8. Kauaʻi - Aerial Tour

Since more than 70 percent of the 'Garden Island' are not accessible by foot or car, we decide to take an aerial tour of Kauaʻi to discover the island from the air. First, we head to the airport and get weighed; with small planes, weight distribution is important. The excitement builds. The kids and I take some medicine for motion sickness. Then we’re off. The small plane takes off. There are six of us in the plane, each by a window.
The landscape is fantastic. From the air, we admire the gigantic, emerald-green cliffs of the Na Pali Coast and the deep red gorges of the Waimea Canyon. Additionally, we fly past the famous Jurassic Park waterfall right into the mystical, cloud-covered crater wall of Mount Waialeale. The steady hum of the airplane and the motion sickness medication act like the ultimate sleeping aid, and our David peacefully drifts off. He misses the most spectacular cliffs in the world for an extremely expensive nap above the clouds of Kauai – a moment between disbelief and loud laughter that we will not forget anytime soon!
The landing is wonderfully smooth, and the pilot brings us back to the airport.
It's definitely worth taking such a flight, and it is significantly cheaper than a helicopter tour. The boat tours to the Na Pali Coast are also too expensive for us, and the sea is quite rough.
It's noon, and we get a pizza to share with everyone. To make the most of the day, we choose a hike. The Kuilau Ridge Trail in eastern Kauai is an absolute rainforest dream that is ideal for hiking due to its moderate incline. We march along a wide path, surrounded by towering ferns, huge eucalyptus trees, and the intense scent of wild ginger.
The path steadily leads us uphill along a ridge, from which spectacular views of the lush green Makaleha Mountains open up. After the recent rains, the trail turns into a real red mudslide. Every step becomes a balance exercise, and our hiking shoes sometimes sink completely into the damp rainforest floor. Anyone hiking through this green paradise immediately understands why Steven Spielberg filmed Jurassic Park right here. The landscape is so monumental and untouched that one expects a hatching Velociraptor behind every giant fern leaf. To enhance the Jurassic effect, I occasionally play the film score. Despite the mud, the hike is a great experience and easily manageable at 5 km. Fortunately, a river runs just a few meters behind the parking lot. So we can wash our shoes clean right away. After a quick stop at the supermarket, we return to our accommodation around 5 PM. Today we skip a swim in the sea; we are tired.