Kayak Hanalei

Horrible customer service. Avoid at all costs.
Horrible customer service. Avoid at all costs.
Horrible customer service. Avoid at all costs.
Horrible customer service. Avoid at all costs.
Horrible customer service. Avoid at all costs.
Horrible customer service. Avoid at all costs.
Horrible customer service. Avoid at all costs.
Horrible customer service. Avoid at all costs.

Kaoli was an awesome guide! Thanks for a great SUP lesson and tour of the river. It rained while we were out there but that did not change the fun factor at all. Kaoli taught us a lot about the river, foliage, and people of Hawaii.

my wife and I have rented kayaks in past years from this company and this year we decided to try SUP’s and surfing. We SUP’d the river and Hanalei Bay, and then I took surfing and standup paddle board surfing lessons from Kalani and she rented a boogie board and had fun during my lessons. The whole staff made us feel welcome, and we look forward to bringing our kids and grand kids back in a couple of years and having Kalani show them the ropes on surfing. And if you think you’re too old to learn to surf, you’re not, you can do it! Even an old geezer like me was able to catch waves and I’m in my 60’s. Get out there!

We had a great time kayaking!
We went with a group of 4, got 2 double kayaks and all of us were first-​timers to kayaking. Rental was easy, we paid and were directed to the dock to get our life jackets. We were also given dry bags which definitely came in handy!
The guy at the dock was super helpful, gave us great instructions for beginners and we were on our way. We went down past the bridge then headed back towards hanalei bay where we stopped for lunch and bathroom breaks. Saw turtles, birds and even 5 sea turtles along the way! Returning the kayaks was just as easy, they helped us out, we returned the goods and we were on our way.
They got us hooked and now we want to buy kayaks of our own:)

I highly recommend this adventure as great value given the local flavor and stories told by our amazing. Guide Gabe.
Plus, the fact that we kayaked a river, capsized into the ocean (all good!) and snorkeled on a great beach called ‘Hideaway Beach’ in one morning makes it a really fun treat. The lunch in the shade was so welcome. Gabe made us feel like royalty and not all like the clumsy tourists we were when we tried to get back into our flipped Kayak. The swell was a bit high today so the guide adjusted our route home and paddled like crazy to make sure we were all safe. I say go on this high challenge, low risk adventure but be prepared to flip over if the waves are up!
Lots of fun.

Kamaaina rates and also cheaper to rent a kayak to paddle the Hanalei River after 1PM. The lady who helped me was very nice.

We would not let a little little tiny sprinkle keep us from kayaking the Hanalei River! We paddled to the bay and then on up to the river. There were four of us and we used two tandems. We haven’t reserved anything and they made it so easy for us we took sunscreen and rash guards and bottled water with us. That’s all you really need.
It’s employee was super friendly. A great time was had by one and all.

Very reasonable: all day double rentals for $ 60 and half-​day (1pm start) for $ 45.
Nice staff and very nice that they put you right in the river vs having to get a kayak on and off your car.
The river is pretty and a nice small workout. Made a little larger by my kids not paddling (If you want more workout, put yourself in back and 2 non-​paddling kids in the front of a 2-​person).
We went out a little into Hanalei Bay and spent some hours on the beach there. Gorgeous perspective seeing the bay and mountains from the water.
Also, the rental place itself provides a nice place to have an outdoor lunch by the river. There are some good take-​out options right by it: food truck and the Dolphin.

Went to the spot in Princeville. Great set-​up. awesome.

WARNING!!! Rip off alert!
As I was paddling out I was thinking «jeez these boards are pretty beaten up and on the low end of the quality scale.» So you can imagine how outrageous it was when they told us we damaged one of their boards!!!
Them: One of our guys just told me one of our boards came back.
Me: What???
Them: yeah, some one must have landed hard on the board to damage it?
Me: Could I see the board? Maybe it was already damaged before it was sent out?
Them: Oh no that’s not possible because our guys check over everything and have ready to go for you.
Me: (laughing incredulously) you mean the 3 stoner stoned Stooges?! They thought we were taking out kayaks! They kept trying to send us back to get paddles for kayaks and we told them we are doing the SuPs. We were obviously harshing their high with this unexpected revelation as they questioned each other and wondered nervously about having enough boards for our large party.
The shady lady continued to say her stoned stooges check everything thoroughly and I continue to say no one fell hard on this board and if you fall you really are falling into the water and off the board not on the board. The person using the board never fell and in fact was laying down on the board drifting along. I told her the boards are low quality and weathered and in poor shape and she said they are only 2 years old (shady lady must be high too!). She says it’s a $ 100 ding and maybe really $ 80 but she’ll charge us $ 50.
I later see a review about them on Travelocity where they pulled the same scam the day before.
I hear good things about peddle & paddle near big save.

Our kayak trip up the Hanalei River into the bird sanctuary was the highlight of my trip! Kayak Hanalei made it very easy. If you aren’t planning to spend the whole day with your kayak, check out their half-​day specials that start at 1 p.m. You launch right from the property, so there is no need to transport the kayak.
The service over the phone was a bit abrupt, and if you are looking for a lot of reassurance about how easy it is, you might not get what you are looking for from the people handling the launch. But it’s pretty straight-​forward, so there really isn’t much call for a lot of direction.

This was a lot of fun, and really worth doing. It doesn’t take nearly as long to kayak as they say… unless you’re just drifting. We did both the wilderness route and went to the ocean in less than two hours. I disagree about the views not being good — it was absolutely beautiful! The first half of the trip was sunny… and the second half clouds rolled in. I loved both. Very nice staff, except for grouchy pants at the life vest station. We did not see much wild life but it was very fun.
Tip: Wear a t-​shirt that covers your shoulders, a hat and tons of sunscreen. Wear flip flops — take them off in the kayak if you want, but don’t leave them at the dock. You’ll be glad to have them (possibly) and finally, wear a pair of shorts over your bikini bottom … but use the complimentary water proof bags they provide to store your shorts. You’ll get wet for sure, including your legs. Bring water too… there’s a place to store it on the kayak.
So much fun!

Decent river, we went up river turned around and back to the bay to beach ourselves and have lunch. No good views but pretty all the same.. I like the fact that you l literally have 24 hours. That’s awesome, you can even come back the next day and use your hours.
Easy launch and return, kayaks in good shape, and 60 per day is a standard rate.
I’d recommend this to a friend, I had fun.

What nice people, and a great place from which to launch. We rented a double kayak and took it first into the wildlife sanctuary until we reached a clear dead-​end.
We turned around and headed for the bay/​ocean, which was gorgeous.
The shop is easy to reach from Princeville, the folks are pleasant and helpful, and I recommend them if you want to go out and explore by kayak.

Nice and friendly service. Quick and easy to get going. Lovely day spent out on the river. Once you get passed the bridge it gets very quiet. A most relaxing way to spend the day. If you have, go to both ends and you might actually see two types of turtles. Beautiful scenery and interesting birds as well.

Had a great time with Kayaks Hanalei. Very organized and friendly service. We rented two SUP boards and went up the river to the national refuge. Cost was $ 40/​pp before 1 pm. We started our trip at around 11 am. I would recommend going in the mid-​morning as there didn’t seem to be too many ppl on the river. We made it all way until it was really shallow. It was a great workout!
All in all, we had a great time with KH. Would definitely recommend this business!

The kayak excursion was fun. You have the option of taking the easier route toward the beach and hanging there for a bit, or taking the route up the river toward the wilderness. We chose the wilderness route as the lady at the front desk recommended it. It’s about 2.5 hours round trip, and we came in right at that time.
The ride up was a workout for me. I’m a bit out of shape, admitted, but still, don’t go thinking you’ll just mozy on up the river. It’ll take some effort, especially if there is wind. And if you’ve ever been to Kauai, there is going to be wind.
There are some cool parts of the ride that get barrow and you get the jungly like feeling making your way through. There are also friendly fresh water turtles everywhere. You can typically see them lounging on a branch or a log, but once they see you, it’s swan dive into the river. Don’t take offense. :-)
The ride down is obviously much easier and you can take breaks and let the current take you down.
Overall, a fun time but again, it’s a workout. Enjoy!

We had a great time with Kayak Hanalei this May during a trip for our anniversary. It was even better than I expected! The guides were super friendly and made us feel very comfortable. They are hands on and like to give you a lot of info about the flora and fauna you see, answer questions about what to do in Kauai, help you understand the culture, teach you some Hawaiian words, etc. I really like that this is a family run business, and they treat the customers like their guests! The whole family seems to work there and they are all very nice, as are the paid guides. Our guides were Gabe and the owner’s son, forget his name.
We did the half day Kayak tour around Hanalei Bay with snorkelling and it was a lot easier than I thought (but I was more sore afterwards than I anticipated, too!). There were a lot of families in our group with younger children, but everyone managed just fine in the open ocean, and the guides «towed» a few of the kayaks that had one small kid and one parent in it where it was harder for them to paddle. So I felt pretty safe. Worth the money, and you can get a discount by booking directly on their website.
We’ll definitely come back next time when we’re in Kauai and try one of their other tours!

Our group of 3 rented one single kayak and a double. The staff here were all friendly and got us on our way down the river fairly quickly. Once on our way, we all reveled in the gorgeous surroundings. Except for occasionally passing other kayakers, the river was super quiet and peaceful so it was a very relaxing experience. After a nice ride down the river, we went ashore at Hanalei Beach and hung out there for a bit before heading back. I’d definitely recommend this and I’d like to do this again on a future trip.

We went to rent 4 SUPs and had a phenomenal experience! The customer service was excellent right from the minute we walked in the door. We paid for a full day rental, and were told we could also come back the next day from 8−10am to use the boards some more at no additional cost. We were provided dry bags to protect our personal belongings, given specifics regarding rowing up river versus down towards the bay. And they launch from their own dock into a creek that feeds into the Hanalei River. The guys at the launch area were efficient and professional and included a quick refresher on how to use the paddle to steer, etc.
We went back to take advantage of the 8−10am bonus time and once again, no hassles at all. We headed to Hanalei Bay — hardly anyone was out that early and we got caught in torrential rain, which was an amazing, indescribable experience.
When we come back to Kauai, Kayak Hanalei will be our go to place for rentals. Thank you for an excellent experience.