Last Updated on July 27, 2023
A few years ago, my wife and I so thoroughly enjoyed a Wailua River kayaking trip to a secret waterfall in Kauai that upon our return in 2022, we wanted to share that unforgettable experience with our son and daughter-in-law. We were excited to introduce the two of them to one of the many reasons Kauai is our favorite island in the Hawai’ian chain. This epic journey was tops on our to-do list.
Kauai is a breathtaking island, renowned for its stunning geography and unparalleled natural beauty. For outdoor lovers, it is pure heaven; this farthest west of the main Hawai’ian Islands teems with lush, tropical rain forests, towering mountain ranges, innumerable waterfalls, and even a vast, massive canyon known as the “Grand Canyon of the Pacific.”
Kauai is also home to Hawai’i’s only navigable river and it leads to one of the most sacred places on the island. After talking with our hotel concierge on an earlier visit, we added the five-hour Hawai’ian river experience to our list of activities. We were thrilled with the opportunity to share this journey with family.
About the Wailua River
The 20-mile-long Wailua River was of vital importance to the ancient Hawai’ians as it once linked the sites of seven different Hawaiʻian heiau (temples). It therefore had a long history with Hawai’ian royalty, serving as a respite and a place for bathing.
Wailua River waters begin from the slopes of the 5,148-foot Mount Waialeale in the center of the island. On its route to the sea, the river feeds two popular and easily accessible cascades: Opaekaa Falls and Wailua Falls.
Wailea River Kayak Adventure
Our guided trip from Kayak Wailua on the tranquil Wailua River led past well-manicured riverfront properties as we headed out of the coastal town of Wailua. Slowly, our views transformed from homes and boat docks to lush jungle landscapes and towering emerald green mountains rising sharply from the water’s edge.
Although usually calm, the Wailua can be challenging. As we watched our son and daughter-in-law slowly master the art of navigating the river in a two-man kayak, our thoughts went back to our first adventure.
That trip was the most difficult kayaking of our lives; as we rounded a bend in the river framed by steep green cliffs, the winds suddenly picked up. It almost became the trip that never was as we struggled mightily against the wind and current. Every three strokes forward pushed us two strokes back. One couple in a tandem kayak even went overboard.
We tried hugging one shore or the other to no avail. The stiff headwind either pushed us to the river’s center or forced us into the brambles along the shoreline. Progress was virtually non-existent.
Finally, after 20 sweat-soaked minutes of intense power paddling and circuitous navigation, we negotiated the river’s blustery curve and into calmer wind-free waters.
Oh, what a relief!
Trek to a Hidden Waterfall
A moderate ¾-mile hike from our landing point guided us through a verdant rainforest as we waded through cool mountain streams and traversed muddy canyon trails. Thank goodness we were advised to wear hiking shoes as the footing can be slippery and treacherous. Flip flops will not hack it here.
Thirty minutes later at the trail’s end we were rewarded with the kayaking adventure’s grand surprise. We stood mesmerized by the thunderous applause of a 100-foot, bridal-veil waterfall.
Uluwehi (Secret Falls) is so named because of its remote location in the Wailua River State Park, well off the beaten path. The only way to access the falls is exactly as we did—a river journey and then by foot. Like other Hawai’ian waterfalls, the stunning Uluwehi’s flow is heavily influenced by rainfall. Because it’s located in a tropical rainforest where rainfall is abundant, the falls usually emit a voluminous cascade.
Uluwehi’s waterfall plunges into a secluded pool that, in turn, feeds a mountain stream heading back down to the river. While the rainforest itself is warm and balmy, to say that the Uluwehi Falls and pool are cool and refreshing is an understatement. It took a while to get used to the temperature.
We experienced another unexpected surprise standing directly under the falls. Water dropping over 100 feet packs a powerful punch. It was impossible to get that picture-perfect Kodak moment playfully posing under the falls as the strength of the pummeling water knocked us right off our feet.
After a refreshing swim in the pool that washed the mud away from our hike and soothed our aching muscles, we enjoyed a relaxing lunch atop massive boulders overlooking the falls. This is one of those moments you so wish you could hang onto for as long as possible.
Our Return Trip Up the River
Once we reached the river’s edge, it was nice to discover that our kayaks were still beached, waiting for us to hop back in. The return journey was remarkably easier thanks to the trade winds at our back. We made such good time we were able to pause frequently to take in this enchanted wonderland and capture the stunning views with our cameras.
Tired yet filled with a satisfying inspiration, we were glad we decided to take the river kayak adventure.
Our guide congratulated our small group on the successful trip. He then admitted that in over five years of guiding tours, he had never experienced headwinds that powerful before and had even seriously considered turning us back. We persevered and made the kayak trip one incredible outdoor adventure we’ll never forget.
Our Second Kayaking Adventure on the Wailua
This time, the kayaking was the easy part!
No stiff winds, just calm gentle-moving waters. But when we arrived at the point where we would begin our hike to the waterfalls, reality hit. This was not to be the moderate hike we’d taken on our first kayak adventure.
We now understood why the tour guide at orientation called it a challenging hike — a 6.5-mile round-trip of intense activity. It ended up being one of the most challenging hikes we’ve ever taken — anywhere.
Unbeknownst to us before we’d booked this trip, the path we’d taken to the waterfalls on our first hike had long been washed out after a storm. The new path was much longer and intensely more difficult; we were given walking sticks by our guide. Our trek involved entering a tropical jungle path, crossing a rapidly flowing rock-filled stream multiple times and then making several ascending climbs with unsteady footing and a root-covered, muddy, slippery course.
At one point the path became extremely narrow and winding necessitating the use of a rope to pull us upward to the next bend in the trail. An occasional boardwalk section of the path provided brief respites on the arduous hike.
On two occasions, we passed through fields of tall elephant grass. It felt like we were in India, not Hawaiʻi, and that there was perhaps a tiger lurking around the next corner.
After an hour of huffing, puffing, sweating and overheating, and having to make it yet across one additional fast-moving, rock-laden stream, we could finally hear the resounding roar of the Uluwehi Falls, absolute music to our ears. Honestly, everyone in our small tour group cheered.
Being more than 20 years older than our son and daughter-in-law, my wife and I looked at each other, high-fived, and said “Thank God, we made it.”
We thoroughly enjoyed our lunch at the falls though we moaned and groaned about having to traverse back again on that unstable path. The return trip wasn’t quite as difficult as the first leg, but our fatigue made it quite the challenge. Make it back we did. Back to our kayaks. Back to a calm river and to “civilization.”
We were all proud that we’d pushed ourselves and finished one heck of a difficult hike. It brought a smile to our faces when our son and daughter-in-law, and even younger kayakers, exclaimed “well that was one heck of a challenging day, for sure.”
The island of Kauai is full of adventure and we’re glad we had one additional experience to add to our travel diary. Would we do that kayak/hiking adventure again? Who knows?
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