Na Pali Coast Zodiac Raft Tour: Sea Caves and Snorkel

Included in the Ticket

Your ticket covers the raft ride itself: sightseeing along the Na Pali Coast, the waterfalls, and entry into the sea caves when weather permits. The four-hour option adds snorkeling in a bay with gear supplied. Fresh cut fruit, Hawaiian chips, waters, Alohas and Gatorades are on board.

A dry bag for your belongings is issued at check-in, and the crew is first aid and CPR trained.

• Sightseeing of the Na Pali Coast and waterfalls
• Entering the sea caves, weather permitting
• Snorkeling with gear on the 4-hour option only
• Fresh fruit, chips, waters, Alohas and Gatorades
• Dry bag issued at check-in

Not Included

Hotel pickup is not offered, so you need your own ride to Waimea and to the harbor. Snorkeling is not part of the shorter option, so select carefully when booking. The photo and video package is sold at the end of the tour for $55 plus tax, and is optional.

• Hotel pickup and transport to the office or harbor
• Snorkeling on the 3-hour option
• Photo and video package, $55 plus tax at the end

What You Pay on the Day

Two costs come at check-in and after the ride. Parking at Kikiaola Small Boat Harbor is $20 plus tax per vehicle for 8 hours, paid during check-in at the office. Gratuities and any drinks beyond the provided waters, Alohas and Gatorades are not stated.

The table below separates the ticket from the add-ons.

Choosing Your Option

If you want the water time, pick the 4-hour option when booking, so select the snorkel option when you book. If you only want the caves, the shorter Zodiac Raft Sea Caves run covers the same coast without the swim stop.

Check-in in Waimea

You arrive at the Na Pali Riders office at 9600 Kaumualii Highway in Waimea 45 minutes before departure with waivers already signed. That means 5:45 AM for the 6:30 AM tour or 10:15 AM for the 11:00 AM tour between May 17 and September 20, and 6:15 AM or 10:45 AM for the 7:00 AM and 11:30 AM winter departures. You collect your dry bag here.

The safety brief starts 30 minutes before departure, and if you are not checked in before it begins the tour is counted as missed.

Drive to the Harbor

After check-in you drive your own vehicle to Kikiaola Small Boat Harbor, which lies two miles west of the Waimea River mouth near Kekaha. There is no shuttle and no pickup, so leave enough time. Parking is arranged at the office before you head down, $20 plus tax per vehicle for 8 hours.

Boarding and the Run North

At the harbor you board the 30-foot Zodiac rigid-hull inflatable, barefoot, with socks or thin water shoes allowed. Then comes the run along the Na Pali cliffs. The operator is blunt about the ride: it compares it to white water rafting on the ocean.

The Caves, Cliffs and Wildlife

On the coast the raft works into the sea caves when the sea allows, and passes waterfalls dropping from the cliffs. Spinner and bottlenose dolphins are possible, along with green sea turtles and the occasional Hawaiian monk seal. From December to April, humpback whales are in the area.

All of it depends on conditions, and federal rules limit how close boats may approach wildlife.

Snorkel Stop, 4-hour Option

If you booked the 4-hour option, the raft stops at a bay for about an hour of snorkeling with gear provided. The listing calls it weather permitting, like the caves, so a rough day can shorten or drop it. The 3-hour option runs straight through without the stop.

Snacks and the Ride Back

Fresh cut fruit, Hawaiian chips and the cold drinks come out during the trip. The ride back to Kikiaola Small Boat Harbor ends the tour there, with no return time stated. Review the crew's photos at the end if you want the $55 plus tax package, then drive yourself back to your lodging.

The Health and Fitness Limits

The operator requires good physical condition and compares the ride to white water rafting on the ocean. The raft does not take pregnant women, people with back or neck problems, heart problems, pre-existing medical conditions, recent surgeries or a low level of fitness. Anyone prone to motion sickness is told not to attend, and seasickness does not earn a refund.

If any of that is you, the shaded 65-foot catamaran on the Lady Kailani luxury snorkel is the calmer choice.

Age, Access and Children

Children under 5 are not suitable, and wheelchair users, people with mobility impairments and anyone on crutches cannot be accommodated. Baby strollers are on the not-allowed list. There is no hotel pickup, so you need a car in Waimea at 5:45 AM on an early summer day.

Families with younger children do better on a catamaran such as the Lucky Lady snorkel cruise, which takes children from 3.

Weather, Cancellation and the Harbor

Free cancellation runs to 24 hours before departure, and the platform offers reserve now, pay later. Weather permitting applies to the sea caves and the snorkel stop, so winter swell can reroute the trip away from what you booked. Hawaii Guide says rafts become significantly rougher in fall.

The platform refunds a trip the operator cancels.

The Kikiaola Harbor Question

Kikiaola Small Boat Harbor was closed by the state after Hurricane Lowell, which closed Kauai state parks from September 8, 2026, and it is listed as closed until further notice. Confirm the departure point with the operator before you travel, and check the wider harbor situation on the Kikiaola Harbor page before booking a west-side boat at all. If you would rather launch from the south shore, the small-group Na Pali Raft Snorkel runs from Port Allen.

The Drive to Waimea

Check-in is at the Na Pali Riders office at 9600 Kaumualii Highway, Waimea, 45 minutes before departure. The operator lists driving times to Waimea as 15 minutes from Kekaha, 35 minutes from Poipu, 45 minutes from Lihue, 1 hour from Kapaa and 1 hour 45 minutes from Princeville. Late means no tour and no refund, so leave a wide margin, especially from the north shore.

After check-in you drive on to Kikiaola Small Boat Harbor, which sits two miles west of the Waimea River mouth near Kekaha.

Pairing the Tour with Waimea Canyon and Polihale

The west side makes a natural full day. Waimea Canyon is on the same side of the island. Polihale State Park, the southwestern end of the Na Pali coast, sits past Kekaha.

Note that Hurricane Lowell closed Kauai state parks from September 8, 2026, so confirm park access before driving out.

If the Harbor Is Your Sticking Point

Kikiaola is listed as closed until further notice after Hurricane Lowell, so confirm the departure point with the operator. The Port Allen Kauai guide covers the south-shore harbor.

Bigger Plans Around the Trip

If you want to see the coast from land too, the Kalalau Trail starts at Kee Beach at the end of Highway 560, an 11-mile route along the cliffs, and Haena day-use reservations release 30 days ahead. In winter, add a dedicated whale watch, since humpbacks are roughly in Hawaiian waters December to April. The Kalalau Trail and Kauai whale watching guides cover both.