Kauai, also known as the Garden Island, is a dense tropical rainforest with a dramatic coastline of craggy red rock formations, surrounded by a labyrinth of coral brimming with wildlife. The oldest of the Hawaiian islands, Kauai came to be five million years ago and contains ecological multitudes: this island is a naturalist’s paradise. It is the perfect playground for adventurous backpackers, curious scuba divers and snorkelers, resilient hikers, and ambitious surfers. 

With 90% of the island inaccessible by road, getting up close and personal with much of Kauai requires travel by foot, boat, or helicopter. For those lucky enough to find a way in (or around), you’re bound to encounter plenty of plunging waterfalls, lush forests of tangled vines and blooming wild orchids, rushing rivers prone to flash floods, and endless puddles of slippery burgundy mud called “Hawaiian ice.” 

At the shore, angry waves collide with ancient lava rocks, spraying salty splashes into the tradewinds that waft across the island. But beneath the surface lies something more serene and gentle. Massive sea turtles (each and every one of which passes through Kauai in its lifetime), glide through the clear blue waters past dispassionate schools of neon fish wandering in perfect synchronicity, moray eels playing peek-a-boo in the rocks, and tiny nudibranchs gently wiggling in the current – an entire civilization existing sixty feet deep. 

You could spend an entire visit with your face in the water or wandering the jungle trails – and you should – but when you emerge, know that what awaits you are secret sandy beaches, sherbert-tinted sunsets, and a community of cheerful, welcoming (often woo woo) locals.

Venture into practically any grocery store, food truck collective, or strip mall and you’re bound to find poke – just-caught buttery ahi marinating with sweet onions and shoyu or dressed in slick and spicy aioli served alongside furikake-sprinkled rice. To wait any longer than it takes you to get to your car for a first bite is unacceptable, and you will find yourself always wanting to try another local spin. Ahi isn’t just for poke – there’s such abundance that you’ll find it everywhere. For us, it was adorning noodles in ramen shops, featured in kaiseki tasting menus, slapped into tacos, or seared medium rare and served alongside mai tais.

 When you’ve had your fill of raw fish, there are plenty of other Hawaiian delights to keep you satiated. Umami heads will go nuts for salty spam musubi snacks, lau lau chicken that’s cooked in taro leaves, and fall-apart tender kalua pork that exudes smokiness. The mac salad that accompanies most grindz is so mayo-y you’re ashamed to love it.

Sweet tooths and Insta-queens will fawn over roadside acai bowls piled with fruit and granola, sprinkled with bee pollen and drizzled with honey, and the comically spherical, hard-to-avoid shave ice that’s linearly decorated with colorful syrups. For those with pure intentions, natural food stores abound and fresh tropical fruit can be found in every direction, especially up.

For such a small island, there are so many ways to experience Kauai. Our trip was planned primarily around my PADI Open Water Diver Certification, which I opted to complete in 80-degree waters over Monterey’s 53-degree temps. For this reason, we were slightly restricted from fully experiencing Na Pali Park – typically the main attraction – as there are restrictions around altitude travel post-dive, making much of the steep canyon off-limits. We stayed on the North Shore where it’s a bit quieter and less developed, which meant lots of scenic drives around the island for our dive trips, dinner reservations, and poke sojourns and a peaceful place to lay our heads after each day’s adventures. Five days felt like just long enough to get into the Island Time state of mind, and while we were craving a longer stay as bag-packing time came, it was also the perfect amount of time to fit in a variety of pre-planned activities with enough space for the spontaneity and slowness requisite to a vacation from real life.

Check out our itinerary below and get planning your visit to the Garden Island! 🤙

Day 1:

Arrive, pick up the rental car, head up to the North Shore and stop on the east coast for provisions at Hoku Foods Natural Market and lunch (musubi and poke, of course) at The Musubi Truck. Settle in in Princeville and grab cocktails and ramen for dinner in Hanalei at AMA (reservation recommended).

Day 2:

Wake up early, and drive south to Fathom Five Dive Shop to gear up for my final Open Water Certification scuba dives. Dive with sea turtles and tropical fish at Koloa Landing. Head to a nearby grocery store with a poke shop inside (Kukui’ula Fish Hut) followed by some much needed decompression on a roadside beach. Drive northeast to Aina (reservations required) for a Japanese kaiseki feast and then back to the North Shore to crash.

Day 3:

Scarf kalua pork breakfast burritos in Hanalei at Wake Up Delicious. Take the Haena State Park shuttle (advanced reservations required) to the Kalalau Trailhead (AllTrails route). Head into Na Pali Coast State Park on the Hanakapi’ai Falls Trail. Get super muddy and eventually make it back to Hanalei via the shuttle. Recharge with shave ice topped with tropical fruit syrup at Wishing Well. At night, head into Princeville for a night market with local artists and food trucks.

Day 4:

Wake up early and head back to the South Shore for scuba diving by boat. Swim 60 feet deep with tropical fish, nudibranchs, and impressive rock/coral formations. Get a lowkey lunch at Paradise Grindz and Catering (fried chicken, tempura ono, mac salad, rice). Head back north to Anini Beach (one of the few reef protected spots in the North) to relax and snorkel. Poke for dinner in Kilauea at Kilauea Market and pastries for dessert at Kilauea Bakery & Pizza.

Day 5:

Breakfast at Hanalei Bread Co. followed by surfing at Black Pot Beach in Hanalei Bay where the waves are a bit smaller. Then to a Hatha yoga and sound bath class at Black Coral Yoga followed by an acai bowl reward at Aloha Juice Bar. Back to the beach for more surfing until magic hour. Dinner and mai tais at Tahiti Nui before calling it a night.

Day 6:

Pack up and say goodbye to our Airbnb. Grab breakfast bowls at The Spot in Princeville before heading to Limahuli Garden & Preserve for a self-guided tour of indigenous and contemporary (many endangered) flora. Begin the journey to Lihue Airport with a pit stop at Pono Market for a final poke bowl, plus kalua pork, lau lau chicken, and a spam musubi for the road. Hand off our rental car, hop on our flight, and head back to California!