Kauai's hidden delights: Guided hiking and kayak tours give you access to the island's private treasures - Brief Article

Sunset, March, 2002 by Harriot Manley

"Hey, Mom, where's Indiana Jones?"

The question is coming from somewhere deep within a nylon poncho billowing out of a kayak that is nosing its way up a stream on Kauai's north shore. My nine-year-old, Sam, is somewhere in that poncho, paddling a zig-zagging course between the vine-cloaked banks of the quiet waterway. As we follow our guides deep into the jungle, the vines--thick as my forearm--create a tunnel around us.

This kind of off-the-map adventure is my goal on our trip to the Garden Isle. While there are plenty of groups offering guided hikes of the Na Pali Coast or kayak paddles on placid rivers, I came looking for trips with a special bonus--either access to areas usually closed to the public or natural surprises in otherwise familiar places.

So now my family is paddling into the heart of the 2,500-acre Princeville Ranch. With exclusive access to the private property, our tour operators, Princeville Ranch Hike & Kayak, have mapped out trails and kayak paddles to jaw-dropping locations.

On this trip, we paddle for about a half-hour upstream, then hike to a rumbling waterfall. Maka, our guide, shows us which plants yielded Polynesian tinctures and medicines and which produced food.

Fortunately we don't have to forage for lunch. As Maka spreads a picnic at the edge of a natural pool below the waterfall, Sam leaps off a ledge and cannonballs into the water.

Indy has arrived.

RELATED ARTICLE: Outfitters and a guidebook

These outfitters offer day hikes or kayak paddles that focus on natural history in unexpected or remote corners of Kauai.

Kauai Nature Tours. Find fossils, ancient sand dunes, and other geologic treasures with scientist Chuck Blay along the wave-carved Mahaulepu Coast, near Poipu Beach. $82, $45 ages 12 and under. (888) 233-8365 or www.teok.com.

Outfitters Kauai. A new trek explores jungle rivers, waterfalls, and private, 4,000-acre Kipu Ranch, established nearly 100 years ago by William Hyde Rice, son of an early missionary. Look for wild boar, pheasant, and working paniolo (Hawaiian for cowboys). $119, $90 ages 14 and under. (888) 742-9887, (808) 742-9667, or www.outfitterskauai.com.

Princeville Ranch Hike & Kayak. Paddle and hike to a private waterfall. $89, $80 ages 12 and under. (888) 955-7669 or www.kauai-hiking.com.

On your own

Stash a copy of Kauai Trailblazer (Diamond Valley Company, 2002; $14.95; 530/694-2740 or www.trailblazertravelbooks.com), by Jerry and Janine Sprout, in your daypack. While its adventures are all on public-access lands, it lists dozens of places--some lesser known--to hike, paddle, bike, snorkel, and surf all around the Garden Isle. The "Best of..." listings in the front are a quick reference to winner locations and activities, such as "short walks to big views."