Makua Beach (Tunnels Beach) Tours
2 Reviews
In the shadow of verdant mountains, and shaded by palm and ironwood trees, Makua Beach has golden sand and baby blue waters. The post-card-perfect setting was featured in the 1958 movie South Pacific, but it’s the labyrinthine underwater reef, snaked with caves, that lends the beach its nickname and draws visitors today: Tunnels Beach is one of Kauai’s best snorkeling spots. Best of all, it’s frequently uncrowded.
Protected within a small cupped North Shore bay, two layers of reef offer different experiences. The smaller inshore reef boasts calmer waters and frequent sea turtle sightings, while the expansive offshore reef is a well-utilized scuba dive site with more varied terrain—some sections drop to 70 feet. The ocean-facing edge of the outer reef is popular with expert surfers. Both reefs are home to colorful wrasse, moray eels, butterfly fish and Hawaii’s state fish, the hard-to-pronounce Humuhumunukunukuapua`a. If you’re lucky, you may even see an endangered Hawaiian monk seal hauled out on the shore.
Practical Info
Makua (Tunnels) Beach is 5.5 miles west of Hanalei on a narrow section Highway 560. Several private Kauai tours take visitors to Makua, but it is not a common stop on package tours. If you’re driving yourself, parking is easiest in Ha’ena State Park, which has restrooms, showers, lifeguards and occasionally food trucks. It occupies the western shores of the same bay, a little over a half-mile away.
Tunnels is one of the few beaches where snorkeling may be possible during choppy winter months, but check conditions with Ha’ena lifeguards that day.
Address: Highway 560, Kauai, USA
3 Tours and Activities to Experience Makua Beach (Tunnels Beach)
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Kauai Adventure Bundle: 4 Epic Audio Driving Tours
Shaka Guide is an audio tour app that gives you the benefits of a guided tour with the freedom to explore on your own terms. This Kauai Adventure Tour Bundle comes with four socially-distanced audio driving tours:
• Waimea and Na Pali Tour (6-8 hour tour)
• Wailua Valley and Waterfalls Tour (6-8 hour tour)
• Poipu and Koloa Tour (4-6 hours hour tour)
• North Shore Kauai Tour (6-8 hour tour)
The app uses GPS to give you turn-by-turn navigation to historic sites, popular attractions, world-class beaches and scenic hikes with stories about the places you’re visiting and music to entertain you along the way.
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From
$24.99
per group
From
$24.99
per group
North Shore Kauai Audio Driving Tour
Explore Kauai's scenic north shore with Shaka Guide and visit the beautiful beaches, gorgeous hiking trails and even a hidden waterfall. You will love the gripping stories we tell of this unique island.
Skip the tour bus and explore Kauai at your own pace for a fraction of the cost. Shaka Guide's North Shore Kauai Tour uses GPS to give you turn-by-turn directions to the best spots!
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WHY SHAKA GUIDE:
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✅ Listen to interesting stories and Hawaiian music!
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From
$11.99
per group
From
$11.99
per group
Face masks required for travelers in public areas
Social distancing enforced throughout experience
Private Kauai North Shore Tour
Discover Kauai’s highlights and hidden gems on a full-day private tour that offer a personal glimpse of the island’s local culture and history. Navigate the Garden Isle in a private minivan, and feel the mist from a pair of beautiful waterfalls. Look out to sea from the Kilauea Lighthouse and Hanalei Bay, and watch for whales and endangered geese at a wildlife refuge. Visit Kauai hidden beaches and ancient sites and learn about Kauai's history and local culture along the way.
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From
$231.74
Price varies by group size
From
$231.74
Price varies by group size