Kauai Backcountry Adventures

Tour was definitely worth it. The tubing isn’t demanding and it’s pretty cool to go through the tunnels. The guides were great, they clearly love their jobs and love living on Kauai. They were also very helpful with tips for things to do around the island.

My hubby and his friend did the inner tubing last Tuesday. It poured rain on them most of the time, but that didn’t take stars away because weather cannot be helped! :) they both said it was fine, but they felt like it was WAY too expensive for what it was. We go inner tubing here in WA on lots of rivers, so for them the inner tubing in itself is not much of an adventure unless there are some fun rapids. They said the tunnels were cool. Lunch was ok – nothing too spectacular. They were freezing most of the time. They also did a kayak/​hike adventure on the Wailua River, and they said there was no comparison in the experiences vs the value. The kayak tour cost ¹⁄₃ that of the inner tubing. They said it was fun, but they wouldn’t do it again if we all make it back to Kauai again.

We truly were adventuring when we were invited to zipline and tube. We loved every minute spent.
Our tour guide for tubing was Meleke on our way up the road. He’s very entertaining, easily admired and knowledgeable about his local land. Meleke, thanks for sharing your parents love story! Chelsea was our guide in the tubes. What a blast. At first the water was chilly but you quickly get over it as the water is free flowing and tunnels are long to enjoy. Im claustrophobic but was completely fine because they the tunnels were high and wide enough. Singing in the tunnels and surrounded by good company added magic. Other guides ensured we were safe. Short history was nice too.
We absolutely loved ziplining with BJ and Branden. You are safe with these guys. They say to trust the equipment but I was safe with both of them. You zip at about 30 mph. No need to worry about stopping cuz these guys do it for you. Yes im scared of heights but i enjoyed every second enjoying the views if the valley, perfect weather in Jan just missed the rains the day before. History lessons were just what i needed on our travels up and down the rocky roads. 5 thumbs and more! I highly recommend both!

Our guide Eric was awesome! Very charismatic and kept us all laughing and entertained on the ride over to the tubes. Loved the ukulele playing on the tubes :) The lunch was great! We had a blast overall!

We did the tube adventure on 2÷2÷16. It was a fun trip and quite laid back. Cinzia was our guide and made the trip a hilarious adventure. Whoever runs this place should give her a promotion and a raise stat. Her commentary on how to go through a buffet line at the Luau was one of a kind and will be remembered as a highlight of the trip. Good job guys!

We did the mountain tubing. Very interesting and unique, a blend of old historical Kauai on a former sugar plantation which is now owned by a corporate tech company ceo. There are hand dug tunnels which provided aqueducts for watering the sugar cane. Specifically 5 of them. The mountain tubing tour mainly consists of going down the aqueducts through these tunnels. 85% of the trip is in the tunnels. It is very fun and unique and I recommend it because it’s nothing like anything else you will ever do. The negatives were mainly that there were so many people in the group and you’re not allowed to tie or hold on with your tube to another person so it’s really easy to lose the other people in your group. If you want to sort of enjoy this yourself and be on your own adventure that’s great, but it’s frustrating if you’re trying to share the experience with a friend or partner or family because you will
Inevitably get separated, maybe for the whole trip. But it’s cool. Definitely.

We had a great time yesterday going on the tubes. This trip is is going & relaxing, & I enjoyed every minute of it! Derek & Marty our guides were terrific with knowledge on Kauai & the history of the Hawaiians. The guides worked with our group very well. Would recommend this for everyone. One thing I will say is the guides don’t hound you to tip them, which I loved, therefor it really makes me want to tip them!

what a great time !! floating through canals that in the past would bring water to the sugar cane. fun time for anyone !! I only wish it was longer… lunch was nice, and played horseshoes. the water was… well… somewhere between refreshing and shrinkage but not an issue at all… you will love this !!!

It was raining the day of our tubing adventure. I was afraid I would be too cold, but it was doable. We were outfitted with safety gear, booties for or feet, gloves, and a helmet with a light on it.
It wax approximately 45 minute commute up muddy bumpy terrain. Tons of beautiful green vegetation. Once at the launch spot, we all got thick rubber tubes. We were told to stick together, but there were 4 or 5 guides in the water with us to assist in keeping the group safe. Tubing down the old sugar plantation canals was so exciting. It was a little scary when we went through the caves. We had to turn the lights on our helmets on, but you still couldn’t see where you were floating. Hence the protective gear, we did bump into rock walks, each other, and water plants.
Once we had floated to our destination, we abandoned the tubes and were taken to a nice picnic area. We were given a nice sack lunch consisting of a sandwich, chips, cookie, and coconut water .
5 stars for the adventure, 5 stars for the personal service, and 5 stars for the safety and memories made this day.

SUPER COOL… they get you a life vest and then you head up the hill in the van. They stop along the way and show you the beautiful mountains including the rainiest spot in the world. Then its time for tubing. You cruise through tunnels and small falls… a blast with kids, they love it. Then you end up at a spot for lunch. Im not kidding when I say the location for lunch looks like fantasy island (dating myself… ugh). It was a wonderful trip and the kids really enjoyed it. Oh yeah, the staff was great very informative.

We did the Tubing Adventure and Zipline and Hidden Waterfall Adventure while we were in Kauai over New Years.
The tubing adventure was fun, kind of a one a done thing, wouldn’t do it again and most of the time you are in the tunnels and not actually outside «in the wilderness.» But for the most part fun and simple especially if your family has small or middle school aged children (older kids could be a little boring) the tour guides were great! Just an FYI the drive out to the actual canals is about 30−40min and it is not a smooth ride, so just be patient.
The Zipline and Waterfall adventure was my favorite thing while we were in Kauai! They keep the group small which make for a more intimate experience. It was absolutely beautiful like you were in the Amazon! Super lush and green, perfect views, weather, fun, etc! You got to see country you would never have the opportunity to see. The zip lining was really easy once you got the hang of it, nothing to be scared of (I wish there would have been about 3 more ziplines, but it was still great!) Our tour guides Darren and Boom were awesome made the experience even better and were able to give us a lot of history on Kauai and the property where the tour took place. BY FAR THE BEST PART of this entire excursion (THE HIKE TO HALI“I WATERFALL). I love to hike and I love a hike where there is a prize at the top/​bottom/​finish/​whatever. Very muddy (like swamp) but worth every step and slip. The hike led to the most beautiful waterfall in the middle of the jungle (literally it was in the middle of nowhere) since the weather was hotter that day it was the perfect place to jump in and swim. We were able to spend 20 – 30 minutes there taking pictures and swimming. IT WAS INCREDIBLE!
My recommendation: Ditch the Tubing and do the zip lining. You will have pictures and memories that will last a lifetime!

My husband sad I along with our 2 teenage sm daughters had a great time. We had Lexi and Brenden as our guides. They made it funny and fun. Your tube will soon around during the adventure and that’s part of the fun. We went through about 4 – 5 caves which was really neat. In one if them we turned off our headlights and went through it in the dark.
My husband had our GoPro and somehow lost it in the lazy river. Drake stayed back to try to help him find it in the murky water… and he did! We couldn’t believe it but he spent several minutes searching for it and we were so grateful.
Hollywood was our driver and he’s knowledgable and a really nice guy.
Can’t say enough great things about it. Lunch was meh… cold cuts and chips… but we didn’t go for the lunch so that didn’t factor into my rating.
Go! You’ll enjoy it.

So many awesome reviews I don’t know what else to add!
Keep in mind that the van ride to the mountain tubing is very bumpy and bring bug repellent! My friends and I got bitten by bugs and we totally regret not bringing the bug repellent.
It was an awesome experience overall.

Good job guys. My family and I had a great time. They took very good care of my youngest daughter, kept her safe, and made sure she had a great time. Pick a nice day and enjoy the ride.

This was such a fun way to see part of the island you’d never get to see! Take a bus ride up the mountain, with a stop to view a beautiful canyon and mountain range. Then hop in your tubes and cruise down the lazy river. Most of the tour is inside caves, and you do quite a bit of bumper boating and spinning. It’s very mellow, though, and truly unique! So glad we did the trip.
Props to our guide Kai, and our nature expert who told us about the plant life (can’t remember your name, but hope you get into UC Davis!)

Came here for our tubing adventure & it was so much fun!
We arrived & they had us sign some forms, gave us some helmets & gloves and waited for the rest of the group to arrive. We then went into two vans (each about 8 – 10 people) and you’re off to the river! Along the way, the staff share a bunch of historic facts and encourage everyone to get to know each other, so we all introduced ourselves. It was paved for about 5 minutes and the rest of the ride was bumpy, unpaved rode (about 20 min). We stopped at a scenic overlook for everyone to stretch their legs & take pictures along the way.
We finally arrived to where we’d be loading into our tubes & we packed our stuff in bins they would be transporting for us to the end of the river and they gave a short lesson on commands and what to do/​what not to do and we were off!
We plopped into our tubes and let the rapids take us! We went into 4 or 5 tunnels and they were so cool. They stop you in the middle of one an share a story & we even went through one of the tunnels without our helmet lights on (scary, but so cool).
They provided us with sandwiches at the end and we were headed back. Overall it was a great adventure. Sad we weren’t able to try their zipline (closed on the weekends) but next I’m back, I’ll be sure to book that first!
P.S– Sierra & Derek are awesome guides!

We have been tubing and zip lining with KBA on two different trips to Kauai, and we absolutely love them.
First, the staff. They hire friendly, engaging young people who make you feel welcome and comfortable. They are full of great information about the island, and often we have used their restaurant tips to great advantage (Savage Shrimp anyone?). We absolutely adored all of them.
Second, the Experience. The tubing and zip lining locations are breathtakingly beautiful, and once you arrive you never want to leave — assuming you brought mosquito repellent. The irrigation canals are picturesque and it’s a blast floating through the tunnels. Zip lining takes place over a small valley and river that are so incredibly pretty you can hardly believe it’s all real.
Extra points for using Pinzgauers to transport you. Those things are freaking awesome.
I cannot recommend KBA enough. If you are on the Island, GO.

Tubing through plantation canals? Yes. It is as weird and memorable as it sounds.
Overall, I’d say this is not a «must-​do» stop on your Kauai trip, but it’s fun and a charming add-​on choice if you have an extra half day in the schedule.
A few things to prepare yourself for:
— It’s very chill and slow riding in 3′ of water. Do not expect adrenaline.
— They will take very young children (see «slow» point above). However, your group will likely get spread out and lose visibility in the tunnels — so if you are considering bringing young kids, make sure you and they are okay with this.
— There’s a lot of driving and prep time. Of a 3+ hour excursion, you’re on the water for maybe an hour.
— They will stop for a picnic «lunch» regardless of time of day. So that’s cool, you’ll just want to plan dinner accordingly.
— Wear long dry-​fit shorts and shirts. Those with skimpier bathing suits get rug-​burn from the tubes.

Kauai Backcountry Adventures provided me with the best outdoor adventure package. Although I paid for just one adventure, I say «package» because the package had a lot of value and was inclusive of a brief tour, history lesson and lunch. I had the best time and enjoyed every minute of the adventure.
Location: A
KBA is located right in Lihue, just a couple minutes away from the airport.
Customer Service: A
The tour guides were incredibly friendly, entertaining and helpful.
Price: B
Great value for what we paid for and Kama‘aina rates are available!
Tubing Adventure: A
It was an excellent outdoor experience that makes you appreciate nature even more.
Our meeting place was at the KBA warehouse and we were fitted for a helmet and gloves. Once everyone was set, we piled into 2 15-​passenger vans with huge monster truck-​looking tires. They warned us it would be a bumpy ride but that was definitely putting it mildly. If you get carsick, I’d recommend popping a Dramamine or Meclizine beforehand. We were driven through the mountain and went off-​roading on the rocky path. During the ride, we did an ice breaker and introduced ourselves, where we’re from and what our favorite Disney movie was.
We were driven to a scenic point with a great view of Mount Wai‘ale‘ale, which is the rainiest spot in the world. Then we were taken to our launch spot but before we started the tubing adventure, we took a short walk through the bamboo forest and were given a quick history lesson of the area, sugarcane field and plants.
When everyone was in the water sitting in their tube waiting for our adventure to start, we were all bumping each other and did one huge «group sorry» to each other as we would be bumping into each other throughout the entire adventure so after we got that out of the way, we didn’t have to feel bad about every bump to our tubing buddy. I had a blast flowing through the old sugar can plantation river and through the old caves. The caves were fun because some of their openings had a dip and the water rushed quickly through the cave. It was fun to be carried through the caves at a quicker pace. The end of the adventure was slower paced and the water was almost stagnant so it made for a nice relaxing lazy river portion of the adventure.
When our tubing adventure was over, we were driven to a nice picnic site a few minutes away from the river. There were other people there from other activities that KBA had. They set out a sandwich buffet for us and we ate on the picnic tables and played horseshoe. The worst part of the adventure was going back to the KBA warehouse because that’s when I knew it was over. They have a restroom and a little store where you can buy shirts, hats and other souvenirs. They also have some nice murals for some good photo ops. I can’t wait ’till I make another trip back to Kauai and have another fun outdoor adventure with KBA!

Ahh river tubing. This was such a unique experience, how can I give it any less than 5 stars. From start to finish, the team at Kauai Backcountry Adventures were top notch. I did some research before booking our tour so I had some knowledge of what to expect. It’s a different side of Kauai that not many will experience. And it’s been on my bucket list of things to do for awhile now, so I’m glad I did it!
Even though my sister, friend and I were with a group of strangers, that didn’t seem to matter because we were all there to have a good time. We cruised through five caves along an old sugarcane irrigation ditch that seemed pretty well maintained. You’re provided with helmets and headlights because it does get pretty dark when you go through the caves. Watch out for the edges because you may get scratched up by some of the sharp rocks. After the adventure, enjoy a make-​your-​own sandwich lunch before heading back to grab your things at the start.
Great times with great company. Highly recommended as one of your Kauai tour options. You won’t find this kinda organized activity on Oahu for sure.