Spring for the deluxe tour. At the end instead of having to decide what you want you get a great…read morevariety. Our tour guide Sherry was amazing, great energy. Expected to have my husband pass me his dark chocolate as normally it's not his thing but he tried it and I'm sad to say he kept eating all the chocolate. If you're looking for a good intro to fine chocolate and eco tourism this is it.

a must-stop three hour tour for chocoholics if visiting the island of Kauai…read more Like coffee, the cacao plant grows in the tropical belt with Hawaii being the only state in the Union that can grow it. Thus, taking a chocolate tour (and sampling chocolate) became something my wife wanted to do during our visit to Kauai. I booked it on the first day on the island, with cost being $140 per person via Viator, and was able to reserve spots for the following day at 11:00. It's well set-up with clear signs pointing you to the farm (need to pass by other houses through a small residential area). Guides will tell you where to park your car...we intentionally came only 10 minutes before the start and were some of the last ones to arrive. Our tour was fully filled with a maximum of 25 guests. The property is hilly, and the tour does involve a bit of walking, with 3 separate sitting areas where we sampled different foods. In our initial gathering spot, we met Mason (our primary guide). He later told us that he was going into civics. His charismatic personality and willingness to help others, really serves his guests well during the tour and his future (in politics, I'm assuming). We learned a lot about the farm, and had access to bathrooms, natural bug spray (mosquitos definitely bite here) with a place to wash hands, and distribution of umbrellas (for the occasional shower and protection from the sun). Got to sample an apple banana and cocoa tea while learning about the history of the farm. There was so much information, I had to take notes on my smartphone...apologies if I looked like I was not paying attention. In addition to the 3968 cacao trees on the farm (46 acres), other products are grown and raised to supplement the viability of the main crop: apple bananas whose leaves are used the cacao fermentation process; honey from the 50 hives to pollinate the cacao (the parasitic destructor mites that have devastated honey bee hives across the world have not yet made it to Kauai...makes me appreciate the Hawaiian agricultural controls); the vanilla plant vines that are hand pollinated to produce such rare extract that the public can't buy it. We walked to the second spot, passing by various plants and crops. There we sampled unusual tropical fruit (rambutan, soursop, and white pineapple), chocolate covered macadamia nuts (grown in Hawaii), and different honeys. Made me love mac nuts again. The final spot was to taste the chocolate bars. We sampled 5 of theirs (70% dark, 70% with sea salt, 75% with rum, 78% reserve, 50% milk with coffee/nibs), 3 Valrhona, and 1 Hershey. Mason gave a demonstration by hand of how cocoa liquor is made from the fermented seeds (this part is done by machine at a plant in Oahu...their plan is to do future expansion in Kauai so they can emphatically state that it is a completely Kauai product). The 70% dark 1/8 lb bars are $18, and I ended up buying quite a few to give as gifts (Mason didn't buy this explanation). We tried one bar when we got home, and can confirm how creamy and sweet they are (no bitterness). Other tidbits: -- chocolate is a fruit, not a bean or vegetable. -- Only Hawaii can grow it in U.S. -- Grafting is common for consistency -- Chocolate is purple. Black means there were moldy shells. No mold here, so discarded shells can be made into tea -- Most macadamia nuts sold in Hawaii are grown in Australia, and only packaged in Hawaii. -- White chocolate is real chocolate, just using cocoa butter only. -- AI will tell you dark chocolate is bitter cause raw cocoa is earthy (i.e. bitter). Instead, Mason proposed that it was because mass production causes uneven, incomplete fermentation. Smaller batches = careful watching = less bitterness. This was a revelation to me. -- the owner is a fifth generation farmer in Kauai, with him recently changing the name of his farm to his family name. -- At the 2023 Cacao of Excellence Awards held in Europe, Lydgate won the top prize (gold medal) for the Asia & Pacific region, along with six others in the same region, including 2 others from Hawaii. They had previously been named Top 50 in the world multiple times. -- Because they are such a popular tour, there are multiple time slots and days available. The most important thing to note about the quality of the chocolate: cacao plants bear fruit all year round, with Lydgate farms picking and fermenting by hand when it is the right time (as opposed to bigger operations where they combine ripe and unripe fruit all together for the sake of efficiency). Even for a layman like me, it was a convincing argument on why their dark chocolate is premium, costly, and has no bitterness (even at 70%). The major awards that they have received is just confirmation of this fact. And the tour being 3 hours long in such a small area...the time went by really fast.

We did the Kauai Highlights & Movie Sites tour today and had a great time. We stayed on the south…read moreside and did exploring on our own on the west side and were looking for something that took us up north. We are not big movie fanatics but it was fun to go places on the island and see movie clips in the exact spot our tour bus sat. Also thought the did a nice job of picking great sites to take photos and gave us some alone time to explore a bit. We got WAY MORE done in a day than we could have on our own.

John our tour guide was great! We started the tour at Kauai coffee then headed up to Waimea canyon…read more He kept us entertained as he explained the history of the areas we were visiting. Highly recommend this tour!

A cooking class was the perfect addition to our trip to Kaua'i! Our family had a great time doing…read morethe Corner Store Cooking Class. We learned to make Spam Musubi, Somen Salad, Ahi Poke, and Butter Mochi. As 4 beginner cooks, we were a bit apprehensive, but Aletha was the perfect hostess, guiding us to prepare dishes that we can confidently make on our own. This is a great hands on experience to immerse yourself in Hawaii's incredible culture and traditions!

We signed up for this to learn more about Kauai cuisine and culture. It was fantastic- we were able…read moreto make together in the group ahi poke, musubi, a Japanese-inspired salad, and butter mochi. Along the way we learned about the adaption of cuisines to the Kauai modification, the salt unique to Kauai and the culture around it, and the various other entrepreneurial ventures around the island. And of course had a wonderful and plentiful lunch with musubi and mochi to take away. It was a great experience and highly recommended.

The positive reviews for the Rum Safari sucked me in, and the experience did not disappoint! The…read moreRum Guys, Bruce and Tanji, led us on a delightful journey through Kilohana Plantation with detailed info on the history, animals, and plant life there at the plantation. We especially enjoyed touring the orchard, including the banana slap experience (!!!), and learning about different types of fruits that can grow in the Kauai climate. The rum tasting also did not let us down. We sampled different flavors of Koloa Rum (the safari and the Rum Guys are unaffiliated with Koloa Rum, which had a separate tasting room and shop on site), followed by a Mai Tai and an additional fresh cocktail. Bruce and Tanji were excellent guides and comedians, delighting my whole party, which contained a range of ages and senses of humor. My uncle was really impressed with their ability to read the room and crack exactly the right jokes to make all of us laugh. They were also incredibly informative and provided local tips on where to go (and where to avoid) next. Mahalo, Rum Guys!!

Saw the ad on social media while here. Didn't think much of it until I started reading reviews…read more Even then I was a little skeptical but decided to try it out. Totally exceeded our expectations and honestly may just be the highlight of our trip. The whole experience was fantastic from start to finish and the hosts really did a fantastic job. Highly recommend, this is an easy add to your trip.

This was the best tour I ever went on. Gloria loved it too. It hit all the bases for us…read more Television, movies, interviews, theme songs all curated in the most caring way. Andrew and Ray couldn't have been more fun, knowledgeable and great at communicating the full flavor of Hawaii.

My husband and I had a great tour with Cousin Lisa! She was so kind and patient with the older and…read moreless mobile clients. She also reminded us that this was our vacation and we need to relax and enjoy our time here on the Island of Kauai. She had such a refreshing outlook and wonderful knowledge of the history and the Island. We would definitely take her bus 250 again!

Kauai plantation railway is a fun train ride for the whole family!…read more We made reservations online, and the location was easy to find. It's a pretty solid train ride that gives you a view of the whole estate, including a number of the crops that were grown on Kauai, including sugarcane and bananas. Near the end of the tour, there's also an opportunity to feed the farm animals, which was a big hit with the kids! You can feed the horses, cows, and pigs. Boris, the pig, even does tricks on command, which was my daughter's favorite part of the whole tour! Great adventure that we all enjoyed!

If you have kids, this is a fun place to go with them in Kauai. The train ride is informative and…read morethe MC was funny. The best part is getting to feed pigs, cows, chickens, etc. they give you food to feed them. Make sure you buy your tickets ahead of time.

This was hands down one of the highlights of our trip! The snorkeling was incredible, and getting…read moreto see dolphins in the wild made the experience even more unforgettable. The entire crew was amazing from the moment we boarded. They were friendly, professional, and made sure everyone was safe, having fun, and well fed throughout the trip. Their hospitality truly made the day special. A special shoutout to Koa! He knew some American Sign Language (ASL), which made the experience even more meaningful and enjoyable for us. Thank you to the entire crew for an unforgettable adventure. If you're looking for an amazing snorkeling experience with a fun, caring, and welcoming crew, I highly recommend this tour. We would absolutely do it again!

A MUST DO! Capt. Andy's Raft Day Expedition with captain Robert and Izzy. Robert's skill full…read morehandling of the Raft made it an awesome adventures for my girls and myself. Izzy's knowledge of the ancient Hawaiian site was equally impressive. Both Robert and Izzy were very personable, with a great sense of humor, and making sure everyone had a good time. The gourmet picnic lunch was more than a cut above compared to what other tours are serving. Mahalo Robert and Izzy for giving us a memorable day. Ulla

Ok! Tubing the Hannama'ulu Ditch was incredible and a must! Great for all ages!…read more This Mountain Adventure Tubing tour was so fun! The warehouse where we check in was so organized as were the staff! They had everything we needed-so well prepared for each incoming group! The ride through the hills was beautiful and our leader/guide Kanoe, did a fantastic job! Sharing all kinds of history and fun facts... interacting and getting everyone involved! Lots of excitement CHEEEHOOO! The tubing thru the canal and caves was a blast! Thank you to Ruby & Gracie as well for helping and keeping us in line they were great! The lunch was so good! Loved the way they had it all organized at our scenic picnic area! I highly recommend booking this one with Hawaii Tours! "Kauai Backcountry Adventures" in Lihue!

When planning vacation activities, I usually have a few hundred browser tabs open to compare…read moreoptions and prices etc...don't we all lol. I happened to stumble on "Kauai Vacation Tours" and they had a super straightforward website showing you all the different activities and had the absolute best prices anywhere! One stop shop and I was set! I completed checkout with a handful of excursions and within just a few minutes got a text from them confirming details and such. Such amazing customer service! (Lori helped me, she is fantastic!!) I had some specific activity times due to a packed schedule and Lori got everything worked out perfectly. Shortly thereafter, received my ticket confirmations. Texting was super convenient because I am keeping things a surprise and didn't want my partner to overhear anything. Highly highly recommend you check them out. Who doesn't like convenience AND saving money! Mahalo Lori and Kauau Vacation Tours! Can't wait to get there!