Best Kauai Northeast, Fern Grotto River Cruise & Lighthouse Tour
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Kauai, USA
- 6 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Spend a whole day exploring the best of Kauai’s beauty and culture without having to rent a car on a small-group tour that combines land and river sightseeing. Let your driver and guide show you the Garden Isle’s top sights, from the Kilauea Lighthouse to a bird sanctuary and lush waterfalls. Catch a boat up the Wailua River to the Fern Grotto for a traditional hula show.
- A perfect introduction for first-time visitors to Kauai
- A river boat cruise to the Fern grotto is included
- Pickup from hotels in select areas is included
- Small group sizes ensure personal attention from your guide
What's Included
- Hotel pickup & drop-off (Princeville to Kapaa only)
- 6-hr Sightseeing tour of the North and East Shores
- River boat cruise to the Fern Grotto
- Kilauea Lighthouse & Wildlife Refuge (open Wed., visit Lookout Mon.)
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- Luxury Sprinter or SUV depending on passenger counts
- Professional and entertaining tour guide
- LunchWe stop for a no-host lunch
- GratuitiesGratuities are not included in the price of the tour
Meeting and Pickup
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Pickup details
We pickup from hotels on the north and east side of Kauai starting at 8:00am in Princeville, 8:45am in Kapaa, 9:00am in Wailua and 9:15am at Smith's Boats at the Wailua Marina for guests coming from Lihue or the south side. Please call 24-hrs before your tour to confirm pickup time and location. Tour is about 6-7 hours depending on traffic and pickup location.
Arranged start time
Confirm time with the local provider in advance of your experience.
- 04/01/2025 - 04/13/2027
Monday : 8:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Wednesday : 8:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Itinerary
1
Fern Grotto
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
2
Opaekaa Falls
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
3
Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
4
Anini Beach
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
5
Hanalei Bay
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
6
Wai'oli Hui'ia Church
5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Infant seats available
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Most travelers can participate
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 14 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Kevin_S
Our beautiful day exploring the Northern and Eastern sections of Kauai was made more special by Dome who educated everyone about so many aspects of Kauai. This is a great way to spend part of your day while on the Garden Island.
Reviews
4.6
based on 198 reviews
Yvonne_P, Mar 2026
Scott was top notch as our guide. He was very attentive and knowledgeable. He showed us great sites and made recommendations for anything someone in the group asked about. We truly enjoyed our day with Scott!
Sarah_R, Jan 2026
The lighthouse and the church (supposedly part of paid tour))were borh closed, so big chunk of tour was unavailable! Viator should have told us this information ahead of time, and we would have cancellled tour.
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Unfortunately the Lighthouse is closed Sunday through Tuesday. This is mentioned in the tour description with Viator. On these days we visit the Lighthouse overlook so guests do get an incredible photo opportunity of the Lighthouse and Wildlife Refuge. I do apologize for the confusion.
Nancy_R, Nov 2025
The boat ride was calm, entertaining and the walk to the Fern Grotto beautiful. We almost missed the boat due to miscommunication, but it worked out.
Roland, our tour guide driver on the island, was very positive, informative, and kind. Kudos!
Response from Host, Nov 2025
Thanks for the review. I'm glad you enjoyed your day with Orlando.
Tedda_R, Nov 2025
Tour guide was fabulous. He knew a whole lot about the island during the tour. Kind and thoughtful. I loved the destinations as well. Great lunch choice also.
Terrie_T, Nov 2025
We took the Kauaʻi Northeast, Fern Grotto River Cruise & Lighthouse Tour and our driver Scott truly made the experience special. He embodied the aloha spirit — knowledgeable, kind, and thoughtful throughout the day.
For someone visiting Kauaʻi for the first time, this is a wonderful tour that gives a great overview of the island’s beautiful northeast side. There is a fair amount of driving, so just be prepared for a full day — but the scenery and Scott’s storytelling make it all worthwhile.
One of the most fascinating parts was learning about the Coco Palms Resort, where Elvis Presley stayed while filming Blue Hawaii. The resort was destroyed by Hurricane Iniki in 1992 and has never been rebuilt. The site sits next to sacred grounds where Hawaiian royalty once lived. Scott explained how developers have tried to rebuild over the years, but Native Hawaiians have fought to preserve the land as sacred — and after hearing its history, I completely understand why.
Scott’s knowledge, passion, and aloha spirit made this tour truly memorable.
Terry_S, Oct 2025
Learn alot of history of island. Learn off the regular path places to visit or go too. Get some fantastic photo opportunities. Have some relaxing fun.
Donna_C, Aug 2025
A perfect introduction to our first day in Kauai!! Our driver, Scott, was incredibly informative and a consummate gentleman. We felt safe and comfortable ~ and his love of and respect for this island is so evident.
MATHIVATHANI_S, Jun 2025
Tour was good. But Tour guide didn't show Anini Beach. Very much disappointed. In fact, we travelers were on time and he dropped early too. Instead showing houses and reading shop names, Whatever listed should be shown.
Edward_S, May 2025
Great information on the riding part of our tour! We saw baby albatross in their nests♥️ and the light house. Gray was great!
The grotto cruise was fantastic too!
Laura_C, May 2025
Bring an umbrella or rain jacket. Good chance it will rain. Our driver had a great personality and gave us lots of fun and interesting facts. The bus was very comfortable. I suggest participants leave a little extra time to make sure they know where the marina is if they need to meet their driver there. The Hawaiian entertainers were excellent- they sang and danced on the boat ride because it rained at the Grotto.
Joe_C, Nov 2024
Scott was a wonderful, friendly tour guide who showed us the best parts of Kauai. He's clearly respected by the locals as everyone welcomed his tour group warmly and waved hello to him. We had an amazing time on our tour!
Leonard_T, Aug 2024
We had just a great time visiting the different locations. Our tour guide, Scott, was very nice and knowledgeable about everything on the island and made our trip very special. I highly recommend this tour.
Thomas_D, Mar 2024
Scott’s encyclopedic knowledge of the island and its history. Delivered in a very interesting way. Pick up was right on time. Communication from main office was good. Lunch was at a awesome local spot.
Response from Host, Mar 2024
I just want to thanks you for the great report on Scott. He loves his job and is providing guests with a great Kauai experience.
Patti_O, Feb 2024
It was a very nice tour just have a couple of concerns. We liked the smith boats the most and the fern grotto. 1st the excursion description say tour is from 8am to 2pm 6 hours. What we found out was the actual tour doesnt start till 930 then goes 6 hours. Because they pick people up 1st. Which is fine but would have been nice to know since we were on a cruise ship leaving at 5pm and we had to catch an uber back to the ship. Then at the end they dropped everyone off b4 we were brought back to johnsons which we also didnt know. Again would have been helpful knowing our schedule. Needless to say it was stressful being concerned if we were gonna make it or not. It was close. The other thing is it said lunch not provided which I understand the wording, however, if it would have said there will be a lunch stop at barrell chicken would have been nice. Last thing is we got in that traffic mess were they are doing road work just to drive thru the middle of town and turn around and get back in that traffic mess. We didnt get out or anything. Scott was a very nice guy and helpful.
Darlene_T, Feb 2024
Enjoyed the places we stopped at but too long of riding time in tour bus for us. Tour guide was very knowledgeable & personable.
Mansfield_C, Dec 2023
The driver was great. He made the best of a crappy day. It rained the whole tour. The operator of the tour should have canceled and given or money back, or at least given the option. But no, we all had to endure the whole day getting rained on and I would like to get a return of my money.
Kathy_W, Oct 2023
Our tour guide was entertaining and shared some great stories and history about Kauai. The river tour was a lot of fun and we were entertained with singing and hula dancing. It was an awesome way to start our trip!
Kenneth_B, Oct 2023
The drive was long and windy.. The coach needed new shocks and the driver kept the coach extremely cold. The driver gave very little narration and very little historical information.
Kenneth_B, Sep 2023
Our guide, Domi was exceptional. He was very knowledgeable and was willing to share that with us. We learned much about the history of this area. He sang songs to us and was always willing to take photos for us. He found a great little out of the way lunch place. It was excellent. Would highly recommend him to anyone interested.
Admelinda_R, Jul 2023
This tour is great if you are traveling by cruise ship and you're short on your time and no wheels.
If you're staying on island with car rental, you mimick this tour.
Ron_G, Jul 2023
Our tour driver Orlando knows the island and offered lots of history which provided context to the whole experience. He also shared a lot of great local information such as best places to eat, healthy grocery shopping, hidden island gems, etc. it was a very informative trip.
Highly recommended!
I would do it again.
Jennifer_P, Jun 2023
Beautiful scenery and commentary given with passion and pride - guided by a very competent driver in a very comfortable vehicle
Mary_C, Jun 2023
A good tour but a bit overpriced. Weather was great so pictures turned out well. Missed out on lighthouse tour as it was closed for holiday. Cruise and grotto was lovely. Guide commentary was good also
Daryl_T, May 2023
Fantastic experience. Our tour guide, Do Me was the best! The boat ride with the Grotto, the musicians and the dancer was a nice and relaxing time.
Joann_S, Apr 2023
we had an unbelievable time! Our tour guide was Scott. He was so knowledgable and kind. He gave us a birds-eye view of the beautiful island of Kauai. He took great care of our group and was patient and nice. Scott took extra care to ensure we had a great experience. I highly recommend Scott and the company for a wonderful experience.
Thomas_T, Mar 2023
Great trip with the family! Our tour guide (Scott) was very friendly and informative. I enjoyed the fern grotto tour and setting but you could tell the guides have done that trip a million times, felt very robotic. The waterfalls were beautiful and the lighthouse was a great place to visit as we saw a few whales off the point. A couple suggestions, it would be great to have some water in a cooler to offer along the tour, it was very hot and humid on our trip and that would've been nice to have on the bus. For short stops maybe leave bus running for ac. I sat in the back and it was very stuffy most of the day. Overall a great trip and I'm glad I got to see parts of the island I wouldn't have normally got to see.
Lynn_T, Feb 2023
The boat tour up the Waimea River and seeing the Fern Grotto was excellent. Our Tour guide Scott did a great job touring us all around the island and filling us with lots of interesting information. He was excellent! We are so glad we chose this adventure through Viator!
Kevin_S, Nov 2022
Our beautiful day exploring the Northern and Eastern sections of Kauai was made more special by Dome who educated everyone about so many aspects of Kauai. This is a great way to spend part of your day while on the Garden Island.
Suki_K, Nov 2022
Got a tour of the whole island. Our guide, Steve was very knowledgeable and friendly. Had local food on the way. Things I wish I knew ahead of time:
-Flip flops are ok!
-Wear whatever you want!
-Lunch is not provided but they will make a stop on the way.
-Tour can run late depending on traffic, weather conditions etc so if you are pressed for time, re-evaluate.
-Double check the pick up and drop off hotels, they don’t cover all areas.
-starts on time.
-carry cash for tips. I am just embarrassed for now being to tip. Our guide, Steve was wonderful. 5 star experience because of him.
Kathryn_D, Oct 2022
Kraig was both a total gentleman & comedian sharing his knowledge with all those aboard!!
Highly recommend this tour for a variety of views & experiences!
From $220.44
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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