Duke’s Kayak Adventure

Highly recommend the kayak trip up the Wailea River. Our guide Brian was fantastic. This was his first solo trip and did everything right. He was super knowledgeable and very friendly. The trip was moderate difficulty which most people could do and very worthwhile.

This was one of the most fun things we did in this vacation. Kayaking down the river was absolutely beautiful. If you look closely, you’ll see wildlife through the brush. As novice kayakers, my husband and I and our teenage daughters were able to enjoy it without difficulty. Once we got down the river, we took a muddy hike to the Secret Falls. Good water shoes or tennis shoes are a must because it’s slippery and muddy and you walk through a stream. Once you get to the Secret Falls, it’s absolutely breathtaking. There you can jump into the water and enjoy this wonder of nature. We brought our own lunch/​snack as did everyone on our tour (we packed it and the rest of our things, towel included, in a dry bag that the tour company loans you). It was a great time, fun hike and fantastic experience!

One of the best kayak tours I have ever been on. The tour guide was knowledgable and friendly. The hike to the waterfall wasn’t extremely treacherous. The waterfall was absolutely unbelievable! Definitely worth your time and money! Put this on your list of things you must do!!!

It was such a fun and beautiful river and hike. Our guide, Dartanyon Stovall, was very knowledgeable about the area and was a fun guide. Definitely worth it.

Luckily for my sister and I, we were the only ones in this group w/​the tour guide of course and we had the best time.
Our guides name was Andre, and he was the absolute highlight of this day! We laughed so hard this entire trip — we felt like we’ve known him for years. He talked about his family & shared where he came from & vice versa. He even went off to one of the trees on the river to pick us a lilikoi… and gave us a coconut to bring home at the end!
Anyways… we arrived to the shack & drove to the river — about a 5 – 10 minute ride — super close. He helped us into our kayaks, taught us how to keep steady and we were off! Very relaxing & beautiful ride. Lots of history & facts behind the trees and birds around us. You kayak to a secluded area and go on a mini hike through the forest to a beautiful waterfall!
I would recommend doing the single kayaks because from the looks of it from the people we saw in the doubles, its hard paddling in sync & when you’re in a single you can all go at your own pace and paddle next to each other (instead of staring at someone’s head the whole time)
Make sure you buy/​bring water shoes! You walk through the lake at some parts. which I have no idea how people do in flip flops. Also wear a lot of insect repellent… which I’m not sure will help, cause I put on a shit ton and woke up the next day with 20+ bug bites.
Tough out the bugs cause it’s worth it!

Evan was our guide for up the river and to the falls. His knowledge of the island and history was great and he was very enthusiastic and engaging. Our group was small, 6 people including us which was awesome. Well worth the price for what you get, definitely recommend booking your kayak tour through Duke’s.

Evan was radical! He was fun and he read the group very well. The area was beautiful and he made it feel like a true adventure. Loved every moment of it.

There are approximately 11 kayak tour companies that all do the same kayak trip to the waterfall. These guys are awesome. Affordable, knowledgeable, and the tour guides are professional.
The main point of paying for a guide (aside from safety) is to get a history of the island and the area. You’ll definitely get that as well as some good humor and the laid back attitude of the island. It takes a few hours and you have the option of paying extra to have a lunch provided or you can pack your own. They provide a waterproof back pic so bring cameras and whatever else you need. The hike isn’t super strenuous, but you do need to cross a river so wear shoes that can get wet, or bring a change of socks.
I would definitely go back to Duke’s, thanks for a great time guys!

5 star service for this great outfit, we arrived at their shop to meet our guide Evan (I think or Kevin? But something like that).
Straight away my wife and I knew it’ll be a fun day as he had energy and was all about making it great for us. We connected right away with many same interests and attitude.
A short drive landed us at the dock with our kayaks all in good condition, quick but thorough briefing of the river and we were off. Couple of miles up stream we started the information filled hike to the waterfall. Evan had many great stories of the islands history.
This is a must do tour if visiting Kaua’i and really isn’t to strenuous.
I’d definitely ask for Evan to lead any other kayak tours I might take in the future.

My wife and I had the best time on this trip, definitely one of the highlights of our vacation here in Kauai. This was a fun adventure from start to finish. The hike to the Secret Falls waterfall was so worth it!
I had read some of the other reviews stating how muddy the hike was and that you needed a pair of good hard souled shoes for the hike. I unfortunately hadn’t brought extra/​old shoes for this type of outing. Determined to go anyways, I was prepared to ruin my newer tennis/​running shoes but never had to use them. The team at Duke’s had several loaner pairs of shoes in different sizes. Both my wife & I found a pair that fit and we were on our way.
The kayaking portion of the trip was a lot of fun. The trip in was easier that the return trip as many other reviews have stated. You are just working against the wind, still very do-​able.
The hike to the falls is a little tricky for those that don’t have a sure footing. The mud, exposed roots, and the river crossings can pose a challenge for some… the reward though is so worth it. The Secret Falls location is AMAZING!!! A must see.

The kayak tour and hike were nice but the waterfall at the end was a trickle. So if you are really looking forward to the reward of a beautiful waterfall and pool at the end of the trip ask first if there is any water at the falls.

Our family had an awesome time with Duke’s Kayak Adventure. Our guide John was awesome and very knowledgeable since he was born and raised in Kauai. John made sure our adventure was one of the best we experience as he guided us down the Wailua river including hiking down to the secret falls. I highly recommend taking this tour and requesting for John as your tour guide for an awesome experience.

My husband and I had a WONDERFUL time on our kayaking/​hiking adventure with Duke’s! Everyone in the staff was so nice, and they were all locals, giving us the feeling that we were in good hands. It was easy to find the location that we met at, and there was plenty of parking for all of us. We checked in, received our dry bags (where we could put all of our things for the trip), and got ready to go. Then we took a van over to the river and picked out our kayaks. All the kayaks were two person kayaks, so it might be tricky to go on this trip with an odd number of people! There were 12 of us in the group total. Our guide, John, gave us a quick lesson on how to kayak, and then we were off!
We kayaked for two miles down the river. One couple in our group was having a little bit of trouble and fell behind the rest of the group, but John kept himself between them and us to make sure everyone was okay. We had never been kayaking before, and it was a little tough! There was no definite time constraint, so we could have taken our time, but we wanted to keep up with the group, and did need to push ourselves a little to do so. We parked our kayaks on the bank of the river and waded across the knee-​deep river to get to the start of the hike.
They say you need water friendly shoes, but I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND water shoes, preferably with hard soles if that exists. My husband and I wore the sneakers we had brought for the trip and both threw them away afterwards– they were covered in mud and were soaked, and smelled so bad that they were not worth salvaging. The sneakers we used were fine while on the trip though– some of the other couples wore surfing booties and seemed to be fine but did comment on the bottoms of their feet not feeling completely protected.
Then we hiked 1.5 miles to the waterfall! The hike was relatively easy! No one seemed to have a problem with it. John stopped us several times along the hike to teach us something about the plants or trees or sights on the trip which was really cool. And at the end of the hike we got to the beautiful waterfall and swimming hole! The water was COLD, but it was so cool to be able to go under the waterfall. There were 2 other groups of hikers there when we got there, but it was a big area and not too crowded. We hiked back and then kayaked back (which was even more difficult than the way out– we were now paddling against the slight current and our arms/​shoulders were burning!).
We loved the whole trip– it was so rewarding and for an AMAZING price. From leaving the shop to arriving back took over 5 hours for us, so we made sure to tip our guide since it was so cheap! Don’t know how they make any money! All in all, highly highly recommend this adventure. We told everyone we met the rest of the trip to check it out! It was definitely one of the highlights of our stay in Kauai. Thanks for a great day!

Amazing tour! Our tour guide John was as good as it gets, very knowledgeable and friendly. The river was beautiful and the hike was amazing!

We were the only ones on our trip, but Jeff did a great job showing us the ropes and keeping us entertained. The mud on the hike was CRAZY, but the falls were so worth it!

rip off! They have a coupon that you can pick up at the airport $ 40 per person… call to book it and «duke“tells me that rate is only to fill the last few spots. Real rate? $ 90 per person. Asked what situations would the price go down and he said“my discretion». My girl called back later that day and they had spots open on all but 1 tour for the next 5 days. Rip off, don’t put out a coupon if you refuse to honor it. Went with a much cheaper place.

We didn’t know if our family would be able to do this. We have an 8 year old and my wife isn’t the most adventurous type. However, we decided to go for it and we were glad we did. We went on the early morning tour which was known to be less crowded. Our guide Evan was amazing and made our trip so memorable. He knew so much about the island and made our son feel safe, secure and special. Seriously, Evan is the best guide I’ve ever met and I wish more people could have his energy, positivity and care to their work.
The kayaking going there was not so bad and we were able to have our son in the middle of the kayak. Evan even gave him a small paddle so he could be involved and was excited. It was a little tricky to maneuver the kayak in certain moments but Evan guides us thru those areas. Then we went on our hike which wasn’t bad at all. Reaching the waterfall was the highlight and spent some time in the waters and had the lunch from Duke’s. Our kayak back was the hard part with the winds coming against us. By the end of the kayak we were pretty worn out but felt a real sense of accomplishment. I would highly recommend this trip! Thank you Duke’s and Evan for sure.

‘Tis was a blast. Our guide Evan was one hard working guy.
Wear water shoes that you can tighten up since it can get muddy.

What an absolutely amazing time we had with our tour guide Evan! He was very informative & made our kayaking/​hiking adventure fantastic !!
We would totally recommend going with this company!!!
This was definitely one of the best highlights of our trip
Scott & Carrie
Las Vegas, NV

As everyone has already raved, Evan was an absolutely FANTASTIC tour guide, and we had a hoot and three quarters all the way to the «Secret Sprinkles» and back! Had it not been for Evan the FANTASTIC tour guide, the trip would have actually been quite disappointing, as we visited at the end of dry season, leaving us with a very green-​looking river and a pathetic-​looking «waterfall» (termed the «Secret Sprinkles» by Evan).
Before the end of the night, Evan even recommended a great place for our family to visit before we left the island (Queen’s Bath), and it was the best place we ever visited between Maui AND Kauai! Props to Evan for just being a great resource to the island of Kauai all around, along with being full of great dinosaur jokes, wit, and fun! Definitely find Evan with Duke’s Kayak Adventure if you’re thinking about taking a tour to the Secret Falls!
Duke’s Kayak Adventure is very lucky, indeed, that Evan decided to leave his HR job and become a kayak tour guide, and we are looking forward to coming back to Kauai for Evan’s Island Adventures (and, hopefully, more new friends and searches for $ 1 beer)!