South Shore Region of Kauai, Hawaii
A beautiful beach, spouting horn and a cave trail leading to a shoreline surrounded by hills are some of the attractions that will greet you in the southern region of Kauai. We found that a day was enough to explore this region.
1. Poipu Beach
A 25 min (24 km) drive south west of Lihue Airport will take you to Poipu Beach. Kaumualii Hwy can get busy even early in the morning, so make sure you leave on time. As you turn south on to a beautiful Maluha road, you will enter a row of beautiful trees on either side of the road, forming a beautiful tree tunnel.
Parking at Poipu beach can fill pretty quickly, so the early you go the better it is. If you are lucky, you might find turtles resting on the beach. We were pleasantly surprised to find one and he was big.
2. Spouting Horn
Spouting horn is only a 9 min (5km) drive, west of Poipu beach. It’s a result of years of eroding of the lava rocks due to crashing waves, resulting in narrow openings. Enjoy the sound and power of water at display. Parking space is small near the site and it’s limited.
3. Makauwahi Cave Trail
Driving almost 15 min (9km) east of Spouting Horn, you will end up at Makauwahi Cave Trail. Some part of the road, just a few mins before the trail, is not fully paved. It was like that in 2019. They might have paved it now.
The trail leads to the largest limestone cave found in Hawaii. The cave is considered important for its archaeological and paleoecological finds.
There are 2 trails available, foot trail and horse trail. We did the foot trail. The trail is not that difficult, however near the cave you have to be a little bit careful. Horse stable is visible from the trailhead. Guided tours are also available at the cave reserve. We explored the area on our own.
