Have you have tried kayaking yet? Around the world, it's getting more and more popular.  Newer, more buoyant models are harder to tip than they used to be.  In fact, I think you'll agree that kayaking is easier than canoeing.

And It's easy to get somewhere, even for kids and non-athletes. You don't need to be strong or an expert, at least in calm waters like the rivers and lagoons of Kauai. Plus,  you're right down there almost in the water, and you can see the fish. 

My teenage sons prefer kayaking to canoeing. They're looking forward to doing this when we get to Kauai.

Kayaking providers on Kauai, Hawaii, offer experiences for families with kids, and for more adventuresome adults. 

The family kayaking experience consists of kids under 12 going in a double kayak with an adult, in rivers and lagoons.  Kids over 12 and adults can take single kayaks if they like.

The ocean kayaking adventure experience lets you get to gorgeous spots along Kauai's Na Pali coast that are otherwise pretty inaccessible, such as the sea caves and Kalalau Beach. It's quite a workout, though! And, the veterans say, take some motion sickness meds ahead of time.

Kayak Kauai provides family-friendly experiences it calls Blue Lagoon (Hanalei River on north side, and Hanalei Bay) and Secret Falls (Wailua River, east side at Kapaa). 

Kayak Kauai's sea-kayak adventure experiences involves kayaking westward past Na Pali on the northwest coast. This trip was rated number two out of 100 top adventure experiences worldwide by National Geographic Adventure Magazine in 2000. It involves five to six hours, 17 miles, of intermittent paddling (with the wind) and is not for the faint of heart, small children, or nonswimmers.  In the winter, when the north side sea is rough, outfitters will take you on an ocean kayak tour of Poipu on the south side. Kayak Kauai got a good review from a traveler on a traveler review web site.

.

Outfitters Kauai and Na Pali Kayak provide the Na Pali coast ocean kayak experience as well, also leaving from Hanalei and arriving at Polihale after having lunch at Milolii, an abandoned fishing village three-quarters of the way.  All outfitters are using the same easy-floating sea kayaks with rudder pedals. Na Pali Kayak also got a good review from a traveler on a travel review Web site.

Na Pali Kayak also offers not only the same 17-mile westward trip along the Na Pali coast as the other outfitters (at what it claims is a lower price), but also offers a private guided sea kayak experience, for honeymooners or others who don't want larger groups.

Ali'i Kayaks provides kayak/hike tours of the Wailua River, on the east side, complete with narration about the history of the spot, which was sacred for early Hawaiians.  It also provides kayak tours of the Kalapaki Bay on the east side, at the Kauai Marriott. A reviewer who took the Wailua trip said her family had a good time, but that the kids were very tired after the four-mile trip.  She didn't say how old they were.

If you don't want a tour guide, Kayak Kauai and Outfitters Kauai can rent you a river or ocean kayak.

Return from Kauai Kayaking to Kauai Activities