KAYAKING 17 MILES down the Napali Coast in Kauai, Hawaii

Wow. Where do I start? This is "the longest guided kayak tour in the world." How can I put into words the total and complete amazingness (is that even a word? probably not) of a day like today. Kayaking the famed Na Pali Coast has been selected by National Geographic as the 2nd best adventure in the nation. I can totally see why. 17 miles of wild and rugged coastline located on the norhwest side of the island of Kauai. Absolutely beautiful. The Na Pali coast is made up of gorgeous dramatic cliffs plunging directly into the ocean, cascading waterfalls, deserted beaches, secret coves, every possible shade of the lushest green and every possible hue of the the bluest blue as far as the eye can see. Of course, my favorite part of the day was kayaking through sea cave after sea cave... after sea cave. Each one more exciting and breathtaking than the last. Seriously guys, if this Shangri-la isn't on your bucketlist already...put it there. I've traveled all over the world. The Napali coast still ranks in my top 3 most magical places. Ever.

WHERE: KAUAI, HAWAII

HIGHLIGHTS: SPINNER DOLPHINS, SEA CAVES, CLIFF JUMPING & COOKIES :)

PAY: NAPALI KAYAK

COST: US $225 PP

TOTAL TIME: 13 HRS

BRING: 3LTRS H2O, SUNBLOCK, HAT, SHADES, SEA SICKNESS MEDICINE (TRUST ME THIS IS A MUST!), H2O PROOF CAMERA, DRY CHANGE OF CLOTHES.

PHYSICAL TOUGHNESS: PRETTY FREAKIN STRENUOUS (I DID IT AT 160 LBS) so definitely doable but yeah, not a walk in the park if you're just in ok shape. totally worth it though. thank god i had d to pick up my slack :)

WHAT'S PROVIDED: FULLY OUTFITTED TANDEM KAYAK, DRY BAG, LIFE VESTS, CATERED LUNCH (BEST CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES EVER!!!), COLD REFRESHMENTS, SAFETY BRIEFING, HISTORY ON NA PALI COAST AND FLORA & FAUNA, AND SERIOUSLY THE BEST TOUR GUIDES EVER!

There are only three ways to see the Na Pali Coast as there are no roads in due to the characteristic sheer cliffs that drop thousands of feet down into the ocean. The only land access to this enchanted area is via the Kalalau Trail, an 11-mile trail that starts at Kee Beach, crosses five different valleys and ends at secluded Kalalau Beach. This hike is well known as one of the most challenging, and sometimes even treacherous, hikes in Hawaii with narrow sections and muddy topsoil from rainfall. I've had quite a few friends see the coast this way. They all said it was pretty gnarly at some points but that the once in a lifetime views and experiences were absolutely worth it. If you choose this route, camping permits are required from the Hawaii State Parks Division office in Lihue. The second way is by air via a small charter plane or a helicoptor tour. The third and last way to experience the Na Pali Coast is by sea. The most popular are by sailboat (which I sent my parents on and they absolutely loved it!), speedboat, catamaran and raft. Captain Andy's is extremely popular as he has sailboats, catamaran's and small rafting excursions that go into all the coves and sea caves that the bigger boats just cruise by. His site often sells out well before hand so I highly reccomend booking early if this is the route you decide on taking. The most adventurous route is sea kayaking down the entire 17 mile coast. For obvious reasons this isn't the most popular route for the masses but of course, for equally obvious reasons it was the route we opted for. BEST DECISION EVER!!!

For this once in a lifetime bucketlist adventure we decided to go with NAPALI KAYAK. They had amazing reviews and I loved how they described the experience on their website. We couldn't have made a better decision. From the moment we arrived all bright eyed and bushy tailed to the moment we were dropped off all sore, tired but still with a crazy natural high, the NAPALI KAYAK team made our whole experience nothing short of perfect. They were funny, patient, competent, well-trained, entertaining, educational and above all, highly proffessional from begining to end. The best part was how much they all clearly loved what they do. The owner Josh was super friendly and obviously cares about each of his customer's experiences. He talked with us quite a bit and you can tell he was just as excited for us to have an awesome experience as we were. Side note: D and me were at a deserted beach about a week later and D was out surfing when I heard someone yell, "Hey Sabrina!" I remember thinking, "Who in the world could be calling my name at a deserted beach in Kauai? We don't know anyone here!" It was Josh! He not only yelled out my name but came over to talk to me for a while. Keep in mind it was a week later, he didn't go on the adventure with us, just greeted us at the office before we left and welcomed us back when we returned AND had a weeks worth of new faces since we last saw him. And still, he remembered my face and name. It's obvious that Josh's customers actually matter. To me, that's what customer service is all about :)

So, the day of the tour, you check in at their Hanalei headquarters at 6am. After meeting the guides and the rest of your group, you get in a 15 passenger van which shuttles you 10 min to the starting point, Haena beach park. You get all your gear and also a safety briefing. Then off into the wild blue yonder you go!

From the start you'll be looking for sea turtles, monk seals, spinner dolphins and what I was most impressed by, the crazy mountain goats way way up high on the cliffs. You're like, how in the WORLD did that guy get up there and HOW is he not falling?!? Anyway between being on the lookout for sea life, exploring deserted beaches, adventuring into sea caves and paddling under waterfalls, pretty soon you forget everything and are transported into another world.

After 5 hours of kayaking and exploring with breaks every 15-20 min (on the water) you'll stop for lunch at Miloli beach. Ok guys. This was seriously one of the best catered lunches I've ever had but the HIGHLIGHT was the HOMEMADE CHOCOLATE chip cookies. I mean come on! Are you kidding me? Where else can you eat homemade chocolate chip cookies while on a deserted beach in Kauai? I know the rest of you are like, "Seriously? You're in one of the most beautiful places in the world and you're talking about chocolate chip cookies?" Ummm. Yeah. I am. The cookies for me were the highlight the whole trip. What can I say. Cookies excite me :)

Wow. What a beauty. Ummm...where was I? Oh yeah, back to lunch. Besides the food being awesome, the beach you break on is amazing. You have an hour and a half to eat and explore which was plenty of time for us to snorkel, look for seashells (I found some of the most beautiful, intact shells I've ever seen) and hike to waterfalls. D and I did all three and managed some quality goofing off time as well :) By this point you're about 3/4 of the way down the coast. Re-apply sunblock and off you go on the final leg of the adventure!

After more swimming, kayaking, cave exploring, and sea-life watching, the days unfortunately coming to an end. Wow. This was one of the most exhausting, exciting, fun, beautiful, inspiring, relaxing, exhilarating and rewarding days I've ever had. Experiencing the Napali coast in all it's grandeur by sea was the best choice we could have made. Truly breathtaking in every sense of the word. In 13 hours, my world has been expanded and bettered and the beauty of the Napali coast will stay with me always.

We end our adventure at Polihale, the largest beach in the state. Everyone's exhausted but glowing with a natural high from all the good vibes, beauty, wonder and excitement of the day. We're physically tired but there

is a distinct sense of sadness that the day has come to an end.

We've made great friends, shared a lot of laughs and bonded as only a group of strangers sharing an extraordinary experience together can. So Mahalo to Napali Kayak, all my new friends (special shout out to Mitch for so kindly helping me look for cool shells!) and most of all to God. For creating such a majestic place for his children to explore :)