LPOWMACBACK

Husband, 20-year old son and I are considering Kauia for our mid-March trip - We all LOVE nature and hiking - but I have have some lower back issues as well as osteoporosis - so rough hiking is not for me... Can I still see & experience the natural beauty of Kauai without hard-core hiking or biking?

Also... is the Kayaking very intensive and dangerous with currents? Maybe I could do that too!

Thanks!

Lisa

glimmer2

You could kayak some of the rivers which would put less strain on your body. March should still be seeing some heavy swells on the North and East shores.
Snorkeling is pretty easy if you are a decent swimmer.
Horseback riding may also fit your bill.

diann24

If you want to experience this island and cannot to do this through hiking do it by helicopter. It was the most wonderful experience of all. totally awesome with headphones and all. Just sit back and relax and take it all in. We used airkauai they have a great safety record and it was wonderful. (I also have osteo in the back.)

volcanogirl

We did the helicopter tour, and it was amazing - honestly, one of the best things we've ever done. Also enjoyed a sunset sailing cruise along the Na Pali coast. Great snorkeling too.

jamie99

I feel for you as I have the same issues as you do now (had fractured vertebrae twice now, last time in Mexico) so hiking is pretty much out for me now.

We enjoy doing the Na Pali coast boat tours, but prefer the morning ones. We have done Captain Andy's and twice Holo Holo. This year we may try Liko, comes highly recommended. But do not do the zodiac boats with a bad back.

auntiemaria

You can kayak the rivers -- as long as their hasn't been a recent downpour upstream, which will increase the level of leptosporosis in the river water.

As for hiking, there are many easy trails, especially up at Kokee Park.

SandratheGardener

We did a portion of the Pihea trail in Koke'e last week - (I think we did *most* of it, but we aren't certain... Came to a part that was really steep and muddy & I wouldn't risk it). The trail is two miles to the Alakai swamp trail, we think we did the first mile/maybe a little more.

There were some incline/decline areas on what we hiked, but a lot of it was wide and somewhat flat (gentle slopes).

Two years ago we hiked Kalalau trail to Hanakapi beach - would have loved to do it again but I'm 5 months pregnant and that was a very strenuous/nervewracking hike! When we came to the really steep part of the Pihea it remided me a bit of the Kalalau with it's severe decline and the muddiness - if I weren't PG we would have continued but since I am, we turned around at that point. It was still a fantastic hike - active, beautiful scenery - just not as challenging as Kalalau.

The view of the valley was so amazing, and the drive up Waimea Canyon to the park is lovely too. Even if you aren't up for the hike, drive the canyon & stop at the overlooks. There's a nature trail at the park headquarters as well - we didn't hike it but I got the impression it was more of a walk than a hike.

Kayaking a river would be fun but we weren't up to it... I don't have the ability to paddle for any length of time right now (paddling uses core strength... my midsection is put to other uses now LOL). We did kayak around the lagoon at the Hyatt for 30 minutes That was enough to convince DH he wasn't up for a 3 hour river kayak trip. Hopefully someone else can give you more insight!