Secret Falls

 Gavin and I have been trying to get out once a week to do some hiking. This week's adventure was Secret Falls!

I heard about secret falls a lot from work. When I talk to the tourists that come on my tour I ask them what else they have planned. Almost every time they usually say kayaks to Secret Falls as one of their to-do's on the island. So Gavin and I took it upon ourselves to paddle the river and find the waterfall!

You start in Kapaa and head up the Wailua River for about 2 miles. The river is smooth sailing and very beautiful. We only have one blow-up paddleboard so Gavin paddles the both of us while I sit in the front and relax. A lot of other kayakers comment that I've got the best setup. Which I really do ;) 

On the way, you pass some charming houses that line the river. There is one house that looks like it's made of bamboo and is more of a hut. Gavin said that is his dream house.

 It isn't long though till you are in between lush green trees. The paddle is fun on a paddleboard because you can jump off and swim in the river anytime you want! Gavin took advantage of that and jumped in a couple of times. 

The waterfall is called Secret Falls because you can only get there by paddling up the river, but I don't think it's a secret that it's there. There are TONS of people on the river and hiking up to the falls. There is a kayak company that provides these tours and they sure get a lot of people on it. We weren't ever confused about where to go because there were so many kayakers to follow on the river and a very well-marked trail. So much for a secret waterfall. 

Once you find a spot to throw your paddleboard you just follow the marked path all the way along the river to the falls. It is a very beautiful trail with boardwalks and a great view of the lush green tropical plants. 

The waterfall itself is beautiful as well. It was packed with people which wasn't my favorite thing but I can't complain that people are hiking and taking advantage of the beautiful Island. This waterfall is nice because it's one you can actually swim in! 

We took a quick swim before heading back down the river. We loved this so much that

we went back a couple of weeks later with Jaden and Izzy! I chuckle just a little bit because Gavin and I thought it was the easiest thing in the world but when I talk to the tourist they describe it as a very slippery difficult trail that isn't marked at all. I think the tours take about 6 hours. When I think in total it took us 2-2-2.5 hours. And that was with swimming in the waterfall. It's interesting to see things from the tourist's point of view because I'm sure I sound like them when I travel to other places. 

On the way back when we were paddling, we passed another couple. They were asking us questions but Gavin was going beast mode because he was timing himself trying to get back to the car in under 30 minutes. I felt bad we kinda ignored the sweet couple and paddled on. Well turns out they were our good friend Trent Hansen's siblings! Such a small world and it feels even smaller when you are on an island like this.