Booking choice: The Secret Falls Kayak & Hike, from $135 per person. Check dates Compare the options below
Only permitted outfitters may rent boats or guide on the Wailua River, and both run Monday to Friday only. The choice is about experience, budget and how much you want someone else to decide when the water is too high.
Note: the trail to the falls is closed after Hurricane Lowell, so for now either option gets you the river and the landing only. See is Secret Falls open.
The quick answer
Rent if you are a confident paddler happy to navigate and make your own safety calls: paddleboards from $64 with a map and briefing. Book a guide if it is your first time, you have kids or you want the stories: tours run $135 to $165 and handle navigation, crossings and timing.
How do a rental and a guided tour compare?
A rental is cheaper and on your own schedule; a guided tour costs more but brings navigation, safety calls and local knowledge.
| Rental (paddleboard or kayak) | Guided tour | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | From $64 | $135 to $165 |
| Days | Monday to Friday | Monday to Friday |
| Navigation | Map and briefing | Guide leads |
| River crossing | Your judgement | Guide decides |
| Getting to the river | Carry the board on your own car | Meet at the outfitter or marina |
| Lunch | Bring your own | Included on some |
| Pace | Your own | The group's |
First time on the Wailua? The most-booked guided trip takes the navigation off your hands.
Check dates for the Secret Falls Kayak & HikeHow does the Secret Falls rental work?
You collect a board, paddle, leash, life vest, dry bag and map at the shop, strap the board to your car and launch at the river a few minutes away.
The Kauai SUP paddleboard rental ($64, 4.7 from 123 reviews) is in the Wailua Shopping Plaza and includes a lesson and instructions. You need your own vehicle to carry the board; the shop provides foam pads and straps. No experience is needed, and sitting or kneeling on the board is always an option.
Is it hard to paddle to Secret Falls on your own?
The river is calm, but the way back is usually upstream and upwind, and the riverboat leaves a wake.
Guests report that the return leg is the hard part and that you should kneel or sit when the riverboat passes. If you are unsure, reviewers say kayaks are easier than boards. Once the trail reopens, you also find the landing, the route and the river crossing yourself.
Who should choose a rental?
Confident paddlers who can read a river, turn back when it looks wrong, and would rather go at their own pace.
Rentals suit fit couples and families with older children who have paddled before and want to take a bag lunch and linger. Rentals are suspended during flood advisories and flash-flood watches, and every rented boat now needs a DLNR registration decal, which the outfitter handles.
Confident on the water? The paddleboard rental is the cheapest way onto the Wailua.
Explore the paddleboard rentalWho should choose a guided tour?
First-timers, families with kids, anyone unsure about river crossings, and anyone who wants the history of the valley.
Guides point out the plants, the heiau and the story of a valley once reserved for Hawaiian royalty, and they decide when the water is too high to cross. The Secret Falls Kayak & Hike ($135) is the most booked; Duke's ($150) adds a paddling lesson; Kayak Kauai ($155) adds a picnic lunch.
Which guided tour is best?
The most-booked half day for value, Duke's for a gentler start, and Kayak Kauai or Rainbow if you want lunch included.
All rate 4.8 or close on Viator. Kayak Kauai supplies walking sticks and a deli lunch; Rainbow Kayak Tours ($165) gives you the most time at the falls with a handmade lunch; Outfitters Kauai ($145) caps groups at 12. Full breakdown in what Secret Falls costs.
Want lunch at the falls? The Kayak Kauai trip packs a deli picnic.
Check dates for the Kayak Kauai small-group tripDoes a guide make it safer?
Yes, mainly at the river crossing, which can reach your waist after rain and rises quickly.
Guests on guided trips report being turned back mid-hike on stormy days, with a partial refund. On a rental that call is yours. Read the hike guide before you decide.
Frequently asked questions
Can you kayak to Secret Falls without a guide?
Yes, with a rental from a permitted Wailua River outfitter, Monday to Friday. While the trail is closed after Hurricane Lowell, rentals can paddle the river and use the landing only.
Is a paddleboard or a kayak better for Secret Falls?
Guests report kayaks are easier if you are unsure; boards are fine on the calm river, but kneel when the riverboat passes.
Do rentals include a map?
Yes. The paddleboard rental includes a map, a briefing, a life vest, a leash and a dry bag.
Ready to book
Choose your river day
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before on every option. Prices are from-prices in USD and move with the season.
Secret Falls Kayak & Hike
- Guided kayak on the Wailua River (about 4 miles round trip)
- Guided rainforest hike to Uluwehi Falls (about 2 miles round trip, 465 ft gain)
- Kayak, paddles, backrest and life jacket
Small-Group Kayak & Waterfall Hike with Lunch
- Guided river kayak and hike
- Deli sandwich lunch, chips, cookie and pineapple
- Double kayak, paddles and life jackets
