Kauai is the easiest Hawaiian island with children: no big-city traffic, beaches with lifeguards on every shore, and tours that take kids younger than you would expect. The catch is that every tour has a minimum age, and the beaches change with the season. This guide sorts it out by age, with the rules as the operators set them.
Minimum ages at a glance
| Activity | Minimum age | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Nā Pali boat from Kekaha | 4 | Shade, shower, 18 guests |
| Nā Pali catamaran from Hanalei | 4 | Beach launch, Mar to Dec |
| Mountain tubing | 5 and 43 inches | Every child on their own tube |
| Nā Pali raft | 6 | No shade, no bathroom, bouncy |
| Wailua kayak to Secret Falls | All ages per the operator | Kids paddle tandem; a muddy mile of hiking |
| Koloa zipline | 7 | Tandem lines for light riders |
| Private helicopter | 7 | Every seat a window |
Ages 2 to 4: beaches and short drives
Under 4 no Nā Pali boat will take you, so the first years are beach years. Lydgate Beach Park on the east side has two rock-walled pools where the ocean cannot reach, a lifeguard and the biggest playground on the island. Poʻipū Beach Park on the south shore has a natural keiki pool and lifeguards. ʻAnini on the north shore is knee-deep for a hundred yards behind its reef. Salt Pond in Hanapēpē is the locals’ family cove. All four are in our best beaches guide.
Drive-up waterfalls, Wailua Falls and ʻŌpaekaʻa Falls, are ten minutes from each other and need no walking. The Kīlauea Lighthouse has seabirds, whales in winter and a short flat path. Spouting Horn is a five-minute blowhole stop. Keep the drives short; the Kapaʻa traffic and the one-lane bridges past Hanalei test everyone’s patience.
Ages 4 to 6: the first boat trip
From 4, the two Nā Pali catamarans take children: the power catamaran from Kekaha year round, and the Hanalei catamaran from March to December. Both have shade and a bathroom, which the raft does not. Book the morning departure, bring a sweatshirt, give motion-sickness medicine an hour ahead, and sit toward the stern.
From 5 and 43 inches, mountain tubing is the single best family activity on the island: a lazy float down plantation canals and through five tunnels with headlamps, every child on their own tube, lunch and a swimming hole at the end. It runs rain or shine and sells out days ahead.
Ages 6 to 9: rafts, rivers and ziplines
At 6 the Nā Pali raft opens up, and this is the age where it starts to be the better choice for an adventurous family: the caves, the waterfalls, the dolphins at the bow. No bathroom on board, so use the marina restroom first.
The Wailua River kayak works well from about 6: kids paddle tandem with a parent, the hike is a muddy mile with two stream crossings, and the reward is a swim under a 120-foot waterfall. Weekdays only; the river is closed to tours on weekends.
At 7, the Koloa zipline takes kids on tandem lines beside a parent or guide, and the private helicopter takes them in their own window seat.
Ages 10 and up: everything
Teenagers can do every tour on this site. The combination we see families rave about most: the raft one morning, the zipline that afternoon, tubing the next day, and a beach day between. For a full week, see our 5-day Kauai itinerary, which has a family version.
The beach rules
Three things every parent should know. Winter is surf season on the north shore: from about November to March, Hanalei, Tunnels and Kēʻē are for watching, not swimming; take the kids to ʻAnini, Poʻipū or Lydgate instead. Swim where the lifeguards are: Hanalei (Pine Trees and the pavilion), Hāʻena, Kēʻē, ʻAnini, Kealia, Lydgate, Kalapaki, Poʻipū and Salt Pond. Never at Hanakāpīʻai: the beach at the end of the first two miles of the Kalalau Trail has the deadliest rip on the island.
The rainy-day plan
It rains on Kauai, mostly on the north and east sides and mostly briefly. If the day is wet: mountain tubing runs regardless and is better in the rain. The Kauai Museum in Līhuʻe is small and good. The south shore is usually sunny when the north shore is not; Poʻipū Beach is a 90-minute drive from Princeville and often a different climate.
Where to stay with kids
The south shore (Poʻipū) for the calmest year-round swimming and the shortest drive to the Port Allen boats and the zipline. The east side (Kapaʻa) for the most central base, the river and the bike path. The north shore in summer for the beaches of the postcards. Our where to stay on Kauai guide has the trade-offs.
Written by Kauai locals who spend their days on the water and the trails. How we make money.
