Kauai Transportation

Planning a Trip

Kauai has so many places to explore, things to do, sights to see -- where do you start? That's where we come in. In the pages that follow, we've compiled everything you need to know to plan your ideal trip to Kauai: information on airlines, seasons, a calendar of events, how to make camping reservations, and much more (even how to tie the knot).

If you are thinking about seeing another island in addition to Kauai, we strongly recommend that you limit your island-hopping to one island per week. If you decide to go to more than one island in a week, be warned: You could spend much of your precious vacation time in airports, waiting to board flights and for your luggage to arrive, and checking in and out of hotels. Not much fun!

Our second tip is to fly directly to Kauai; doing so can save you a 2-hour layover in Honolulu and another plane ride. So let's get on with the process of planning your trip. We fully believe that searching out the best deals and planning your dream vacation to Hawaii should be half the fun.

Getting There

If possible, fly directly to Kauai; doing so can save you a 2-hour layover in Honolulu and another plane ride.

There are no direct international flights into Kauai. You must go through Honolulu to clear Customs and Immigration if you are flying directly from a foreign country. From Honolulu, take an interisland plane to Lihue, Kauai.

Airlines serving Honolulu, Hawaii, from places other than the U.S. mainland include Air Canada (tel. 800/776-3000; www.aircanada.ca); Air New Zealand (tel. 0800/737-000 in Auckland, 64-3/379-5200 in Christchurch, 800/926-7255 in the U.S.; www.airnewzealand.com), which runs 40 flights per week between Auckland and Hawaii; Qantas (tel. 008/177-767 in Australia, 800/227-4500 in the U.S.; www.qantas.com.au), which flies between Sydney and Honolulu daily (plus additional flights 4 days a week); Japan Air Lines (tel. 03/5489-1111 in Tokyo, 800/525-3663 in the U.S.; www.japanair.com); All Nippon Airways (ANA; tel. 03/5489-1212 in Tokyo, 800/235-9262 in the U.S.; www.fly-ana.com); China Airlines (tel. 02/715-1212 in Taipei, 800/227-5118 in the U.S.; www.china-airlines.com); Air Pacific, serving Fiji, Australia, New Zealand, and the South Pacific (tel. 800/227-4446; www.airpacific.com); Korean Airlines (tel. 02/656-2000 in Seoul, 800/223-1155 on the U.S. East Coast, 800/421-8200 on the U.S. West Coast, 800/438-5000 from Hawaii; www.koreanair.com); and Philippine Airlines (tel. 631/816-6691 in Manila, 800/435-9725 in the U.S.; www.philippineair.com).

Operated by the European Travel Network, www.discount-tickets.com is a great online source for regular and discounted airfares to destinations around the world. You can also use this site to compare rates and book accommodations, car rentals, and tours. Click on "Special Offers" for the latest package deals.

Airlines from the U.S. Mainland flying directly into Lihue, Kauai, are: United Airlines (tel. 800/225-5825; www.ual.com), which offers direct service to Kauai, with daily flights from Los Angeles. American Airlines (tel. 800/433-7300; www.aa.com) offers a nonstop, daily flight from Los Angeles. America West (tel. 800/327-7810; www.americawest.com) has direct flights from Phoenix to Lihue. SunTrips (tel. 800/SUN-TRIP; www.suntrips.com) offers a charter from Oakland International Airport (OAK) once a week. Pleasant Hawaiian Holidays (tel. 800/742-9244; www.pleasantholidays.com), one of Hawaii's largest travel companies offering low-cost airfare and package deals, has two weekly nonstop flights from Los Angeles and San Francisco using American Trans Air. All other airlines land in Honolulu, where you'll have to connect to a 30-minute interisland flight to Kauai's Lihue Airport.

There are two interisland carriers: Hawaiian Airlines (tel. 800/367-5320, 808/245-1813, or 808/838-1555; www.hawaiianair.com); plus the newest interisland airline go! (tel. 888/IFLYGO2; www.iflygo.com), where there is a flight at least every hour to Lihue.

Arriving at the Airport -- Lihue Airport is a couple of miles from downtown Lihue. There is no public transportation, and there are no shuttle vans available at the airport, so you must either rent a car or hire a taxi.

Your Departure: Agricultural Screening at the Airports -- All baggage and passengers bound for the mainland must be screened by agricultural officials before boarding. This takes a little time but isn't a problem unless you happen to be carrying a football-size local avocado home to Aunt Emma. Officials will confiscate fresh avocados, bananas, mangoes, and many other kinds of local produce in the name of fruit-fly control. Pineapples, coconuts, and papayas inspected and certified for export; boxed flowers; leis without seeds; and processed foods (macadamia nuts, coffee, jams, dried fruit, and the like) will pass. Call federal agricultural officials (tel. 808/877-8757) before leaving for the airport if you're not sure about your trophy.