Kauai: Waimea Canyon and Koke'e Tour
Description
Mark Twain nicknamed Waimea Canyon the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific". Experience nature's grandeur first hand on this guided tour with live narration. Gaze at the red cliffs of Waimea Canyon and enjoy a brief walk along a meandering path in verdant Koke'e State Park. Visit a coffee plantation and sample pure Kauai coffee. Watch the raw power of nature at Spouting Horn.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Crashing waves propel majestic jets of salt water through lava rock. One of the most photographed sites on Kauai.
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.
Suspension bridge, built in the early 1900s for residents to cross the river.
Rich in paniolo (Hawaiian cowboy) history, Waimea is quiet town with quaint shops and eateries.
Scenic views of the deep valley gorges with it's striking red soil covered in greenery...nicknamed the "The Grand Canyon of the Pacific". Waimea Canyon Lookout will be closed from 4/14/25 through approximately 12/8/25 for slope and foundation repairs. Pu‘uhinahina Lookout, which is already included on the itinerary, will now be the main canyon viewpoint. We’ll also adjust timing slightly to allow for more time at other highlights along the way.
Savor a delectable lunch on your own at Koke’e Lodge (with a 10% discount for Polynesian Adventure guests). A $3 donation to the Koke’e Natural History Museum supporting preservation efforts is included in your honor. Venture down a nature trail in Koke’e State Park for an easy stroll surrounded by native Hawaiian flora and fauna. The first portion of the hike is a gradual uphill stroll for about 30 yards, then the land levels; hugging the contours of the hill.
Waimea Canyon lookout point.
Relax and sink your toes in the warm sand at this popular beach.
Historical trading location, established by Russians during brief stint in Hawaii in 1815.
The largest coffee farm in the United States, visit the Kauai Coffee Estate and sample a rich cup of famous Kauai coffee.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
For guests staying at a North Shore or Princeville hotel, the meeting point is at the Outrigger Waipouli Hotel in Kapa'a. Parking is available at the municipal parking lot near the Outrigger Waipouli Hotel. The tour times provided reflect the start and end of the tour, but not your exact pickup location and pickup time. Whether or not you've provided your hotel/lodging at the time of booking, you are required to contact the tour provider no less than (2) days prior to your tour date to receive your exact pickup time and location. The tour provider will advise you of the specific area at the hotel/lodging you should wait; for example, "at the front entrance." Please be there at least 5 minutes before your pickup time. Please allow a 10-15 minute grace period, as the driver will be picking up other guests in your area. If your hotel/lodging is not included on our pickup schedule, you'll be advised to meet at nearby location. Please note that we are prohibited by certain properties to pick up non-hotel guests and we do not pick-up at private properties such as Airbnb’s and residential areas.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Service animals allowed
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Please contact the tour provider at minimum of 7 days prior to the tour date for ADA and all special requests.
Reviews(596)
Our tour guide, sabrina, made this a very fun trip. She was funny, friendly, and helped everyone in the group be friends. I was a female solo traveler, so I really enjoyed the camaraderie of the group and made friends easily. The stops were interesting and fun. I am glad I let somebody else drive me up the canyon, because it was pretty windy. The experience was pretty expensive for what you get, but being alone it was worth paying for it.
My husband and I had a wonderful tour with Jonna. She was very informative, learned a lot and enjoyed the day. You can tell that she loves what she does.
Small group. Knowledgeable driver/guide Jonna. Native and very nice. Day was long but sights were beautiful! Glad I wasn’t driving Canyon Road.
This trip was not ran as the itinerary showed. We drove past Poipu to start with. Our driver John could barely be understood. We took longer than should have at stops and strange commentary. Then coming down from Keo’ke Lodge he weaved around coming down the mountain across the center line and then ran off the road scaring us to death. After an unexplained stop at the bottom in Waimea for 30 minutes we choose to Uber back to our hotel. The first tour in my life I did not feel safe! It needs to be checked out!
Thank you for joining us and for sharing your feedback. We apologize that your experience did not meet our standards, as the safety and comfort of our guests are always our top priorities. We appreciate you bringing your concerns to our attention. Mahalo.
I am not sure where to begin. First of all our driver gave us little to no info on each of our stops, I am not sure he had the knowledge to tell us any information, he did talk about where he lived and grew up. Here is the worst part, as we were driving back down the mountain we ran off the road and we are lucky that the bus did not flip, his reason was he saw a rainbow there last week! REALLY who does he think he was kidding, maybe he fell asleep at the wheel. After we finally made it back towards town and we’re waiting for the stop light to turn green, once it turned green he did not go, one of the passengers had to scream at him as she said, wake up! I am sure our bad experience was due to our driver. My trip was ruined and I would ask the company to look into this driver so that no one will ever have to experience what I experienced today.
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. We apologize that the tour did not meet your expectations, as providing a safe and enjoyable experience for our guests is always our goal. We appreciate your feedback. Mahalo.
Wonderful scenery and relaxing ride. The views were amazing. Sally did a wonderful job narrating on the trip. Lunch at Koke Lodge was spectacular. The smashed potatoes were unbelievable.
The entire tour was excellent. Waimea canyon was magnificent. John was amusing and friendly. The bus was very comfertable as well.
Polynesian Adventure is my go to for land tours on Hawaii since my first visit in 2024. This tour was just as great with our tour guide John, who was incredibly helpful with tips on things to do while here along with the island's history. I have another tour scheduled later this week and expect no less in excellence from this company.
It was a nice tour, learned a lot and saw a lot
John was our driver and he was great. Seen some great things
