We loved this kayaking tour! The guides were amazing and picked fresh papaya and coconut for us to eat on our picnic. The waters were calm and we even got to snorkel with the turtles. It was my daughter's first time kayaking and it was absolutely magical. We would definitely do it again! read more

Got a single kayak for $30 in the afternoon and kayaked up to Wild Animal Refuge. It was peaceful and not too strenuous but a good little workout. I didn't see much wildlife except a couple of small turtles, a bird and a few fish in the shallow water but it was beautiful and serene. I did the kayak up river in about 45-50 minutes though they suggest about 90 minutes up. Altogether I was up and back in less than two hours and I stopped for about 15 minutes to enjoy a beer on the shore before coming back. read more

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This is a great adventure for anyone in moderate physical shape. Kolo was a great guide, very engaged with the group and sharing history of the island with us. Kayaking was not difficult however I had a husband doing a lot of the work too. The guides were funny, kind, polite and eager for all of us to have a great time. I noticed another kayak guide from a different company come along side where we had put our kayaks and watching that guide was like night and day compared to what Kolo and Komalo did for us. Really recommend these guys! read more

If I could review this business with zero stars, I would. The woman running the place doesn't have a hospitable bone in her body. Top five rudest people I've ever met. If you must rent a kayak, do what you gotta do, but if you're looking to rent a stand up paddleboard, go to the Hanalei Beach Boys Surf Shack instead. They actually care about your business, and operate with a welcoming Hawaiian spirit unlike the crazy, rude A-hole at Kayak Kauai. read more

Went kayaking with my family here while on vacation. Our guides were very knowledgeable, helpful, friendly and funny. The view and route of the river was beautiful and calming. It wasn't too challenging to do with kids (took my 5, 7 and 9 year old and none of them helped paddled). We just had to pair them with an adult who could handle the paddling. Snorkeling in the ocean was fun for everyone. Heads up that the ocean is really salty. Overall, everyone had a great time and majority of us agreed it was one of our favorite experiences during vacation. read more

Quick check-in and friendly staffs. I like that the rental is per day and not per hour. We were early so it was less crowded. We spent about 3 hours and that was good enough. We're hungry and went to get lunch. Also, more people getting into the River when we left. read more

We had a blast! The best part is right before the one lane bridge. The rest of the ride after that is just as good as the rest, so don't stress if you can't make it much further. read more

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Had a great time here. Easy check in, easy rental and easy return. Staff was super cool and helpful. Had an amazing time kayaking the Hanalei River!! read more

Kayak Hanalei - Tours Near Me - Hanalei, Hawaii

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We made a reservation for a tour and never got to go because we never go a follow up email on what time we were supposed to be there. We tried calling multiple times no answer, we even sometimes got hung up on. Someone finally called us back saying we were supposed to be there at 2:00 thankfully she was kind and understanding and we got a refund. read more

Loved every minute of this excursion. Our guides Kolo and Kailoa took good care of us & made sure everyone was safe and had fun. The landscape is stunning and we learned so much about Hanalei's history. Kolo and Kailoa even cracked open fresh coconuts for us to drink from right on the beach! My friend and I also loved Kolo's ukulele and singing which made the ambience during lunch even better. Highly recommend the guided tour and Kayak Hanalei. Thanks guys! read more

Kayak Hanalei - Tours Near Me - Hanalei, Hawaii

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Had a wonderful day, kayaking up a lazy river, out into the wild surf, over to Hideaway beach, snorkeling with the turtles, and just enjoying the wonderful scenery. Our guide,Kolo, was a lifesaver! Possibly literally. He was great, informative, and very helpful. I would highly recommend this. read more

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GREAT day. WE had awesome weather which is always a bonus. Not much wind and zero rain. Our two guides Kolo and komalo (cousins) were great. Very informative AND funny!!! Lunch was the biggest turkey sandwich ever! Perfect location to launch from, easy paddle out and back. Nice souvenir shop on site as well for anything you may have forgotten. Make sure you book in advance or may not get in. read more

I love this place. It's so laid back and the paddle down the river is beautiful, relaxing and quiet. I love paddling to the beach too! Such a fun experience. read more

For the money, this was my favorite activity on the islands. For $60 each, we rented two two-person kayaks for 24 hours. You launch directly from their dock into the Hanalei River and you're on your own from there. We did the full "loop", starting to the right (against the flow) all the way to the end (as of July 2018 there is a fallen tree blocking the river). Once we were back to the launch point, we continued on to Hanalei Bay where you can pull up to a nice beach area and enjoy the water and the sites. The water is calm enough that it is not a huge struggle, even against the current. With some occasional help from one of my sons handling the front oars, it offers a nice workout too. We did see a few small turtles and some interesting birds on the shore, but not much other wildlife in or out of the water. The views of the surrounding mountains and waterfalls are what make this iconic area so stunning. We launched around 10am and were back by about 1:00pm. We had the option of returning that day, or even from 8-10am the next morning if we wanted. There are changing rooms on-site, and you'll be provided with everything you need (life jacket, oars, and a drybag to stash your phone, wallet, and keys, etc). They also offer smaller and larger kayaks, stand-up paddle boards, etc. The staff were super helpful and friendly. There is ample parking on-site, and some food trucks and other vendors nearby where you can fuel up before or after your journey. Until next time! read more

Kayak Hanalei - Tours Near Me - Hanalei, Hawaii

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We had a wonderful experience! The guides, Koloa and Gabe were so friendly & knowledgeable. My kids are 11 & 12 and were nervous but the guides quickly put them at ease and helped them the entire time. The snorkeling was great and we saw a lot of fish. A great experience that we would definitely do again! read more

Great self guided kayak trip. Rental went quick and smooth. Got a tandem. Gear was in good condition, though I wasn't a fan of the life jacket color. The rental price covers you for the entire day, not just an hour or two. We took our time and went up the bird sanctuary and then down to Hanalei Bay. Beached onto a sand bar and got some tacos from the taco truck. Staff was helpful and informative. read more

We had a wonderful morning kayaking the Hanalei river. Kayak Hanalei made the process so easy. They're friendly and helpful with great prices and flexibility. read more

The team here is amazing. Ko'la and Gabriel (not sure if we spelled K's name correct) were the ultimate guides. From history of the mountain ranges, to keeping us all together and on track, they were both genuine and gracious. The tour is really fun and a bit challenging once you get to the ocean. Overall, can not say enough great things about this tour beyond DO IT! read more

Had an absolute blast. We have rented kayaks here several times over the years, but decided to take a guided tour to the bay and snorkel. Gabriel was a fantastic tour guide. Mahalo!! read more

Kayak Hanalei was phenomenal! I did the morning kayaking tour and it was picture perfect. It was about a mile kayaking each way with an hour of snorkelling. The lunch provided was superb -- homemade sandwich with chips & drink. Our guides made it special (Gabe & Kolo). Kolo taught us basic kayaking, shared stories of the island and even picked us fresh papaya off a tree and sliced it up for lunch. I was a solo kayaker and they both made it incredibly easy and inclusive. They provided a small dry bag and a large dry bag so you can bring a full beach towel and clothes. Be sure to bring a big water bottle as you don't get water until your lunch. Would highly recommend 10/10 and next time I go to Kauai I will do this tour again. read more

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Of all the places to rent a kayak and take the river to the ocean (Hanalei bay) then this is the spot to rent from. Great customer service and decent prices but the best part of this company is there is no better location to launch off! Perfect all around and one of my favorite adventures of our entire stay ! read more

Clearly by reading all the 1 star reviews shows how unprofessional and uncaring this staff (Goldie) is towards their customers. My husband and I booked the kayak tour on the 2nd day of our honeymoon, we were so excited to go on this adventure. While the tour was fun and knowledgeable, they provide you with "dry" bags and tell you to put all your belongings in them - towels+clothing in the big bag, electronics in the small bag. Little did we know that they don't check their equipment before handing it off to you. When we get to our beach destination, our small bag was FILLED with water leading my phone to be powerless. Thank goodness my husband put his phone in the back of the seat this trip. We informed our tour guides of this problem and they told us to go in and tell the staff. He was told to put the phone in rice for 24 hours and if it didn't turn on, please call and they will discuss further actions. We let my phone sit in rice for 48 hours and it still wouldn't turn on. We called back and spoke with the most unprofessional staff there was. Saying they weren't going to do anything about it - why fake it Infront of the other customers to pretend you care? Needless to say I was left without a phone the rest of my honeymoon unable to take pictures and have any communication. Had to purchase a new phone when I finally returned home. I am so sad and disappointed in how this staff handles their care for the tourists that give them their money and trust in the products given. read more

They gave us faulty paddles and charged us $60 when one broke. We were paddling half way back from the marina, and suddenly one of the paddles snapped in half at the thin metal piece that connects the two sides. Luckily we were on a double kayak and still had one paddle that was not yet broken and was able to get us back to the dock. One of the guys that worked at the dock told us that, earlier the same day, another paddle broke on someone while they were paddling through currents. The guy also said that these broken paddles were the new ones and the old batch they had almost never broke. Obviously these newer paddles breaking is a recurrent problem! But nevermind that; they were still going to charge us $60 (they first said $15 but quickly changed their minds) for the paddle. I said fine, I would pay, as I support local businesses and consider this a donation, but please, Kayak Hanalei, look into the issues with your paddles because it seems to me that you might have a faulty (or at least poor quality) batch of paddles that keep breaking on people (twice in a day, seriously?)! I wouldn't want a paddle to break on someone in a single kayak and have the poor person stranded somewhere an hour away from the dock, or worse yet, being pulled even farther away by the current. The young man at the front desk inside the store said it was impossible that their paddles had any problems because they were only 2 months old and the rod was made of stainless steel throughout. I told him it was not all steel but rather plastic. I attached some photos so that my fellow Yelpers can see for themselves that the rod was made of plastic, and the only piece of metal was a 2-inch long, u-shaped flimsy clip that was SUPPOSED to hold the two halves together through years of use. Seriously, does anyone reading this review believe this paddle was of good, or even adequate quality, for commercial use, which usually means daily use by many many visitors? The young man at the front desk refused to even look at the broken paddle rod, perhaps because he knew his claim about the rod being stainless steel throughout would be proven to be a lie. At this point, the young man threatened to "have someone escort me off of the property." Like I said earlier, one of the first things I told him was that I support local businesses and would (and did) pay the $60; however, all I got was some lie about the paddle's supreme quality and the threat of being "escorted off of the property" because I wanted them to be aware of the fact that we were using the paddles properly, paddling as normal, and that the paddle was not made of steel like they thought it was, and for their future customers' better experience and the future of their own business, to consider looking into the possibility of the paddles' quality being the cause of theirs breakage. I see that we were not the first ones who were charged for faulty equipment. So if you are renting from Kayak Hanalei, make sure you inspect the equipment carefully, and take photos of any preexisting damages and scratches. If you are renting kayak paddles, maybe ask for one from the old batch because the old ones seem to be sturdier with more metal in the structures, or at least, if one of the old paddles broke on you, you wouldn't be charged (so they told me, but they might change their minds.) Also, you may consider renting from other shops. There was a shop across the street. I haven't tried that one but certainly will try it instead of Kayak Hanalei next time I'm in the area. read more

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We were so impressed with the staff, our guides and the thoughtfulness put into the tour. We got more than kayaking and snorkeling- We got a taste of Hawaii and would go again any time! read more

Kayak Hanalei - Tours Near Me - Hanalei, Hawaii

The kayak tour must be the best tour value on Kauai. River tour with amazing views of the mountains heading to a secluded beach on the ocean for snorkeling and lunch. But what set the tour above the rest were the tour guides. Patent and helpful for new to kayaking, lots of local history, very funny, gave a demonstration of how to open a coconut (with a machete) and then gave everyone a sample of fresh coconut milk and meat. And yes, there was even ukulele playing! read more

This was definitely one of our favorite activities of our trip. Neither my boyfriend or I are in great shape and so we were looking for a fun chance to play on the water that wouldn't become a chore or too strenuous for us to handle. This was perfect. We got there at like 10 am, got our boats, and went up the river to the nature preserve for an hour or two. We played in the water for a while, came back to town, stowed the boats for lunch, and then went back out. During the afternoon session, we went downriver to the ocean and were able to play on the beach for an hour or two. We would 100% recommend Kayak Hanalei for everyone. We saw families with young children, people with disabilities, and the elderly and everyone was having a great time. We also got to see lots of wildlife including tons of different fish, birds, and turtles. read more

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Amazing kayaking and snorkeling tour! All the staff here are amazing. Our guide was the best. He was fun, knowledgeable and super nice. He sang and played his ukulele for us and even picked fresh papaya and coconut for us. Truly went above and beyond. This tour and company are top notch. Highly highly recommend. read more

Kayak Hanalei - Kayaking in Hanalei Bay. - Tours Near Me - Hanalei, Hawaii

Super paddling and snorkelling adventure with our guide Kolo! A magical day with rainbows, turtles and loads of tropical fish!

We had an incredible kayak and snorkel tour with Kayak Hanalei. Our guides Kolo and La'a were excellent. I was a little nervous about kayaking into the ocean but Kolo led us and they gave us great instruction. Kolo told us stories about the history of the island of Kauai. The snorkeling on Hidden Beach was amazing. So many fish and we saw turtles both in the river and sea. Picnic lunch was included and Kolo played Hawaiian songs with his ukulele for us. So glad we booked this tour. Don't miss this! read more

Our family had a great experience with a kayak Hanalei. Our guide Kola was awesome and informative. We kayaked down the gorgeous Hanalei River and then onto a beach to snorkel. We highly recommend booking your trip at least 3 weeks in advance. It sells out fast.. read more

Super helpful employees and sufficiently new equipment! They were located right on the river.

3 years ago, my family (12+) came here for the after 1pm rental deals and had the BEST time! Killer service, very casual / helpful / accommodating staff (and we had little kids, adults, odd numbers of adults to ride with kids, etc. - we weren't easy!) and the best time out on the river and Hanalei Bay. Truly a 10/10 experience. We've done nothing but talk up your place sense and recommend it. Fast forward 3 years, we went back today - a trip we prioritized because it was so enjoyable last time - and talk about change. The girl we talked to first (long/light hair, lots of makeup) was 1) rude. 2) unhelpful. 3) unwilling to find any solutions or get us (a party of 6 adults and 7 kids) out on the water. And we were friendly! She, and her small dog who was sitting behind the desk too, were playing IN the Kayak Hanalei commercial playing in the background, so I'm assuming she's family or something. Regardless, she was so rude. Literally turned us away and was unwilling to help us get out on the river. We were so bummed - we'd driven 1.5 hours from the south side just to enjoy this kayaking. She rolled her eyes at us, sighed, glared at our kids or ignored them (before we left and we when we got back) and was so rude I was shocked and made them walk away from her. We went back in to ask one more time if they could make it work with double kayaks/SUP, etc. since we'd come so far ! and thankfully someone else talked to my sister in law and I and was accommodating, helpful, easy to work with... got us all happily out on the water no big deal at all ?!?! I have NO idea what the First Ladies' deal was. But she was so unprofessional and rude... why she wouldn't want to help us is beyond me. I haven't written a review in years, but I was so put out by the experience at an otherwise awesome place that I just had to. You guys should get that in check so it doesn't hurt your fabulous business. read more

This kayaking adventure was amazing!! We loved everything, the tour guide Kolo was very good about explaining how to paddle and not flip and gave us a history about the island! We our very grateful for experiencing the beauty of Kauai!!! read more

We really enjoyed our time on the river and the challenge of the ocean as well. Kolo is a fabulous guide. He pays attention to details and gives very clear instructions. read more

We have done to twice now. Went both up the river and down to the ocean. A great morning adventure. read more

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Kayak Hanalei was phenomenal! our guide, Kolo, was simply the best! A great experience that I would do again!

This excursion was SO much fun and well worth every penny. Our guide Gabe did a fantastic job with safety and an even better job telling our group about the history of the island. We made our way out to the ocean where we snorkeled and saw a record breaking 15 sea turtles! Absolutely amazing. Would recommend this place 10 out of 10!!! read more

Great experience! Our guides were friendly and knowledgeable. Between the two of them, they covered a variety of topics from Hawaiian history to wildlife species. We spent a good amount of time snorkeling and then enjoyed lunch on the beach before Kayaking back. read more

Can't imagine a better tour guide then Kolo! Absolute blast :) great tour with lots of island stories and beautiful scenery

Terrible customer service, son fell and broke his paddle on stand up paddle board. Complete accident. They said it was his fault that it was his fault. And would not listen to anybody that he fell and it hit his board. Had to hand paddle all the way back. Charged us $50 fee for broken paddle. read more