The island of Kauai is renowned for it’s pristine beauty and untouched wilderness. It’s the oldest and the smallest of the main four Hawaiian islands.

Kauai may be small, but it sure is mighty when it comes to it’s scenic landscapes and beautiful beaches.

Kauai is home to a plethora of white sand beaches all along it’s coastlines.

When you think of Hawaii, you may think of black sand beaches. Black sand beaches are mainly present on islands that have volcanic activity. Which is why you’ll find them all over the Big Island. You won’t find many on Kauai.

So if you’re looking for beautiful, soft, pure white sand beaches to relax on then Kauai is your spot.

In this post I will be outlining the four beaches that really stood out to me while visiting the island. These are the nicest beaches in Kauai and they all have something unique about them.

If you only have a short time to spend on the island, these are the four beaches you’ll want to make sure to include on your itinerary.

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Tunnels Beach- Best Beach for Snorkeling

Tunnels Beach definitely comes in on top for my favorite beach on Kauai. Not only do you get gorgeous views of the lush green mountains along the coast, but Tunnels Beach is the best place on the island to snorkel.

Tunnels Beach is located on the north shore of the island near the small town of Wainiha.

Parking & Fees for Tunnels Beach

Parking to access this beach can be a little tricky since it borders residential neighborhoods that don’t want tourists parking in front of their houses. I only know of one free public parking area to get to Tunnels.

You can park in the parking lot for Ha’ena Beach Park and walk to Tunnels Beach from there.

All you have to type in is “Ha’ena Beach Park” into your Apple or Google Maps and it’ll take you to the parking area.

This parking lot fills up VERY quickly so it’s important to arrive here as early in the day as you can.

From the parking lot you can walk east on the beach to get to Tunnels Beach from Ha’ena.

It was about a 10-15 minute walk from the parking lot to Tunnels Beach.

Ha’ena Beach Park and Tunnels Beach are right next to each other. So they both look the same in terms of sand and views, but Tunnels is at a better place for getting in the water and snorkeling.

I would recommend having your maps open when you walk to Tunnels Beach because then you can more accurately know when you’ve arrived.

The Best Snorkeling Beach in Kauai

The water is shallow where you enter and it scattered with lava rock. However, it is still an easy walk out into the deeper parts of the water.

You’ll only be walking through the shallow water for a few minutes until it drops off and you can begin swimming.

There are reefs way out in the ocean that prevent strong waves from reaching the shore.

This is one of the reasons that makes Tunnels Beach one of the best places to snorkel on Kauai.

There is plenty of room for snorkelers to go out and swim without feeling like you’re swimming on top of other people. There is so much ocean to explore here.

The snorkeling experience here is so breathtaking. When you go underwater, it almost feels like you’re transported into another world. The water here is deep so you can see very far down at all the reefs and rocks on the ocean floor.

You’ll see tons of different kinds of colorful fish swimming around you.

I was in the water for hours and nearly spent half a day at this beach! The surrounding green mountainous cliffs and crystal blue waters are spectacular, I just couldn’t get enough!

Something else about Tunnels Beach, is that it’s known for having Puka Shells scattered throughout the shore and I was lucky enough to find one.

I’ve visited and snorkeled at all four main Hawaiian Islands and I’ve got to say, snorkeling at Tunnels Beach was my favorite experience out of them all.

So if you only have time to snorkel at one place in Kauai, make it Tunnels Beach.

Salt Pond Beach Park – Best Beach for Sunset

When in Hawaii, you’ve got to take some time to relax under a palm tree in the soft sand and soak in the sunshine. That is exactly what I did at Salt Pond Beach Park.

Salt Pond Beach is located on the islands south western shore making it one of the best beaches in Kauai for catching the sunset.

As you can see, the sand here is a beautiful tan color that is incredibly soft. The palm trees lining the beach make for a gorgeous backdrop.

The waves here are typically calm due to rock barriers in the sea, making this a great spot to swim and snorkel.

However, when I visited the waves were a little too rough for me to be comfortable swimming out there on my own. I might’ve just went on a day or during a time where the current was strong, but this is known to be a pretty safe place to swim.

If you’re looking for a place to snorkel, you’re better off just going to Tunnels Beach.

Parking & Fees for Salt Pond Beach

There is a large parking lot located on site that has free parking.

There are also bathrooms and a lifeguard located on site.

View the Historical Salt Ponds

Now for the historical aspect of this beach, Salt Pond Beach was named after the wetlands that the native Hawaiians used for salt production. They used this salt for both medicinal and seasoning purposes.

To this day, the salt ponds are used exclusively by the Hawaiians for these traditional purposes. 

You can see the salt ponds themselves from the beach although you will have to walk down pretty far on the shore to view them. You might even see Hawaiian families there making salt which is a really cool experience.

You are not allowed to just go up and explore the salt ponds, but you can see and admire them from a distance.

The salt ponds are located near the south end of the beach, bordering the Port Allen Airport.

Poipu Beach – Best for Wildlife Viewing

If you’re looking to see some sea creatures on your trip to Hawaii, then look no further. Poipu Beach is known for having Hawaiian monk seals and green sea turtles resting on the shore.

While I was there I saw two seals (one of which was a baby) and three sea turtles all catching some sun rays.

Poipu Beach is located on the islands most southern coast.

It’s in the town of Poipu which has many wonderful places to stay. There are tons of resorts and hotels available here within walking distance to the beach.

If you’re looking to book somewhere to stay on the beach, I would say Poipu is the best beach to stay on in Kauai. It has pretty much everything you’d want when visiting a beach and the area is very safe for tourists.

Parking & Fees for Poipu Beach

This beach is pretty popular so it’s very easy to access, even if you aren’t staying in Poipu.

There are a few parking lots just a short walk away from the beach. It is completely free to park and visit this beach.

There are bathrooms on site and a lifeguard on site as well.

Viewing Hawaiian Monk Seals & Sea Turtles

This beach is pretty big but you won’t have to go very far to see the seals or turtles. Obviously there is no way to know exactly where they will choose to rest on the sand, but they are known to find spots right in the middle of all the action where the water hits the shoreline.

There will be ropes or cones surrounding the resting animals several feet away from them to prevent people from touching them or getting too close. From behind the ropes or cones you are still able to clearly watch them and take photos from a distance.

This is really an amazing experience. Poipu Beach is the best, public spot on Kauai where you can view active wildlife.

This beach was pretty crowded when I went though (who doesn’t want to see seals and sea turtles?!) which can be expected.

Overall this is a wonderful place to view native Hawaiian sea creatures, soak in some sunshine, cool off in the shallow waters, and even snorkel a little bit.

Hanalei Beach – Best Views

Hanalei Beach is on the northern coast of the island located within the Hanalei Bay. It is actually just down the road from Tunnels Beach!

Since this beach is part of a crescent-shaped bay, you get phenomenal views of the surrounding lush green mountains all around you as you relax on the soft white sand.

Hanalei Beach encompasses a large section of the bay. The bay prevents strong ocean currents from breaking on the shore resulting in more calm waters suitable for swimming.

The Hanalei Bay is one of the island’s treasures. It is one area you don’t want to miss exploring while in Hawaii. It is just simply gorgeous.

The nearby town of Hanalei is full of unique things to do and see. There are a ton of nice places to stay in Hanalei making this another one of the best beaches to stay on in Kauai.

Parking & Fees for Hanalei Beach

There are various parking lots located right on the beach all around the bay. None of them require payment making Hanalei Beach a free beach to visit.

The largest and most popular parking area is located on the eastern half of the bay just a short walk from the Hanalei Pier.

I will say though, this beach was very crowded when I was there. So I’d recommend getting there as early in the day as you can.

Hanalei Pier in Kauai

This beach is most notably known for having a pier that’s built out 340 feet out into the ocean! It is named the Hanalei Pier. This is what actually brought me to this beach and I’m so glad I decided to explore this gorgeous area.

You can walk all the way down the pier to get expansive ocean and coastline views.

It’s common to see people jumping off the pier and into the crystal clear blue ocean waters below. There’s also a ladder built coming up from the water to make coming back up easier.

Before it was a popular tourist destination, the Hanalei Pier was a port used for transportation of goods to and from the island in the early 1900s. Kauai’s major export at the time was rice, and this pier was used to easily shuttle rice down to cargo ships waiting in the bay to head out to the other Hawaiian islands.

And that will conclude the top four best beaches on the island of Kauai!

I hope you got some useful information from this post including the best beach to stay on in Kauai, great places to snorkel and helpful information on how to access these beautiful beaches.

I know you’ll love them just as much as I did, thank you for reading!