An Adventure is Calling One Week in Kauai Itinerary
Destinations,  Hawaii,  Kauai,  North America,  Our Adventures,  USA

One Week (7 days) in Kauai Itinerary

I’m sharing a one week (7 day) itinerary of Kauai that includes the best beaches, hikes, and activities! Of all the trips my husband and I have ever taken, our one week trip to the Hawaiian island of Kauai has been the most relaxing. We loved every minute of our trip and truly did not want to leave. It is an outdoor lover’s  and adventure seeker’s paradise!

We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post. We only recommend products and services that we love!

I’ll start with highly recommending that you get a rental car, if at all possible. While there are several great options for guided bus tours on the island, Kauai is a small island that is easy to drive around. You will experience so much more when you are able to move at your own pace!


We joined my side of the family (13 people total, including 5 children) for an amazing week in Kauai during the month of April. The trip was the perfect blend of extended family time and couple time. We took this trip before having our baby, so my husband and I went off on several excursions as just a couple, but we also spent a lot of time having fun with our nieces and nephews (we kind of felt like we took two trips- one with our family and another one by ourselves). It was the perfect balance! You might be interested in also reading my top 10 things to do in Kauai!

You might also be interested in our Beach Vacation Packing List!

One Week (7 Days) in Kauai

Day 1 – Kauai Itinerary

Waimea Canyon

On our first full day in Kauai, we woke up bright and early and ready to explore. We joined my parents for an incredible trip to Waimea Canyon. This is a must-see in my opinion! Also known as the “Grand Canyon of the Pacific”, Waimea Canyon is a gorgeous, scenic canyon full of stunning views of its colorful rocks, the ocean and waterfalls. We arrived early (around 9 am), when the sun was out and shining. I honestly felt like I was standing inside of a postcard!

The rain did roll in after a couple hours. It was still beautiful, and we still enjoyed it (but we are glad we caught the sunshine first!). We explored several small trails and pulled our car over multiple times to catch different glimpses of the canyon.

Pro Tip: There are several ways to explore Waimea Canyon. Consider booking a guided tour with a local or see it by helicopter!

An Adventure is Calling One Week in Kauai Itinerary

An Adventure is Calling One Week in Kauai Itinerary

An Adventure is Calling One Week in Kauai Itinerary

Pro Tip: Unshoes are the perfect minimalist hiking sandal for exploring Kauai! Check out my full review here.

An Adventure is Calling One Week in Kauai Itinerary

An Adventure is Calling One Week in Kauai Itinerary

 

Olympic Café

We got back to our vacation home in the late afternoon, where we showered and got ready for the evening. The rest of my family headed to a luau for dinner (my husband and I opted out of this part because we couldn’t justify the price, knowing that I wouldn’t be able to eat much due to my food allergies; we joined them a little later). We ate at the Olympic Café in Poipu and loved it! My husband loved his kalua pig, and I loved my surf n’ turf. (We definitely went back to this restaurant a few other times!)

 

Lydgate Park

After dinner, we headed to Lydgate Park in Lihue while the sun was setting. We enjoyed an amazing walk on the beach and loved the beautiful storm clouds. If you’re traveling with babies or toddlers, consider checking out Lydgate’s Baby Beach during the day for safe, protected swimming.

An Adventure is Calling One Week in Kauai Itinerary

Smith Family Garden Luau

We ended our first day with an amazing show at Smith Family Garden Luau in Lihue! We joined my family for the show (we purchased the show-only tickets) and loved watching it with my nieces and nephews. The show was really well done, and I would highly recommend it for your luau experience! Another highly rated option is the Luau Kalamaku in Lihue.

You might also be interested in: 10 Things To Do In Kauai

An Adventure is Calling One Week in Kauai Itinerary

An Adventure is Calling One Week in Kauai Itinerary

 

Day 2 – Kauai Itinerary

Kauai Coffee Company

My husband and I started our morning by going to the Kauai Coffee Company in Kalaheo. My husband is a big coffee fan, so this was a must-see on his list. I’m not a coffee drinker, but I had a lot of fun there too. We tried several coffee samples and took a self-guided tour of their grounds (they also offer complimentary guided tours throughout the day). It was fun to see where the coffee is grown and how it’s made. My husband stocked up on coffee in their gift shop! While I highly recommend buying their coffee directly from its source, you can try it before you go too!

Pro Tip: Consider booking the Kauai Adventure Audio Driving Tour (app)! You’ll have the freedom to explore at your own pace and in your own car, while learning about the best spots to stop on the island- including Kauai Coffee Company!

An Adventure is Calling One Week in Kauai Itinerary

 

An Adventure is Calling One Week in Kauai Itinerary

 

Snorkeling at Poipu State Beach

We met up with my parents at Poipu State Beach for some snorkeling! We rented our snorkel gear for the week from Boss Frog’s and had a great experience! (My dad also rented an underwater camera- that was a lot of fun to use!) This was the first time I had ever snorkeled, and it was a lot easier that I expected. We saw a ton of beautiful fish and enjoyed a couple relaxing hours there before the waves got too choppy. We returned here a few other times throughout our week, as it was really close to where we were staying. We have since started traveling with our own snorkel sets and highly recommend it if you plan to visit beach destinations often!

Learn from our mistakes and leave your wedding rings at home when you’re snorkeling! My husband lost his here!

If you prefer to stick with a guide, there are several amazing snorkeling tours on the island!

Pro Tip: Purchase or rent an underwater photography camera! You won’t regret capturing those amazing, underwater photos during your snorkeling adventures.

You might also be interested in: Things to do on the North Shore, Oahu

An Adventure is Calling One Week in Kauai Itinerary

An Adventure is Calling One Week in Kauai Itinerary  An Adventure is Calling One Week in Kauai Itinerary

An Adventure is Calling One Week in Kauai Itinerary

My Parent’s Vow Renewal At Shipwreck Beach

My entire family then cleaned up and headed to Shipwreck Beach for my parent’s vow renewal ceremony (to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary). We celebrated with a beautiful ceremony, a ukulele serenade, delicious coconut water, and family photo shoot. It was so wonderful to celebrate my parent’s love as a family.

Pro Tip: If you’re traveling to a Hawaiian island (or another beautiful destination!), I highly recommend booking a photoshoot. Flytographer is a company that I love that helps you book a photo shoot with a local photographer in over 200 cities around the world. We didn’t use them on this particular trip, but have used them in other locations and plan to use them on our next Hawaiian vacation. You can read more about why I love them here, and you can use my referral link for $25 off your first photo shoot with them. You can read about our experience with Flytographer on Oahu here!

An Adventure is Calling One Week in Kauai Itinerary

An Adventure is Calling One Week in Kauai Itinerary

An Adventure is Calling One Week in Kauai Itinerary  An Adventure is Calling One Week in Kauai Itinerary

An Adventure is Calling One Week in Kauai Itinerary

 

Plantation Gardens Restaurant in Poipu

We continued the celebration at Plantation Gardens Restaurant in Poipu. The gardens were gorgeous, and we had an amazing table on the lanai. We enjoyed a delicious dinner of ribs and steak (and it was my first time eating poke!). I recommend this restaurant for a nice dinner.

An Adventure is Calling One Week in Kauai Itinerary

 

Day 3 – Kauai Itinerary

Hanakapi’ai Falls Trail & Ke’e Beach

We started the day bright and early and arrived at Ke’e Beach at 7am to ensure a parking spot. My husband and I spent a majority of the day hiking the Hanakapi’ai Falls Trail (at the Napali Coast State Wildnerness Park), and it was the highlight of our trip! My parents joined us for the first ½ mile (the rest of my family planned to as well, but a few of the kids got sick and had to take it easy that day).

Please note that this hike is considered strenuous. It is well worth it if you are able! The views were amazing! Really…every step of the way was breathtaking. The hike to Hanakapi’ai Falls is 8 miles roundtrip and typically takes about 8-9 hours (we did it in about 8.5). If you are not able to hike the entire trail, I highly recommend doing that first ½ mile if at all possible!

You might also be interested in: Things to do on the East Shore, Oahu

An Adventure is Calling One Week in Kauai Itinerary

An Adventure is Calling One Week in Kauai Itinerary

An Adventure is Calling One Week in Kauai Itinerary

Then we continued another 1.5 miles to Hanakapiai Beach. The beach is beautiful, but it is not safe for swimming. There are restrooms here and many people turn around at this point.

An Adventure is Calling One Week in Kauai Itinerary

We had 2 more miles to reach the falls. This next portion was more inland and more like a jungle-experience. It was so amazing!

An Adventure is Calling One Week in Kauai Itinerary

The actual falls are glorious! They are about 300 feet high and the setting is amazingly peaceful. We enjoyed resting, eating lunch, and splashing in the water [Keep in mind that leptospirosis (lepto) is present in the fresh water on the island, so you’ll want to pay attention to warning signs and suggestions when enjoying the water.]


An Adventure is Calling One Week in Kauai Itinerary

An Adventure is Calling One Week in Kauai Itinerary

An Adventure is Calling One Week in Kauai Itinerary

The way out was just as gorgeous, but we were definitely tired by the end. Like I said, this was the highlight of our trip! We relaxed for awhile at Ke’e Beach (great for snorkeling!) after our long journey.

An Adventure is Calling One Week in Kauai Itinerary

An Adventure is Calling One Week in Kauai Itinerary

 

 

Day 4 – Kauai Itinerary

Easter Service at Kiahuna Plantation in Koloa

Happy Easter! Because we were these during this special holiday, our entire family attended a beachside church service at the Kiahuna Plantation in Koloa. After the service, the church put on an Easter Egg Hunt for kids. It was a great way to celebrate!

An Adventure is Calling One Week in Kauai Itinerary

 

Brunch at Keoki’s Paradise

We enjoyed a delicious Easter brunch at Keoki’s Paradise in Poipu. The buffet was well worth the high price tag! The restaurant was really fun and even had a little cat walking around!

You might also be interested in: Beach Vacation Photo Shoot in Hawaii + Flytographer Discount Code

An Adventure is Calling One Week in Kauai Itinerary

An Adventure is Calling One Week in Kauai Itinerary

We spent the rest of the day relaxing as a family and snorkeling at Poipu Beach. It was nice to take it slow after such a busy day the day before. My husband cooked us kalua pig and it was incredible!

 

Day 5 – Kauai Itinerary

Napali Coast Catamaran Tour

We joined one of my sisters and her husband for a 6 hour catamaran tour to the Napali Coast. The only way to see this portion of the island is to travel by boat or helicopter (or go on a multi-day, strenuous backpacking trip). The views were incredible. Near the beginning of our trip, we enjoyed riding the waves on the trampoline in the front. The water was the most amazing blue (I have never seen such beautiful colors anywhere else!) and we rode along with the dolphins.

Now for the not-so-great-news: my husband and brother-in-law both got seasick about 2 hours in to the ride. They both spent 4 hours throwing up off the back of the boat, along with over half of the other passengers. It was pretty bad… I never got sick but felt like I was on the verge. I stayed near the front of the boat, away from the sick people in the back and in the fresh air while my sweet sister (shoutout to FreetoTravelMama) went back and forth to check on our sick husbands in the back. If we had known how it would have turned out, we wouldn’t have done it! But we made the most of it and are holding on to the fun memories we collected before the seasickness kicked in. 😊

Pro tips  to avoid seasickness (because once it hits, it might not leave until you’re back on land): wear Seaband bracelets! I swear by them and wore mine from the beginning. My sister and her husband took a natural seasickness medicine, which seemed to work for my sister (but not my brother-in-law). My husband had never been seasick and thought he would be fine- but we learned our lesson! If you do start to feel sick, don’t hide in the bathroom of the boat. Find fresh air and watch where you’re going (this worked for me). In our situation, the crew had everyone who was sick head to the back. It was rocky back there and definitely didn’t help those that were already sick, but it kept them away from those that were feeling well (watching other people get sick can definitely encourage you to get sick too- so don’t watch!).

If you’d love to see the Napali Coast but are worried about getting seasick, consider booking a helicopter tour of the island!

An Adventure is Calling One Week in Kauai Itinerary

An Adventure is Calling One Week in Kauai Itinerary

An Adventure is Calling One Week in Kauai Itinerary

 

An Adventure is Calling One Week in Kauai Itinerary

 

 

An Adventure is Calling One Week in Kauai Itinerary

 

Poipu Village

We got back to our VRBO in the late afternoon, where my husband drank a lot of coconut water and took a much-needed nap (it took him a long time to recover). I headed to Poipu Village with several of our family members for a fun, free hula show. It was very low-key and a great way to have fun with the kids.

An Adventure is Calling One Week in Kauai Itinerary

 

Day 6 – Kauai Itinerary

Opaekaa Falls

We stopped by Opaekaa Falls briefly to enjoy the view. One of the things I love about Kauai is how beautiful the scenery is, no matter where you’re heading! If we had the time, we would have spent more time enjoying these falls.

An Adventure is Calling One Week in Kauai Itinerary

Kamokila Hawaiian Village

Our entire family loved the Kamokila Hawaiian Village. It is a cute little Hawaiian village where you can learn about their culture and way of life. There were peacocks and cats everywhere! We were given a tour, and the kids especially enjoyed exploring the huts and participating in the activities.

Pro Tip: Bring bug spray!

An Adventure is Calling One Week in Kauai Itinerary

An Adventure is Calling One Week in Kauai Itinerary

An Adventure is Calling One Week in Kauai Itinerary

An Adventure is Calling One Week in Kauai Itinerary\ An Adventure is Calling One Week in Kauai Itinerary

Fern Grotto

After our tour, we rented outrigger canoes and traditional canoes and traveled to Fern Grotto. This was, by far, our favorite thing that we did as an entire family. Fern Grotto is a fern-covered, lava rock grotto located on the Wailua River. We loved exploring the grotto with our guide, who taught us all about the plants we came across on our walk. I highly recommend doing this (babies are allowed too!). We also took several little detours on the river along the way.

An Adventure is Calling One Week in Kauai Itinerary

An Adventure is Calling One Week in Kauai Itinerary

 

An Adventure is Calling One Week in Kauai Itinerary

Snorkeling at Anini Beach

We spent the afternoon at Anini Beach, where we had a blast snorkeling as a family. This turned out to be our favorite snorkeling location! The water was so still and clear, and we were able to spot a turtle (this beach is known for this!). My nieces and nephews were also able to snorkel easily here.

An Adventure is Calling One Week in Kauai Itinerary

Day 7 – Kauai Itinerary

Secret Falls Kayak Trip Down the Wailua River & Hike

On our final day, we all parted ways and each family did their own thing. We rented a two person kayak and headed to the Wailua River again. We kayaked and then hiked the extra mile to the Secret Falls (officially called the Uluwehi Falls). We did this on our own, but there are many guided tour options available on the island.

The falls were beautiful, but we honestly wish we had done this hike before Hanakapi’ai Falls, because it was much smaller. But it was still beautiful and we would absolutely do it again!

An Adventure is Calling One Week in Kauai Itinerary

An Adventure is Calling One Week in Kauai Itinerary

An Adventure is Calling One Week in Kauai Itinerary

An Adventure is Calling One Week in Kauai Itinerary

An Adventure is Calling One Week in Kauai Itinerary

Our trip came to an end much too soon, but we are incredibly thankful to have enjoyed such a beautiful week in Kauai. I hope you were able to find some inspiration from our itinerary as you plan your own trip! Check out our Beach Vacation Packing List for Hawaii packing tips! And if you’re traveling to Kauai with your kids, check out this post by Patsey Family Travels for tips!

Have you been to Hawaii? I’d love to hear about your experience (on any island)!

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