I agree on deciding on a side of the island for such a short trip. I'm not sure the state of the North Shore after this year's storms. It's a smaller road, so it does wash out and go resident-only traffic at times.
I am primarily interested in nature and do not like helicopters, so I focused more on hiking, horse back riding, and the like when I was last in Kauai. There are botanical gardens on both the North and South Shores. The Limahuli one on the North Shore is more focused on native Hawaiian plants, while the Allerton one on the South Shore is more like the gardens of a grand manor. I did not get a chance to visit the other botanical gardens when I was there.
The lighthouse on the North Shore is great for whale watching, although this is not the prime season for that. There are a lot of places to stop along the road for sights and shopping. There are also the trail heads to the Na Pali Coast trails at the end of the North Shore road, but those are more advanced hikes, so I skipped them when I was there.
The South Shore has the Waimea Canyon state park, which is one of the places the helicopter tours fly over, but you can also drive up the canyon and hike portions of it. Most of the boat tours launch off the South Shore. There's also Hanapepe town if you are in to art.
Edit: Almost forgot this. I also spent a half-day hiking 8 miles along the East Shore. Probably my favorite part of it was around the Pineapple Dump lookout point. There were very few people, and the trail is paved so you can also bike it. The whale watching was great, and it wasn't crowded like the lighthouse was.
I am primarily interested in nature and do not like helicopters, so I focused more on hiking, horse back riding, and the like when I was last in Kauai. There are botanical gardens on both the North and South Shores. The Limahuli one on the North Shore is more focused on native Hawaiian plants, while the Allerton one on the South Shore is more like the gardens of a grand manor. I did not get a chance to visit the other botanical gardens when I was there.
The lighthouse on the North Shore is great for whale watching, although this is not the prime season for that. There are a lot of places to stop along the road for sights and shopping. There are also the trail heads to the Na Pali Coast trails at the end of the North Shore road, but those are more advanced hikes, so I skipped them when I was there.
The South Shore has the Waimea Canyon state park, which is one of the places the helicopter tours fly over, but you can also drive up the canyon and hike portions of it. Most of the boat tours launch off the South Shore. There's also Hanapepe town if you are in to art.
Edit: Almost forgot this. I also spent a half-day hiking 8 miles along the East Shore. Probably my favorite part of it was around the Pineapple Dump lookout point. There were very few people, and the trail is paved so you can also bike it. The whale watching was great, and it wasn't crowded like the lighthouse was.
Statistics: Posted by Mudpuppy — Mon Aug 05, 2024 2:23 pm — Replies 26 — Views 2223