Kauai: Waimea Canyon, Wailua River Boat and Fern Grotto Tour
Description
Enjoy a day brimming with scenic beauty, legends and history of the Garden Island. Journey down the meandering, tranquil Wailua River on an open air boat ride culminating at exquisite Fern Grotto where you'll be serenaded by the Hawaiian Wedding Song. Gaze at the vast expanse of Waimea Canyon from key lookout points on the ascent. The deep red cliffs were described by Mark Twain as the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific". Visit sprawling Kauai Coffee Plantation and Spouting Horn Blowhole where sea water spectacularly jettisons through openings in lava rock.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Board a spacious, open-air boat and cruise down Kauai's Wailua River encircled by miles of lush trees and tropical plants. Cool breezes lull you as the captain shares stories of ancient Hawaii when the river was flanked by multiple Hawaiian heiau (temples).
Take a leisurely boat ride down the Wailua River to the famed "Fern Grotto" aptly named for the Boston Ferns dripping from the roof of a verdant cavern carved out of the mountain side.
Cascading down into a hidden pool, this 151-foot-tall, 40-foot-wide waterfall is one of the island's most accessible major waterfalls.
Enjoy lunch on your own in historic Old Koloa Town, surrounded by its charming atmosphere.
Scenic views of the deep valley gorges with it's striking red soil covered in greenery...nicknamed the "The Grand Canyon of the Pacific". Waimea Canyon Lookout will be closed from 4/14/25 through approximately 12/8/25 for slope and foundation repairs. We will substitute the closed lookout with a stop at Pu‘uhinahina Lookout, which offers a different but impressive view of Waimea Canyon. We’ll also make a few additional photo stops to give guests more time to enjoy the scenery.
Panoramic views of a valley covered in trees and wild green sugarcane. Hanapepe was one of the locations visited by famous explored Charles Wilkes in 1840.
The largest coffee farm in the United States, visit the Kauai Coffee Estate and sample a rich cup of famous Kauai coffee.
Crashing waves propel majestic jets of salt water through lava rock. One of the most photographed sites on Kauai.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
For guests staying at a North Shore or Princeville hotel, the meeting point is at the Outrigger Waipouli Hotel in Kapa'a. Parking is available at the municipal parking lot near the Outrigger Waipouli Hotel. The tour times provided reflect the start and end of the tour, but not your exact pickup location and pickup time. Whether or not you've provided your hotel/lodging at the time of booking, you are required to contact the tour provider no less than (2) days prior to your tour date to receive your exact pickup time and location. The tour provider will advise you of the specific area at the hotel/lodging you should wait; for example, "at the front entrance." Please be there at least 5 minutes before your pickup time. Please allow a 10-15 minute grace period, as the driver will be picking up other guests in your area. If your hotel/lodging is not included on our pickup schedule, you'll be advised to meet at nearby location. Please note that we are prohibited by certain properties to pick up non-hotel guests and we do not pick-up at private properties such as Airbnb’s and residential areas.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Wheelchair accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Please contact the tour provider at minimum of 7 days prior to the tour date for ADA and all special requests.
Reviews(569)
Good day on the road with Johnna..She was engaging and entertaining. I was skeptical but this was a great tour of the island.
Good experience, it takes definitely all day but not for the time you'll spend at the places you'll be visiting but because the traveling time between locations. The boat experience was definitely enjoyable and the places for sightseeing were breathtaking definitely a must do, the convenience of someone taking care of the traveling is nice you can sit back relax even take a nap. They treat you with drinks and snacks is definitely a plus. While you travel they tell you stories about the places you'll visit, the ones passing by, give you recommendations to make more of your trip. We got a recommendation to visit a specific beach for wildlife sightseeing and was absolutely wonderful.
Best experience ever !! Thanks to John and Ken🫶🏻
Our Wailua River Cruise and Fern Grotto tour was one of the highlights of our visit to Kauaʻi! The boat ride along the beautiful Wailua River was peaceful, scenic, and filled with interesting stories about the island’s history and culture. The Fern Grotto itself is absolutely stunning and well worth the trip. What made the experience truly unforgettable was the entertainment on board. The musicians were talented, engaging, and created such a fun, authentic Hawaiian atmosphere. A special highlight was young Lala, the daughter of one of the entertainers, who performed a beautiful hula dance for everyone on the boat. She danced with such grace, joy, and confidence—it was heartwarming to watch and added a truly special touch to the experience. Mahalo to the wonderful crew for sharing the aloha spirit with us. We highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting Kauaʻi. It’s a perfect blend of natural beauty, Hawaiian culture, music, and hospitality!
Gives a holistic perspective of the diverse ecosystems of Kauai. The stops during the tour are excellent.
The guide makes all the difference. Ours was from Bolivia and was very hard to understand also through no fault of his own his microphone didn’t work. I was very surprised that there were no amenities such as water or umbrellas, giving the fact that this cost us over $500. I was also surprised that we had to pay for our own lunch given the cost of this trip. The boat ride to the Fern grotto was lovely with excellent entertainment in hindsight we should’ve just taken that trip for $35 apiece and not the rest of the excursion. Wasn’t worth it.
Mahalo for sharing your feedback and for joining us. We're glad you enjoyed the Fern Grotto experience. We appreciate your comments and hope to have the opportunity to welcome you again in the future.
You get to see alot without doing the driving. Highlight was the boat ride, which you can also do separately in your own. Issues were a lot of driving time between stops, which was too much for the kids under 10 in our group, and the guide didn't provide much information during the drive time, which ended up being for the best since no one could really hear him clearly over the speaker system, even after we asked if the sound could be turned up. It would have been better with a clear and more extensive description of the island and the places we were going and seeing.
It is a long day, but very enjoyable. The hosts are very knowledgeable and will answer all your questions.
This is a must see in the island! It is an absolutely magical, relaxing, beautiful river cruise! It is affordable for families or large groups. The scenery alone is worth the trip. The grotto is breathtaking. The live music on the boat makes it so relaxing and mesmerizing.
Had a great time with our guide, Sabrina. She was very knowledgeable, entertaining, and helpful for our day trip. We were able to see all the sights, plus a few more photo stops.
