What are the 10 most popular categories of Kauai Activities and Kauai Tours on the island?

May 1, 2020 | General Information

In the following list provided by Tom Barefoot’s Tours, you will see the most popular categories of Kauai activities and Kauai tours based upon popularity. This can be very helpful when you are choosing your activities on the island. As a general rule, the most popular activities are the ones that book up first so these are the ones that you should make bookings for first.
We have gone back a decade in the archives to gather these results. Although there are basic similarities with regard to popularity of certain categories of activities on all islands, each island actually has its own ‘fingerprint’ of uniqueness in this regard. The island of Kauai is an ‘outlier’ of sorts regarding the popularity of some if its tour categories as they register out of the norm from the other islands. This is primarily due to the uniqueness of the island and how the categories of activities adjust themselves to this uniqueness.

We have limited the list to simply the top 10 categories in terms of popularity on Kauai. Although they still represent 1000’s of tour bookings, we have left those categories of activities that did not make the top 10 off the list. So those honorable mentions include, scuba diving, sightseeing excursions, sunset sails, bike tours, surfing lessons, whale watching and hiking among others. But, on to the winners:

The Top 10 Categories of Activities and Tours on Kauai over the past decade, in descending order are:

#10 Fishing Charters
Kauai is often misrepresented with regard to its ‘Sport Fishing’ prowess. It lies out to sea many, many miles from other islands and is the northern most ‘major’ island in the chain. As a result it is in many cases the very first bit of land mass that will be found by fish species within 1000’s of miles to its north and west. Kauai fisherman do very well here.

#9 Horseback Riding
Horses have been on Kauai since the early 1800’s and they have become an integral part of the ranch structure which has developed over the last two centuries. There are a number of horseback riding options on the island which provide rides that are both fun and ‘beautiful’ beyond measure.

#8 Fixed Wing Aircraft Tours of Kauai
This category does not include helicopters but instead, airplanes. Many people miss the point, that these type of air tours can be just as good as helicopters in many respects and yet generally they are much less expensive.

#7 Luaus
Luaus can be found on any island but the ones found on Kauai are deeply rooted to the island heritage. These give you a real ‘taste’ of Old Hawaii.

#6 ATV Tours
ATV Tours are super fun and they will take you to areas of Kauai that would be inaccessible to you if you did not take one because they are on private property. Kauai ATV tours are picturesque and they are exciting.

#5 Dinner Cruises
There are a couple of varieties of dinner cruises to be found on Kauai but the most sought after are those that take you from Port Allen to enjoy a dinner along the NaPali Coast. A more beautiful setting for a dinner could not be imagined.

#4 Kayak Tours
It is not surprising the the Kayak category would take the number 4 spot because Kauai is the only Hawaiian Island that actually has navigable rivers. These provide access for a visit to the interior of the island through its beautiful waterways. Ocean kayaking is also available here during the summer months along the NaPali Coastline when the conditions are calm and suitable.

#3 Helicopter Flights
If you haven’t seen Kauai from the air, you really haven’t seen the island of Kauai. ‘Breathtaking’ is the operative word. This was the very first Hawaiian island to provide helicopter tours and that was no mistake. These are the flights of a lifetime!

#2 Ziplines
Zipline tours may have started in the islands on Maui, but Kauai is where they gained their popularity. The zipline courses found here take you to some of the most beautiful locations on the planet.

#1 Snorkeling
The snorkeling category includes tours to the NaPali Coast, Niihau, the South coast and various locations for shoreline snorkeling as well. Part of the excitement of these snorkel excursions has a lot to do with the dolphins found here. Dolphins are almost always found along the coastlines of Kauai and quite often they will come out to visit the snorkel vessels and chase along the bow.

So there you have it. Kauai’s Top 10 List in terms of popularity of activity categories. Every year we deal with visitors who are disappointed because the tours they are wanting are sold out. Please do yourself a favor and make these bookings long before your arrival and make your bookings in the order of their popularity starting with #1 on the list first and working down.
Kauai’s activities and tours are amazing. Enjoy them!