Today, we took the afternoon kayak adventure with Brian as our guide. We were in a group of 10 folks, only some of whom knew one another. The trip turned out to be great deal of fun, particularly because Brian did such a great job with his guiding, his knowledge of history and local lore, he plant and animal knowledge, and his great sense of humor. While it isn't a particularly challenging trip, physically, the hiking portion was slippery and on some really challenging terrain. Brian insisted that we take care without making any of us feel less than capable. I really recommend this tour and Brian as your guide. I used to do jeep tours in Sedona, so I know what it takes to keep a disparate group in line, safe, and having fun. Brian was the consummate professional who knew his stuff and took excellent care of everyone on board. Don't miss this chance to get off the beaten path and see an unique side of Kauai. Be sure to ask for Brian by name.
Went for apps & dessert and was not disappointed. Personally, lava flow wish a little extra rum on top is perfect and make sure to ask about the hula pie, which can be made two different ways. I prefer the one with more chocolate.
Rob was the best guide! We had a small group of 12, kayaked up the river and hiked through the jungle to an amazing waterfall. We walked barefoot bc we didn't want to ruin our shoes in the mud, I would maybe wear some crocs or water shoes. Awesome trip!
OMG!!!!! This company is truly amazing. The owners are very involved and care about the experience their customers have while touring with them. We went first with our friends and then later on a separate trip took our children. Both times were great we felt like the guides were very engaging not only with the kids but the older folk too. The gear they had looked new. The whole experience felt organized, safe, fun and easy to make part of our Hawaii vacation. Thank you Duke!!!
Omg we are so glad we did this. Our guide was Erik and we did the kayak. Hike, and waterfall. I felt lucky to have gotten a tour with Erik and be on this adventure. We loved it. This was so much fun in paradise. I want to do this again next time I'm in Kauai. Don't miss out on this!
Rob was our tour guide for the Wailua river and secret falls tour. He was very informative and shared information about local plants and stories of movies that have been filmed on the island. He made the experience so much fun for my husband and I and the other parties in our tour, and even offered to take pictures for everyone. Thanks Rob for an awesome tour! We would definitely recommend Duke's to those looking for a great kayaking and hike to secret falls.
These guys were wonderful! We all had such a great time and much of it was because Brian was such a righteously great tour guide!
I already knew to sign up for the earliest tour to avoid the crowds and it's a good thing we did so. Brian got our pale asses up to the waterfall early enough that there were very few people around. We spent about an hour hanging out. By the time we left the place was absurdly packed. Like a tropical Mt. Everest hike.
What I didn't know was how universally beloved Brian is as a tour guide. He kept us entertained the entire time with his many stories - both the true ones and the tall tales! He took lots of photos of everyone and shared them at the end of the tour.
And yes, the tiger doves really do fly to his hand!
So we were lucky with the tour guide, lucky w/ the 75-80 tops weather, lucky with the new planking installed to make the trek over the muddy parts more doable.
As an added comedy bonus, when my kid went behind the waterfall and wiped her eyes, she found she was face-to-face with a big ugly rat clinging to the rocks. That lead to a lot of tourist hijinks as everyone in our group took turns going thru the falls to see the poor stuck rat. We couldn't stop laughing.
I strongly suspect the rat is going to evolve into some tall tale Brian tells future tourists.
Duke's was a great choice and I'm so glad I chose them over the other kayaking companies!
omg! BRian O' Brian! we got way more than what we paid for! kayak-hike-swim-eat! the whole trip was aHmazing! Brian had so many info on the plants ( we rubbed natural mosquitto repelant leaves ). he had duck, chicken and bird friends that went with us on our hike! He had a LOT of crazy stories and songs! He took great pictures! It was not the easiest hike. there was mud, rocks, uneven surfaces. have the right shoes. The waterfalls was sooo worth the effort! Would do it again!
What a fun trip for our family of 7! Brian was amazing and so patient with our 7 year old's constant questions and desire to be attached at the hip with him. He was full of fun stories and Hawaiian history which made it interesting. It was a fun bonus that we were the first group to the waterfall so I highly recommend the 7 am time as there were probably 100 people there when we left. One thing I noticed that set Duke's apart from the other tour companies was that he provided walking sticks for all of us which we greatly appreciated and saved us from falling in the knee deep mud several times. Brian took hundreds of pictures of us that he sent to us free of charge which was very much appreciated. I would 100% recommend this company and especially Brian as your guide!
100% of the Cost - 40% of the "Adventure"
1) We traveled during the rainy season (my wife and I and our 4 teenage kids)
2) Our tour guide (Brian) was great
3) Brian indicated at the beginning of the HIKING portion of the tour (after warning us a bit earlier of the possibility) that, if we did the initial river crossing, there was a chance the river might be running too strongly by the time we returned to be able to cross it, leaving us stranded on the other side. His demeanor suggested he thought it was a realistic possibility although not a certainty.
4) Decision of the group (including Brian and another couple that was with us) was made not to risk it, so we headed back - meaning all we did was kayak (plus Brian's - I believe, genuine, attempt to give us "a bit more" by driving us a short distance to view another water fall - from afar - and then return to the vehicles). No hiking, No swimming, no viewing of the Secret Falls.
Realistically, we could easily have driven to the other waterfall ourselves. It was nice, but not terribly impressive. He told us a couple interesting stories and a little Hawaiian trivia during the drive and while at the falls, but, that's about all that was "added" that we couldn't have done ourselves with a few minute drive in the car.
5) Brian told me to contact the owner, Chris, and he'd probably issue us a discount, since we never were able to do the hike, see the falls or swim.
6) I called Chris later that day, he offered to reschedule, but I told him the rest of our time in Kaua'i was booked. He said he would not offer any sort of discount.
7) Hence, this review. We received, realistically, less than half of the real tour, and still paid full price.
All in all, I think 2 stars is an accurate description of our experience. Had we received the full tour, I fully believe that we would have thoroughly enjoyed the experience and that Brian would have done a terrific job. I also believe that Brian probably made the right call in playing it safe.
However, there is, realistically, no reason that Chris could not have issued us a partial refund, since the best part of the trip never materialized, and Brian really only spent a little over half the originally alotted time with us, total (even accounting for a little jaunt to view the other waterfall).
I didn't expect half off. I didn't even throw out a number. I simply asked what Chris could do for us, since Brian had said I should give him a call. Even if he had given us 15 or 20%, I probably would have been fine with it. He still would have made a bit on the excursion, and would at least have walked away with a 4 star or possibly even 5 star review.
Instead, he chose a little extra profit over the customer and this review is the fruit of that decision. That is unfortunate, but, it is the reality. Maybe he doesn't care because he's got a decent review profile, and maybe figures this won't affect him much. He probably also figures very few people ever take the tour again, so repeat business from us is unlikely. But, for certain, we won't be sending anyone else his way.
Buyer beware. If you are thinking about this excursion, and you're taking it during the rainy season or after any heavy rains and the tour guide suggests there is ANY chance that the hike may not happen, consider how badly you want to kayak, because you may end up paying full price for an entire waterfall hiking tour simply to kayak down the river for a few hours - which, although nice, wasn't anything amazing. There are plenty of other FREE hikes/trips/excursions you can do on Kaua'i that will offer spectacular views and much more interesting scenery than the river offered, and you won't be risking a significant pricetag for what may be a very underwhelming experience.
We did the kayak and hike tour to Uluwehi falls and it was fantastic! The roundtrip 4 mile kayak and 3 mile hike to the waterfall was a great experience! Our guide Brian was so friendly and cool, he is the perfect guide anyone can get! His conversation and detailed explanation of many things we encountered during the tour made our tour extra special. He was so awesome that he took pictures and videos of us in the waterfall and also shared them with me immediately! I would highly recommend Duke's kayak adventures to anyone looking to do the kayak and hike to Wailua (Uluwehi) falls.
Loved our morning kayak and hike today with our guide James! He was great and very informative!
He was patient with us as the path was really muddy and I had to walk really slowly! Enjoyed this adventure with my husband and three boys! The boys said this was truly one of the best things they've done! Thank you for a great kayaking adventure! Definitely recommend it!
This was the second time I have kayaked the Wailua. I have no complaints about my first trip but this one was far superior namely because of our guild Brian. He was absolutely fantastic. He gave a lot of history, fantasy, entertainment, and a real life (male) Snow White experience feeding his animal friends. He was also very profession always knowing where every member of his group was, including us hiking slackers. You could tell he thoroughly loves his job. I Highly recommend this tour, and requesting Brian if possible. You will not regret it.
Fun activity! Recommend doing the morning tour because the afternoon tours were packed. Fun adventure with Brian who is really entertaining and super patient. Highly recommend going in knowing you will get super muddy! The river crossings and the waterfall will wash it away. Would recommend.
We had an amazing time kayaking and hiking with our guide Brian! While along the hike, Brian pointed out interesting plants, introduced us to his duck pals and was a great motivator with his positive attitude! We would definitely recommend this adventure to everyone!
Took the morning Kayak tour, would definitely recommend taking the morning tour to avoid kayaking in the hotter part of the day. Easy difficulty kayaking, medium difficulty hike due to the mud, but totally worth getting a little dirty!
Without a doubt Brian, our tour guide, made the experience phenomenal. Best guide ever.
I booked Dukes because it had the best reviews and best price. We took the early morning tour with Brian and it was AMAZING. He is super chill, knowledgeable about all the plants and along the trail the birds and ducks came right up to him and he fed them. Super funny with great stories and songs. He made the kayak and hike fun. He make sure everyone in the group is doing ok and having fun and he had walking sticks for us! Definitely recommend this company and Brian. You won't be disappointed
AMAZING! This was the most affordable of all the kayaking tours. We had Brian as our guide and he was the best, super funny, patient, chill, knowledgeable and made the whole trip soooo worth it! Bring water shoes with grips and the whole trip will be even better!
This is our second time on this kayak tour and this time was totally amazing, Brian our guide gave us so much info, fed birds and ducks from his hand, sung to us and had some great stories. I would totally recommend this tour and topped off with an amazing waterfall at the end.
This adventure was definitely a highlight of our trip to Kauai. We went on the morning tour and because our group showed up early, we were able to get on the water early and make it to the falls before it became too crowded. Brian was very entertaining and had us laughing and enjoying the time paddling down the river and on the hike. He was knowledgeable about the various plants and flowers we saw along the hike. Bring along some goggles if you want to go behind the falls and actually see anything.
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