Kauai Ziplines

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Harness up and climb into Princeville Ranch's adventure mobile for a short ride to the trailhead. Clip in and soar like a bird over breathtaking valleys and streams as you embark on a series of 8 zipline crossings. Walk through the treetops and over a waterfall on a suspension bridge that gives new meaning to the term "suspension." After a series of zips and walks you arrive at a hidden treasure ... an idyllic waterfall and swimming hole where the water is deep enough for you to jump from the surrounding rocks. You can swim, jump, float on an inner tube, or relax in a hammock while the guides prepare your picnic lunch. This one-of-a-kind adventure gives you the chance to sail through the air while enjoying a bird's eye view of a Hawaiian jungle paradise. Tour times are 7am, 9am, 11:30am, and 1:15pm daily.

This tour operates 7 days a week.

When you reserve the Princeville Ranch Zip and Dip on our website your reservation will be guaranteed on your credit card. For most parties a 20% deposit will be charged just a few days before you leave home for Hawaii. The balance is paid when you check in for your tour. FOR PARTIES OF 6 or MORE the 20% deposit and the 80% balance are charged when your reservation is made. NOTE: This tour operator only accepts VISA and MASTERCARD.

 

Backcountry Zipline Adventure 3.5 Hour Tour: $125 per person Minimum age 12. Minimum weight 100 pounds. Maximum weight 250 pounds. no neck or back injuries or pregnant women.

A very similar zipline course with 7 lines is centrally located, with check-in at Kauai Backcountry Adventures in Hanamaulu near the Lihue Airport. Travel across the old Lihue sugar cane plantation to a zip line course built on land never before accessible to the general public. Their 7 lines descend a mountainside, and at the end of the course you can enjoy a refreshing swim while your guides prepare a picnic lunch.

Princeville and Backcountry Ziplines are priced per "participant" ... there are no children's rates. Advanced reservations are required. In addition to our normal 48 hour cancellation notice policy, they require a  72 hour notice of cancellation for groups of 6 or more. 

Anyone under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult on the tour.

This tour does not operate on Sundays.

When you reserve the Backcountry Zipline on our website your reservation will be guaranteed on your credit card. A 20% deposit will be charged just a few days before you leave home for Hawaii. The balance is paid when you check in for your tour. NOTE: This tour operator only accepts VISA and MASTERCARD.

 

Kipu Zipline  ... by Outfitters Kauai  4.5 Hour Kipu Falls Zipline Trek: Adults $125 Children 7-14 $99 7 Hour Kipu Falls Safari: Adults $175 Children 3-14 $135 Minimum age to zip is 7. Maximum weight is 275 pounds no neck or back injuries or pregnant women

NEW! More ziplines added here!

This zipline was the first one on the island of Kauai ...a single zipline located downstream from Kipu Falls. This one has a greater vertical drop than the other courses on Kauai and when you take off there is a little more of a "bungee effect" until the line kicks in and you zip to the other side. The setting for this zipline experience is truly magnificent. You'll find yourself surrounded by waterfalls, streams, and banyan trees in a jungle-like setting. After zipping you land at a platform on the other side of the stream, and cross back to the starting point on a suspension bridge and a series of Swiss family Robinson-styled platforms built into the side of a banyan tree. 

Kipu Falls Zipline Trek is now IMPROVED ... instead of one zipline that you do 3 times there are now 4 different lines. The tour is 4.5 hours of zipping, hiking, and rope swinging, and cliff jumping at Kipu Falls. Each participant will zip the first line twice. Next is the second line, a cross between ZIPPING and RAPPELING where you apply zipline equipment to a nearly vertical line that drops down over a waterfall. This line has a real adventurous feel ... and people who are intimidated can skip this one and walk down the trail if they prefer. Finally, you come to the tree-house-styled platform and the original zipline; they now have two ziplines here and you do each one once. After zipping, it is on to nearby Kipu Falls which is just upstream, and you get an hour of swimming, rope swinging, and cliff jumping there. The rope swing here is truly amazing, and is almost as big of an attraction as the zip lines. Check in is at the Outfitters Kauai shop in Poipu.

Kipu Falls Safari is a combination adventure ... participants will be kayaking, hiking, zipping, rope swing, riding in a covered wagon, and finally being taken back to the starting point by motorized Hawaiian canoe. The day begins with an upstream paddle ... sounds hard, but on this jungle river the trip upstream is easier. There is very little current and the wind is typically at your back. After crossing the ranch in a covered wagon you will hike to the picnic tables at the zipline and enjoy a picnic lunch. Next comes your extreme experience as you zip across the stream and return on the suspension bridge. Each participant does a single zipline one time. Kipu Falls and the rope swing and cliff jumping are the next attraction. Finally, a motorized canoe will return you to your starting point. Check in for this tour is either at the Outfitters Kauai shop in Poipu (south side guests) or their kayak shop at Nawiliwili Harbor (central and north shore guests). Younger children may participate in the Safari, but must be 7 years old  in order to zip. Minimum age for kayaking and other activities is 3.

NOTE: Younger children who meet the minimum age of 7 must also fit in the harness. They do have harnesses designed for the size of an average 7 year old, but there is a possibility that a child who is very small for their age may not be able to zip. The ultimate decision on small children will be made by the guide on the tour.

CRUISE SHIP PASSENGERS

Zipline Tours are available for cruise ship passengers. The closest tour to the ship is Kauai Backcountry; it is a short cab ride of less than 10 minutes and is available in the morning or afternoon of day one in port.  You might also arrange a rental car for more freedom to drive around and see the island after your tour. However, because this tour is so close to the ship it often sells out long in advance on cruise ship dates.

ACTIVITY TIPS

Three years ago no one ever heard of zipping ... now it is the hottest activity on Kauai! All of these lines have been engineered and constructed to the highest standards meeting requirements set by ACCT (the Association for Challenge Course Technology). This is actually one of the SAFER things you will do on vacation. You are more likely to get hurt loading luggage into your rental car or hanging out at your resort's swimming pool!

Three zip line experiences to choose from on Kauai ... let's see if we can help you sort them out. 

The first two are more alike than they are different. The lines have varying lengths, some of which are SOOOOO long I just can't figure out how they were able to string them up in the first place! (did they use a helicopter?) Both Princeville Ranch and Kauai Backcountry have courses that have multiple lines and you do each line once. Every line is a little different, but are tightly strung from pole to pole, and each requires a little instruction about what to expect ... the guides say things like "the wind is in your face on this one so you need to get a running start" or "this landing has a steep incline ... as soon as your feet hit the ground keep running hard." These lines move along at a pretty fast pace, but not so fast that you can't enjoy the scenery around you.

Princeville Ranch has 8 lines that cross back and forth over gullies (actually one line is so long that it feels like you are crossing an entire VALLEY). They also have one gnarly (ie. fun) suspension bridge that you need to clip onto for safety when you cross. Kauai Backcountry has 7 lines and instead of crossing valleys you start up high on a mountain and work your way down to the bottom. Both tours involve swimming at the end, but Princeville Ranch gets the edge here as their swimming hole has a waterfall and is really pretty. If you are debating between these two zip lines, we recommend doing the one that is closer to your resort. If you are staying on the north shore do Princeville Ranch. If you are central or south shore do Kauai Backcountry. HOWEVER, if you are going to do the tubing adventure  then I'd recommend going up to the north shore and doing Princeville Ranch zipline for a change of scenery.

The zipline at Kipu Falls is different ... they now have four lines. The first line is more like the ones at Princeville Ranch Adventures and Kauai Backcountry Adventures and each person zips on this line twice on their zipline trek. The second line is almost a vertical rappel ... and then the third and fourth lines are identical and side-by-side. These lines are strung with quite a bit of slack and there is a significant vertical drop. The first few seconds almost feel like a bungee jump and then the line kicks in and grabs your weight. Speeds attained on this line are faster, and if you are doing the Zipline Trek they encourage you to turn yourself upside down if you like  ... once you've gained control of yourself about halfway through the zip. My wife hit her butt on the platform when she took off the first time ... they stress that you really need to take a huge step off the platform when you start out. To my amazement the second time my wife took off she started off backwards and intentionally turned herself upside down (she's the upside down person in the photo above).

Kipu Zipline is the best choice for families with younger kids. They have a minimum age of 7 to zip. Children must also fit safely in the harness. Occasionally a child who is small for their age may be old enough to zip, but the guide determines that they aren't large enough. The decision on whether a child is big enough is a safety issue and is up to the guide's discretion. Even if a determination is made that a child is too small, there is plenty to do on this tour ... they will still be able to enjoy the waterfall swim and rope swing. 

If you do the Kipu Zipline Trek you now zip 5 times. If you do the Kipu Safari you only zip once, but there are so many other activities packed into your day. If you do the Safari and only zip once, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THAT YOU DO THE BACKWARDS TAKEOFF on the zipline! You won't hit your butt, and the freefall effect is accentuated.

Princeville Ranch allows you to take off backwards, although some lines they won't let you do it because you can't get a running start. They will also let you spin and the guide will "wind you up" a few times before you start out if that sounds like fun! They don't allow you to invert yourself on their lines. Kauai Backcountry is the strictest of the three ... they don't let you turn upside down and discourage you turning backwards while you zip. This is due to the length of their lines.

Overall the longer multi-line courses are our favorites ... but if you want two completely different experiences you might even consider doing Kipu Falls AND either Princeville Ranch or Kauai Backcountry. 

Zipping is FUN ... and it is addictive!

Kauai Zip-line Reservations

Upon submitting your activity reservation for processing, we will make reservations for you and send an e-mail confirming all of the details. These confirmations are often sent a few minutes after your reservation, but some activities take longer to confirm than others. You will receive an e-mail confirmation by the end of the next business day at the latest. There are no tickets that you need to pick up prior to your event. Your e-mail confirmation will have all the details you need to check in and enjoy your selected activity. This saves you precious time when you arrive in Hawaii. 

Please be sure that you have typed your email address perfectly; an incorrect address will prevent you from getting your confirmation details, and we will have no way of knowing that you never received your confirmation. We cannot be responsible for errors that clients make which causes them to miss their tour. If you do not see your email confirmation within 24 hours please call us right away to check on the status of your order.

A credit card is required to guarantee payment for your reservations, but the activities on this page ARE NOT CHARGED when your order is placed. These activities are operated by vendors who charge you at the time of check-in for your activity. Adventureinhawaii.com will provide this vendor with your billing information so that your space is reserved. Even though your credit card is not charged in advance, it is import to realize that you are making a confirmed reservation. No-shows will be charged in full by the activity provider on the credit card used to secure the reservation .

After making reservations, you may reschedule or cancel your activity up until 48 hours prior to its start (a few activities have 72 hour cancellation policies ... see your confirmation e-mail for details). Within 48 hours of the start of your activity all reservations are final and non-refundable (unless the event is cancelled by the vendor due to weather or other factors ... in which case you are refunded in full). Due to our incredible climate here, weather cancellations are rare.  No-shows and cancellations without adequate notice are charged in full on the credit card used to secure the reservation and are non-refundable.