Kamokila Hawaiian Village

For all your Wailua River boating needs.

This place is a 15-minute paddle away from the start of the hike to the Secret Falls. You park your boat on the side of the river and hike the 30-45 minutes to the falls.

There are two options for rentals. You can rent a 2-seater kayak or canoe for a full day for $35/person, which gives you the freedom to explore on your own. Or you can pay $30/person to hop in the larger outrigger canoe, where a guide will take a few people directly to the start of the hike (the hike is still done on your own).

The outrigger canoe leaves the village once an hour. The wife and I opted for the 2-seater kayak rental since we wanted to do some extra kayaking at our own pace. After we did the Secret Falls hike, we explored more of the Wailua River and paddled past the back side of Fern Grotto.

We returned our kayak a little before closing time, and the attendant wasn't at the dock so we just tied up the kayak there ourselves. They are very chill here.

The village also features a bunch of huts constructed in a traditional style, so for $5 ($3 for children) you can walk around and see what a traditional Hawaiian village looked like. It's probably not worth driving out here just to see this. The restrooms are in the back of the village, and when I asked about them, the attendant said that I could take a look around the village for no charge. Like I said, they are very chill.

This place is located off Highway 580 (a.k.a. Kaumoo Road). As you head west along Highway 580, look for a sign on the left bearing their name. There's a road on the left here that takes you down to the village; beware that that road and the subsequent parking lot are uneven and not well-maintained. But if you're driving a rental car, then it's all good! Hang loose!

The village is closed. They Lost the 60 year lease. They May get it back. The main gate From the road Is locked. And we were told they village was now partially incomplete.

We observed the kayak s did not
Stop in today. They used to be able to.

In the pic you can barely see the top of the meeting house in the trees.


Special place.

This review is for the kayak rental service, since the Hawaiian Village off Kuamoo road is (temporarily?) closed. We called looking to rent kayaks to reach the Secret Falls trail since the original location looked so convenient, but Benjamin was still able to deliver us a kayak+gear at the Wailua State Park boat ramp. He was very chill and helpful, gave us some great tips for things to explore along the river and how to get to the falls, and the price was great compared to other rental services!

This review is mainly for SUP (stand up paddleboard)/we did not go into the village or take a tour.

If you are looking to rent a stand up paddle board for secret falls or the fern grotto and you're not trying to paddle 2 miles down the Wailua river, this is my recommended business!

4* because compared to the other SUP rentals for Wailua river, this is preferable.

PROS:
- OPEN ON SUNDAYS!
- they do take card, but it is a bit cheaper with cash (only commented about this because I saw a previous Yelp review)
- they're right at the fork of the two attractions, so you save the 2 mile paddle board (or kayak) to the fork (unless you enjoy paddle boarding)
- the two dudes that I've interacted with were friendly and easy to talk to! Shout out to our boi Maverick! (Boss ass name)
- cheaper than the SUP rental store that had you launch closer to the fwy (Kauai SUP), but to be fair Kauai SUP boards were more standard and light/clean (where as the boards here can vary)
- if you already have a paddleboard/kayak it is $10 to launch from this area!
- came on a Saturday and there was plenty of parking all day!
- they sell snacks!
- they sell cheap $15 water shoes! (sizes are limited though, looked like mainly super smalls and larges left)
- there are a few very cute feline friends!

Things to note:
- when you turn in, you'll be going down a sort of narrow dirt/muddy road :,)
- likewise when you leave dirt/muddy narrow road going up
- from a chat with Maverick this place gets it's equipment rented out (esp during summer) so maybe reserve in advance for special occasions? But there seemed to be a few paddleboards and kayaks still available when we were here.

It is not CLOSED. We just went on August 4 and it was open at 8 am. Great place to rent your kayaks for $35 per person. You will pay a bit more if you charge it by Credit Card. They provide you with a life vest and water bag (@20 liter bag). You kayak @ 10 minutes and then you hike in @ 30/45 minutes. Take your lunch, water, a walking stick, water camera, good water shoes(no flip flops), and insect repellent. You will need to cross like 2/3 rivers. The rocks at Secret Falls are slippery so be careful. The last half mile driving is really steep and full of potholes so be careful. Enjoy!

NOTICE: The Kamokila Hawaiian Village is closed pending further notice. See Kamokila Hawaiian Village Forced to Close (KITV) for more information. https://www.kitv.com/news/business/kamokila-hawaiian-village-forced-to-close-on-kauai/article_c67870c2-b0a8-11ec-9df0-9f3de7b4301c.html

I thought this historical site was really interesting. It costs $5 per adult to enter and it is well worth the money.

You basically do a self-guided tour of an ancient village. There are different buildings where the natives worked, ate, slept, and lived.

The experience could be better if there were more information available about the village and village life--how many people lived in that village for example. But it is still the time and money.

Thoroughly enjoyed our educational visit to this authentic, historical Hawaiian village. I loved meandering the huts and reading what the purpose of each bungalow was for. It was a fascinating excursion.
Contrary to the other reviews I found the site to be larger than I expected. Some of the artifacts are hidden in a Grove off the path or further towards the back. Although it's unguided the signs do a thorough job of explaining the significance of the structures or stone creations and their purpose.

It's nestled along side a beautiful and scenic waterway. Although we didn't take the water tour I can see the appeal & would consider it on a future visit. I found the price for this easily navigable attraction very fair & worth it.

But bring bug spray! Lots of mosquitoes.

Can't review the place except to say it is closed - several places do not indicate it is closed, notably their website. I'm posting this as PSA - public service announcement that anyone considering going here should not plan unless confirmed by phone (they did not answer but was only 15 minutes away so I drove there to see). Owners are doing a disservice not providing update on its website - closed until further notice, etc....their key is location if you want to kayak to "secret" falls, swimming hole and fern grotto. You can get to those locations from the other companies south on the river but the difference in kayak time is significant. From this village - like 5-10 minutes, from the other companies at the end of the river - over 1 hour and longer - it would be a very strenuous activity for non-kayakers, not to mention the hike to the falls. I could handle the kayak but just didn't want to spend that much time kayaking after doing some in Hanalei earlier in the week for a few hours. Hope this helps folk that sort by "most recent" first.

Permanently Closed so save yourself a trip. If you try calling it will just ring and ring. There's a kayak place just down the road but you will need a reservation.

We tried to drop in to rent a canoe on December 28, 2021. From the website, Yelp, and Google, we believed it was open. But the gate was locked so we couldn't drive down to the village. They also didn't answer the phone. And there was another family parked outside the gate that had an advance reservation (unlike us) and had their canoe trip ruined by the unannounced closing.

Bottom line, I'd suggest renting elsewhere, and not counting on the village being open even if you just want to paddle or drive in for a visit. If you do want to come by, I'd call ahead and confirm they're open before taking the time to drive over.