Wailua River Cruise to Fern Grotto – Fun and Beautiful Boat Tour on Kauai

One of the longest running tours in Hawaii, the Smith’s Hawaii Wailua River Cruise is a quintessential Kauai experience. The Smith family has been guiding visitors along the Wailua River in Kapaa for many years, and the sights along the way are worth the visit. This is a great tour with kids and adults alike, and it goes through one of my favorite movie backdrops (from Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark).

Here you’ll find all the information about planning a trip on the Wailua River, visiting the Fern Grotto and more ideas for having a wonderful visit to Kauai. We’ve had so many great visits to Kapaa and Kauai in general, and we know you’ll love it too. If you have any questions about the Smith’s Hawaii boat tour on the Wailua River or planning your time on Kauai, please leave a comment or send us a note. We’re always happy to share more and help YOU create an unforgettable Aloha trip.

Highlights of Smith’s Hawaii Wailua River Cruise

So many of the boat tours we do in Hawaii are out on the open ocean, which we love, but getting to have a beautiful river tour, hearing about the Native Hawaiian history AND the film history of the area is really interesting. I may have enjoyed geeking out more than our kids did, but overall it was very interesting. The Wailua River is the longest navigable river in Hawaii so getting tour of it and learning about how it figured into Hawaiian history and the present day on Kauai was fascinating.

When it comes to enjoying a beautiful, iconic Hawaiian sight, you’ve got that from start to finish on the Wailua River. The jungle all along the river is picturesque, and then when you get to the end of the valley to the Fern Grotto, it’s just perfect. You disembark your boat tour and have a short walk through a gorgeous botanical garden setting (but it’s just nature) up to the Fern Grotto. If I were a magical being this is where I would want to live. The photo ops and stories make it a fun, chill activity that’s good for all ages.

On the boat tour on the Wailua River, both to the Fern Grotto and back, you get a very informative narration with a subtle dry humor angle (OMG, I loved it). The other thing that made the boat tour portion so fun, and in particular with kids, was having hula lessons as we cruised the river. We’ve been to a lot of luaus and had a lot of unique Hawaiian experiences, but this to date has been our only on-the-water hula lesson.

Tips for a Great Wailua River Boat Tour

Having spent a lot of time in Kapaa and Lihue, I can tell you that the Smiths Hawaii Wailua River Cruise is one of the more popular cruise ship excursions. Tons of non-cruise guests enjoy the tour too, like us, but on days when there’s a ship in port, morning departures tend to be more booked with cruise passengers. Book the tour that works best with you, but know that the early tours on ship days have a lot more people on them.

I love the morning time for the Wailua River tour because it’s nice and cool versus later in the day. There’s not much breeze in the Wailua River Valley, so the time of day has an impact on the overall temperature on the boat. Also, the sun isn’t too high in the sky when you get to the Fern Grotto, so you can get good photos on the walking path and at the Grotto. If you’re going in the afternoon, try to book a visit as late as possible for a little lower light and cooler trip up the river. Whenever you go you’ll enjoy it though.

Being Prepared for Your Wailua River Cruise

This is one of the most mellow tours we’ve done, but it’s not boring. You just don’t need to heavily plan for it. You can show up with a camera and your sunblock already on and you’ll be good to go. For sure you should have a snack or meal before you go since it is a 90 minute experience and there aren’t food options on the boat. The walking trail when you have your time off the river is very easy to navigate and it’s mostly paved, so you don’t need to worry about hiking shoes or anything. Overall, the Smith’s Hawaii Wailua River Cruise is just a solid, enjoyable adventure on the river. I don’t have much else to say, as it’s just what you want it to be!

Parking for Smith’s Hawaii Wailua River Cruise

There are two sides to the Wailua River (go figure), and one of them has kayaks while the other is boat tours. For the Smith’s Hawaii Wailua River Cruise, you need to go to the southern side of the river. There is a park with a large parking lot, offices for tours and restrooms. If you go to the wrong river access area you’ll know immediately. Be sure to go to the tour check-in address (noted below) and be there about 15 minutes early. Parking is free, but be aware of where you park, as the lot has designated tour bus parking AND car parking and you don’t want to get towed on vacation.

Note: if you’re looking at this as a cruise ship excursion, you’ll need transportation too, so book THIS TOUR with Roberts Hawaii which includes the cruise ship transfer