The most western island of Hawaii is the oldest island of the Hawaiian archipelago and that’s quite reflected through its landscape. The northwestern portion of the Na Pali Coast for example boasts a spectacular display of an advanced state of erosion cause by extreme weathering over millions of years. The ridges have eroded so severely that they stand nearly upright on the beach. It’s like green, soft curtains cover the many inland canyons and waterfalls as such. A pretty sight.
Even though it rains often in here – apparently the wettest place on earth is to be found here – and winds can be strong, the island resembles a Moana-like paradise. The island has been the set of many films because of that; Pirates of the Caribbean, Jurassic Park (the landing shot at the waterfall), The Descendants and King Kong all have been filmed here.
Fruits and flowers grow everywhere on the island, fish and turtles are abundant while snorkeling just a couple of meters offshore and wild roosters run free like they own the space. Seriously, every parking is packed with tons of these chicks, they even call Kauai ‘The Rooster Island’ or ‘The Garden Island’ due to it.
I barely discovered downsides while travelling here, apart from those hindering chickens perhaps. The best part of the trip was that you don’t need to take tours to explore the island – so even on a budget a trip to Kauai is really affordable. I’ll cover some more stories and tips of what to do about the island later, but for now here’s a photo gallery of 5 days on one of the most gorgeous islands in the Pacific!
