Kauaiʻs Tubing Adventure
Real Experience By Douglas Bowser – A Professional Travel Photographer
This company rents out water shoes if you don’t have any. Crocs are suitable for this tour.
Mountain Tubing on Kauai
As a professional travel photographer for over 30 years living and working in Hawaii, I’ve been fortunate to have done many activities on all the main islands. I have a few favorites that I would do again if given the chance and one of them is mountain tubing on Kauai with Kauai Backcountry Adventures. The first time I did this activity was in May of 2022. It is one of the most popular things to do in Kauai and reservations were booked weeks in advance.
I spent a week on Kauai traveling and photographing this amazing island. Aside from 2 helicopter tours (both doors on and off) I also drove around the island to the major attractions such as Waimea Canyon, Wailua Falls, Kilauea Lighthouse, Spouting Horn blowhole, and the beaches along the north, south, and eastern shores of the island. Kauai is the smallest of the main islands so getting around from my hotel in Kapaa was fairly simple, although traffic could get slow during the workweek rush hours, delays of more than 15 minutes were about the average.
Tubing Check-in
Kauai Backcountry Adventures check-in is about 6 minutes from the airport in the town of Lihue which is about 15 minutes or so from Kapaa. This 3-hour tour starts in a large building with bathrooms, changing rooms, and lots of room to sit and fill out the waiver. Once checked in you begin getting fitted with your gear for the day. Helmets with headlamps and light gloves were provided while it was recommended to bring water shoes, tennis shoes or hiking sandals, sunscreen, and a towel.
Next, we loaded into an open-air truck with bench seating for about 20 people. Our local guide was born and raised on Kauai and shared island life stories during our 30-minute drive thru this land that was once a sugar plantation. He was hilarious and entertaining and the time went by quickly.
We learned from our guide that this over 18,000-acre plantation we are traveling through was bought in 2001 by AOL co-founder and Hawaii native Steve Case for around $25 million. He put the land in a conservation trust for 25 years and extended it another 100 years before he passed away. The land is used by local ranchers and the well-maintained irrigation flumes from the plantation days are what we are about to float down. They were first dug by hand in the 1870’s. Our first stop is at an overlook of Mount Waialeale, the highest mountain on Kauai at 5,148 ft. It is one of the wettest spots on earth which gets over 450 inches of rain per year. The name means “overflowing water” and is the source of all seven rivers on Kauai including the Wailua River, the only navigable river in Hawaii. Waterfalls are seen in the distance and we learn the irrigation canal we will float today come from this mountain also.
Next, we continue to the start of our float where we put our towels, bags, and whatever else that is not going with us in the tubes into individual bins. The guides will transport these to the take-out at the end to retrieve our stuff before lunch.
Floating The Irrigation Canals
The canal we will float is called Hanama’ulu Ditch. It’s a little over four miles long and the section we will be in includes 5 tunnels that progressively get longer, with the longest one zig-zagging towards the end. The water is about 3 to 4 ft deep and travels at around 3 miles per hour making for a little over 1 hour in the water. They use canvas-covered inner tubes and have various sizes to fit everyone. Instructions are given on land about how to get in and out of the tubes with some tips on steering but it was lighthearted and brief.
Next we all headed down a ramp to get in the water. Two guides helped everyone “sit” into the tubes while a rope across the waterway held the group in place. After everyone was situated they dropped the rope and we all slowly dispersed downstream bumping up against each other and off the canal walls. After a few minutes of “sorry” from everyone, the guides said “No more sorry for the rest of the trip”. From then on it was non-stop laughter and smiles as my tube banged and spun its way through the ferns and trees of this beautiful rainforest. I was filming with a GoPro which worked great but a lot of the footage was me spinning and bouncing off other tubers and the canal walls. The entire forest echoed with the laughter of adults and children (ages 5 and up). After the second tunnel, the guides stopped us (another rope) for a group photo at a spot that had a ladder for those who did not want to continue. Everyone chose to continue, but I could understand that the dark caves and spinning may not be for everyone.
The water was warm and the guides encouraged us to scrape the clay off the canal walls and smear on our faces saying it’s the same clay used in the health spas for a $90 facial. The guides were skilled and would stand at tunnel entrances to get us started into the tunnels and deftly turned on our headlamps if we forgot. The first two tunnels were fairly short and straight. The canal varies from 2 to 3 tubes wide and in some places narrows to where only a single tube fits. The entrance to the 3rd tunnel has a 3 ft water slide that the company photographer grabs a shot of you sliding over. The last and longest tunnel is a zigzag which is completely dark because you can’t see the light at the end, however, the headlamps provided plenty of light. Our guides stopped at a turn inside the tunnel and had us all turn our headlamps off. Then he lit his face with a red light and told us a spooky story about a couple who years ago got stuck in the caves overnight. It was a funny and entertaining story. The last ¼ mile or so was slow flowing and we were able to get out of the tubes and walk in the water if we chose to. More jokes were told and soon we were at the takeout spot.
A small shed at the take out had the bins we put our stuff in at the start. We all dried off and loaded back up into the truck for a short drive through the rainforest to park like setting with a pond and covered picnic tables for lunch. We all made a croissant sandwich with fresh fixings in this beautiful spot in the forest. After lunch the ride back was about 30 minutes.
Photos of Your Tour
Upon return to the check-in building, there are about 4 or 5 touch screens which you can flip through to find your photos that were snapped at 3 spots along the way. They do a good job getting group and single portraits and you can see the photographer on the bank so it’s pretty easy to wave or throw a shaka out towards them. It’s a single price for a downloadable link to all your photos.
Things to know before you go
The tunnels have high ceilings and feel big in case you’re claustrophobic.
Sunglasses are not needed as the ride is mostly under forest trees and tunnels.
This tour is for ages 5 and older but you must be at least 43 inches tall. There’s a 300 lb weight limit.
Much of the tour is in shaded trees but sunscreen and bug repellent will come in handy at the picnic lunch stop.
Waterproof phone pouches and Gopros work just make sure you have a hand strap and set your GoPro at 60 frames per second or faster shutter speed.
This company also has a zipline tour.
Other Guests’ Sharings About Kauai Mountain Tubing Experience
- Open Daily
5:00am to 9:00pm, HST
