Children don’t like to sit still, and Kauai doesn’t want them to.
Instead, the Garden Island takes a proactive approach to its hosting duties, offering adventures that energize and inspire travelers of all ages. Have your clients check out these five memory-making tours on their next family visit to Kauai.
Mountain Tubing
Throw an inflatable doughnut into the water, and it’s a surefire recipe for fun, especially when Kauai Backcountry Adventures gets involved. During the mountain tubing excursion from the eco-tour company, mom, dad and the kids slip and spin through a downhill network of flumes that were hand-dug in the 1870s to irrigate the island’s once-vast sugarcane crops.
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Then, there are the tunnels. Clients’ pulses will race as each tunnel comes into sight, but as soon as they slide inside, their headlamps shed light on these engineering marvels.
The tour pulls up to a picturesque picnic spot, where everyone digs into a tasty lunch, followed by exhilarating dips in a shimmering pond. Guests ages 5 to 75 rave about this wet-and-wild outing.
www.kauaibackcountry.com
Off-Road Adventuring
On Princeville Ranch’s off-road adventure, the young and young-at-heart willingly give in to the grime during a four-hour spree. First, participants climb onboard four-wheel drive UTVs (utility task vehicles) for a rollicking ride across streams, through pastures, into woods and up hillsides that provide jaw-dropping panoramas of the north shore.
Anyone 18 and older with a valid driver’s license can sit behind the wheel.
Next, the gung-ho group explores a rainforest on foot, picking exotic fruit and crossing bridges and brooks. For the final act, guests fly along two ziplines to find their happy ending at lunch, which is served beside a pool with twin waterfalls.
www.princevilleranch.com
River Kayaking
Outfitters Kauai turns kayaking into a paddle party. One of its itineraries brings clients along the Wailua, Hawaii’s largest river, which meanders past cultural and historical sites. Guests also hike through a tropical jungle and dunk under a waterfall.
A less strenuous tour charts a course on the mellow Huleia River, where families steer their kayaks downwind. They stop for some leaps off a rope swing, complete with Tarzan yells, and check out filming locations for blockbuster films such as “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” “Jurassic Park” and “The Lost World: Jurassic Park.” For the upwind return trip, folks kick back in a double-hull motorized canoe that does all the work.
www.outfitterskauai.com
Snorkel Cruising
Sunscreen, bathing suits and enthusiasm: That’s all families need during a snorkel cruise along the Napali Coast, Kauai’s remote northwestern shoreline. Holo Holo Charters, one of the island’s many fine tour operators, delights multiple generations with prime views of Napali’s stunning waterfalls, beaches, sea caves and 3,000-foot-high volcanic sea cliffs.
Some groups prefer a snorkel cruise by catamaran, which promises relatively smooth sailing, while more intrepid families opt for an inflatable boat that powers through the waves at high speeds. Either way, their vessel heads to a snorkeling mecca teeming with dazzling marine life. The staff stands ready with gear, food, drinks and jokes that help everyone feel like a kid.
www.holoholokauaiboattours.com
Ziplining
Kauai offers several great zipline operators, but Koloa Zipline does a few things differently. Looking for superlatives? It boasts the island’s longest zipline course, with one that measures a half-mile. Getting nervous? Family members can team up for tandem rides, where guests as young as 7 can join in the excitement. Seeking thrills? Try the Flyin’ Kauaian, a harness that lets clients zip in their choice of positions, including a hands-free, head-first approach that channels their inner superhero.
Daytime tours invite clans to rise above the spectacular south shore. For the ultimate show-stopper, however, the kids will probably vote for the sunset/night zip, an enchanting way to end another active day on Kauai.
www.koloazipline.com
