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Tubing / Best Tubing Spots / Water Sports / Active Travel / Kauai / Hawaii Travel / → All Tags

Float Through The Tunnels of an Old Sugar Plantation In Hawaii

Most of the tubing adventures that we’ve covered so far can be easily accessed by car, but today’s trip will cost you a little bit more cash to get there. If you find yourself on the island of Kauai, and need a little bit more excitement than relaxing with umbrella drinks, then you may want to consider giving Kauai Backcountry Adventures a call. They offer exclusive access to the irrigation system of the former Lihue Plantation, and you get to see it all from the comfort of a tube.

The ditches and tunnels were once used to keep sugar crops nice and hydrated, but things have been quiet since 2000, and are now open for us to enjoy. Hop in your tube and take in views of the coastline, ocean, and the island’s vast valleys. Just be thankful that you are enjoying the hard work of the former plantation workers—all the irrigation channels were dug by hand.

Tours depart throughout the day, so if you want to hit up that buffet breakfast at your resort, you’ll be fine. The trip is a little expensive at $100 per person, but you will get a picnic lunch and everything else to float safely through the plantation. They even throw in headlamps so that you don't get too scared floating through the tunnels.

Related Stories:
· Kauai Backcountry Adventures [Official Site]
· Tube Flotilla Set To Travel 8 Miles Down Michigan River [Jaunted]
· Best Tubing Spots coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Official Site]

Summer-Vacations-With-An-Edge / Hawaii Travel / Kauai / → All Tags

Summer Vacations With an Edge: Kalalau Trail on Kauai

This 11-mile trail runs along the base of vertiginous sea-cliffs fronting the completely undeveloped, completely uninhabited and completely breathtaking North Shore of Kauai. Formerly a mule trail used to supply isolated and now abandoned villages tucked into the pocket valleys -- invariably backed by crashing waterfalls and sandy crescents -- the Kalalau has long been considered among the world's most primo hiking adventures. The region has even been designated as a World Heritage site by the United Nations.

Alas, the trail has apparently deteriorated to the point where even the billygoats in the Kauai Chapter of the Sierra Club get the heebie-jeebies hiking the dirt and rock path that, in places, is now no longer than a foot wide. Meaning, you slip, you die, in all probability. No deaths reported yet but who would want to be first? Sadly, the summer is peak hiking season for the Kalalau. The dry weather means the trail is less muddy and the calm oceans make for more pleasant bathing at the beaches along this coast. Our advice? Hike at your own risk -- or take the kayak tour of the coast, camping along the way.

Alex Salkever is the editor/founder of Hawaii travel blog Hawaiirama.com.

Check out our Summer Vacations With An Edge Map.

Know a spot we should consider for this map? Tip the help.

Related Stories:
· Hawaii Travel [Jaunted]
· Hotels in Hawaii [HotelChatter]

[Photo: eNil]