Travel Tuesday ~ Kauai ~ The Garden Isle

Napali Coast State Park

Kauai's Coconut Coast which is on the east side is known for it's many coconut palms.

Tree Tunnel on the road to Koloa
Rainbow in Waimea Canyon
Kauai's Famous Fern Grotto
Wailua Falls near Lihue, Hawaii



Are these not the most amazing photos? I cannot take credit for any of them (I wish). I have never been to Kauai so this is the first Travel Tuesday that I am doing without the benefit of going there. It is so much easier to talk about somewhere when you have been there but I'll give it a try. First I want to give credit to Kauai's Visitors Bureau , this is where I got all the wonderful photos and information. It's a great site to visit if you are planning a trip to Kauai.

Let's begin, Kauai is known as the "Garden Isle." Probably because of the beautiful tropical greenery that you see in the photos. Renting a car on Kauai is a must, most of the resorts are on the North shore, and on the eastern Coconut Grove side, and on Lihue and Kalapaki and Poipu in the south. On this island, buildings can be no taller than a mature coconut palm. So here are a few things to go and see. Close to the Coconut Coast resorts is the Fern Grotto, which you can reach by boat via the Wailua River. The natural grotto is popular and a site for weddings. Then follow Route 50 north beyond the North Shore to Hanalei. South Pacific was filmed at the famous pier there. A lookout is just beyond that offers views of the Hanalei Valley. Continue on to the Napali State Park to Kee Beach where you can snorkel and hike along the Hanakapiai Trail that takes you into a gorgeous tropical valley. You know I had to read about that twice because it seemed odd to me to snorkel and then go hiking but they say you can do this so when I go I'm going to go and check it out. On the west side of the island you can go to Waimea Canyon and into Kokee State Park. The lookout there looks amazing on the website. If I'm not mistaken, Jurassic Park was also flimed in Kauai, probably because of all the lush tropical wilderness. This place is so beautiful and it is on my list of places to see in my lifetime. Just looking at their website makes me want to see this wonderful destination. Well, I hope you enjoyed our visit to Kauai but we are moving on to the Big Island of Hawaii next week. Aloha!

P.S. Spellcheck had a field day with all of the Hawaiian names. LOL