Rainbow Kayak Tours Wailua River Kayak and Secret Falls Hike with Lunch at the Falls

Rainbow Kayak Tours has guided people up the Wailua River for 20 years, and its guides know the plants, the animals and the history of the valley. The outing begins with a 4-mile round-trip paddle, 2 miles each way, on the river where the first Hawaiians settled after crossing 1,500 miles from the Marquesas Islands almost 1,500 years ago. Guides tell the legends and name the flora and fauna of what Kauai counts as its most sacred area. Kayaks are left behind for a hike of 1.5 miles through rainforest to Secret Falls, also called Uluwehi Falls, where a 110-foot cascade drops into a swimming hole. Guests swim and have lunch there, then hike the 1.5 miles back, 3 miles on foot in all. The trail is unpaved and changes with the weather. It has 4 river crossings over loose rocks, each repeated on the way back, and one section that calls for climbing a 25-foot embankment of wet, slippery roots and rocks. Footwear gets soaked, so tennis shoes or hiking sandals or boots are needed (no flip-flops or crocs). Tours run rain or shine unless a weather advisory is issued, and a canceled tour can be rescheduled or refunded.