While visiting Kauai, we made an impromptu visit to the Fern Grotto, one of Kauai's signature attractions and accessible by boat up the Wailua River. Once off-limits to all but Hawaiian royalty, the Fern Grotto is a geological wonder of Kauai where ferns grow upside down from the roof of the grotto.
Smith's Kauai company offers boat tours departing daily from the Wailua Marina State Park at 9:30am, 11am, 2pm, and 3:30pm. We arrived at the marina about 3pm to purchase our tickets. The cruise boats are spacious and open-air giving us excellent views from either side during the trip upstream. During the ride, we enjoyed listening to stories of Kauai's history and culture. According to the company, the Wailua River is known as "the only navigable river" in all Hawaii. The river's fresh water pours down from Mt. Wai'ale'ale, one of the wettest spots on the planet and lands along the river were the sacred capital of ancient Kauai and the birthplace of the island's ali'i, or royalty.
From the landing it's a short walk through the rainforest to the lush Fern Grotto. Be sure to bring some mosquito repellant! The grotto is beautiful and serene. We took our time taking pictures and enjoying the natural beauty. The tour company entertained us with live music and hula. On the ride back they coaxed us in joining them for some hula which was fun for both the kids and the adults. The approximate duration of the tour was an hour and 20 minutes. I thought this was the perfect excursion for the kids to get a little downtime.
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