All Reviews for Fern Grotto & Wailua River Cruise

The crew was very interactive with guests. They told the story of the grotto and about Hawaiian history. The fern grotto isn’t what it used to be but still a beautiful spot.

The boat ride was enjoyable, with about 15 minutes of explanations about the surroundings on the way there, and on the way back, we all danced the hula together. The fern cave was breathtaking. The meeting point on the map was slightly off, and I got lost.

船は15分ほどで行きは周辺の説明、帰りはフラを皆で踊るなどして楽しかったです。シダの洞窟は圧巻でした。
地図上の待ち合わせ場所が少しずれていて、迷いました。

The overall cost was reasonable, the grotto beautiful, but the cruise and experience was pretty dull overall.

There is a meeting point at a port not far from the airport in Lihe. There is no check-in; you just show your voucher and board the boat. Once we set sail, we traveled upstream while listening to various explanations about the surroundings. Along the way, we waved to people in kayaks and arrived at the dock in about ten minutes. Just a few minutes on foot from there, the cave we were aiming for suddenly appeared. While we couldn't enter the cave itself, its grand and mysterious presence brought an indescribable sense of calm and satisfaction. In front of the cave, a hula performance was showcased, allowing us to fully enjoy the Hawaiian atmosphere.

On the return boat ride, there was a performance of Hawaiian music, and we even had a mini hula class with all the tour participants! Everyone was in high spirits, and the sense of unity was wonderful! During this tour, there was a significant participation from Japanese tourists, so they also performed a hula version of "Ue o Muite Arukou." It seemed like they were part of another tour group, but if they hadn't been there, I would have been the only Japanese person, and I might not have had the chance to hear that song. It was quite a lucky experience.

リフェの空港から遠くないところに集合場所の港？があります。
特にチェックイン等もなく、バウチャーを見せてそのまま船へ。
出航したら周辺のいろいろな説明を聞きながら川を遡行。
途中、カヤックに乗った人達と手を振りあいながら十数分での船着き場に到着。そこから徒歩で数分のところに目的の洞窟がバーンと登場。
洞窟の中にこそ入れませんが、壮大かつ神秘的とも言える佇まいに何とも言えない落ち着きと満足感が漂います。洞窟前では、フラも披露され、ハワイ感を存分に堪能できます。
帰りの船内でもハワイアンミュージックの披露や、ツアー参加者全員でのプチフラ教室?!も。皆んなノリノリで一体感もまた良かったです！
今回のツアーでは日本人のまとまった参加があったため、「上を向いて歩こう」のフラバージョンの披露も。別のツアーの団体さんか何かのようでしたが、もしそれらの方がおられなければ日本人は私一人だったので、この曲を聴くこともできなかったかと。なかなかラッキーな体験でした。

The whole family had a blast. The river boat ride in total took about 2hrs. I appreciate that this is family owned and ran. Good people and great stories. It is worth going to for the experience.

Our family of 8 ranging from ages 16-91 really enjoyed this excursion. Relaxing ride on the boat with beautiful live Hawaiian music and dancers was an extra treat. The Fern Grotto was beautiful. I would highly recommend this excursion.

Great tour very informative. The people were so funny I would definitely do it again and recommend my friends and family.

Decent boat ride, Hawaiian music & Hula dance. Walk to Fern grotto the best part of ride

Show was wonderful people were funny smart and very informative

Enjoy the boat trip in the drawer to that

Would definitely recommend it to others

Nice family run business

This is our second time going to the Fern Grotto and it was just as beautiful and amazing as the first time we went 9 years ago. We booked online and it was very easy. We got to the check in site and they handed us a ticket with our name already on it and asked us to turn it in when we boarded. Right on time, they asked us to head down to the dock and board our river boat. Everyone that we encountered had a big smile and a kind word for us. They gave us a brief safety talk and we were off! Our guide going out there was very knowledgeable and talked to us about the history of the island. When we reached the Fern Grotto, they sang for us some beautiful songs and then we hiked a little way up to the grotto. We took lots of pictures and then made our way back! We were treated to some songs and beautiful hula dancing on the way back. The young lady on the microphone was so much fun! She was a jokester, and she had a beautiful singing voice. The ladies doing the hula dancing were just so beautiful to watch and you can tell they love what they do. Overall, it was a lot of fun and I highly recommend. I do recommend booking online as it will save you some time when you get there. Thank you for a wonderful experience!

Highly recommended, we really enjoyed the river cruise the view was beautiful and loved the walk to the cave

My family and I had never been to Kauai and I wanted to book this tour as it had some fun things to do. Rosario was a great tour driver, very funny and knowledgeable and safe driver. We went to Opaekaa Falls, then went on a river cruise on the wailua river to the fern grotto (while on the boat we learned how to hula and enjoyed listening to the smith family singing and dancing hula). Then we went to Waimea canyon aka the Grand Canyon of the pacific- pictures do not do it justice. Very breathtaking. Then we went to kauai coffee plantation where we sampled amazing coffee and finally went to see the spouting horn. Overall a great tour with Rosario

Great Experience getting to see the gorgeous river

Our family was a pretty big group with a mix of some older folks and young children so we chose to do this activity based on all the good reviews and it did not disappoint. We really enjoyed the hula dancing and singing along the ride. The time spent on the boat and walking to was not too long so it was perfect for our group.

We really enjoyed the Fern Grotto your. The boat ride was entertaining then walking into the grotto was breathtaking. It rained before we got there so it was fresh and a little humid all at the same time. Would recommend this tour.

This was a really nice time. The cruise was just long enough to relax, enjoy some Hawaiian culture and see the beautiful Fern Grotto. We never felt rushed and enjoyed everything at our own speed.
We didn’t realize how big the Kauai River is. We had always pictured it as being much, much smaller.
It was also very affordable and definitely worth the time and money.

After a 44 year absence my husband and I returned to the Wailua River cruise with our oldest granddaughter. Much had changed and much was still the same. The boats are bigger and covered. The music was fun and enjoyable. The cave is less accessible than it was way back then but that was due to natural consequences and the family has worked hard to create a lovely walk and viewing area. We appreciated the wonderful family involved in all aspects of the trip and learned more about the area. It was a wonderful lead into our night at the Smith Family Luau which we also enjoyed and recommend!

We all enjoyed the boat ride and the walk to the grotto. I missed being able to go inside like I did on my first visit years ago.

Unfortunately most of the wonder has been lost. A relaxing ride on a river filled with kayakers.

The site is well kept and attractive. The boat is clean and roomy. There is entertainment one way and on the way back, information about the area and the River. At the Fern Grotto you have a short walk into the forest area and a view into The Grotto. I was hoping for more historical information and a closer look at the grotto.

Such a great experience !

My husband and I went kayaking before we were married. Now we have two little ones and wanted to get to the beautiful Fern Grotto. I am so thankful for this trip that we could share is with our 3 and 1 year old. Thank you for having this opportunity

It was very well run and a calming quick boat ride. We walked to see the fern grotto which was beautiful and our tour guide also helped sing a wedding song to us. It was cute. We had a chance to take pictures. A bathroom was available. We were sung to on the way back as well.

The cruise to the grotto was good. Interesting history of the Smith family discussed on river boat. Scenery is good and the grotto is in a very lush location. The folks are very nice and accommodating. We chose the river cruise to be at the Luau on time.

We enjoyed the views as well as the stories and entertainment. Great family!

It was a great time. Really enjoyed it It was our birthday week and we had the best time. The boat ride, the songs, the hula dance was spot on.

What a beautiful experience! Comfortable, clean ride up calm river to breathtaking rainforest. Knowledgeable staff was informative and entertaining. Finally a great value!
Would recommend to anyone coming to Kauai. Will do again.

This was a quick fun little trip. The staff was fun and informative.

I really enjoyed the tour other than not being able to hear what the narrator was saying along the trail. He should have had a megaphone or microphone so we at back could hear what he was saying. I heard from other people he was describing the plants & trees along the way, which I heard nothing.

We rented a car on the island and traveled to Hawaii as a mature couple. This time, we visited Oahu and Kauai. In Kauai, we were interested in the Fern Grotto and made a reservation for a sightseeing boat. After boarding, we enjoyed a luau while cruising up the river to the grotto. At the grotto, we listened to a delightful explanation in English. On the way back, we all sang together and had a great time. We couldn't make it to the hula dinner due to scheduling conflicts, but we were able to experience the atmosphere through this tour. I highly recommend it.

島でレンタカーを借りて、熟年夫婦でハワイ旅行しました。
今回は、オアフ島とカウアイ島。
カウアイ島では狙っていたシダの洞窟には観光遊覧船が気になっていて予約しました。乗船してからルアウ（古典的なフラ？）を見せて頂きながら、川を遡上し、洞窟まで行きました。洞窟では英語でゆかいな解説を聞けました。
帰りもみんなで一緒に歌を歌いながら楽しく戻ることができました。
フラのディナーに予定が合わず行けませんでしたが、こちらのツアーで雰囲気を味わえました。おすすめです。

Very knowledgeable guides. Good entertainment. Really enjoyed.