The Journey To This Hawaii Waterfall Swimming Hole Is More Enchanting Than You Could Possibly Imagine
By Megan Shute|Published May 11, 2017
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Megan Shute
Author
With more than 10 years of experience as a professional writer, Megan holds a degree in Mass Media from her home state of Minnesota. After college, she chose to trade in her winter boots for slippahs and moved to the beautiful island of Oahu, where she has been living for more than five years. She lives on the west side but is constantly taking mini-road trips across the island and visits the neighboring islands whenever she can getaway. She loves hiking, snorkeling, locally-grown coffee, and finding the best acai bowl on Oahu.
The Hawaiian Islands are famous for their incredible white sand beaches, lush landscapes, and cascading waterfalls. While many Hawaiian waterfalls – like Hawaii Island’s Akaka Falls and many of the waterfalls found along Maui’s Hana Highway – are easily accessible, there are others that require a little bit of work to find. One such waterfall is Kauai’s Uluwehi Falls, a stunning slice of paradise that is perhaps just as much about the journey as it is about the destination.
Often known as Secret Falls to locals and visitors alike for some unknown reason (the waterfall is in no way a secret, at least not anymore), the journey to this remote waterfall is a popular day adventure on Kauai’s east side.
Your journey will begin on the tropical and lush Wailua River, where you will be required to either book a guided tour, or rent kayaks or canoes to reach the trailhead.
The kayaking portion of your trip will take you approximately 45 minutes to one hour, and you will pass the traditional Kamokila Hawaiian Village before reaching a fork in the river.
Here, head north (or right), and continue through dense vegetation until the water becomes too shallow to paddle. On your right, you should find a landing - which is sometimes full of kayaks and canoes.
Once you reach the trailhead, found off the Wailua River, you’ll begin your a muddy, and often slippery, 30-minute hike through the jungle that requires you to cross a few streams.
The trail ends where the 100-foot Uluwehi Falls plunges into a pool below, the perfect spot for a quick swim or picnic lunch before starting the journey back to the river.
We’re not going to lie to you - you’ll have to put in substantial work to reach Uluwehi Falls, but not only are the views the entire way absolutely stunning the entire trip, and the waterfall is absolutely worth it.
If you aren’t quite sure about finding the falls yourself, book a guided tour. From my research, Kayak Kauai is the most popular tour company, though there are several to choose from. Want to check out more epic Hawaiian waterfall swimming holes? Click here!
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