What Airport do you Fly into Kauai?
Flights into Kauai will be landing at the Lihue Airport located at the southeast coast of the island. Interisland travel to Kauai and Oahu—from Honolulu to Lihue (HNL to LIH) and vice versa, LIH to HNL—are popular flights, so expect to see a mix of fellow out-of-state travelers along with Hawaii locals visiting friends and family on Kauai. Fortunately, there’s plenty to do in Lihue once you’ve landed. If you’re looking for a quick drink after a long flight to the islands, Kauai Beer Company is located just minutes away from the airport. Those who can’t wait to get their toes in the sand will want to head directly over to the nearby Kalapaki Beach, a postcard perfect bay that invites you to lay and relax on its warm golden sands.
What do I need to know about Kauai?
It’s easy to see why the official nickname of the island is the Garden Isle—Kauai is one of Hawaii’s greenest islands and is home to some of the Islands best botanical gardens, from Allerton Garden on the south shore to the Na Aina Kai Botanical Gardens and Sculpture Park located in Kilauea. And
while there are too many star attractions to count on Kauai, one of the “must-sees” is the Napali Coastline, where ruggedly handsome cliffs jut out of the island shoreline to create an almost primordial landscape—one definitely worth the tickets to Kauai. There are numerous boat tour companies that will take you along the coast, however adventurous travelers will love the Kalalau Trail, a hike located within Haena State Park that will have you walking up, down and around the Napali Coast.
Interesting Kauai Facts
While most of the Major Hawaiian Islands, like Oahu and Maui, were quickly conquered and united by the great King Kamehameha—the founder and first ruler of the Kingdom of Hawaii—Kauai was actually one of the last islands to follow suit. Its ruler at the time, Kaumualii, resisted Kamehameha for years and twice Kamehameha prepared large forces to invade, only to lose his armies due to a storm the first time and an epidemic the second. In 1816, Kaumualii even let Russians build a fort on Kauai—Fort Elizabeth, which is still intact and very interesting for history buffs—in an effort to repel Kamehameha, before finally ceding his island—without bloodshed—to the Kingdom of Hawaii in 1824.