Kalalau Beach

The beautiful Kalalau Beach lies at the foot of Kauai’s spectacular and often photographed Kalalau Valley. Getting to this beach on foot isn’t easy, but if you want to camp on a long, wide, picturesque, tropical beach with vegetated sand dunes, caves and a beautiful waterfall cascading down towering, red-ish-brown cliffs generously coated with lush, green vegetation, then I think you’ll find the long hike to Kalalau Beach well worth the challenge.

Getting to Kalalau Beach

Kalalau Beach is located at the end of the 11-mile long hike known as Kalalau Trail. The trail starts on northern Kauai at Ke‘e Beach, leads to Kalalau Valley and ends at Kalalau beach. The trek involves many rolling hills along the Na Pali coastline and crossing Hanakapiai Beach and Valley.

Camping on Kalalau Beach

Camping on Kalalau Beach is a wonderful experience, but you must first get a permit – and you’ll have to get on a long list for that. The camping permits fill up fast, so it’s probably a good idea to get one a year or more in advance of your trip to Kauai.

You may be tempted to just ignore the permit requirement, but don’t. There’s always a ranger that patrols the Kalalau Beach and Trail, looking for rule breakers.

Ho‘ole‘a Falls provides fresh drinking water and is located on the western end of the beach. But don’t drink it straight from the waterfall. The water should first be boiled or treated to sanitize it.

Swimming at Kalalau Beach

Use extreme caution when attempting to swim at Kalalau Beach. In fact, I recommend that you don’t swim unless you’re an expert swimmer that’s already familiar with Hawaiian waters.

Sometimes the sea can appear calm here, making people believe it’s safe to swim in. This is especially true in the summertime when the seas are calmest. But unfortunately there is no reef to protect the shore, which leaves it vulnerable to longshore currents caused by trade winds and tidal changes.

Another potential hazard to be aware of is that although there’s a fairly shallow sand bar that runs parallel to the beach, there are places where the ocean floor abruptly drops to levels above your head.

During the winter and spring, conditions are especially dangerous. High surf pounds the entire Na Pali coast, creating extremely turbulent waters. You definitely do not want to swim at this time of year.

And don’t forget – Kalalau is a hard-to-get-to, secluded wilderness area. There are no lifeguards here. If you get into trouble, there will be no one to help you. Unfortunately many people have lost their lives here and it’s usually out-of-towners that didn’t know any better. Have fun, but don’t be one of them.

Related Articles:

• Haena Beach Park
• Tunnels Beach (Makua) – A Kauai Snorkeling and Diving Paradise
• Hanakapiai Beach
• Kee Beach