Kauai, also known as the Garden Isle, is the greenest of the Hawaiian Islands. Mount Waialeale on Kauai is one of the wettest places on earth. The high rainfall is the reason why this island has so many beautiful valleys, canyons and waterfalls. We visited Kauai in April 2012 and put together our top 5 things to do on Kauai, enjoy!
1. Waimea Canyon and Koke'e State Park
Drive to Waimea and take the Waimea Canyon Drive. It is recommended to first drive all the way up to the Kalalau lookout in Koke‘e State Park. It is very often cloudy and wet up there but in the morning you will have the best chance to get a good view. Go to the Koke’e museum where you can get a hiking map for a small donation and updated information on which trails are opened. Some beautiful hiking trails are the Awa‘awapuhi trail which leads you through the Awa’awapuhi valley to a beautiful lookout over the coast, the Alakai Swamp trail which leads you through swamps and wet forest to the Wainiha Pali rim and the Pihea trail which leads you along the rim of Kalalau Valley.
Afterwards drive back to the Waimea Canyon. This Canyon also called the Grand Canyon of the Pacific is definitely one of the highlights on Kauai. Hike one of the shorter trails around the canyon or to one of the lookouts.
