Waimea Canyon - The Grand Canyon of the Pacific on Kauai (USA)

For today we had planned an island tour on Kauai, which is often referred to as “Garden Island” due to its lush vegetation. The main attractions on Kauai are Waimea Canyon, often referred to as the “Grand Canyon of the Pacific”, and the famous Napali Coast on the North Shore.

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of our Trip around the World

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Der Waimea Canyon

The first thing we wanted to do was drive from our Hotel Kauai Inn in Lihue to Waimea Canyon. The distance of about 55 kilometers can be done in just over an hour.

Via the main road, Waimea Canyon Drive, we have come to various vantage points. From the main viewpoint, Waimea Canyon Overlook, you have the best view of the canyon with its mountain peaks, rugged crevices and deep canyons.

Google Earth, Waimea Canyon, Kauai, Hawaii, USA, Island Tour, On Your Own, Travelreport

Der Waimea Canyon in Google Maps

The canyon is a total of 16 km long and up to 900 meters deep. In the canyon you will also find the waterfall, which is known from the movie Jurassic Park. In general, many parts of the film were shot on Kauai. On Youtube you will find a very nice compilation, where which scene of Jurassic Park was filmed on the island.

The entrance to the National Park

The view of the canyon

Der Waimea Canyon

The view of the canyon

Der Waimea Canyon Overlook

The view of the canyon

The view from Overlook Point

Waterfall in the canyon

Selfie at Overlook Point

Kokee State Park & the Napali Coast

The road then continues into the mountains and ends at Kokee State Park, from which numerous hiking trails depart. From here you can also get a view of the Napali Coast. At the very end of Waimea Canyon Drive you will find The Mountain Wai’Ale’Ale – “One of the wettest spots on earth”. It didn’t rain, but everything was completely covered in thick fog and the view was = 0.

The entrance to Kokee State Park

View of the Napali Coast

Mount Wai'Ale'Ale

After leaving the canyon, we drove along “Waimea Canyon Drive” to the east. Here there is a small waterfall on the road, which is embedded in incredibly red sandstone hills.

Red Hills, Waterfall, Waimea Canyon, Kauai, Hawaii, USA, Island Tour, On Your Own, Travelreport

Small waterfall in red sandstone hills

Unsere Reiseberichte von Hawaii (2015)

Unsere Weltreise führte uns nach fast 2 Monaten vom amerikanischen Festland nach Hawaii. Inmitten des Pazifischen Ozeans gelegen, 3.600 Kilometer vom US-amerikanischen Festland entfernt, liegt der 50. Bundesstaat der USA. Für viele der Inbegriff der Südsee. Während unseres zweiwöchigen Aufenthalts auf Hawaii haben wir vier der sechs Hauptinseln besucht: Kauai, O‘ahu, Maui und Big Island. Jede dieser Inseln hat ihre eigene Persönlichkeit, Natur und Sehenswürdigkeiten und bietet allen Geschmäckern unterschiedliche Aktivitäten: Von der Großstadt Honolulu mit dem berühmten Waikiki Beach, dem faszinierenden Waimea Canyon und der atemberaubenden Napali Coast auf Kauai, der bekannten Road to Hana auf Maui bis hin zum aktivsten Vulkan der Welt auf Big Island. Die Inseln versprühen ein einzigartiges Flair und haben uns sehr schnell mit dem berühmten Aloha-Charme verzaubert.