Snorkeling is the greatest -- you feel free to hang out with all the fishes and ocean life...giant sea turtles, white tip sharks at a distance, all kinds of colorful fish. The waters are so warm and clear that you can see forever. The boat ride is a lot of fun. Great people, food and drink. The Napali coast is awesome -- untouched by all the man made elements. You will love it.

If you plan to stay in Princeville area and go on a sea tour to Na Pali coast, you will find that most boats leave from Port Allen or Poipu in the south. Since passengers must check in around seven in the morning, you would have to be up before five and drive down an hour and a half to get to the port, which isn’t the greatest thing to do during a vacation.WHY JUST ONE COMPANY IN THE NORTH?There is only one company, which sails out of Hanalei Bay near Princeville—Captain Sundown. The company offers various types of sail including morning and afternoon sail (see www.captainsundown.com). We took a six-hour snorkel tour with lunch for about $130, the most expensive among its kind. However, besides getting more sleep and saving driving time, the tour was well worth the price. By the way, the reason why Captain Sundown is the only boat out of the north is that, years ago, flourishing boat tours from Hanalei Bay wreaked havoc on its environment. The government came in and outlawed boat tour businesses except for Captain Sundown, which put up a legal fight, or so goes the story according to Bob, the captain.ADVANTAGES OF SAILING OUT OF THE NORTHAlthough choice is limited, sailing out of the north has plenty of advantages, especially if you stay in the north. The 40-foot catamaran, designed by the captain himself so it’s suitable for Kauai waters, limits passengers to 15 people so it does not get too crowded. You check in after 8 a.m. so you don’t have to hurry too early. It sails less than a half-hour before you can begin to enjoy the sight of Na Pali coast, unlike those that sail out of the south, which must cruise for an hour or so before reaching the scenic coast. The boat is too large to enter caves but it gets you there near enough. It stops close to the southern end of the coast where you can snorkel for an hour (they provide the gears). Then you turn back and sail further away from the coast to have a wider perspective of the coast. The captain tops it off with one hour extra sail out to the ocean north of Na Pali coast where wind is strong and waves pound over the boat so you get soaking wet. It’s kind of like "perfect storm" except you come out alive exhilarated.ONE MINOR LACKCaptain Bob and his assistant were really folksy people who took a good care of the passengers, explaining and answering questions. They only left us wanting for better quality food (we had a choice of roast beef or turkey sandwich), although they had plenty of drinks. But then, during a sail, you probably don’t want to indulge a gourmet meal lest you get seasick. Anyway, after we came back to the calm waters of Hanalei Bay, we were convinced that we had taken the best sea tour in Kauai.

Thousand foot high cliffs along an incredibly green coast line, with Hawai'i's most famous hiking trail following for about 11 miles. Here's the locale used for such movies as South Pacific, King Kong, and Jurassic Park. For good reason.

We just returned from a great visit to Kauai. What a beautiful island, the absolute highlight was a kayak trip down the Napali coast. We chose to go with the company Napali Kayak on the northshore and we are glad we did. Our guide's were great not just great kayakers but great people. The napali coast is just so amazing and to be in such good company made the difference. They were always encouraging and positive. We got to go into some sea caves that were straight out of the movies. I have kayaked before, ok only 2 times, but i have never experienced anything like this. It is definitely a long, physical trip but sooo worth it. I would definitely recommend Napali Kayak, you can check out there website, thats how i found them. Napalikayak.com

My friend and I were hesitant about taking a helicopter tour (although there are SO many!) because neither of us had ever been in one before. However, it turned out to be the highlight of our visit and we both agreed that it was the best thing we did on the Hawaii trip. One of the most amazing sights we saw while in the air was the Na Pali Coast. Because you can't drive to the coast and get the view that is meant to be seen, you MUST take a helicopter tour to see the Coast in all its beauty. You won't regret it!