The Most Incredible Na Pali Coast Boat Tour In Kauai

Our first full day in Kauai began with the most incredible boat tour of the Na Pali coast. We booked the Morning Magic boat tour by Na Pali Experience. This was a 4 1/2 hour tour of the Na Pali coast on a 24 foot boat. The small boat holds 6 people, in addition to the captain. The thing that made this boat tour stand out amongst all the rest was it’s ability to drive the boat into sea caves!

This was our first time seeing the Na Pali coast, except for the small glimpse we got from the airplane window upon landing in Kauai.

All Aboard In Kauai

Na Pali Experience fills all of their boats, so if you have less than 6 people in your group, you will likely be on the boat with another party. We are a family of five, and we had a solo traveler join us on our boat. Our fellow passenger was the nicest young Navy sailor who was stationed in Hawaii and was exploring Kauai on his day off.

Our captain, Dan, was not only a skilled boat captain, but he had an enormous knowledge of the history of Kauai and the Na Pali coast. My youngest daughter was 12 and by law had to wear a life jacket, which was provided for her. There were life jackets available for everyone, but they were not required to be worn.

Cloudy Skies Ahead

It was a sunny day at the boat dock in Kikia’oloa Small Boat Harbor. The boat dock is located in Kekaha which in the southwest portion of the island, just west of Waimea. When we first ventured out into the Pacific Ocean, the water was calm and perfect boat weather!

Captain Dan told us how the Na Pali Coast has its own unique microclimate created by the mountains along the ocean. The mountains act as a barrier forcing the wind to rise, cool and condense into clouds which is why even on a clear sunny day, the Na Pali Coast will have clouds above it. As we approached the Na Pali coast line, we could see the clouds hovering above the rugged mountains.

The calm waters at the boat dock became a little more choppy as we got closer to the coast. My family has a boat so we were accustomed to the movement and it didn’t bother us.

Welcome To The Na Pali Coast in Kauai

When our boat first reached the Na Pali coastline, we were greeted by the King Kong of Kauai. This jagged mountain has the silhouette of a gorilla and was featured in the opening scene of King Kong.

Captain Dan drove the boat close to the shore and the jagged mountains of the Na Pali coastline towered above us. It was so breathtaking to see the mountains from the water. It is hard to describe how small you feel in the midst of such massive beauty.

The Na Pali Coast Welcome Committee

Shortly after our boat tour arrived at the Na Pali Coast, we were greeted by what Captain Dan called “The Na Pali Coast Welcome Committee.” The welcome committee was a pod of 50 dolphins that frequent this area of Kauai. We had about 20 dolphins swim right up to and under our boat! It was magical! Captain Dan stopped the boat so we could sit and watch the dolphins all around us.

The word of the day became “WOW!” We said it so many times throughout this incredible boat tour.

Exploring the Sea Caves of the Na Pali Coast

After leaving our new dolphin friends behind, our first day in Kauai somehow got even better when Captain Dan asked if we were ready to go inside some sea caves. Sea caves?! Of course! The water was pretty choppy, but Captain Dan showed off his stellar driving skills and backed our 24 foot boat right into multiple sea caves!

The first cave that we backed into had another smaller cave inside of it. Inside the center of the cave was a large rock that was only exposed when the waves pulled back. It was a scene out of a National Geographic video! WOW!

Incredible Waterfall Cave

While we were navigating the breathtaking Na Pali Coastline, we came upon a towering waterfall, that started at the very top of the mountain. Captain Dan told us that it was the highest waterfall in Kauai, then said he wanted to show us where it ended. We drove straight for yet another sea cave! As we entered the cave, the bottom of the tallest waterfall in Kauai poured from the top of the cave right into the water in front our boat. There was that word again…..WOW! It was truly incredible!

The Cathedral

One of the prettiest parts of the Na Pali Coast is the The Cathedral. This part of the coastline got its name from the rugged cliffs and lush valleys that form what looks like a cathedral.

More Incredible Moments On The Na Pali Coast

This 4 hour Morning Magic boat tour includes snorkeling. However, the water was too choppy for snorkeling. Instead, we opted to just go for a swim to cool off. Captain Dan had some foam noodles that we used to float in the stunning blue ocean.

As soon as we got back in the boat after our swim, Captain Dan spotted a Mama and baby whale! As we dried off, he drove the boat a little closer to the whales so we could watch them. This was the second time I felt small during this incredible boat tour experience. These awe inspiring animals were so big compared to our tiny boat. There was that word again, wow!

I’m not gonna lie, it wasn’t lost on me that we had just been swimming close to where these two whales were in the water. And the thought of having potentially seen the whales while we were in the water was unsettling to me. I was secretly glad we had not been snorkeling! I can’t imagine seeing two whales while snorkeling! That would be amazing and terrifying all at the same time!

As the boat returned to the harbor, we couldn’t believe all of the incredible things we had just experienced on the Na Pali Coast boat tour. The Na Pali Experience was truly a magical one!

I cannot recommend this boat tour enough. It was the most incredible start to our stay in Kauai.

For more information on the Na Pali experience, click here.

If you are looking for similar tours to the Na Pali Experience, check out these other popular Na Pali Coast Boat Tours:

Raft Adventure-Na Pali 1/2 Day Snorkel

Na Pali Coast Super Raft Adventure

For a once in a lifetime unforgettable view of the Na Pali Coast, check out the most popular helicopter tour!

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