Rent a car or Taxi in Kauai, Hawaii?
My wife and I are hiking the Kalalau trail in Kauai in a few weeks. We will be staying in a hotel after we land, a hotel close to the airport. Then the next morning we will drive or taxi to the head of the Kalalau trail (about 35 miles from airport to trail head) We will hike and camp for 2 nights and drive/taxi straight back to the airport….
So my Question is what would be least expensive? getting a taxi, or renting a car? We are both 23 so I think there is an additional charge for being under 25. We wont be driving that much either, just 3 times (about 75 miles) and the car would be parked for 2 days at the trail head. Also for cellphone coverage, will I get reception on the island?…and anyone know for sure near kalalau trail? Sprint. Thanks
Landing in LIH, Lihue international airport, which is near the south end of the island. Pretty much completely opposite from Na’Pali state park.
Well you sound like me last year. I went with my family and a few friends for a high school graduation present. My friends and I hiked the trail and my parents picked us up on the south end in the state park. It took a few days and we had a blast.
Im going to assume you’re going to the North end of the island as it is closer to the airport. I think it is much better looking than the state park and there is more “life” there too. Most of the South end of Kauai is run down. Now I think getting a taxi would be your best bet. As you may have heard Hawaii can be bad for crime as there aren’t a ton of jobs to support people and even though Kauai is probably the safest island, there are still thieves roaming around. Worrying about leaving a car would just create another hassle and you would be paying for 2-3 days of letting it sit in a parking lot.
I have Sprint myself and I unfortunately can’t say whether or not I had service on the trail as I promised to not take my phone out unless there was an emergency. I can tell you however I had service at the north trail head where you would have to call for the taxi if you chose that path.
Anyway I know you’ll have an awesome time. The trail is amazing and scenery is beautiful. If you’re lucky you might even be able to snatch some wild fruit growing on the trees. Take care!
There is a great beach at the start/end of Kalaulau Trail. I will get cell coverage on the island, but I wouldn’t guarentee, you will get coverage near the trail head.
It might only be 35 miles but it’s a long drive. There is only one road (2 lanes; 1 in each direction)and the speed limit is 25mph. It could be a pretty expensive cab ride.
I do hope you have fully researched what it means to hike the Kalalau trail. 11 miles sounds so easy, but it is not. In recent years, there have been a lot of hippies living on the trail, and making it a mess. I have heard that the State has been cleaning this up, but with the current economy, I’m not sure how far that’s progressed. Also, this has been a very wet winter (I was in Princeville for part of it), and you should check to make sure none of the trail has been washed out. See info and phone number here: http://www.hawaiistateparks.org/hiking/kauai/kalalau.cfm Here is another site that gives you some info on the trail, also gorgeous pictures: http://www.kalalautrail.com/information.html
I am not trying to discourage you from doing the trail, just making sure you are prepared.
I would suggest a taxi from Lihue. Cost aside, trying to park at the trailhead can be brutal. Better not to have to do it.
About cell phones: There is great service in the Princeville/Hanalei Bay area, and I would think all the way out to the trailhead, because this is an upscale housing area. On the trail, my guess would be there will be no service.
Kauai is one of the beautiful places upon the planet earth also the beautiful places that are to visited are scattered all over the island so its better of renting a car their rather than hiring a much more expensive taxi. You can hire a decent economy class car fairly cheaply than hiring a cab their which is very costly their. Moreover you can hire a cheap car from http://www.pointcarhire.com/us/index.html as they offer facilities like vehicle theft waiver, no additional airport fee etc that will certainly help you alot in reducing your budget. Also you can pick the car from the airport and drop it back there without any hassles.