A day after we arrived we took this hiking tour. It was a nicely paced, the guides were young and knowledgeable and got us motivated to see more of the island. We had a copy of the Kauai Trailblazer guidebook along and it, thank goodness, had a large directory of all the trails and detailed directions on how to find them with distances and landmarks along the way. I'd say for an overview upon arrival, the Princeville Ranch people serve up lots of interesting information and a great lunch besides. It was worth spending the morning with them.

Eight zip-lines (strong, steel cables) are stretched from one side of a canyon to another. You are belted in a harness and attached to a device with pulley wheels connected to the zip-line. A take-off platform starts your journey across the canyon and ends on a landing platform on the opposite side of the canyon. The beautiful views and velocity of travel make for an inspiring experience. Near the end of the tour you are treated to a deli lunch and allowed 45-60 minutes to swim in a river, under a waterfall. This is a new adventure for 2004 and I highly recommend to anyone able to moderately hike and not afraid of heights. It is about 4 1/2-5 hours long and is a real blast.