Kauaʻi - Kayaking the Nā Pali Coast to Miloliʻi

Miloliʻi is one of the most remote beaches in Hawaiʻi. It's so remote that it's not possible to reach via land — there are no roads or hiking trails leading to it because it's surrounded by cliffs thousands of feet high. The only way to get there is by kayak.

Unless you're bringing your own kayak to the island, you'll need to rent one. We had a good experience with Kayak Kauai. They offer an all-inclusive package called "Mavericks" which is rather expensive. We booked everything a la carte since we had 2 vehicles and didn't need transportation to and from the put in and take out points.

The Paddle to Miloliʻi

From Hāʻena you begin the 12 mile paddle along the coast. Until you pass Kalalau beach there's a hiking trail weaving up and down the steep Nā Pali and along the coast. You can spot people hiking along the more impressive sections from time to time. If you're lucky and the seas aren't too rough you can kayak into some of the impressive sea caves along the route. We were able to enter one cave that had a small waterfall streaming down over the opening.

You'll see amazing beaches, waterfalls and cliffs on the shore during the trip. If you can get a permit you could even spend a night on Kalalau beach on the way to Miloliʻi. Kalalau is accessible by land via the Kalalau Trail.

Past Kalalau there's a beach called Honopū which is only accessible by swimming from either a boat or Kalalau. You won't be able to visit unless you spend a night on Kalalau, but you can admire it from the water. It has a natural arch connecting two sections of beach and is a popular spot for filming movies.

Beyond Honopū you continue kayaking for 5 miles to reach Miloliʻi. Our guide made sure we knew which direction to approach from in order to land — diagonally angling from the left to the right if you're looking at the signs on shore. There's a channel between the coral which is the calmest.

On Miloliʻi

We had plenty of daylight left to pick a nice spot to camp. We found some trees off to the left from where we landed that were perfectly shaded, and there were even more spots in both directions.

On the southwest end of the beach there's a valley with lots of lush greenery. There's fresh water flowing in the creek although it's a bit silty — you could filter this for drinking. There's also a spring on the left side of the canyon several hundred meters back. You can find it because there's a taro plant growing beneath it (large heart shaped leaves). If you follow the stream and the valley as far back as they go you'll find a small waterfall with some relatively easy to climb rocks on the right side. Scramble up the rocks and you'll be taken back into an incredible area with thousand foot tall walls surrounding you on all sides. You can scramble even further to the base of a waterfall. When we were there it was flowing as it had rained the day before, but it's often dry.

This spot was my favorite of my entire trip on Kauaʻi — no one else was back there and it was absolutely majestic.

Leaving Miloliʻi

We woke up leisurely and hung out at camp for a while before packing everything up and launching our kayaks. It was easy enough even though our guide had left (we only booked him for the first day). The paddle from Miloliʻi to Pōlihale (where you take out the kayaks) was uneventful enough — a straight shot for 5 miles. There continue to be impressive cliffs and beaches for the rest of the paddle. Make sure you ask your guide on the first day where the best spot to land is — the waves on Pōlihale can be pretty rough!

Notes

• The beach is closed in the winter months due to high surf. Be sure to work with a local guide to make sure you do this adventure safely.
• The total trip is about 17 miles point-to-point.