Day 9: “An adventure to the secret falls”

This morning we all woke up ready to go on a kayak/hike adventure to Uluwehi Falls (Secret Falls)! There are several tour groups that do similar adventures, and even simple rentals (without guides), but we chose Kayak Wailua. If it was just us, we probably would’ve opted the kayak rental and self-guided tour (the only real direction you need is to stay right at the river fork), but with family and it being their first time in a kayak, we chose the guided tour. It ended up being a really awesome experience and Keith from Kayak Wailua was really knowledgeable in regards to the local history and Wailua River.

Kayaking up the river to the trailhead was a beautiful way of seeing the riverside scenery. The hike itself wasn’t steep, but it was definitely muddy. If you ever decide to do this hike, make sure you bring appropriate shoes that you don’t mind getting dirty, because its 100% guaranteed to get at least ankle deep in some Kaua’i mud. There are also a few water crossings, the biggest of which has rope guidance, but that will also put you at least knee deep wading through some water. It’s best to embrace the water/mud, because those are the safest ways to get through the hike without slipping and falling (we saw a few people in some white Nikes and white shirts that were not the same color coming out as they were going in). Our guide made a good point…you can either get wet/muddy from the knee down, or try to avoid it and end up muddy all over.

The hike to the falls takes less than an hour, but make sure you pack a lunch to have at the falls, because you’ll definitely work up an appetite…oh, and because it’s one of the best little picnic spots in the world!

After jumping into the refreshingly cold water and swimming behind the falls, it was time to hike back to our kayaks. Wailua River is a tidal river that brings the water from Uluwehi Falls to the Pacific Ocean, so coupled with the wind our return trip was definitely more difficult than getting there, but we arrived back to the boat landing in awe at what we just experienced.

We were all pretty tired after a full day adventuring up and down the Wailua River, so we headed back to our hotel for some much needed rest. While we’ve been here, all the locals have been recommending Kintaro Restaurant for fresh seafood and authentic teppanyaki, so we made a late dinner reservation to give everyone some time to relax.

Tomorrow, we’ll be exploring the Nā Pali Coast State Park and its beautiful, but rugged 16 miles of coastline from the water, so make sure you stay posted!