Kauai Waimea Canyon and Wailua River Boat Tour
Overview
Enjoy a day brimming with scenic beauty, legends and history of the Garden Island. Journey down the meandering, tranquil Wailua River on an open air boat ride culminating at exquisite Fern Grotto where you'll be serenaded by the Hawaiian Wedding Song. Gaze at the vast expanse of Waimea Canyon from key lookout points on the ascent. The deep red cliffs were described by Mark Twain as the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific". Visit sprawling Kauai Coffee Plantation and Spouting Horn Blowhole where sea water spectacularly jettisons through openings in lava rock.
Inclusions
- Tour narration by a professional driver/guide
- Wailua River Boat Admission
- Pick-up and drop-off at specific Kauai Hotels
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- Lunch
- Entry/Admission - Waimea Canyon State Park
- Entry/Admission - Wailua River State Park
- Entry/Admission - Fern Grotto
- Entry/Admission - Puakea Golf Course
What to expect
Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Wailua River State Park, Highway 56, Wailua, Kauai, HI
Board a spacious, open-air boat and cruise down Kauai's Wailua River encircled by miles of lush trees and tropical plants. Cool breezes lull you as the captain shares stories of ancient Hawaii when the river was flanked by multiple Hawaiian heiau (temples).
Duration: 45 minutes
Stop At: Fern Grotto, Wailua Marina At the mouth of the Wailua River; turn off Kuhio Hwy. into Wailua Marine State Park, Kauai, HI
Take a leisurely boat ride down the Wailua River to the famed "Fern Grotto" aptly named for the Boston Ferns dripping from the roof of a verdant cavern carved out of the mountain side.
Duration: 20 minutes
Stop At: Opaekaa Falls, Kauai, HI
Cascading down into a hidden pool, this 151-foot-tall, 40-foot-wide waterfall is one of the island's most accessible major waterfalls.
Duration: 20 minutes
Stop At: Puakea Golf Course, 4150 Nuhou St, Lihue, Kauai, HI 96766-8000
Relax and enjoy a comforting lunch at Puakea Grill overlooking the Puakea Golf Course with stunning views of Mt. Haupu and the lush beauty of Kauai.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Spouting Horn, South Shore, Poipu, Koloa, Kauai, HI
Crashing waves propel majestic jets of salt water through lava rock. One of the most photographed sites on Kauai.
Duration: 15 minutes
Stop At: Waimea Canyon State Park, Waimea Canyon Dr, Waimea, Kauai, HI 96796
Scenic views of the deep valley gorges with it's striking red soil covered in greenery...nicknamed the "The Grand Canyon of the Pacific".
Duration: 45 minutes
Pass By: Hanapepe Valley Lookout, Kaumualii Hwy, Hanapepe, Kauai, HI 96741
Panoramic views of a valley covered in trees and wild green sugarcane. Hanapepe was one of the locations visited by famous explored Charles Wilkes in 1840.
Stop At: Kauai Coffee Company, 870 Halewili Road, Kalaheo, Kauai, HI 96741
The largest coffee farm in the United States, visit the Kauai Coffee Estate and sample a rich cup of famous Kauai coffee.
Duration: 35 minutes
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Wailua River State Park, Highway 56, Wailua, Kauai, HI
Board a spacious, open-air boat and cruise down Kauai's Wailua River encircled by miles of lush trees and tropical plants. Cool breezes lull you as the captain shares stories of ancient Hawaii when the river was flanked by multiple Hawaiian heiau (temples).
Duration: 45 minutes
Stop At: Fern Grotto, Wailua Marina At the mouth of the Wailua River; turn off Kuhio Hwy. into Wailua Marine State Park, Kauai, HI
Take a leisurely boat ride down the Wailua River to the famed "Fern Grotto" aptly named for the Boston Ferns dripping from the roof of a verdant cavern carved out of the mountain side.
Duration: 20 minutes
Stop At: Opaekaa Falls, Kauai, HI
Cascading down into a hidden pool, this 151-foot-tall, 40-foot-wide waterfall is one of the island's most accessible major waterfalls.
Duration: 20 minutes
Stop At: Puakea Golf Course, 4150 Nuhou St, Lihue, Kauai, HI 96766-8000
Relax and enjoy a comforting lunch at Puakea Grill overlooking the Puakea Golf Course with stunning views of Mt. Haupu and the lush beauty of Kauai.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Spouting Horn, South Shore, Poipu, Koloa, Kauai, HI
Crashing waves propel majestic jets of salt water through lava rock. One of the most photographed sites on Kauai.
Duration: 15 minutes
Stop At: Waimea Canyon State Park, Waimea Canyon Dr, Waimea, Kauai, HI 96796
Scenic views of the deep valley gorges with it's striking red soil covered in greenery...nicknamed the "The Grand Canyon of the Pacific".
Duration: 45 minutes
Pass By: Hanapepe Valley Lookout, Kaumualii Hwy, Hanapepe, Kauai, HI 96741
Panoramic views of a valley covered in trees and wild green sugarcane. Hanapepe was one of the locations visited by famous explored Charles Wilkes in 1840.
Stop At: Kauai Coffee Company, 870 Halewili Road, Kalaheo, Kauai, HI 96741
The largest coffee farm in the United States, visit the Kauai Coffee Estate and sample a rich cup of famous Kauai coffee.
Duration: 35 minutes
Additional information
- Infants must sit on laps
- Please contact the tour provider at minimum of 7 days prior to the tour date for ADA and all special requests.
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Most travelers can participate
- Contactless payments for gratuities and add-ons
- This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
- This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 24 travelers
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Ticket delivery
You can present either a paper or an electronic voucher for this activity.
Cancellation
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start time of the experience.
anne111
February 2020
This was a full day tour but stops were spaced out nicely. Sam was a great tour guide and was a delight to listen to! I liked that we had a relaxing lunch with time for shopping on this tour and bus was comfortable. It was a smaller sized luxury bus so the tour wasn't too big. We loved seeing Wai...
This was a full day tour but stops were spaced out nicely. Sam was a great tour guide and was a delight to listen to! I liked that we had a relaxing lunch with time for shopping on this tour and bus was comfortable. It was a smaller sized luxury bus so the tour wasn't too big. We loved seeing Waimea Canyon from all the lookout points as well as sprouting horn. The trip on the river going to Fern Grotto was a really nice way to end the trip! Having hotel pickup was a plus and I thought that we would be on the bus for a long time dropping people off on the other side of the island but an extra bus came at the end to take the people to Princeville so it wasn't a long time until we returned to our hotel since we were staying at the Marriott in Lihue.TeamGB_13
January 2020
Our driver and tour guide (Kats) was fantastic. Lovely and funny lady whose knowledge of the island’s history, culture and geology was second to none. The highlight for us was the canyon. Some great photo opportunity stops along the way made this tour a great way to see as much of this lush islan...
Our driver and tour guide (Kats) was fantastic. Lovely and funny lady whose knowledge of the island’s history, culture and geology was second to none. The highlight for us was the canyon. Some great photo opportunity stops along the way made this tour a great way to see as much of this lush island in one day.Curious728536
January 2020
We highly recommend this tour to get the most out of your visit to this special island. Sam is a fabulous guide and imparts lots of historic and economic facts with a sense of humour! Also serenaded us on his Ukelele, which was great soundtrack to our video at a waterfall lookout!! We are well tr...
We highly recommend this tour to get the most out of your visit to this special island. Sam is a fabulous guide and imparts lots of historic and economic facts with a sense of humour! Also serenaded us on his Ukelele, which was great soundtrack to our video at a waterfall lookout!! We are well travelled, normally suffer through a tour... so we give this one a four thumbs up!larriew2018
December 2019
We were in Kauai and didn’t rent a car, so as we had done previously, we decided to take a tour because we wanted to see Waimea canyon as well as the Wailua River tour. We were picked up an hour late, seemingly because of traffic? At least that was what we were told. Then we spent another hour pi...
We were in Kauai and didn’t rent a car, so as we had done previously, we decided to take a tour because we wanted to see Waimea canyon as well as the Wailua River tour. We were picked up an hour late, seemingly because of traffic? At least that was what we were told. Then we spent another hour picking up other passengers. We then finally started our “tour”. It seems that instead of a “tour”, we just basically were given a bus ride. Our guide said very little, especially after the canyon. We spent nearly 5 hours driving to see the canyon, the blow hole, an overlook, the view of Queen Elizabeth? on one of the mountains (which we just drove by) and a waterfall. It would have been nice to hear about history or interesting facts of the area or the island. We heard very little. The Wailua River excursion was very interesting and enjoyable. They made an effort to make it enjoyable and fun. One of the other passengers made the comment also that this was not what he was expecting. For the money it was definitely not worth it.kelleyecrockett
April 2023
Great trip with Rosario as the driver. Wonderful views great pace excellent enthusiasm and always looked out for our safety. Thanks for the Hawaiian music and all the details about the island!
Great trip with Rosario as the driver. Wonderful views great pace excellent enthusiasm and always looked out for our safety. Thanks for the Hawaiian music and all the details about the island!Z3517AFandrewm
April 2023
Our tour guide, Rosario, was very friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. We enjoyed the trip, although the river boat segment (Fern Grotto) wasn’t quite as interesting or extensive as the advertisement or cost suggested. If you have a rental car, a self-guided tour might be the cost efficient way t...
Our tour guide, Rosario, was very friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. We enjoyed the trip, although the river boat segment (Fern Grotto) wasn’t quite as interesting or extensive as the advertisement or cost suggested. If you have a rental car, a self-guided tour might be the cost efficient way to go.