We love Kauai, with fewer tourists and a more lush and remote feeling. Now get ready to explore 8 unique things to do on Kauai, aimed at the upscale on a budget traveler. Learn about 4 luxury adventures and 4 that are essentially free. Either way, the Garden Isle will leave you longing to return for another journey to paradise.

This article assumes you have taken care of the practical side of settling into the island, such as when to go, where to stay, transportation, vacation rental, and food. For advice on all those things, please read my companion piece: Kauai upscale on a budget. Now that you have settled in, it’s time to have fun!

Kauai is called the Garden Isle due to 97% of the island consisting of undeveloped mountain ranges and jungle vegetation. Yet, Kauai is small relative to its popular neighbor islands. You can drive from Princeville on the north shore to Poipu on the south in just over an hour. Even the remote Waimea Canyon is merely another hour from Poipu. Along the way, Kauai features 43 miles of stunning beaches and plenty of land and sea activities.

Of course, all this paradise comes at a price. Kauai can be expensive, even for Hawaii. As a result, I have divided the things to do into two sections: upscale and budget.

Things to do – budget

One of the things we love about Kauai is all the activities that are free or at least inexpensive. Here is a short list:

1. Waimea Canyon and Koke’e State Park

No visit to Kauai is complete without setting aside a day to visit Waimea Canyon, known as the “Grand Canyon of the Pacific.” It stretches about 14 miles and is more than 3,000 deep, but it is considerably lusher than its Arizona cousin.

Starting at sea level, near the town of Waimea on the southwest side of the island, you climb a well-paved winding road to an elevation of 4,000 feet. Along the way, you pass landscape that first looks like Mars, then Sedona. Next experience the Grand Canyon, but with waterfalls and vegetation. Then enter forests with wildflowers, ending with spectacular views of the Na Pali coast from the inland side. Non-residents will pay an entrance ($5pp) and vehicle fee ($10) – a small price to pay to maintain this paradise.

You need to allow several hours to stop at the various lookouts, even though the entire route to the furthest lookout in Koke’e State Park is only 17 miles. The diversity and beauty of the scenery makes this arguably one of the best road trips on the planet. I say this having visited 54 countries at the time of this writing. And the good news is, you can make this a day trip even with Princeville as your base. Just get an early morning start, as it attracts more people in the afternoon.

Speaking of early morning, your trip to Waimea Canyon must include a stop on the way at Aloha Sweet Delites, in Kaumakani. Like a hot dog at a ballgame, the pastries here just taste better on a road trip. The best malasadas on the island, pineapple fritters to die for, red bean buns! The secret is to visit this bakery in the morning; by afternoon, all the good stuff is sold out. You won’t be disappointed.

2. Kilauea Lighthouse to Hanalei to Kalalau

Speaking of 17-mile drives, our next road trip starts at the scenic Kilauea Lighthouse and bird sanctuary on the north shore. Then drive west on Hwy 56 to the tiny Hanalei Valley lookout in Princeville. From there you can view a panoramic scene of taro fields and the Hanalei National Wildlife Refuge, with the backdrop of the mountains of Na Pali.

Next stop is the funky town of Hanalei. Sitting on a beautiful bay with a lovely pier, Hanalei feels like you have stepped back into the 1970s. You expect to see beach dudes roaming the small hamlet, filled with boutiques, restaurants, and water sports activities. Hanalei is also home to the picturesque green church, Wai’oli Hui’ia, dating to 1912.

But don’t end your trip yet. The Kuhio highway continues to wind west across one-lane bridges (sort of a mini version of the road to Hana). You pass spectacular secluded beaches; Tunnels is famous for everything from snorkeling to surfing and Ke’e Beach has epic sunsets. At the end of the road, you reach the Kalalau Trailhead. As always, be respectful of the people who make this stretch of paradise their home.

3. Wailua Falls

You are never far from nature on Kauai. Just 15 minutes from the Lihue airport you can view the superb double Wailua waterfalls. This photo is from the helicopter tour described later, but as you can see, there is some parking for a superb view by car. It’s the perfect welcome to the Garden Isle! What’s more, the road there features a fruit and vegetable stand where you can stock up on Hawaiian apple bananas, fresh coconut, mango, papaya, pineapple, and more. Support the local farmers.

And while you are in the Lihue area we recommend a visit to a historic landmark, the Kilohana Plantation Home. Stroll the manor, including fun boutiques and art galleries and the grounds, which feature a pottery studio. While not budget, Gaylord’s, the property’s restaurant, offers not only a beautiful setting, but an excellent meal. Reservations are a must.

4. Princeville walks, plus hiking

As I described in Kauai upscale on a budget, you will want to stay in Princeville on the beautiful north shore of the island. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention how walkable Princeville is. People of all ages stroll along the Makai golf course, leading to one-of-a-kind beaches. Hideaway is a tranquil spot, as is the beach leading to Hanalei Bay.

While we don’t recommend the climb down to sometimes-treacherous Queen’s Bath, a tide pool carved out of lava from an angry ocean, just looking down on it is a visual treat, as you can see from the above photo.

Visitors come to Kauai just to hike. We took a short family-friendly hike from Kalalau Lookout at the end of Koke’e State Park, but there are more than 45 miles of trails just from that canyon area. We also found a secluded path that connects the beach at Princeville to Hanalei (above photo). Surprising hikes are seemingly everywhere. Many adventurous treks await the serious hiker. Alltrails.com ranks and describes 77 of the best ones, from easy to the 22-mile Na Pali Kalalau monster effort.

Things to do – upscale

If all those road trips and beaches and walks have you craving some upscale adventure, naturally Kauai offers that too. Here is a short list:

5. Helicopter rides

Blue Hawaiian flies the Eco-Star helicopter that can take you over the entire island in less than an hour. Make that 50 breathtaking minutes. Expensive, at nearly $400 per person, but you will literally fly into the Waimea Canyon and view Na Pali from the shoreline looking down on the cliffs (above photo). Go back and watch the beginning of Jurassic Park as the helicopter flies into a crevice with a 400-foot waterfall. That was real (Manawaiopuna Falls), not CGI. The ride is sort of Kauai’s greatest hits from a perspective you just can’t get from land or sea. Remember, 97% of the island is undeveloped mountain ranges and jungle vegetation. I don’t always recommend a helicopter ride as the way to view Hawaii from the air (see: You can pilot a plane on Maui), but the geography of Kauai is an exception – exceptional!

6. Na Pali coast by boat

We can’t vouch for this. Hanalei Tours canceled on us just a few days before our sunset excursion, claiming the sun was going to set too early! Who knew the sun could suddenly play those kinds of tricks? I think they just didn’t have enough people signed up. Most tourists take a boat out of Port Allen on the southwest side of the island, then have to motor a long way just to get to the cliffs on the north shore and back. Reviews, though, are generally good. You will have to do your own research on this one. Expect to pay about $200 per person.

7. Tubing and other tours

I have found that many organized tours on Kauai carry a steep price tag for what they deliver. There is a kayak tour on the Wailua River for about $125 per person (cheaper to rent a kayak). I have done the mountain tubing adventure in the old sugar cane ditches on an 18,000-acre old plantation. It’s pretty good family fun, but I’m not sure it’s worth $125 per person.

You can visit a chocolate farm, but it will cost you $112. Limahuli Garden and Preserve (above photo) on the north shore is a nice botanical garden, but a self-tour there is $25. It reminds me of the Joni Mitchell song, “Took all the trees put ‘em in a tree museum; charged the people a dollar and half just to see ‘em.” It’s still a pretty place if you are looking for a manicured version of Kauai.

In any case, read reviews and evaluate organized tours versus going on your own. Many tours will take you to places you can easily reach in your rental car.

8. Award-winning golf

The accolades for Princeville’s Makai golf course are too numerous to list. The “Top 3 Best Courses in Hawaii” and “Top 5 Most Scenic Golf Setting in the World” are just a few of the awards for this oceanfront public course. The rates are as upscale as the course, at $300+ for 18 holes. There are special packages available though, such for unlimited play for three days. And it doesn’t cost anything to walk alongside this magnificent course!

As mentioned above, this is a short list of the dozens of activities that can be done year-round, but plenty to keep you busy on a typical 5-day stay in paradise. Check out my Kauai: upscale on a budget for when and where to stay,

Do you have any questions? Do you have your own list or suggestions to help others? Feel free to comment at the bottom of this post.