Hanalei
Taro fields worked for centuries, running back from the bay into mountains that are wet almost every day.
North shore • The valley lookout • Taro loi
Explore → Get Early AccessWhy Visit
The lookout above the valley is one of the views people come to Kauai for and it costs nothing: flooded taro terraces laid out flat below, the river winding through them, and ridges behind that are usually half in cloud. It is greener than anywhere else on the island and it rains most days, which is the reason.
A Little History
Taro has been grown in this valley for centuries and the loi, the flooded terraces, are still worked. The fields are farmland rather than scenery, which is worth remembering: the valley you are photographing is somebody’s livelihood.
Worth Knowing
This is the last stretch of road before it runs out at the far end of the north shore, and it is the gateway toward Na Pali without being Na Pali. The town, the pier and the bay are all here and none of them are on this page yet.
The Valley
The lookout, the loi, and the river running out to the bay.
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- Stop at the lookout on the way out rather than the way back. The light is better before the afternoon cloud builds
- Do not walk into the taro fields. They are farmland and they are wet
- Carry something waterproof. A shower here is not a reason to turn round, it is the normal state of the valley
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