Wailua River & Waterfalls Kayak Tour: Expert-guided Adventure

This was an active tour having to row for 2+ miles in about 40-45 minutes out, then back in (4+ miles in total). Thomas, our guide, was very knowledgeable about the local fauna and likens.

Thomas, our guide was wonderful. Unfortunately, due to the damage caused by the storm we were unable to hike to the waterfall. But Thomas made our kayaking adventure a truly memorable experience . Would definitely recommend.

Sierra was an excellent guide for our trip! She instructed, educated, and entertained us throughout the excursion. The kayaking and hiking activities were fun, the scenery beautiful, and the pineapple treat delicious.

Kayaking up the Wailua River was a magical experience. The river is so serene, and filled with beautiful hibiscus flowers. It’s like a scene from a dream. The hike to the waterfall is a bit intense (mud, slippery rocks, fallen trees) but with the right footwear (reef shoes are ideal) and some patience it is a very rewarding hike. The waterfall is beautiful! We jumped in and swam under the fall, very refreshing. The lunch was delicious, especially after all the activities. The sandwiches and fresh pineapple really hit the spot. Our guide, Thomas, was exceptionally friendly and knowledgeable, sharing with us secrets of the forest. I would suggest going with the earlier morning tours, as it begins to get very hot in the afternoon. An overall beautiful time, highly recommend!

Thomas was the best and most knowledgeable guide. The experience was great and so was the weather. Would not hesitate to book with this company again.

We had the best time with Thomas. He was so knowledgeable and made the whole experience fun, especially for my kids.

Phenomenal from beginning to end. Most amazing scenery and Thomas was an absolute delight both as a guide and as a wonderful person. We just loved him, the process, the best of nature. So grateful!

I had very high expectations of this tour and can safely say it was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had in Hawaii (on any island). I have pretty bad arthritis in my right knee and was really just taking the chance that my knee would hold up to the hike. It did, as the hike wasn’t too bad. It was pretty muddy in spots, but you just need to take your time and use the walking sticks they provide to help keep your balance. The kayak had comfortable seats and I was able to stretch my legs all the way out. The best part of it all was our tour guide. Kiele was terrific! No, but seriously, if you’re able to request your guide, I would strongly suggest taking the tour with her. We stopped for a special bird in the wild feeding. She pointed out so many cool plants from the path and even provided natural shampoo from one of the ginger flowers along the way, that we were able to use in the waterfall water.

What an absolutely Amazing Welcome to the Island. You cannot go wrong starting your vacation with the Wonderful, Kind and Full of the Island guides. Not only was the trip Educational and Beautiful, the Lunch was we'll prepared,delicious and Presented like no other group we saw at the Falls. I would recommend this Experience 100 times over to anyone. Mahalo for welcoming us and excepting us into your island 'Ohana.

Beautiful scenary, both kayaking and hiking. Great family experience. Great tour guide. Thanks Trey. For novices, like us, you will gain a greater appreciation for those who kayak and make it look easy.

Thomas was a great guide and we had an amazing time .

Outstanding trip. Four miles roundtrip kayak. Three miles roundtrip hike (per my Apple Watch). Hike was maybe 50% wooden boardwalk, 30% scramble on rocks, and 20% mud. Slick but manageable. Ages of family were 59, 58, 30, 27, 27, and 18. Tour guide was Thomas - professional, safety conscious, and very informative. Swimming under the waterfalls was amazing. One of the highlights of our trip. Book it.

Great day trip! There was plenty of kayaking, and the hike was beautiful. I loved being surrounded by nature, and the waterfall was absolutely stunning. Tom, our guide, was very friendly, knowledgeable, and made the experience even more enjoyable. I would definitely recommend this trip to my family and friends.

Our tour guide was great! Taught us a lot about the plants and wildlife and why Kauai looks today. She made us feel safe, and was very attentive to everyone’s needs. I would definitely recommend using water shoes or teva like sandals for the hike. I would highly recommend this tour!

What an absolutely incredible experience. Our guide was Thomas and he was about the most knowledgeable and personable person you could hope for in a guide. The kind of subtle humor that if you’re not paying attention, you will miss it. He made the entire experience one to remember. We cannot recommend this adventure enough.

We had a great experience with this tour! The guide was knowledgeable and fun, and all the elements of the trip (kayak, hike, waterfall) were enjoyable. Would recommend!

This was a wonderful experience. I thoroughly enjoyed it. My daughter and spouse less so, due to the physical demands. Our tour guide, Thomas, was AMAZING! Full of information and a great conversationalist! Highly recommend!

The hiking trail is very muddy rocky. Guide was very knowledgeable and gave us great insight into the wonders of Kauai

The hike and kayaking was amazing. Our tour guide was amazing.

This was a beautiful experience with a knowledgeable and friendly guide, Thomas. My teenagers had fun and so did my spouse and I. That hike is not difficult, but be prepared with Keens or some kind of water/hiking shoe. There are some slick parts that are muddy.

Great experience and guide. Learned a lot about local flora and loved kayaking down the river... Both relaxing and a good upper body workout.

Really fun adventure both kayaking and in the hike. Guide was great keeping track of us both in the kayak and on the hike and providing local knowledge as we hiked.

Excellent! Great experience….Tom our guide was incredibly knowledgeable.

Great trip. Save some energy for the kayak trip back against the breeze. Thomas was a fantastic guide!

This was a fun but tiring expedition. Plan accordingly. Lots of paddling and ours was a mud drenched hike. Slippery, going through a thigh high deep running river on slippery rocks. This trip is NOT for everyone. If you go, make sure you plan accordingly. Don’t be the guy wading through the rushing river carrying his entire family’s electronics hoping not to fall in. Saw many people on this excursion that were not prepared and even some that had difficulty walking. Make sure you know what you’re getting into.

What a fabulous adventure we had yesterday. Our tour guide Thomas made all the difference sharing about the flora and history of the island. His personality made our trip to the beautiful waterfall more fun than anticipated. Would highly recommend this to all just remember to wear sneakers you won’t mind getting very muddy! Thanks for a great memory!

Awesome experience….from start to finish! Tom was our guide today! He is great; very knowledgeable about all the flora and fauna and quite funny! The experience was one for the books, and you can’t go wrong using Rainbow Kayak Tours!

We had a absolute blast!! Highly recommend! A bit sore the following day, lol, but so worth it! Memories made will last a lifetime!

Best tour on Kauai! Booked the 7 am tour a few months prior to the trip and was very excited for it. Highly reccomend wearing shorts & water shoes as you will walk through river crossings and mud, actual mud, so don't ruin your hiking shoes. The guide also offered sticks for walking so definitely grab one as it will help you walk steadily, water bags for your stuff, waters, chips, and lunch once you are at the waterfall. The views after the kayaking and hiking part were absolutely breathtaking! Definitely a must do. We had Keke guide us and she was amazing!!! Very helpful but also funny and motivated us all. She is a great guide and I hope her manager sees this review.

Great guide and the falls were spectacular. Trails is muddy but in the process of being improved. If you’re careful, though, no problem

Thomas was a great guide! He knew many science facts that he shared along the hike, kept a great pace, and provided an exceptional family experience!

Good combination of adventure and beauty and education. The location was close. The morning tour felt private. There were so many people we passed on the way in for the afternoon tour. I reco in the morning tour.

We are moderately experienced river kayakers, so this trip was a leisurely one for us. Even up-river is not very difficult. We had a fantastic guide, Kay, who was very experienced and knowledgeable. She shared lots of information about plants and trees that was quite interesting. Unfortunately, when we got to the hiking portion of the trip, we found out the river crossing we would need to make was too high because of heavy rain in the mountains. So we were unable to complete the trip. We had our sandwiches at the place where we would have left our kayaks, took a short nature walk in the area, had some photo ops, and our guide served us fresh pineapple, which was lovely! They gave us a half refund since we missed the hiking portion of the trip, and we had a nice kayak back down the river. It was a pleasant, relaxing experience, and I was thankful for the guides who know how to read the river and kept us safe. We would not have known about the high water crossing until we hiked up to it if we had been on our own.

How fun! Loved the hike to the waterfall. Kayak a bit tough heading home. bring non-slip shoes, close toes better unless you like mud between your toes. Shoes you want to toss, even better! Trae was a joy to be around and so funny.

Trey is a great guide. Very knowledgeable and prepared. The kayaking is 2 miles each way and the hike 1.5 miles each way. We had a wonderful time. For 2 average females the kayaking was doable but we were tired. Secret Falls made it all worth it. Wow.

If you’re even thinking about doing a kayak and waterfall hike, just book it. Such a fun experience today with Sierra as our guide. She was super friendly, knowledgeable, and made everything feel easy and relaxed. We did the morning option and I would definitely recommend that. It felt less crowded and the conditions heading out were great. Quick heads up, the paddle back can get pretty windy. It was strong for us but still totally manageable and kind of fun in a challenging way. Pro tip, bring something waterproof for your phone because you will want pictures when you’re in the water at the waterfall. It’s too good not to capture. Overall such a fun way to explore and be active. Highly recommend, especially if you get Sierra!

We had an amazing experience with K as our guide. She was amazing! She got stuck with our group as the last stragglers but was patient and kind with us. The overall experience was 10/10. The river the hike the falls all of it just beautiful. Highly recommend this company and tour and K as your guide. Mandy, Tuck, Avery and Chandler from CA and AK

Trae was an amazing guide and put up with our groups crazy shenanigans! 🤣 the trip was a lot of fun and had breath taking views.

Trail can be very muddy and there are several areas where you wade through the river. The waterfall is worth the paddle and walk. Beautiful scenery along the river

The weather was perfect, and our guide was fantastic. The hike and waterfall were absolutely worth it. I highly recommend the Rainbow Kayak waterfall tours, such a great experience!

Kay our guide was so friendly and patient with our large group that included 4 teenagers. She made the day so fun and gave us so much information. The waterfall was beautiful!

This tour was amazing! Great guide, Trae had a lot of great jokes and fun facts. It was a chance for us to see a part of the island that we would not have been able to see otherwise!

We loved the experience! It was everything and more that we were looking for: an active type of experience with the beautiful waterfall at the end of the hike and serenity of the river while kayaking. Our guide Thomas was informative, knowledgeable and funny, adding to our experience.

This is a hard hike that crosses rivers. It is all rocks and tree roots. Beautiful hike and the falls are amazing. We had the friendliest guide.

This was my second time around on this tour but with a different company. I chose this one because I took an extended family and it offered sandwiches to fuel up. The tour company I used the first time didn’t offer food. You’ll need it because the energy exerted on this tour requires fuel for your body. Saying that this tour requires some fitness and determination to get to the falls. There is kayaking and hiking involved and the kayaking takes the most out of you. Is it doable? Yes, for young and old. Whichever tour company you hire the experience, route and effort is identical. Only one way in and one way out. Choose the one that offers good. Another thing, the last tour company took acre of all the gear. This tour company asked us to load up the gear afterwards. I thought that was a downer as we were all tired and had to help them take care of their equipment. Was it rude? No, just off pudding. We just wanted to go. In addition, the meeting place for this company was off sight but was a short drive. The other company we took we met at the marina which I felt was more convenient. What made Rainbow great was our guide, Trey. He was easygoing and knowledgeable about the terrain, foliage and fauna. More importantly we felt safe as recent storms made the trail less safe. Also kudos to Marty the booker who kept in touch with us about the status of the tour because of recent rains. Overall, o highly recommend this experience because it gets you into the heart of Kauai

This was a lot of fun. It felt good to get outdoors and move around, and the area is very beautiful. The hiking part is through jungle, so that can be a great experience if you are not used to it. Amazing trees! Generally the trip is not hard physically, but your group will have people of different abilities—so some folks will spend a bit of time waiting for the slow pokes. But a really good experience.

The trip was a combined kayak/ hike at 7am. We kayaked for 2miles and stopped to begin the hike to the waterfalls. The guide got word more rain had fallen at the top of the mountain causing flooding downstream where we would have to cross making it dangerous. Hiking was canceled. We were served lunch and kayaked back. We received a partial which we thought was fair. Kudos to this company and guide for putting safety first instead of money! We truly appreciated it. It was a great kayak trip!

What a great way to spend the morning, kayaking and hiking to an incredible waterfall and back. We did the earliest trip leaving at 7am and the early hour was ideal - fewer people on the trail and at the falls. Our guide Thomas was great - laid back, knowledgeable, interesting, fun guy. The office provided wet bags, walking sticks, water, snacks, and lunch - we recommend bringing your own water bottle and not consuming more plastic bottled water. And don’t bother bringing much since you’ll be carrying it from the river to the waterfall in the wet bags that convert to backpacks. Definitely have shoes with some grip though they’ll get muddy and the trail is slick so you need to navigate with care. We encountered people of all ages along the way and expect those who are a bit more fit and able will enjoy it more since it’s a lot of paddling and some scrambling to the waterfall. Loved going into the waterfall as well - powerful and refreshing! Great trip, great guide. great experience - recommend!

Amazing trip with our guide Thomas- he was knowledgeable, helpful and fixed a beautiful lunch by the waterfall. The kayaking was easy though there was some wind on the return trip. The trek to the waterfall was muddy and bumpy at times 2 or 3 river crossings so listen to them when they say wear good shoes . NOthing beats getting in the river near the waterfall