KAUAI TRAVEL GUIDE | Best Things to do in Kauai, Hawaii

Aloha what's up everybody before we jump into the details of this video I want to say one thing creating videos about places like this is always an internal battle for me on one hand I want to showcase how beautiful this world is and help you guys travel deeper while on the other hand by doing so I am inevitably adding to the tourist population of these destinations and I'm especially sensitive to this when talking about the Hawaiian Islands a place and people with such incredible history and pride and the primary reason why I decide to press on and click upload is with the hope that you guys are different out of all of the videos that you can watch while planning your trip to Kauai or Hawaii as its properly known this video will help form the narrative of what it should mean to travel here so if you take just one thing away from watching this beyond the trail maps and restaurant names let it be this respect show respect to the people who call this place home show respect to nature by taking out what you bring in and show respect to local culture and laws just because you're on vacation doesn't mean you're immune to being a decent human to me the Hawaiian Islands I like the hot girls in high school you want to get to know them you want to tell everybody about them but they would be just happy being left alone but if you're kind and respectful they may just give you a glimpse of their beauty they're proud and loyal to their true friends because they've been burned before I want this video to be a guide on how to talk to them and make a good impression for us regular guys all right with all that being said let's dive into it this past December I took my mother on a vacation to Hawaii she was freezing in upstate New York and we were a long overdue for a mother-son adventure together it was her first time to Hawaii and my first time on the garden island now one thing to know about my mother she's not normal her perfect vacation is a packed schedule of activities and excitement wonder where I got it from we didn't stay in a resort nor did we spend much time laying on a beach so if that's your thing this video won't be much help I planned a trip to maximize our 10 days on the island balling on a budget and it all started on the east side of kawaii in Kapaa we have made it to our little humble abode here in Kauai ballin on a budget Maui think oh we got a couple of beds surfboard we got the ocean right there first things first breakfast and there's no better place for that in town than at the Country Kitchen everything's good with the macadamia nut french toast with coconut syrup is on another level and from there it's straight to one of our most anticipated activities of the entire trip so who are here with blue Hawaiian helicopters just waiting for our flight this is my first helicopter for her first helicopter flight my first helicopter flight 90% excited 10% nervous what would you say I'm Li yeah five percent five percent most I'm just getting ready they're getting geared up gassed up we're taking off over ten days we splurged on three excursions and this 50-minute helicopter ride over the island was definitely well worth stretching the budget for [Music] from the Waimea Canyon and Jurassic Falls to the unbelievable Napali Coast and pristine turquoise blue waters of Hanalei Bay the views up here are just insane checked off a massive bang on our bucket list how do you feel oh my gosh that was awesome that was just too cool for words I was very cool Thank You Blue Hawaiian appreciate it that was amazing good morning from ke ala hele maka light-rail today renting some bikes our coconut coasters are Nivelle cruising let's go for a little more low-key sightseeing we grab bikes back in Kapaa in total it's a nice and easy eight miles on a paved pathway along the coconut coast we passed by plenty of surf spots safe swimming areas and even some old pineapple plantation era landmarks it's a good laid-back way to spend a few hours in between hikes and when hunger strikes my favorite lunch spot of the entire trip was this unsuspecting shop right in town called ponal market it was recommended to us by a local friend and they serve up some Hawaiian favorites like Lau Lau chicken long rice and of course polka we just found this little spot outside the porno market we've got the Hawaiian special plate we have bouquet we have Lau Lau rice and I believe in roaming which is like a salsa with salmon inside and also show you salmon po ke which looks and smells incredible so show you just means soy oh my gosh guys ridiculous let's try the traditional good tuna Wow both is always incredible and as we're doing it mom's filming right now I'm gonna give mom a chance to try this but first I got to get into the fork not allow allowed pork here I love this pork patty deliciousness the salmon and the tuna both really clean lightly seasoned that is so good hmm all right camera way mom you can you know [Music] good refueled afternoon activity options on the east side are virtually endless we check out the wailua falls from above but decide not to track down the clothes trail to its base instead we hit the nearby 18-hole Waialua Golf Course with a few locals I'm out got a couple of on the field get out of here hitting through look at this course on the ocean with the palm trees all around golf and town the next day we pile into the back of a covered utility truck to get another unique perspective of the islands history and today we are off into the backwoods of kawaii and we're going down tubing down the old ditches of the sugar plantations in the bamboo were with koa Eve backcountry adventures get in the details now grab it a to jump in the water let's go and in 1870 a series of ditches and tunnels were hand dug by Chinese laborers to deliver water from the rain forest down into the sugarcane fields near Lihue today most of Hawaii's sugar production has left for countries with more lucrative labor laws leaving this private property to become an eco-friendly lazy river but before things get too leisurely it's about time we climb a mountain alright next on the list of exploration is the sleeping giant trail just a short little hike up to the top so we can get a view of Kapaa it's a little bit muddy but we're used to that I'm weirded upward one important thing to note about hiking here in December is that it's inevitably muddy rain comes and goes quickly so you usually can just wait out the rain fall right on the trail it's legal but mom and I will trade mud for crowds any day and we cruise up at a quick clip to beat the sunset minute we're at the top of the sleeping giant trail over by cop aha we have made it to the top it was a sprint a muddy sprint we are very sweaty very hot but whoa feels good we've made it here just as the Sun is setting look at the clouds over here I mean come on look at this unbelievable look also from up here you can see the rain storms coming in rain storm one rain strong - Wow all right now we got to make it down before it gets dark and we can't see what mud we're hiking through that's call now for dinner in Kapaa there's a handful of budget-friendly options you got bubbles for a quality burger that's a good burger onion rings hold on BYOB there's chicken in a barrel for some good barbecue another personal favorite is this under the radar spot called Simon dojo which serves up a delicious bowl of oxtail Simon a dish I've never had before and if you're lucky enough to be an old cop out of town on the first Saturday of the month there's a night market with a ton of good street food options long street from Kapaa we had north towards Princeville this is another popular resort location and home to some amazing sights as well all right brief little stop mom what do we got here just made a quick stop at the Hanalei a lookout and this place is absolutely spectacular you've got a river running through it there's taro fields here amazing mountains off in the distance I call this one of the most popular spots up here which is technically closed is Queens bath to be straightforward many people have died here either trying to swim or have been caught off guard by incoming waves if you do decide to go to Queens bath please just don't be an idiot try to go with a local if you can there's literally signs down there with hash marks of how many people have died so if you go down there just be careful a much better choice very close by is the beautiful beach of Hanalei eBay checking out surfers through this setup however our main mission up on the North Shore is all the way at the end of highway 560 the Kalalau trail in particular a hike Tonica bi falls good morning is just after 7:30 a.m. here on the island kawaii and we have begun the Napali coast track we are at the north shore on the Kalalau trail I hope I'm saying that correctly got a Lao trail and we're about to go two miles down to the beach and then two miles up to a waterfall and two miles back to the beach and two miles back here so we got eight miles today mom's here ready to go get it going let's go that way [Music] this is the famous 22 mile round-trip kalalau trail which takes you along the edge of the Napali coast it's like we're hiking through the rainforest now but his mom says it best it's even better than a rain forest because we have all the rainforest fields without the poisonous snakes without the Jaguars watching us it's just beautiful [Music] just like that we have made it to the halfway point this is the beach halfway to the waterfall how was that first leg beautiful views a little bit up a little bit down a couple of switchbacks nothing too crazy the sun is shining the ocean looks absolutely inviting but we're not going to stop we're not gonna swim we're gonna keep going to the waterfall oh but this is just breathtaking there's about 15 people here it is now 9:30 which means we took two hours to get here that's a mile an hour but we were stopping quite frequently to take photos and video and stuff like that so you can definitely make it less time but now onwards and upwards from here go to the waterfall let's go [Music] alright as we make our ascent up to the waterfall the trail has got a bit narrower but it is as losses that ever has been and there's a bunch of different spiderwebs with one particular spider all across the trail so you gotta watch your head the helicopters fly above us the river runs alongside us and the mud is at our feet we're on our way up [Music] river crossing number one oh here we were crossing number two got it water is picking up now we can see the waterfall in the distance we're all along this tight trail here with big rocks pretty muddy but we're right along the river here that though that is the sound absolute paradise [Music] [Music] all right sweaty and triumphant we have made it to the Falls wha oh man every says the water is very cold here let's go see firsthand this is incredible and while I would love to come back and do the full track another time and even camp at the beach today we're happy with an 8 mile round-trip voyage to a very sweet payoff [Music] [Music] now on the complete other side of the island on the south shore is Poipu if you're on your honeymoon or a family vacation this is most likely where you'll stay after five nights in Kapaa we relocated here for the second half of our trip it's home to some incredible coastline good snorkeling and the best weather on kawaii in the winter we could even spot whales and sea turtles right from our accommodations for breakfast grab a bowl at the little fish coffee shop and for lunch a hot dog at pukka dogs I regret hookah dogs now right with very soft one I got the traditional a Polish sausage mustard ketchup and sweet relish it's like a crispy toasted on the inside of the bun so it has a really good crunch ha delicious thick hot dog that bread is so good first off and whenever you have the chance to try something new at one of the many farmers markets around the island my favorites all right we are gonna have mom try them first run both on my mom so first thing you do is you bite into it okay oh there there's a big pit Manila what do you think yeah on our quest to experience this island by land air and sea from Poipu we make the short drive to the Port Allen pier to spend the day on the water good morning it is bright and early here on the southwest side of the island and we are going out for a boat ride are you ready I'm ready we're going with Captain Andy's we're gonna go out hopefully see some dolphins let's get on the water I really don't have much to add to this outside of the beautiful visuals it was an incredible day on the water good food great company and another amazing perspective of this incredible island [Music] very awesome turtle [Music] [Applause] [Music] Simon's gone away but that's okay because lunch is being served you got burgers you got grilled chicken on our final day on kawaii were up early and stop for a little treat before exploring the Waimea Canyon [Music] all right we are on our way from a pool optical hiking in the Waimea Canyon and up by the Napali coast and we had to stop I've been hearing some great things about malasadas which is a typical hawaiian done' and for that we stopped at aloha sweet delight and i'm about to try come on asada Oh saw more sewer door getting everywhere inside a sweet coconut filling this is one of the best dogs I've ever had you got to get here early it's just after 7:00 a.m. we're gonna make sure we got a warm fresh out of the oven oh my god these are delicious I also got a plain one mom got a cream filled one and also a plain one we're in 8 DS get on the road but malasadas and a little hot sweet delight you gotta try these what do you think [Music] then it's straight up to 550 into the Waimea Canyon State Park look at this terrain without getting it too far we stop quickly on the side of the road to walk across a landscape that seems more like Mars than Hawaii from here we pull over again to get a view of white Bowl old Falls from a distance and we're hoping we get a closer look later on and then it's all the way to the end of the road to the Kalalau look out at the end of route 550 we've came to these incredible lookouts there's a few different lookouts on the way up but at the end the the culmination of it all is this lookout right here over the Napali Coast you can see the catamaran boat rides going by probably captain Andy waving at us down there the helicopters flying overhead and now we are here at this incredible lookout the little clouds dotted across this incredibly lush landscape this is absolutely breathtaking [Music] you keep going on this little side trail talking about a mile long through the ferns and you have views of both ridges and into the valley we're starting to be some clouds coming up on that one Ridge it is breathtaking and raising the son once again we push for one last height all right one hike along the canyon trail well series of Canyon trails is the WIPO trail and that heads down to a waterfall we're gonna try to check that out right now they say that you can take a four-wheel drive to the beginning of the trailhead which is about a half a mile down this dirt road here but we don't have a four-wheel drive so we're gonna hoof it down to white bottle Falls no this is the first trail our first time in the past ten days where we have felt like we could have used a four-wheel-drive vehicle interesting to know everybody says get a four-wheel drive vehicle when you come to Hawaii but the truth is you don't really need one you're almost there just walking around this Ridgeline here you can start to hear the waterfall sniffing on some eucalyptus I think it's right through here [Music] there's mom out there and you follow this waterfall right over the edge to this spectacular Canyon we made it right here behind me there's mom up there and the views from this waterfall incredible old Canyon behind us laughs ooh look at that yes we finished the day and our trip back in Poipu for sunset we're tired muddy and couldn't be happier all right that's it I hope you guys like the video I hope it provides some value if you're planning a trip to this incredible island and all of the information that I talk about in this video as well as a lot of other things and details like the exact accommodations where we stayed the restaurants that I didn't mention and many other details about the hikes will be in a blog post the link is directly the first line in the video description of this video so go click check that out if you're trying to plan and you want more information and if you liked the video as always please give it a thumbs up leave a comment let me know what was your favorite part about this video activities that you want to try or information that maybe I didn't include I would love to hear from you because I will definitely be back to this island again soon it was absolutely incredible and my mom was very very happy we did this and lastly if you guys haven't already please go subscribe if you are subscribed click on that notification spell so you get notified whenever I post a new video and that's it I'll see you guys next week bah bah bah okay this morning we're in Baja and we're going to crucify get it kebab kebab this morning we're in Copiah and we're gonna go down to that ki know okay can't you both of those mom's back the trail as you can see our first trail of the trip and it's a little bit muddy so what they talked about our first well I'm buddy here they said I was gonna be muddy and it is just one looks like one mudslide all right white shirt was a good idea today

Channel: Gareth Leonard

Views: 305,318

Keywords: things to do in kauai, kauai travel guide, kauai, kauai hawaii, hawaii travel guide, things to do in hawaii, places to go in hawaii, best hiking trails in kauai, places to eat in kauai, waimea canyon, helicopter tour kauai, boat trip kauai, day trip kauai, princeville kauai, kapaa kauai, poipu kauai, kauai travel, travel kauai, gareth leonard, travel deeper, #traveldeeper, tourist to townie, tourist 2 townie, tourist2townie.com, kalalau trail, hiking kauai, napali coast, HI

Id: XOo4FPdgasI

Length: 26min 18sec (1578 seconds)

Published: Sat Mar 28 2020