When you live someplace, you often don’t think to take in some of the very things that bring people to visit. Such is the case with your editors. Trying to break that mold as we resume travel around the state, we started last week close to home here on Kauai.
Kauai Backcountry Adventures.
We’d heard of this for years, and people all told us they enjoyed it. So did we and can report that it was a very memorable experience that we’d recommend for kids of any age. Kauai Backcountry Adventures did not know we were coming, and we paid full-fare.
You may have seen some of the posts about Kauai tubing on YouTube and elsewhere. This mostly-relaxing Kauai adventure, takes you down the flumes of the south fork of the Wailua river. This is a part of Kauai you aren’t going to see by other means.
Guests, replete with sunscreen and bug repellent, float down 1800’s sugar cane canals in individual, industrial inner-tubes, navigating through rock tunnels located below Mt. Waialeale. The amazing tunnels are historic engineering feats.
We met at the reservations office located in Hanamaulu, where check-in occurs, and where we were provided gear including helmets, headlamps and gloves.
Then we boarded open air buses to head into the Grove Farm Co. land, to the launch site where the activity takes place. Once we arrived at the literal jumping off point, we were met with beautiful mountain scenery including views of Mount Waialeale, considered one of the wettest spots on earth.
You’ll be wearing swimsuits for this adventure, since part of you will remain in the water as you will sit navigating the irrigation ditches throughout the duration of the tubing tours
.
After the totally enjoyable outing, we were taken to their picnic area where a simple, make it yourself delicious lunch was provided. The options were sandwich fixings, cookies, and chips.
You’ll want to pack a dry change of clothing, and a towel, since it’s easy to get a bit cold after the cool dip in the flowing waters of the Wailua River. Keep in mind that flip flops are not allowed, and if you don’t have Crocs or other water-friendly shoes, rental shoes are available for $5. There are other restrictions including a weight limit, and minimum age…. Also, cancelation is permitted up to 24 hours in advance.
The total tour time was three hours, although the actual time in the water is just about one hour. The ride each way to the open canals was about 30 minutes, and the picnic lunch time was about 30 minutes.
What if I tip over? – we both felt very secure in our inner tubes. But if that were to happen, the water is only 3 feet deep so you can stand up and get back on to the tube. There were also two guides in back and one in front to watch everyone.
What’s the ride like? – It was really fun! You’ll be moving faster in some parts and spinning around in the tubes and sometimes hitting someone next to you. In the tunnels you’ll be glad you have footwear and a helmet in case you bang into the walls. If it looks like your feet are going to hit the wall, you just moved them in closer to you so the tube hits the wall instead.
Is there a water slide? – Not exactly. It’s more of a gentle decline as you go with the water moving faster in some places. There’s only one significant drop on the course and it’s fun and easy to handle.
Can I stay with my group? – You’ll probably meet some new people. Once you start moving, it’s hard to stay in a group. After the last tunnel it slows down so you can wait for friends or family to catch up with you.
Your helmet has a light on it and you can usually see a light at the end of the tunnel. In the last tunnel, we were asked to turn our lights off which gave us the sensation of not moving.
Is the water cold? – Yes, but not uncomfortable. Expect your behind to feel chilled for several hours after because it will be mostly in contact with the water. Because the tunnels can be cool, I suggest wearing a top too (like a swim t-shirt) and having a change of clothing when you stop for lunch.
Online Reservations – You can check availability easily online and see how many spaces are left for each tour. We suggest you book early, especially during peak season.
Was three hours too long? Not at all. Everything was well timed. On the drive up, the guide answered questions and shared a local perspective of living on the island and the culture of Kauai. The one hour tube ride was exactly the right length.
Have you tried this Kauai activity? If so, please let us know about your experience.
Get Breaking Hawaii Travel News
This tubing adventure thru the old irrigation canal’s is a tour you will not want to miss! We enjoyed it so much the first time we did it again 2 years later.
It was OK. Obviously, most people enjoyed this. I did it because I’ve done just about everything else in Hawaii, especially Kauai. I guess it’s all relative. I’m a water sport junkie, so this was not a unique experience for me. Seems like a good family trip. I wasn’t surprised to read about the fellow who got sick from swallowing the water. A good word of caution.
We really enjoyed our tubing experience. Ben, our guide was full of Information about the building of the canels and about Kauai. I would recommed this adventure to everyone of all ages Bob and I are in our early 70’s and had no problems at all.
Holly
This is one of the most fun things to do on Kauai. We recommend it to people all the time. The folks running it are awesome. It’s such a unique adventure, not scary (I’m chicken),and just plain fun for all ages.
My family has enjoyed this excursion multiple times over the years. Our last tubing trip was in 2018 with a group of family ranging in age from a 14 year old neice to my 80 year old mother and father-in-law and they all had a blast. My sons (now early 30’s) want to do it every time we are on island together and can almost do the guides speeches and stories by heart. Thenguides have always been great by the way. It is just as you reported a fun, family friendly (not overly expensive) adventure that you will remember… along with the “refreshing” water. This is one of those bucket list items that you will want to repeat! Mahalo
Hi Jim.
Thanks for the trip report!
Aloha.
We did the tubing one year. It was a blast. A little chilly first getting in, but was great feeling shortly. The staff was a riot
I loved my trip with my family in the lava tubes. At first I was intimidated by what I was expecting but now count it as one of my favorite excursions in Kauai! The guides were so friendly & helpful as well.
Have done this adventure three times & loved it every single time. The guides are all a blast….pure aloha. Ride up was fun with good mix of information on sites and personal interaction. Have also done the Kauai Backcountry Adventures zip line a few times as well. Equally wonderful time. Can’t wait to do this again.
We’ve done this trip each of the last three years we were in Kauai, and plan to do it again when we revisit in 2023. It’s one of the highlight excursions on Kauai. Guides are super friendly. A great, relaxing , fun excursion. We went up to the headwaters of the canal system by the “Jurassic Park waterfall” (a very treacherous drive by the way) and saw where the concrete canals start. I’ve always wondered if it is possible to float tube all the way down from there. Probably not, but maybe BOH knows.
Hi Rob.
We aren’t aware of any way to float from the headwaters down. Maybe someone else has more information. But as far as we know, this is all that is possible.
Aloha.
Took this adventure several years ago and had a blast. Highly recommend it. I wear eyeglasses and had no problems. Helmet and heavy duty gloves were provided. I had packed protective beach slip-ons that were sturdy so I wore them instead of tennis shoes. There was a shed at the picnic area at the end of the trip where I changed to dry clothes I had brought.
We are local residents. My son and I have been on this tubing adventure twice now. Super fun!!! And the guides are the best! We try to go on it every year. (There are discount rates for locals). Try it…you won’t regret it! 🤪❤👍
I’ve done the tubbing several times with visiting friends and relatives. We’ve always had a great time. All ages have enjoyed this.
My other two favorites to share are Lydgate Farm chocolate tour. It’s educational, fascinating and really, really yummy. And the Rum Safari next to Gaylords. This is a 21 and over activity. Again, fun educational, beautiful area, and did I mention RUM!
Please tip the hard working guides.
My husband and I did this in February of this year. Had so much fun! Our guide was mason and he was fun and full of information. On our ride up we all introduced ourselves, was fun seeing where so many different people came from and we all seemed to become friends throughout the day. Water temp was…invigorating but adjusted quickly. The little water drop made for some hearty giggles. Mason played his ukelele throughout the trip! We all had a little sing a long in last tunnel lol seriously fun time. Loved it!!!
We have done this 3 times and had a blast. I got to laughing so hard I fell out out of the tube and into hip deep water so this is a safe thing. Our grandchildren went with us on 2 of the trips. The only trouble we ran into the first time we went is that they were booked out for a month so even though we were staying for our usual 2 weeks we were not able to go. The nedxt time I booked on line 4-5 weeks ahead.
We have done this three times and enjoyed it every time! It doesn’t get old. Seeing Mount Waialeale from the back side is awesome and quieting. The guides enjoy their job and are good with the guests. Call ahead!
I was on an Incentive Trip in 2015 and we did this. One of our party got dunked and tipped over at the very end. He spent 2 days in bed (coming out of both ends) because he swallowed water. Other than that I thought it was “just ok” and would not spend the money for it myself. It is gentle and nothing scary until you have to turn your headlamps off and are in total darkness. Also you can get scrapped against the walls. The red mud never comes out so don’t wear anything white.
My family and I enjoyed this adventure and would highly recommend it. The guides are great and the scenery was breathtaking. You will definitely get a taste of history and culture of Kauai. Again, highly recommended!
Wear an old swimsuit or an old pair of gym shorts over a suit for the ladies. A few years ago, mine got snagged and ripped a hole. Perhaps about 1.5″ – but rather made the bottom swim shorts unusable. Depending on water levels, there can be some areas with only inches of water – at least when I went through. And it was fun + a bit cold but you get used to it quickly. They seem to have a nicer truck now! It is a bumpy ride.
As loyal followers of BOH we love the fun info in this article. Would be interested in other “tourist” excursions of things to do on Kauai and the other islands that you both recommend. Especially when it’s not a sponsored trip…just added this one to my Hawaii file under “Fun things to do from BOH!”
Mahalo..
Hi Jan.
Thanks. More adventures are forthcoming including one this week. As we don’t want the vendor to know that we’re coming, it’ll be a secret for just a bit.
Aloha.
This was probably the best thing we did in Kauai (well, maybe after visiting all the beaches). Very fun, and would highly recommend it.
We did this activity last year and had a blast. The description given here is pretty accurate and matches our experience. Although they have a minimum age, thank heaven they don’t have a maximum age as my wife and I are in the senior category. The staff who accompanied us on our tour could not have been better at taking good care of us and meeting our every need. We were able to see parts of Kauai that we couldn’t have seen any other way. I recommend this 100%. I also love the regular updates and other information we receive through this newsletter.
Hi Steve.
Thanks. We appreciate your report on the tubing adventure.
Aloha.
We first enjoyed this tour in 2017 as a couple and then brought our whole family in 2019. It is fantastic! Beautiful and interesting! Just enough adventure for the entire family. We sang in the tunnels and made new friends. The employees were the very definition of aloha, just delightful both times. Highly recommend!
Did this tour a few years ago , very fun. The helmets were a big necessity. The tunnels were great ,amazing engineering. Much better than the Belize cave tubing , this water was moving ! Great time !
Did this with our kids years ago. Was unexpectedly fun for this kid too! I highly recommend it for a family outing
We had such a blast doing this last summer. It was enough excitement for the teens and yet safe/calm enough for boring old mom. The tour guides were fantastic, sharing some island lore and culture. I loved getting a bit of plantation history, as well. Each aspect of the tour was enjoyable!
We froze our buts off and couldn’t wait to get dry and warm.
We did it a few years ago and had a great time. Even bouncing off of the walls in the tunnels was fun. It was something unique so we gave it a try and very much enjoyed it. The other unique thing we did in Kauai was a Bi-plane ride. What a rush and what an adventure.
We have taken this Kauai Backcountry Adventure twice and thoroughly enjoyed it each time. The water is a little cold at first, but on a warm day it was refreshing. I would recommend the adventure. All age groups will enjoy. The staff has always been polite and accommodating. It is fun to hear the history of the site. The tunnels are great.
We did this tour, and I loved the ride up where they stopped and told us all about the Giant Bamboo. I believe we actually ventured through some of Steve Case’s property to get there. Not sure if that is still the case, but gave us a view of the Island we had not experienced before.
We went there it was a blast! I laughed and laughed the hole way! Would love to do it again!