kauai post.
Snorkeling at Lawai Beach
Most people might recommend Poipu Beach as the best place to snorkel on the South Shore. We find Poipu not only too crowded but also far too shallow to truly enjoy the snorkeling. Crowds make it cloudy, and the poor depth makes it claustrophic under water. Lawa’i Beach is a small cove located next to the Beach House restaurant. It’s not as well known, and the beach is a tiny patch of sand. But the snorkeling is excellent. There is no shortage of fish and the occasional turtle. It’s also much deeper giving you a more pleasant experience. It’s less protected than Poipu so fins are recommended. There are also public restrooms next to the snack and shave ice shack across the road from the beach. And we usually have no problem finding street parking.
Whale-watching Tours – November to April
If you are visiting in the winter, be sure to add a whale-watching tour to your itinerary. Boat tours depart from Port Allen and tours are considerably less expensive than Napali tours, though you are likely to spot whales in the winter on a Napali tour. Note the same operators that run tours to Napali also offer whale watching in the winter.
And, when sitting along the beach in the winter months, keep an eye out for whales as they are easy to spot from shore, especially if you know what to watch for. Look for what appears to be a puff of smoke (see the picture on the left). This tell-tale sign indicates the humpback whales are surfacing to breathe. Keep watch as you may see them breach!
Ziplining
Confession – we’ve never tried ziplining on Kauai. In all our years of visiting, we’ve not fit this into our itinerary. Friends have gone and loved it, though. So if you love to zipline, we are adding it to the list as most tours are available in Koloa (near Poi’pu) or just west of Lihue. The cost is around $150 per person. Operators include Kauai Backcountry Adventures in Lihu’e, Koloa Zipline in Koloa, Outfitters Kauai in Lihu’e, and Shaka Zipline in Poi’pu.
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