Captivating Kaua'i - Day 3 ( Hindu Monastery - Kilauea Lighthouse )

Kauai Hindu Monastery:

When you think of "Kaua'i Vacation", Hindu Monastery isn't usually the first thing that comes to your mind. However, having been there, I can surely say its well worth a visit.

The Monastery is situated on more than 300 acres of land, with amazing views overlooking Wailua river. It doesn't take much time for anyone to realize that this place reflects spiritual energy. 

A small gazebo near the entrance gives visitors a brief explanation of Hinduism, and of the 
grounds and temples which were established on Kaua'i in early 1970s. 

Temple Entrance

Kadavul temple is a traditional south indian style Shiva temple. front monastery area, including Kadavul temple, is open daily from 9am to noon. There is a guided tour once a week so make sure you call them before planning your visit.

Kadavul Temple

The Iravian temple is being hand built and carved - absolutely stunning. The grounds are lush and green , abundant with plant life. It is the most amazing property with water,mountain and unique flora and fauna. When you've finished touring the grounds take to minute drive to Rudraksh forest - on Hwy 580. Its the only stand of Rudraksha ( Blue marble ) trees in US.

This is definitely the hidden gem on Kaua'i island. Highly recommended. Enjoy the slideshow  !

  Tips:

• Clothing - Hindu guests are encouraged to dress in traditional Hindu clothing when visiting. Alternatively, modest clothing is permitted. No shorts, short dresses, t-shirts or tank tops. Polo shirts are okay.
• Video and photography is not allowed inside Kadavul temple. All other areas can be photographed.

Kilauea Lighthouse : One of a million breathtaking views.

The second destination of the day was Kilauea Lighthouse. It is the northernmost point of the main Hawaiian Islands. This lighthouse was built in 1913. 

Directions :
If you are coming from south shore, take Highway 56.. Turn right onto Kiauea Road after mile marker 23. Follow the road to the end. You will see the lighthouse.

View of lighthouse from a Lookout 

Along the way, we gazed onto the beautiful view of the ocean, watched the egret birds and waves that crashed against the shore. In the winter months you can see whales as well.

View on the way

This is an old lighthouse. The entrance fee is $5. You get to see the lighthouse up close and go in only base portion of it. Binoculars are provided at no cost, they are must to view the nesting birds year round and whales in winter months.  One of our favorite picture taking spots on the island!

Tunnels Beach ( Makua Beach ) :

Tunnels Beach, also known as Makua Beach, is one of Kauai’s most exciting spots for swimming, snorkeling and scuba diving. What makes it so great is its large lagoon and its massive hook-shaped reef that provides protection from the surf. The reef here is so big, it can actually be seen from space. According to divers, it’s called “Tunnels Beach” because of all the tunnels and arches in the reef. But surfers often say it’s from the tubular or tunnel-shaped waves that are frequently found at this beach.

This is the superb snorkeling spot on the North Shore. The beach is 2-miles long, running from Hanalei Colony Resort to Ha'ena Beach Park. The center portion has a huge half-moon shaped reef just 1/8 mile offshore where snorkeling is the best. Deep water caversn are located close to shore making it a great dive site, too. Swimming is often good here with shallow, sandy and calm areas.

Tips :

• Great swimming, snorkeling and scuba diving during the calm summer months.
• Great place to view sunset.
• While planning a visit in winter , only go at low tide and when sea is calm.
• It rains often in Kaua'i North shore , so if it starts raining take a shelter and wait for it to pass. Most showers only last for a few mins.
• Bring some food and beverages as there is no food nearby. 
• There are two small dirt roads where you can park to get to this beach; the rest of the roads are all private roads or people's driveways. If you manage to find the first dirt road, it is the best one for parking, as it leads directly to the center of Tunnels beach. The 2nd road drops of you off away from Tunnels, but is nearby. If you end up at the 2nd road, you need to walk to the right of the beach.
• The waves are crashing close to shore and there is no lifeguard. So swim at your own risk !

Directions:

• Head west [right] out of Princeville on Highway 56 toward Hanalei.  At Princeville Center, the Highway changes to 560.  
• Drive through Hanalei [about mile marker 2 on highway 560] and continue to the 8 mile marker.  0.4 miles further turn right and look for parking [this access is just past the YMCA camp and immediately after the yellow "Narrow Bridge" sign]. 
• If parking is not available here, continue another 0.2 mi for a second access point.  Finally, you can drive to Haena, park by the campground, and walk back [east] to Tunnels Beach.  Do not park along Highway 560.  It is a designated fire lane and you can be ticketed and towed.

Ke'e Beach :
At the end of Kuhio Highway (Hwy 560) on Kauai’s north shore lays an absolutely beautiful beach called Kee Beach. This is the last beach accessible by road on the north shore of Kauai. The last stretch of road from Hanalei is narrow and windy and crosses several one-lane bridges, but it's worth the effort. Parking is very difficult to find, so get there early or be prepared to walk a bit. The water is protected from the big north-shore surf by a coral reef, which permits some great snorkeling.

Located at the start of the Kalalau Trail, this beach offers a spectacular side view of Na pali coast and sunset. All around the beach are palm trees and lush vegetation.

Spellbound and totally fascinated by Hawaii's natural beauty, it was time for us to bid adieu  
to Kauai !

Hope you guys enjoy your trip too ...

-Dhara Desai

Captivating Kaua'i - Day 2 ( Waimea Canyon )

As an oldest of Hawaiian islands, Kaua'i has been mostly changed by the forces of erosion, and that has resulted in natural wonders like Waimea Canyon and NaPali Coast. We had already witnessed the beauty of NaPali Coast. It was a clear day so we decided to go to Waimea Canyon and Koke'e State Park.

Directions :

• From Lihue, drive southwest on Kuhio Highway (HI-56), which turns into Kaumualli Highway (HI-50), into Waimea.Turn right on Waimea Canyon Drive (HI-550).
• The road travels through the canyon area and ends at Pu'u o Kila Lookout.

A long and winding road first leads to the main lookout, Waimea Canyon Lookout. Located on the island’s west side, Waimea Canyon is 10 miles long, a mile wide and about 3,500 feet deep. The canyon was carved thousands of years ago by numerous floods and rivers flowing down from the summit of Mount Waialeale. The scenery was awesome , truly indescribable !

Waimea Canyon

The next stop was Puu Hina Lookout. It offers the best views down the Canyon toward the ocean. The view of Niihau is great on a clear day.

We continued our journey to Kalalau Lookout. Kalalau Lookout is the highest elevation you will reach in Kauai by road. The Pacific Ocean beneath the Na Pali Cliffs - One of the most famous sights in the Pacific.  We were looking down at fluffy white clouds, deep blue sea , ,sky and spectacular dark green cliffs. Can anything be more wonderful than this ?

View from Kalalau Lookout

Well let me tell you this if you are lucky you can get to see the double rainbow as well !!

Located at the furthermost point on the road from Waimea into Kokee State Park, the Pu'u o Kila Lookout offers a jaw dropping panoramic view of Kalalau valley. And if the weather is clear you can see scenic views overlooking the Alaka'i Swamp and Mt. Wai'ale'ale. 

Panoramic view of Kalalau valley from Pu'u O Killa lookout

For detailed information on this drive, please refer :'
http://www.alternative-hawaii.com/drives/kauai/west.htm


Few Tips:

• Try to plan your trip on a clear day, otherwise you'll encounter limited visibility and miss out on the canyon's vibrant colors.
• The elevation makes the air 10-15 degrees cooler than in the valley and by afternoon many areas are often shrouded in clouds.So of possible start in morning.
• No gas stations are located along this road - be sure to fill up before starting the trip.
• Best viewing of the Kalalau Valley is in the early morning.
• Excellent bird watching opportunity in morning at Kalalau lookout
• For those who love hiking, there are some really good hiking trails in Kauai, for more information visit http://www.hawaii-guide.com/kauai/list/hiking_trails .

After the wonderful experience, sadly it was time to go back to hotel. The next day was the last day at Kauai, and according to our plan we were to visit Kauai Hindu Monastery ,Kilauea Lighthouse and few beaches ...Coming up next !!

- Dhara Desai

Captivating Kaua'i - Day 1 (Helicopter Tour )

       Kaua'i - Hawaiian Island with majestic peaks,  burnt orange canyons, lush green valleys, cascading waterfalls and unique flora and fauna ,is truly an "Abode of God". 

Kauai has more of a rural, country feel and a laid-back attitude all its own. The oldest and northernmost of the major islands, Kauai is almost untouched by major development. 

The main Kaua'i Island airport is Lihue Airport (LIH). Accommodations are available in Princeville, Kapaa, Lihue, Poipu and Waimea area.

We stayed here for 3 days and were able to cover major attractions. 

Day 1 : Helicopter Tour..

Our first destination was "Opaekaa Falls", one of Kauai’s best-known and main waterfalls. Best seen from a lookout off  Kuamoo Road. The name “Opaekaa” means “rolling shrimp” in the Hawaiian language. The waterfall was named after the shrimp that were once in abundance in its stream and pool. Interesting, isn't it ?

Opaekaa Falls

Opposite to falls was Wailua Heritage Trail,such a beautiful view it was .

Roughly 20% of Kaua'i is accessible by car or foot. The most beautiful parts of Kauai are unreachable by foot, and can only be explored by hiking, air tour and kayaking. The beauty of the island is best seen from the air tour, that was the reason we decided to go for a Helicopter Tour, and we were really very excited about it.

Everyone On board..Let the journey begin !!

Seen from the air, the island's terrain offers a number of breathtaking views. The journey started with the flight to spectacular Hanapepe Valley. We then flew by the magnificient scenic waterfall,  Manawaipouna Falls, commonly known as "Jurassic park Falls".

Jurassic Park Waterfall

 The helicopter then passed through Olokele Canyon on its way to gorgeous Waimea Canyon.This canyon is a gorge and well known for its similarities to the Grand Canyon.Thats the reason it is also known as " Grand Canyon Of Pacific".

Waimea Canyon as seen from the Helicopter 

Then we saw  Kauai's  epic beauty, Na Pali Coast. It provides you with glimpses of picturesque cliffs, mountains, waterfalls, and secluded beaches. We felt as if we had come to an entirely new world.

Napali Coast

The helicopter also passed over popular destinations like Hanalei Valley, Princeville Resort, and the Lumahai Beach.  It was a thrilling experience to slowly hover past 3000-foot tall cliff. The Helicopter was wobbling due to heavy wind , we got very scared. But when the pilot told us it was normal for helicopter to respond in such a way due to wind, we felt better :) 

Hanalei Bay

The next view took our breaths away!!  The pinnacle of any Kauai helicopter tour is the Mt Wai'ale'ale - the wettest spot on earth with an average rainfall of 450-500 inches annually. We saw island's highest and indescribably beautiful waterfalls.

Wai'ale'ale Falls

On the way back we could not stop thinking about the amazing time we had. That was a remarkable experience !

Tips

• Helicopter Tours are  generally 55 mins long.
• Good companies that offer Helicopter tour are - Safari,Blue Hawaiian,Jack harder, Hawaii Active.
• Check weather before booking. You will not be able to see much on a cloudy day.
• Seating in front seats will give you a great view and a good opportunity to take nice pictures. If possible book front seats.
• If you are prone to motion sickness, take a medicine.
• Discount coupons for Helicopter/Boat Tours are  available in local magazines. Check it out before booking.
• Napali Coast Boat Tours are also available. They are mostly 5-6 hours long and offer breakfast,lunch,soft drinks and snorkeling.

- Dhara Desai

Mesmerizing Maui !!

       It has been said that Hawaiian Islands are "God's Gift to the Planet"...and Maui is one of them ! We visited Island of Maui in July , and were totally amazed by its natural beauty.Details in this blog might help all of you , who are planning a trip to Maui :)

The year-round temperature in Maui doesn't vary much. So just plan your trip and go.

The main Maui Island airport is Kuhulai, HI (OGG) airport. One will need a car to travel around the island so make sure you rent one. This island is mainly divided in 3 parts, West Maui, South Maui and North-East Maui. Most of the tourist actions happen along the West side or the South side. 

There is a wide range of accommodations available in Maui. You can find hotels,resorts and condos of every size and budget in  Kapalua, Kaanapali, Lahaina, Kihei, Makena and Wailea-on western coast and few in Hana-East Maui.

In our 4 days stay @Maui, we visited few beaches in South Maui, Lahaina, Hana Drive and Haleakala National Park.

Here is the detailed map of Maui,

Day 1 : In Explore mode...

We started our day by visiting few beaches in South Maui. Most of these beaches are in Kihei town. 

The very first destination of the trip was  Wailea Beach, a beautiful beach...you would want to spend an entire day here  !! 

Next one was Polo Beach, a lovely rock and sand beach. Because of the location, this beach is generally crowded. But its good for swimming and water activities;mainly snorkeling.

 

We then headed to Big Beach, officially known as Makena beach, a scenic sandy beach. It is one of the largest still less crowded beaches in Maui. But be careful guys ...strong currents are common here.

Really a good start of the day, now it was time to check out Lahaina town....!!

Lahaina, is an old town located on  the west course of Maui. We enjoyed roaming on Front street, there are plenty of restaurants, art galleries and pubs on the street. Don't miss the famous Banyan Tree-One tree that stands 50 feet tall, is almost a quarter of a mile around and has more than 10 trunks. You can go for Luau in Lahaina, its a Hawaiian feast. It features food and entertainment, such as Hawaiian music and hula dancing. There are very famous Luau like Old Lahaina Luau, Feast At Lele, Hyatt regency luau etc.

One of the main attractions in Lahaina is Ka'anapali beach, this beach is serene and beautiful and known for its sunset. We enjoyed one of the best sunset views ever.

Sunset view from Ka'anapali beach

And the day ends with watching superb fireworks from Front steet:)...

Fireworks

Day 2: An Adventure Galore - Hana Drive

The weather was just perfect so we decided to drive to Hana Town. The Hana Highway is a 68 mile stretch of road that connects the Hana town to the rest of Maui. It’s a curvy coastal road with views of cliffs, beaches, waterfalls, tropical flowers and miles of rain forest. It’s a well paved road, but it has approx. 600 sharp curves and 55 one-lane bridges.

You will stop for many lookouts and waterfalls, take your time to enjoy every bit of it !!   Allow atleast 7-8 hrs for the round trip. It is advisable that you start your journey really early if you are planning to drive till the end of road, may be by 7:00 AM .Avoid driving on this highway in dark and make sure you return back before sunset.

We started at around 8:30 AM from Wailea, not so early ! Headed to Paia town, had light breakfast  and off to Hana Drive..

Tips

• Bring some food with you when you go to Hana Drive.
• Fill up gas tank to top before starting Hana Adventure.
• If you are prone to motion sickness, bring motion sickness tablet.

Starting Point: Paia Town. From Paia town turn right at Hana Hwy/Hwy 36 E - Entry sign for Ho'okipa Lookout.

Ho'okipa Beach

This beach is world famous for windsurfers, because of good weather we could see many surfers !! By the time we left, adrenaline was building up...

Our next stop was Twin Falls Farm Stand.

The very first waterfall on the road to Hana was Twin Falls. We stopped at Twin Falls farm Stand and followed their trail to falls. After returning we had an amazing sugar cane juice and fruits at farm stand. This is one of very few good snacks stand on the drive.There are no restaurants on Hana Drive !

We continued our journey further in anticipation of more surprises :)

Then started the sequence of breathtaking views  !! Just cant describe the beauty of it in words. There was a Botanical Garden called "Garden of Eden", which offered views of waterfalls and ocean .

We continued our journey and frequently stopped on road for sightseeing and glimpse of few more lookouts and waterfalls on our way.

Yet another lookout , Honomanu Bay Lookout !!

Honomanu Bay

It all looked so gorgeous. By this time we had fallen in love with Hana Drive :)

Ke'anae Peninsula

Next destination was Ke'anae Peninsula, its beautiful with lots of black volcanic rock, crashing waves are common here...so be careful !!

Our journey continued to Hana Town, its a small town with its own charm. Few miles from Hana Town is Hamoa beach, one of the prettiest and untouched beach we had seen so far.

Hamoa Beach

The Hana Hwy goes further into Oheo Gulch-The seven sacred pools, visit them if you have time. For us it was time to return as it was already 4:30 PM. 

For detailed information on Hana Drive Attractions refer ,

Road to Hana - First half

Road to Hana - Second Half

 On our way back we could not stop thinking about the beautiful views, but did not know something more wonderful was yet to happen....!!

When in Maui you would not want to miss a single sunset. We reached hotel and immediately went to hotel's private beach to enjoy sunset.

Just could not stop admiring Mother nature when we saw golden sunlight sparkling through trees and blue water !! "Magic hour" that's what artists call time before sunset.

Looks like a postcard,doesn't it ?

Before sunset

Finally the sunset !!

Sunset from Wailea

 What an amazing day....Thank you God !!

Day 3 : Laid Back day

After two busy and wonderful days we were in lazy mood that day, enjoyed hotel's pool and beach !!

Day 4 : Haleakala National Park

In Hawaiian language Haleakala means " House of The Sun" . Everyday so many visitors gather at Haleakala summit ( 9,700 ft above the sea level ) to witness a spectacular sunrise. But you need to get there really early to enjoy pre dawn beauty and sunrise.You can either drive there or take a bus ride.We had chosen Maui Downhill ride !!

The tour van came to pick us from hotel at 2:30 AM, taking the whole day off really helped us getting ready so early :). It was around 2 hrs drive from hotel to the the Haleakala Visitor Center. It is generally very chilly there so make sure you wear warm clothes in layers.When we reached it was so cold and windy..clouds everywhere. It was literally like a tornado !! We were almost sure we would not be able to see the sunrise , so sad !!  

Miracles do happen :) Suddenly it was all clear and we could see sun rising - Pre Dawn beauty ! It was an unforgettable experience. When the sun finally rose, the view was so serene and heavenly over the horizon. It was indeed a spiritual experience.

Once in a life time experience

Next destination was Volcano Crater.It was still windy so we clicked few pictures and returned to our van.

The driver then took us down to 7000 ft, from there we were going to start our bike 

ride.We were so excited !! We started down the hill with the guide in lead. The guide was 

in front of us watching the cars and van was behind the group.It was adventure cum fun ride.Totally loved it !

We did stop at a scenic place for pictures. It was foggy and drizzling on the way down, that made atmosphere so romantic. By the time we reached Kula, the smell of Eucalyptus was evident, so soothing. After having breakfast at a small restaurant we continued our ride.We rode down the hill for almost 2 hrs.It was really one of the highlights of the trip.Highly recommended !!

The driver dropped us to the hotel.For us it was time to bid adieu to Maui :(

According to me - Maui in a nutshell - Tradition, Sunny days, Beaches and Tropical beauty.Had the best time ever !!!
No wonder Maui has been voted " Best Island in the World" !!

Few more tips:

• Hawaii is in HAST timezone.So you are surely going to have a jet lag :)
• Get a free Maui Map from the airport
• Tune in to KPOA 93.5 for Hawaiian Music
• Get a Mosquito Repellent and Sun screen  
• Molokini Island is very famous for water sports.
• Lahaina Pizza Co. serves really good pizza. Do try !
• For Indian food lovers, there is a very good Indian restaurant "Monsoon India" In Kihei.

Few More Attractions :

• Hawaii Ocean center
• Iao Valley 
• Ka'anapali Beach Club resort

Mahalo !

-Dhara Desai