I had seen the gorgeous Na Pali Coast from a helicopter tour and hiked along some of it, but until this last trip to Kauai in late October, I hadn’t seen the coast from the water. So, I was really excited to arrange a Na Pali Coast sunset sail for a new perspective.
The tour begins at Port Allen Small Boat Harbor in Eleele on the southern end of Kauai. After signing waivers and checking in Captain Chris (photo on the right), met with us to explain the conditions for the day. We all walked together to the boat, took our shoes off and boarded. Before we headed out, we met the crew for and observed a safety briefing. I must say that Captain Chris, First Mate Joe, and Second Mate Adam really had a genuine concern for safety and comfort throughout the tour.
Once we got to the Na Pali Coast the scenery was really spectacular. I was glad to get to admire the shape and color of the cliffs from the water and at a slower pace as compared to a helicopter tour. One day, I plan to go at an even slower place with a kayak tour of the Na Pali. See all our photos from this tour.
Along the way Captain Chris pointed out points of interest. He told us the history and significance of certain valleys.
The water was fairly rough with a slight winter swell, which is normal from about October through April. Though the water made for a rocky ride, we actually got pretty far up the coast. We made it up to the Kalalau Valley. Once we got as far as we could, Captain Chris turned the boat around and
We had a luau-style buffet that included kalua pork, teriyaki chicken, salad, rice, bread rolls, poi, chocolate chip cookies, and pineapple. I don’t have high expectations for boat tour food, but this dinner was surprisingly good. I thought that the kalua pork was especially delicious. Through the tour, sodas, juices and water was amply available. After we turned around, Mai-Tais, beers, and wine were served.
The tour lasts four hours and costs $115.54 per adult, but if you book directly with them online, you’ll only pay $94.35. The cost for children ages 2 – 11 is $83.74, but if you book directly online, the cost is reduced down to $74.33. All drinks and food were included. For further information, see the Blue Dolphin Charter’s Web site.
Overall, I quite pleased with the tour. I thought that the crew was very safety conscious, helpful and friendly. They were constantly surveying the customers to anticipate needs. There were 51 customers on board and it didn’t feel crowded at all. I suppose one very slight disappointment was that the brochures show the catamarans with beautiful rainbow sails and the sails weren’t used. It wasn’t a big deal at all to me as the scenery of Kauai was really the highlight. I chalked it up to rough seas. I wonder if they open the sails in the calmer summer months?
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I took a Napali sunset tour, but I can't remember who the tour was with!
It was definitely worth every penny, it's even more specatular by boat than heli.
Great pics, which reminds me, I need to dig mine up and print them out!!
Great advice, esp the motion sickness.. we definitely had a few "overhangers" hehe
thanks for sharing and bringing back great memories!
Hi Eric - Interesting to hear your opinion about boat vs helicopter tour. I'd have a hard time choosing between the two. The biggest problem with a helicopter tour is that it goes by so quickly whereas on a boat tour you go so much slower.
Le me know if you have any special photos from your tour that you'd like to feature here. :)
I felt so bad for those "overhangers" on our tour. I was so happy that I had taken motion sickness medicine. I know it helped me from being in one of them. I also think it helped that as soon as the boat took off, I grabbed a ginger ale and the crew passed out pretzels. I'm so, so glad I didn't get sick so that I could enjoy the scenery!
Hello from corfu. Very nice website.