No road runs into the Nāpali Coast. Its 17 miles of eroded cliffs rise close to 4,000 feet straight out of the ocean on Kauaʻi’s northwest side, past the point where any highway ends. You reach it three ways: by boat, by helicopter, or on foot along the 11-mile Kalalau Trail.
Pick your method by how much effort you’ll trade for the view. A boat gets you closest to the sea caves and snorkeling. A helicopter shows the whole ridgeline in under an hour, while the Kalalau Trail is the only way to set foot on the coast itself. Hikers have one extra hurdle: Hāʻena State Park now caps daily entry, so reserve parking or the shuttle before you go.
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Panorama of the Nāpali Coast, by Remember (Public Domain, source). Click on the photo for a (far) larger version.
What makes the Nāpali Coast so special?
Kauaʻi is the oldest of the main Hawaiian islands, 4 to 5 million years old, and the Nāpali Coast is what that much wind and rain have carved out of its volcanic flank. The peaks rise straight from the ocean to about 4,000 feet, jagged and deeply eroded, close enough to the water that they read like lookouts over it.
That erosion is extreme here because the range behind the coast, around Mt. Waiʻaleʻale, is one of the wettest places on earth. The north shore of Kauaʻi takes the brunt of the rain and storms coming out of the northeast, and over millions of years the water has carved the coast into deep valleys and knife-edge ridges, with sea caves cut in at the waterline.
Hiking the Kalalau trail is a good way to see the Nāpali coast up close. Image credit: David Lee, source.
What’s the best way to experience the Nāpali Coast?
There are three main ways to experience the Nāpali Coast:
How to visit by boat
Boat tours leave from Port Allen in the south and Hanalei Bay in the north, and range from catamaran cruises with snorkeling to faster zodiac raft trips that push into the sea caves. We would choose an operator with strong cultural and environmental practices, like Holo Holo Charters:
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What is a suggested tour?Our suggested tours are hand-picked tours that receive consistent good reviews, give back to the community, and work hard to minimize their impact on the environment. Read more about these tours on our website.If you prefer to explore under your own power, consider renting a kayak or jumping on a kayak tour with an experienced operator like Nāpali Kayak, whose full-day paddle runs about $320 per person. Kayak tours take place between April and October when the ocean is calmer.
The Nāpali coast seen from the water, one of the views Kauaʻi is known for. Credit: Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) / Vincent Lim
Why go by boat? A boat covers far more of the coastline than you can on foot, and you can pair it with snorkeling. Summer is best for it. Some tours still run in winter, but rough water is more likely to cancel or delay a trip.
How to visit by air
Helicopter tours fly the Nāpali Coast daily and usually add a pass over Waimea Canyon or other inland scenery. Flights leave from Līhuʻe, Princeville, and Port Allen. They’re not cheap: expect roughly $370 to $500 per person for a 40 to 55 minute flight. Shop for deals, but use a reputable operator with a strong safety record, such as Blue Hawaiian or Mauna Loa Helicopters.
The Nāpali coast cliffs as seen from a helicopter. Credit: Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) / Ben Ono
Why see it from the air? On foot or by boat you watch the coast rise up in front of you. From the air you take in all of it at once, the full run of ridges and valleys from one end to the other.
How to visit on foot
The Kalalau Trail starts at Keʻe Beach and runs 11 miles along the coast to Kalalau Beach, where you can backcountry camp with a permit. Permits are hard to get and released 90 days ahead, but if you land one, the trail climbs and drops across the sea cliffs the whole way, and you finish camped on the beach at Kalalau Valley under the ridges.
The Kalalau overlook. Credit: Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) / Ben Ono
Two miles in, the trail reaches Hanakāpīʻai Beach and Falls, the usual turnaround for a day hike and a way to see part of the Nāpali Coast plus a waterfall without an overnight permit. You still need a Hāʻena State Park entry reservation to start: book parking or the park-and-ride shuttle ahead at gohaena.com. The two miles have real ups and downs and get slippery, but most reasonably fit hikers can manage them.
Bring plenty of water and snacks, and pack sun protection for the exposed stretches. It is extremely dangerous to swim at Hanakāpīʻai Beach, so please stay out of the water. Keep back from cliff edges and hike with a partner.
Why visit on foot? Hiking is the only way to stand on the coast itself instead of viewing it from the water or the air. The trail is hard work, but it puts you inside the valleys and on the beaches the boats and helicopters only pass by.
What should you know before visiting the Nāpali Coast?
Nāpali Coast State Park runs from Polihale State Park in the southwest to Keʻe Beach on the north shore. Boat tours launch from two harbors, Port Allen and Hanalei Bay, but the Keʻe Beach trailhead is the only place you can walk into the park.
There has never been a road into the Nāpali Coast. With no way to drive in, it has stayed undeveloped and wild, unlike almost every other stretch of Hawaiian coastline.
To cut traffic and protect north-shore neighborhoods, Kauaʻi limits driving and parking on the north shore. Most beach parks there now require an advance reservation for both parking and entry. A park-and-ride shuttle runs from Waipā to the end of the road at Keʻe Beach, and using it is the easiest way to avoid the parking scramble.
North Shore Shuttle Route map. Image: GoHaena website.
5 Tips for Visiting the Nāpali Coast
A few things worth planning around before you go:
- It is best to visit the Nāpali Coast in the summer months, when the ocean is calmer and the weather more stable. Visiting in the winter is possible, but air and boat tours are more likely to be canceled, and hiking will be less pleasant. If a wet, rough spell cancels your plans, our Kauaʻi rainy day activities guide has indoor options.
- See the Nāpali Coast more than one way if you can: pairing a boat trip with a hike, or with a flight, shows you the coast from angles a single trip can’t.
- Though you can’t enter the Nāpali Coast on foot from its southwest end at Polihale, you can still get a look from the beach at Polihale, which shows where the coastline begins.
- Boat tours leave from both ends of the coast, Port Allen in the south and Hanalei Bay in the north, so book from whichever is closer to where you’re staying.
- If you’re up at Waimea Canyon and Kōkeʻe State Park in southwest Kauaʻi, stop at the Kalalau Lookout. From there you look straight down into Kalalau Valley, with its wide rainforest floor and the steep ridges walling it in.