Kauai: Waimea Canyon, Wailua River Boat and Fern Grotto Tour
Description
Enjoy a day brimming with scenic beauty, legends and history of the Garden Island. Journey down the meandering, tranquil Wailua River on an open air boat ride culminating at exquisite Fern Grotto where you'll be serenaded by the Hawaiian Wedding Song. Gaze at the vast expanse of Waimea Canyon from key lookout points on the ascent. The deep red cliffs were described by Mark Twain as the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific". Visit sprawling Kauai Coffee Plantation and Spouting Horn Blowhole where sea water spectacularly jettisons through openings in lava rock.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Board a spacious, open-air boat and cruise down Kauai's Wailua River encircled by miles of lush trees and tropical plants. Cool breezes lull you as the captain shares stories of ancient Hawaii when the river was flanked by multiple Hawaiian heiau (temples).
Take a leisurely boat ride down the Wailua River to the famed "Fern Grotto" aptly named for the Boston Ferns dripping from the roof of a verdant cavern carved out of the mountain side.
Cascading down into a hidden pool, this 151-foot-tall, 40-foot-wide waterfall is one of the island's most accessible major waterfalls.
Enjoy lunch on your own in historic Old Koloa Town, surrounded by its charming atmosphere.
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. We will substitute the closed lookout with a stop at Pu‘uhinahina Lookout, which offers a different but impressive view of Waimea Canyon. We’ll also make a few additional photo stops to give guests more time to enjoy the scenery.
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.
The largest coffee farm in the United States, visit the Kauai Coffee Estate and sample a rich cup of famous Kauai coffee.
Crashing waves propel majestic jets of salt water through lava rock. One of the most photographed sites on Kauai.
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
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Wheelchair accessible
- Service animals allowed
- 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(576)
John and Edwin were Great! John was Funny and very informative
John and Edwin made the tour fun and made sure we learned a ton about Kauai! I would definitely recommend.
This was a great tour. It was over an 8 tour that hit up all the major tourist attractions if you didn't rent a car. When choosing a pickup location, it gave many options. FYI, if you're staying anywhere near the south or west of the airport, there was a pickup location about a 10 minute walking distance. Our tour guides Edwin and John were great. They were very knowledgeable, funny and accommodating.
Our guide, Sabrina, was cheerful and exceeded our expectations. She gave us lot of information and fun stories about the places we were visiting. Thanks to her excellent recommendation for restaurant in Koloa Town, we had a yummy breakfast/lunch at Break-Feast. She also helped us to find some needed grocery stuff while in Koloa. The tour was well organized and we never felt rushed. Very comfortable pick up/ drop off at our hotel.
Today was an amazing day packed with lots of adventures. Our tour guide, John, and our driver, Edwin are the best. They made sure we enjoyed each and every minute on our 9 plus hour excursion. We met at the Banyan Resort which was very close to the cruise terminal making it easy to access the tour. On this tour, we made a stop at ‘Opaeka’a Falls and Wailua River. We were able to take photos. Our next adventure was a boat ride up the Wailua River. The boat took us to the Fern Grotto where we were able to get off the boat and experience the Fern Grotto. We made a stop at Old Koloa Town which was established in 1835. We had 1.5 hours on our own to shop and eat lunch. Lunch is not included in the price of the excursion. We made a quick photo stop at Hanapepe the home of the Lilo and Stitch movie. We made a few photo stops along the way to Waimea Canyon Lookout. The views from the lookout were absolutely stunning! We made a stop at Kauai Coffee which is the largest coffee estate in the United States. They offer free coffee sampling and also for purchase. Our final stop was a photo opportunity at the Spouting Horn. This was so beautiful! Please note there are many bathrooms along the many stops. This tour is priced very well for all that it offers. We are visiting from a cruise ship and the tours offered through the cruise line didn’t have all the stops that this tour offers and the cruise line tour was much more expensive. I highly recommend this tour and if you can request John and Edwin. They will make your day one you won’t forget!
NCLPOA Albert was an amazing tour guide. He was very informative and knowledgeable. Thank you.
From the second we were picked up, we knew Sabrina was going to provide us with an excellent tour—and she did. Last Wednesday we thoroughly enjoyed touring Kaua’i, Sabrina was highly informative, energetic, and engaging. Sometimes with a day long tour, it can be tiring, but Sabrina kept spirits high and participants interested. It was a beautiful day!
Good day on the road with Johnna..She was engaging and entertaining. I was skeptical but this was a great tour of the island.
Good experience, it takes definitely all day but not for the time you'll spend at the places you'll be visiting but because the traveling time between locations. The boat experience was definitely enjoyable and the places for sightseeing were breathtaking definitely a must do, the convenience of someone taking care of the traveling is nice you can sit back relax even take a nap. They treat you with drinks and snacks is definitely a plus. While you travel they tell you stories about the places you'll visit, the ones passing by, give you recommendations to make more of your trip. We got a recommendation to visit a specific beach for wildlife sightseeing and was absolutely wonderful.
Best experience ever !! Thanks to John and Ken🫶🏻
