Frequently Asked Questions
The questions we have answered a few thousand times, from the shop in Hanalei. If yours is not here, call us at (808) 826-6900 — someone who has paddled the coast will pick up.
Planning your trip
Kauai’s beautiful North Shore every day of the week, April – October. Check-in is at 6:00 a.m. at our Hanalei shop. It’s the second building on the left as you enter Hanalei, next to Postcards Restaurant. Make sure you go around the right side of the building to the red door.
We suggest a minimum of two weeks prior to your tour, although we may be able to accommodate almost any request. Please book a multi-day tour at least two months in advance.
Every kayak rental includes paddles, seat backs, a PFD (lifejacket) and one dry bag — the full daily and weekly rate card is on the camping and kayak rental page.
Guided tour rates are shown on each tour page: Napali Day Trip – Hā’ena, Napali Day Trip – Polihale, Na Pali Coast Camping and Private Tour in Na Pali. Park use fees and tax are additional.
If you have a group, we can customize a private charter — call us at (808) 826-6900 and we will put something together.
We require that all visitors call when they arrive on island so that we can obtain your Kauai contact info. We also ask for a confirmation phone call around 4 p.m. the afternoon before your trip for a final weather check.
Our policy is rather strict so please be sure you sign up for the correct date. We will try to reschedule any changes, but cancellations and no-shows within 48 hours of the trip will be charged the full amount.
Is this trip right for me?
On this all day activity, you paddle Kauai’s entire Na Pali Coast. Check in is at 6:00 a.m. Napali Kayak is the second building on the left as you enter Hanalei (next to Postcards Restaurant) on the north shore of Kauai. We are on the water by 7:30 a.m. at Haena Beach Park. We paddle for approximately 4.5 hours before landing for a well deserved lunch stop at Milolii Beach. Here, we enjoy an outstanding catered lunch and a long rest, or a short walk into Milolii Valley. Then it’s back in our boats for the brief one-and-a-half hour paddle to Polihale beach, the end point of the Na Pali Coast. This adventure is approximately six-hours of paddle time. A van shuttles us back to Napali Kayak in Hanalei. We typically return by 7:00 p.m. This is a long, challenging adventure. Participants should be in good physical condition. Guests will find this a wonderful way to combine exercise, adventure, and stunning scenery in one unforgettable day. The seas can be rough and seasickness medicine is highly recommended.
The Na Pali Coast paddle is not for everyone, but it may be for you. This 17-mile kayak trip can be long and strenuous for people not in good physical shape. Expect as much as seven hours of paddling throughout the day, broken up by a two-hour lunch break. Our main concern is SEASICKNESS. But most tender stomachs can be treated the night before and the morning of with Dramamine or Bonine. Ordinary folks complete this adventure everyday and have epic memories to match and photos to bring home.
None per se. Many of our visitors have never been in a kayak. As long as you’re physically active and truly want the accomplishment, we can help you achieve it.
This trip is best for adults. We say your child needs to be “a young adult.” We suggest 15 as the minimum age requirement, although this trip is better suited for 18 years and up as this is a very long day on the open ocean.
Yes but only if you are in your first trimester and not the second. We deal with beach breaks and re-entry into kayaks on the water. Both can be dangerous to the pregos.
Maybe.
“But, this paddle is HARD. Make no mistake, there were times I legitimately thought I could not finish it, and we paddled on a calmer day. But I still wanted to do it again on the same trip, because it was that good.”
“The guides were phenomenal and set my mind at ease.”
Seasickness and safety
The Na Pali Coast can be famously rough and we highly recommend taking the medicine. It is cheap insurance for a long day. No one ever regretted taking the medicine, but many have wished they had.
Do you a) Puke on the roller coaster? b) Yack in the car? c) Blow chunks on a plane ride? Then maybe this trip isn’t for you. This trip is supposed to be fun! If you need to opt out due to motion sickness, there is no refund!
We recommend a minimum of 3l per person.
We are trying to avoid single use plastics and provide a water filling station at our kayak headquarters.
“My wife and I were both really anxious about this excursion and they made sure we felt safe and stoked throughout.”
“scopolamine patches (lifesaver, we put on the night before, we were the only ones not sea sick)”
What to bring, what we supply
Bring a bag with a change of clothing and a towel for after the paddle when you are shuttled back to headquarters. We also suggest plenty of sun protection, please avoid spray on sunscreen and use reef safe sunscreen only, a hat, sunglasses (with a strap), and a long sleeve shirt. On the water, you’ll want to have a waterproof camera (disposable ones work great). Bring a few snacks that are sealed so they stay dry (like energy bars). BRING PLENTY OF WATER!!! We suggest two 1.5 liter reusable water bottles, your guides will chilled filtered water to refill your bottles. There are no services along the Na Pali Coast so if you have allergies or health issues bring proper medication. Bring a few dollars; we stop along the way home for a restroom break and to get snacks. Also if your guide does a great job, you may want to give him/her a tip!
We have new equipment and everything is included: ruddered sit-on-top kayaks, lightweight carbon-fiber paddles, comfortable seat backs, dry-bags and top-of-the-line life preservers. Lunch is catered and your choice for the sandwich are turkey or ham with provolone or vegetarian. All sandwiches have veggies on the side. Cold juice and water are provided at lunch.
This is a service industry and our guides generally receive 10 to 20% in gratuity although any amount is appreciated.
“Bring lots of snacks that can be accessible to you while kayaking. Eat a good hearty breakfast and bring lots of water!! Reef safe sunscreen is a MUST!! I also recommend long sleeve swim shirts and hats!!”
On the water
We use ocean kayak “Cabos”. They are approximately 17′ long and have a 30” beam. They are as smooth and stable as you are. For a sit-on-top kayak, they make a great tour boat!
We use only ruddered doubles whenever possible. As a safety issue and for efficiency, we try to use only doubles. If you have an odd number, people can be placed together.
Yes we can take singles on our guided day trip. Single campers can be tough to accommodate since we prefer everyone in tandems. Please call to inquire if your a solo kayak camper.
Yes. 80% of the time. Trade winds are our tail winds. That’s the good news. When trades stop, its a paddlers paddle.
September is the first month we start seeing the winter swells. After September, the surf gets more consistent and much larger. Like 20 – 50ft. (We could offer tow-in kayak surfing on the Na Pali but no insurance company will cover us…. hmm….)
Giant squid? No. More likely you’ll see spinner dolphins (Naia), Endangered green sea turtles (honu kai), reef fish, flying fish, The endangered hawaiian monk seal (iilo), or humpback whales breaching early in the season 🙂
Camping and rentals
For those of you lucky enough to have a camping permit for Kalalau between May 15th and the beginning of September, Napali Kayak can arrange all of your outfitting needs. However, we can not arrange your permits. Camping permits are available only through Hawaii's DLNR. General information https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/dsp/hiking/kauai/kalalau-trail/
For permit: https://explore.ehawaii.gov/Web/#!park/9
All first time customers require a guide to take you as far as Kalalau Beach. Then, if everyone does great, the weather remains stable, and your guide agrees, you may choose to paddle the section of the coast from Kalalau to Polihale on your own. If the weather is questionable or your group struggles, we also require a guide on the second half of the paddle. Even experienced paddlers will benefit from having open ocean experienced guides. We supply the kayaks, paddles, PFD’s (lifejackets), dry bags,and van shuttles. The guide is included on the first days paddle but there is an additional charge if a guide is needed for the second leg of the paddle. This is a truly remote camping area and you need to bring in anything you will want. Of course, you’ll need to pack out what you pack in and we ask you to show the utmost respect while in Kalalau. Some camping equipment is available for rent on Kauai but we recommend you bring your own. You can bring more provisions in by kayak than if you were to hike, but be reasonable about how much you bring; the whole trip will be easier.
We have a full fleet of kayaks for rent — see the rental rate card. There are many mild paddles on Kauai that you can kayak on your own. We don’t recommend attempting the Na Pali Coast on your own unless you’ve had a lot of experience kayaking Kauai’s waters. The trip is famously rough and difficult. The Na Pali day trip is by far the most popular and safe way to see the coast!
“I am also grateful for him convincing my group that we should not rent kayaks and do this journey without a guide.”
