Kauai Overview

In the family of Hawaiian Islands, Kauai would be known as the “pretty one.” Kauai’s shores, cliffs, and forests give the island its stunning good looks and mysterious aura. Kauai’s 65,000 residents stand tall on their gem of a homeland. Locals are fiercely proud of their heritage and Kauai’s lack of commercial development (law prohibits any buildings taller than a palm tree). The oldest and northernmost major island, Kauai is at the lonely end of the chain, next to only Niihau and the tiny Northwest islands. Aptly nicknamed “The Garden Isle,” Kauai’s plentiful rainfall nurses the verdant land and supports local agriculture, including coffee, sugar, and taro root production. Kauai’s rainforest jungle is best described as primordial ( Jurassic Park was filmed here), and markers of the island’s six million years of weathering are visible in its impressive landscape. The Na Pali Coast cliffs and the jagged Waimea Canyon were carved by millennia of rainfall, and Waialeale Mountain is the wettest spot on earth, receiving over 450 in. of rain per year. Kauai’s tranquil isolation, untamed landscape, and opportunities to commune with nature once lured hippies from the mainland. Today, Kauai still draws a more rugged and independent traveler than Maui or Oahu. Many visitors who come here blaze their own paths through the “real Hawaii” of the Na Pali Coast and its spectacular Kalalau Trail. Regardless of activity, anyone who visits Kauai is likely to leave with lingering images of its splendor and memories of a land timeless in its beauty.

Step onto the shimmering sand of remote Polihale Beach as you watch the fiery sunset paint the sky with a vibrant palette.
Swim With Sea Turtles at PKs, one of many beautiful beaches by Poipu .
Scale Down into the Waimea Canyon , the “Grand Canyon of Kauai.”
Tame the Kalalau Trail, the hardcore hiker’s mecca on the Na Pali Coast .

Interisland Transportation

All commercial flights fly into Lihue Airport (LIH). Direct flights to Kauai from the mainland are rare—most passengers connect in Honolulu. However, American Airlines (☎ 800-433-7300; www.aa.com) ...more

North Shore

The north side of Kauai is the wettest and greenest part of an island known for its rainfall and verdance. The region is remote; the locals and wealthy mainlanders with second homes that inhabit this ...more

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