Isabel and I visited Hawai’i in April/May of 2026. We spent 4 days on Maui, 3 on Oahu, and another 3 on Kaua’i. It was a short trip and we’d love to have had more time on each island, but we made the most of every day we were there, and Kaua’i was no exception.
We stayed in Lihue (the main town) for our entire stay because we have a family friend who lives there and let us stay with him. Airbnb’s and hotels are definitely expensive. I’ve spent time camping on Kaua’i which is great as long as the weather cooperates ! Next time we go, we’d likely try to find a place closer to Princeville, but Lihue was great and made it easy to get to both Waimea and Princeville.
Since we only had a short time, we wanted to get a good hike in and do one tour to see the island. We went with an open-door heli ride and it was incredible. There are many companies that offer this tour so choose what is right for you based on price as they all seem to be well reviewed. Definitely book in advance and go as early as possible; the winds consistently came in during the afternoon and we were told many flights get cancelled later in the day.
The hike we did was Awawapuhi Trail, a gorgeous 6-mile out-and-back trail located at the top of Waimea Canyon Road. The sunset was incredible; the hike wasn’t too bad, though it is all uphill on the way out (typically in the dark if you go for sunset). This was one of the best hikes we did in all of Hawaii. The views are insane. You feel like you are in the middle of the Na Pali Coast (which you are).
And on our one chill day, we decided to explore some of the nicer beaches near Lihue. It is easy to see Turtles and Seals at Poipu and Salt Pond – just please keep your distance from them so as not to disturb them. Shipwreck Beach had an awesome cliff jump and great waves for body surfing. Plus, there’s still the most beautiful beaches up by Hanalei, which we visited but did not have time to film anything.
Another option on a short trip would be to book a boat tour of the Na Pali Coast (caves or sunset). We would definitely do one of these tours next time.
Our time exploring Kaua’i seems short, but that is because we had originally planned for 6 days but secured permits for the Kalalau Trail and decided to backpack it on our last 3 days. That video will be coming out soon, and it was by far the most beautiful backpacking trip I’ve ever done.
Any questions on Kaua’i drop a comment and I’ll get back to you !
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