Kayak Camp on Miloli'i Beach

NOTE: The beach is closed in the winter months due to high surf. Be sure to work with a local guide to insure you do this adventure safely.

The only way to reach Miloli'i is by Kayak.  Unless you are going to be bringing your own kayak to the island chances are you will need to rent one from a company on the island.  We had a good experience with Kayak Kauai.  They offer a package called `Mavericks` which is all inclusive but rather expensive.  We booked everything a la carte as we had 2 vehicles and didn't need transportation to and from the put in and take out points.

Description of the trip

From Haena you begin the 12 mile paddle along the coast to Miloli'i.  Until you pass Kalalau beach there will be a hiking trail weaving up and down the steep Napali and along the coast.  You can even spot people hiking along the more impressive sections from time to time.  If you are lucky and the seas aren't TOO rough you will be able to kayak into some of the impressive sea caves along your route.  We were able to enter one cave that had a small waterfall streaming down over the opening.

You will see amazing beaches, waterfalls & cliffs on the shore during your trip.  If you are able to get a permit you could even spend a night on Kalalau beach on the way to Miloli'i.  Kalalau is accessible by land, you can hike to it.

Past Kalalau there is a beach called Honopu which is only accessible by swim from either a boat or Kalalua.  You won't be able to visit this one unless you spend a night on Kalalau, but you can admire it from the water.  It has a natural arch that connects two sections of beach, and is a popular spot for filming movies.

Beyond Honopu you will continue Kayaking for 5 miles to get to Miloli'i. Our guide made sure we knew which direction to approach from in order to land, diagonally angling from the left to the right if you are looking at the signs on shore.  There is a channel between the Coral which is the calmest.

Once On Miloli'i

We had plenty of daylight left to pick a nice spot to camp.  We found some trees off to the left from where we landed that were perfectly shaded, and there were even more spots in both directions.

On the south west end of the beach there is a valley with lots of lush greenery.  There is fresh water flowing in the creek although it is a bit silty. You could filter this for drinking.  There is also a spring on the left side of the canyon several hundred meters back.  You can find it because there is a Taro plant growing beneath it (large heart shape leaves).  If you follow the stream and the valley as far back as they go you will find a small waterfall with some relatively easy to climb rocks on the right side.  Scramble up the rocks and you will be taken back into an incredible area with thousand foot tall walls surrounding you on all sides.  You can scramble even further to the base of a waterfall.  When we were there it was flowing as it had rained the day before, but it is often dry.  This spot was my favorite of my entire trip on Kauai, no one else was back there and it was absolutely majestic.

Enjoy the spectacular sunset & sunrise from the beach!

Leaving Miloli'i

We woke up quite leisurely and hung out at camp for a while before packing everything up and launching our kayaks.  It was easy enough even though our guide had left (we only booked him for the first day).  The paddle from Miloli'i to Polihale (where you take out the kayaks) was uneventful enough, it is a straight shot for 5 miles.  There continue to be impressive cliffs and beaches for the rest of the paddle.  Make sure you ask you guide on the first day where the best spot to land is, the waves on Polihale can be pretty rough!