How to See the Na Pali Coast
Sixteen miles of Kauai's northwest shore have no road. There are five ways in — kayak, catamaran, raft, helicopter or the Kalalau Trail — and the right one depends almost entirely on how much suffering you are willing to trade for how close you get.
We run kayak tours. We have also watched every other kind of trip go past us for twenty years, so this page tells you when to book one of those instead.
Five ways in, compared
| Kayak | Catamaran | Raft / Zodiac | Helicopter | Kalalau Trail | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Time | 8–13 hrs door to door | 4–7 hrs | 3–6.5 hrs | 40–80 min | 2 hrs to multi-day |
Physical demand | Very high — 10 to 17 miles of paddling | None | Moderate — impact and spray | None | Extreme for the full trail |
Seasickness risk | Low — you are active, low to the water and facing forward | Highest — hours of beam swell on a big hull | Moderate, but short | Low | None |
How close you get | Into sea caves; you land on beaches with no other access | Offshore viewing; the big hulls cannot enter caves | Into caves; some trips land | Aerial only — scale, no intimacy | On foot, from above |
Weather cancellations | High — narrow summer window | Moderate | Moderate | Lowest | High — flash floods and closures |
Season | Summer only | North Shore summer; west side year-round | West side year-round | Year-round | Year-round when open |
Minimum age | 14 with us | Usually all ages | Varies — check the operator | Varies — check the operator | No limit, but a real trail |
Operators reprice every season, so this compares what each way of seeing the coast actually gives you rather than quoting numbers that go stale — check rates on the operator's own site. Conditions and park closures change fast too: check DLNR's park notices before you book anything that lands on this coast.
The short answer
- You want to be comfortable and see all of it
Catamaran
- You want sea caves without paddling 17 miles
Raft
- You are short on time or cannot do the ocean
Helicopter
- You want to earn it and land on remote beaches
Kayak
- You have a permit and a week
Kalalau Trail
- You are visiting November to April
Helicopter, or a west-side boat
Kayak
The only way to get inside the sea caves under your own power and land on beaches that have no road and no trail. It is also the hardest thing on this list by a distance — 10 to 17 miles of open-ocean paddling, six or more hours of it, with no bail-out point once you launch.
Book it if
You are genuinely fit and you want to have done the coast, not looked at it
You are 14 or older, and honestly better if you are 18 or older
You want a beach lunch somewhere no boat tour stops
You have a whole day, and a soft day after it
Do not, if
You have a back, neck or shoulder problem
You are pregnant, recovering from surgery, or not a confident swimmer
You are traveling with children
You want to relax. This is not relaxing
You are visiting between October and April — nobody is paddling then
Hawaii DLNR lists three kayak companies as permitted to land passengers at Miloli'i Beach, May through September: Kayak Kauai, Na Pali Kayak and Outfitters Kauai.
Catamaran
The default, and for most visitors the right call. Four to seven hours, shade, a restroom, food, and usually snorkeling. You see the whole coastline from a few hundred yards offshore. The larger hulls cannot enter the sea caves.
Book it if
You are traveling with family, or with anyone whose mobility is limited
You want to be comfortable and still see all of it
You want to snorkel
You are visiting outside summer — the west-side boats run year-round
Do not, if
You get motion sick and will not medicate. Hours of beam swell on a big boat is the classic Na Pali disaster
You want to touch the coast rather than photograph it
Most leave from Port Allen or Kikiaola on the west and south sides. A few run out of Hanalei Bay in summer only.
Raft or Zodiac
Small rigid inflatables that get into the sea caves and move fast. Three to six hours, a hard bench seat, and you will get wet and pounded. Some trips include a beach landing.
Book it if
You want caves and speed and do not mind a beating
You want the closest look at the cliffs without paddling for it
You are visiting off-season — west-side rafts run most of the year
Do not, if
You have back or neck problems, or you are pregnant
You are traveling with young children — most have a minimum age
You want shade, a restroom or a quiet ride
Helicopter
Forty to eighty minutes, and you see things no boat and no kayak ever will — the interior valleys, Waimea Canyon, the wall of Wai'ale'ale. The most reliable option in the calendar and the least intimate.
Book it if
You are short on time and want the whole island in an hour
Mobility, seasickness or fitness rule out the water
You are visiting in winter when the ocean options are limited
You want the photographs
Do not, if
You are on a budget — this is the most expensive per hour
You want to be in the place rather than above it
The Kalalau Trail
Eleven miles each way along the cliffs to Kalalau Beach, or two miles to Hanakapi'ai for a day hike. The cheapest way in and by some distance the most dangerous. Going past Hanakapi'ai requires a camping permit whether or not you camp.
Book it if
You are an experienced backpacker with the permit already in hand
You want days on the coast rather than hours
You want the two-mile day hike to Hanakapi'ai — that part needs no camping permit
Do not, if
You are a casual hiker. People are seriously injured on this trail
You do not have a permit — and they are released only 90 days out and go fast
It has been raining. Stream crossings on this trail flash-flood
Common questions
For most visitors, a catamaran — comfortable, four to seven hours, and you see the whole coastline. For sea caves without a full day of paddling, a raft. For the most coverage in the least time, a helicopter. Kayaking gets you closer than anything else and lands you on beaches with no other access, but it is a 10 to 17 mile paddle and by far the most demanding option.
If you are fit and you want the coast on its own terms, there is nothing else like it — you paddle into sea caves and eat lunch on a beach with no road and no trail. If you want to relax, take photographs and be back by lunchtime, a boat is genuinely the better trip and we will tell you so on the phone.
Yes, but not from a kayak and not from the North Shore. Hawaii's season for paddling and landing on this coast runs May 15 to September 7, and winter surf on that shore regularly runs 20 feet and more. Boat tours from Port Allen and Kikiaola on the west and south sides run year-round, and helicopters fly year-round.
Counterintuitively, the kayak — you are active, low to the water and facing the direction of travel, which is close to the ideal anti-seasickness position. The highest risk is a large catamaran sitting in beam swell for several hours. Whatever you book, take Dramamine or Bonine the night before and again in the morning.
Rafts are usually the cheapest way onto the water and helicopters the most expensive per hour, with catamarans and kayaks in between — a kayak day costs more than a half-day boat trip because it is a full day with guides, shuttles at both ends and lunch on a beach with no road. Hiking the Kalalau Trail costs only the camping permit and parking, though the permit is the hardest thing on this list to get. Rates move every season, so check each operator's own page rather than a number in an article.
If you are leaning toward the kayak
- Kē'ē Beach and Hā'ena State Park: The Complete Access Guide
- Kayaking the Na Pali Coast: A Complete Guide
- Na Pali Coast Camping Permits: How to Actually Get One
- Ha'ena or Polihale? Choosing Your Na Pali Day Trip
- How Hard Is the Na Pali Kayak Trip? (And How to Train)
- The Best Time to Kayak the Na Pali Coast, Month by Month
- Getting to Kalalau Beach: By Kayak or on Foot
We run the kayak trips.
If that is the one you want, we are the only Na Pali kayak outfitter based in Hanalei. If it is not, we hope the rest of this page was useful.