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Wailua River Kayak Tour: Explore Nature and History
4.8
755 Ratings
Kapaʻa
For two decades, Rainbow Kayak Tours has been offering guided excursions on the Wailua River. Our seasoned guides are knowledgeable about the local wildlife and vegetation, as well as the rich history of this remarkable location.
For two decades, Rainbow Kayak Tours has been offering guided excursions on the Wailua River. Our seasoned guides are knowledgeable about the local wildlife and vegetation, as well as the rich history of this remarkable location.
Duration:
6 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
-
Wailua River State Park - Paddle the majestic Wailua River for 2 miles each way (4 miles total round trip), original home of the first Hawaiians, who paddled 1500 miles from the Marquesas Islands to Kaua
i almost 1500 years ago. Hear the legends and learn about the flora and fauna of Kauais most sacred area. - Secret Falls (Uluwehi Falls) -…
-
Wailua River State Park - Paddle the majestic Wailua River for 2 miles each way (4 miles total round trip), original home of the first Hawaiians, who paddled 1500 miles from the Marquesas Islands to Kaua
i almost 1500 years ago. Hear the legends and learn about the flora and fauna of Kauais most sacred area. - Secret Falls (Uluwehi Falls) - After hiking 1 1/2 miles through the rain forest our guides will take clients to Secret Falls also known as Uluwehi Falls. This beautiful waterfall cascades 110 feet into a refreshing swimming hole, where they can go for a dip and enjoy a terrific lunch! You will then hike 1 1/2 miles back to your kayak (3 miles of hiking round trip). TRAIL CONDITIONS CAN VARY DEPENDING ON WEATHER. THERE WILL BE 4 RIVER CROSSINGS WITH LOOSE ROCKS IN RIVER BED THAT YOU WILL NEED TO CROSS AND UNPAVED TRAIL ON YOUR TREK TO THE WATERFALL. AND KEEP IN MIND YOU WILL CROSS THEM ON THE TREK BACK AS WELL. FOOTWEAR IS COMPLETELY SUBMERGED IN WATER DURING YOUR ADVENTURE.
Bring Closed Toed Shoes / Reef shoes / Teeva Style Sandals
What's Included
- Tandem kayaks
- Paddles
- Back rests
- Dry bags
- Lunch
- Tandem kayaks
- Paddles
- Back rests
- Dry bags
- Lunch
What's Not Included
- Footwear - Bring Closed Toed Shoes / Reef shoes / Teeva Style Sandals. NO FLIP FLOPS OR CROCS
- Footwear - Bring Closed Toed Shoes / Reef shoes / Teeva Style Sandals. NO FLIP FLOPS OR CROCS
Additional Information
- No Recent surgeries or bad knees/ankles/hips.
- No pregnancies at this due to safety concerns.
- Must be 5-70 years old to participate.
- No Recent surgeries or bad knees/ankles/hips.
- No pregnancies at this due to safety concerns.
- Must be 5-70 years old to participate.
Location
440 Aleka Pl
Aleka Place
440 Aleka Place, Kapaa, Hawaii, 96746. We're located behind Coconut Marketplace in the Aston Islander on the Beach Hotel parking area next to Johnny'z Wingz N Tingz. You can check in at Snorkel Depot.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.8
(755 Ratings)
5 stars
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1 star
Chuck
Sep 25, 2025
Awesome Kayaking and Hiking - This tour was wonderful. The scenery was awesome. The kayaking and hiking were mildly challenging, but thoroughly enjoyable. Our tour guide, Sierra, was very knowledgeable about the wildlife, plant life, and history of the area. We would highly recommend this tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
471corib
Sep 21, 2025
Great experience of the lush greenery and wilderness in Kauai! - This was a really fun experience! It had a little bit of everything. The kayaking was lovely. We were surrounded by gorgeous views of mountains while we were paddling on the river. The hike was like hiking through a jungle. Our guide was amazing and very knowledgeable. She stopped during the hike to talk about different plants and traditions, and even had us taste a couple of the edible plants along the way. The waterfall was not flowing the way it frequently does, so that was a bit disappointing, but you can only blame a lack of rainfall for that. Everything online (multiple YouTube videos and websites) we saw about that particular waterfall showed a much better flow of water, so that was just bad luck that we went at a time when it hadn’t rained enough recently. It was still awesome to swim in the pool and feel the water falling on my head though!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Shebech
Sep 20, 2025
Nice enjoyable trip - Our trip was an enjoyable outing, but unfortunately the waterfall was barely a trickle. Our guide was amazing, Keilei told us about many interesting facts along the way. Overall, it was beautiful fun trip on the River.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
David_a
Sep 17, 2025
Best excursion yet!! - The entire trip was definitely worth it! Kayaking is work, so be prepared. The hike is relatively easy, only a couple obstacles.
Tyler was super informative about all the flora and fauna on the trip. Would recommend to anyone traveling to kauai
Review provided by Viator
G4109slloriw
Sep 14, 2025
A beautiful adventure! - What an adventure! From start to finish it was an amazing journey! Our guide was Sierra and she was fun, friendly, knowledgeable. and kind! The kayaking on the Wailua River was so beautiful and peaceful. The hike to the falls, although a bit slippery, was so pretty with so many plants, trees and flowers to learn about. Sierra brought along hiking sticks that she made and they definitely came in handy, so thoughtful of her to think of her group! 10/10 for Sierra and Rainbow Kayak Tours!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jelena_o
Sep 11, 2025
Adventure of a lifetime! - This was an adventure for a lifetime! We had such an amazing time kayaking & hiking to the waterfall & our tour guide was so knowledgeable & nice! We would definitely do this over again, it was so worth it! Plus this time of year was amazing, there were not many people on the river or on the trail. Absolutely breathtaking views, there’s so many beautiful flowers & plants everywhere & there’s even roosters & chickens that hang out around the waterfall! They are definitely used to people coming around. Don’t hesitate to book this, trust me, you won’t regret it!
Review provided by Viator
Christopher_t
Sep 10, 2025
This was a moderately... - This was a moderately challenging experience, but worth the effort. Trae was our guide and he was exceptional at leading the tour and helping us. Great experience with very beautiful scenery.
Review provided by Viator
Lori_d
Sep 23, 2025
Gorgeous kayak experience - Beautiful scenery despite the falls being dry! The kayak tour was both relaxing and a nice bit of exercise.
Review provided by Viator
Mary_h
Sep 12, 2025
Too Much - Beautiful scenic float and a treacherous hike.
Would have been nice to have some breaks from the 2 mile paddle fest. Can’t stop or relax very pushy, granted I’m 63, I made it!
Wouldn’t do it again
Review provided by Viator
David_h
Sep 19, 2025
The area hasn't had rain... - The area hasn't had rain since April (it's now mid-September) and clearly everyone on the staff knows the waterfall is not flowing--and hasn't been flowing for several weeks. We weren't made aware until after the kayak trip and well into our hike up to where the waterfall "usually" flows (at this point our guide showed us photos of it from back in April to assuage our disappointment). This seems a bit underhanded and deceitful when the booking clearly highlights this as a high point of the tour.
A better choice would have been to offer a pre-arrival notice (say, 48 hrs prior) to offer a shorter, kayak-only option for half price or opt out entirely for a full refund. Obviously, if the area receives a significant rainfall, then this wouldn't be a factor. We would have rated the tour much higher had we been afforded this choice.
At the very least, customers should be advised well ahead of time (ideally BEFORE full payment is remitted) that the tour they've paid for is not the tour they're going to experience.
Review provided by Viator