A Ziplining experience by Kauai Backcountry Adventures. Back to all Kauai tours.
Tour Summary: Seven ziplines zig-zag down a private valley with Mt. Waiʻaleʻale as the backdrop, followed by a mountain swimming hole and lunch in a bamboo grove. This is a full interior Kauaʻi day trip that happens to include ziplines.
Clipped in and ready to go. After a safety briefing and helmet fitting, riders launch from platform to platform, with a mountain swimming hole and bamboo-grove lunch rounding out the day. 
Throwing a shaka against the Mt. Waiʻaleʻale backdrop, one of the wettest spots on Earth and the source of the waterfalls you pass along the way. A shaka on the way to the landing platform, with Kauaʻi's mountains behind. The course sits on 17,000+ acres of private former plantation land, so the views stay uncrowded. Leaning back to take in the view upside down. Seven ziplines carry you over rainforest, streams, and jungle terrain on this three-hour tour outside Līhuʻe. All smiles on the Kauai Backcountry zipline. The course runs across former sugar plantation land near Līhuʻe, and kids as young as 12 can ride (under-16s need an adult along).
4 Tour Highlights:
- 4WD ride through private plantation land with guided narration on valley and island history
- Seven ziplines zig-zagging down the valley floor with Mt. Waiʻaleʻale views
- Lunch served in a bamboo grove built into the route
- Mountain swimming hole at the valley floor after the final line
Important: Minimum age 12. Weight requirement strictly enforced: 100-250 lbs, with a mandatory weigh-in at check-in. Not suitable for people with back, hip, or knee problems, or during pregnancy.
Tour Information:
| Price: | Adult |
|---|---|
| (excluding taxes & fees) | $169 |
Tour Provider: Kauai Backcountry Adventures
Activity: Ziplining
Tour start time: 8:00 AM, 10:00 AM, 12:00 PM, 2:00 PM
Duration: 3 hours
Departure from: Lihue
Pick-up available? No
Included: Lunch in bamboo grove and cold water throughout the tour
Cancellations: Cancellations must be made at least 24 hours in advance for groups of 1-5 guests. Groups of 6-9 require 72 hours notice. Groups of 10-12 require one week's notice, with full prepayment due one week in advance. Cancellations outside these windows may not be eligible for a refund.
Read more: about ziplining in our Kauai ziplining guide.
# Full tour details, inclusions, and what to expect
The weigh-in at check-in is not optional and it is not brief. Backcountry Kauaʻi is the only zipline operator on the island with a mandatory weight check: 100 to 250 lbs, no exceptions. Get that out of the way first, because once you’re cleared, the three hours that follow cover more ground than almost any other half-day option on the island.
A 4WD Ride Through 17,000 Acres of Former Sugar Plantation
The tour does not start at a zipline platform. It starts with a 4WD ride through private plantation land that most visitors never set foot on, with guides narrating the island’s plantation history along the way. Mt. Waiʻaleʻale, one of the wettest spots on Earth, looms at the back of the valley and multiple waterfalls come into view as you descend. This is not the connector ride. This is part of the destination. The safety briefing happens at the first zipline station which means by the time you clip in for the first time you have already had a solid hour of context.
Clipped in and ready to go. After a safety briefing and helmet fitting, riders launch from platform to platform, with a mountain swimming hole and bamboo-grove lunch rounding out the day.
Seven Lines, Each One a Different Angle
The first line is the “Bunny Run,” a shorter intro that lets guides read the group before things escalate. From there, seven lines zig-zag down the valley floor rather than running parallel, so each line lands you facing a different angle of the terrain. When we went through the course, the thing that caught us off guard was how different each platform felt: the valley wall in front of you shifts on every crossing, and the zip itself becomes a way to read the landscape rather than just cross it. Group size caps around 12, and guides actively coach anyone who hesitates at the edge without making it a production.
Leaning back to take in the view upside down. Seven ziplines carry you over rainforest, streams, and jungle terrain on this three-hour tour outside Līhuʻe.
The Swim Comes Before Lunch, Not After
At the valley floor, there is a mountain swimming hole. It sits in full shade at the base of the descent, and after the platforms above, the temperature difference is immediate. It is a natural feature of the route, not an add-on, and it sits between the last zipline and the bamboo grove lunch. The sequence matters: you come off the final line, cool down in the water, then walk to a lunch spot sheltered inside a bamboo grove. The grove gets called out specifically in enough reviews that it reads as a real feature of the route, not set dressing. The swim and lunch are both included in $169. Neither is an add-on.
The photo and GoPro packages are available but come with a real caveat: battery failures and photos loaded to wrong albums are recurring issues. We would not count on the package to capture the experience reliably. Plan to bring your own camera or helmet mount if documentation matters to you.
This tour runs 3 hours and caps at roughly 12 people. The inclusions are substantive: helmets, harness, lunch, and cold water are all covered. What you are paying for is access to 17,000 acres of private land that does not have a public entrance, plus a descent through it on seven lines.
# [Video] Review video for the Kauaʻi Backcountry Adventures zipline adventure
# About Kauai Backcountry Adventures
Backcountry Kauaʻi runs on 17,000+ acres of former sugar plantation that has no public access. The 4WD narrated ride, seven valley ziplines, mountain swimming hole, and bamboo grove lunch are all part of a single sequence, not optional extras. At $169 per person, you are paying for interior Kauaʻi access as much as the zipline course itself. Adults and older teens who want more than a standalone course. The 4WD ride, the swim, and the lunch take up real time, and that is the point.
# Affiliate Disclaimer
Booking through this page costs you nothing extra and is made directly with Kauai Backcountry Adventures. We earn a commission from the operator, not from you, and it is what pays for the research that keeps lovebigisland.com free and free of paid placement. We only list operators we would send a friend to. Details on our affiliate links are here.