United StatesHawaiian IslandsVolcanic island
Kauaʻi
1,442 km² rising to 1,598 m out of the Pacific Ocean.
Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.
In numbers
1,442km²
Area
197km
Coastline
1,598m
Highest point
Mount Waialeale
66,921
People
27°C
Warmest sea
September
3,620km
To the mainland
When to go to Kauaʻi
Best for the beach in January and from May to August.
The sea is warmest in September (27 °C) and coolest in February (24 °C). You can swim comfortably all year (21 °C or more).
Averages 1991–2020. Sea: NOAA OISST, the water within 35 km of the coast. Air, rain and sun: NASA POWER. Best months weigh warm afternoons (23–30 °C), sea of 24 °C or more and few wet days.
Northernmost populated island of the Hawaiian archipelago
Kauaʻi is an volcanic island in United States. It belongs to Hawaiian Islands. It covers 1,442 km², with 197 km of coastline. Its highest point, Mount Waialeale, rises to 1,598 m. About 66,921 people live on it. The nearest mainland is 3,620 km away.
Getting there
- Lihue Airport (LIH)airport on the island, with scheduled flightsCar hire at LIH airport (Lihue, Kauai)Discover Cars · Affiliate link↗
- 3,620 km from the mainlanddistance to the nearest continental coast
- January and from May to Augustbest months to go (from 30 years of averages)
Plan the trip
Ferries, stays and things to do
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
On the island
What you find on Kauaʻi.
- 81beachesSecret Beach, Kiahuna Beach, Lawai Beach and 78 more
- 63viewpointsKalalau Lookout, The Gate, Hanalei Overlook and 60 more
- 2lighthousesNinini Point Lighthouse, Kilauea Lighthouse
- 4marinasSmith's Wailua River Cruise to the Fern Grotto, Wailua Marina, Nawiliwili Small Boat Harbor and 1 more
- 167named peaksKawaikini, Wai‘ale‘ale, Namolokama and 164 more
- 4volcanoesPuu Hunehune, Pihakekua and 2 more
- 109waterfalls‘Awini Falls, Blue Hole Falls, Ooiki Falls and 106 more
- 1castles and fortsRussian Fort
- 10ruins and archaeological sitesheiau, Hikinaakala Heiau, Kukui Heiau and 7 more
- 2dive centresSea Sport Divers, Fathom Five Divers
- 1surf spotsHanalei Surf Co.
- 3waymarked walking routesKalalau Trail, Queen's Bath Trail
- 24campsitesKokee campground, Hanalai Black Pot Beach County Park, Hanakoa Camping and 21 more
- 81hotels, guesthouses and apartments
- 157restaurants, cafés and bars
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, inside the island's outline. A low number may only mean nobody has mapped it yet.
Cross-checked with our atlases
Kauaʻi in our other atlases
Everything Coastya, Peakyas, Lakeyas and Cascadyas know about what lies inside Kauaʻi, each with its own numbers.
47beaches and covesCoastya
2lakesLakeyas
7waterfallsCascadyas
Tallest waterfall
91m
Hanakapiai Falls
according to Cascadyas
Largest lake
1.5km²
Waita Reservoir
according to Lakeyas
Warmest lake
27.8°C
Wailua
surface water, warmest month · according to Lakeyas
Beach with the warmest sea
26.9°C
Davidsons Beach
sea in the warmest month · according to Coastya
47 beaches
on Coastya, the beach atlas
- Lumahaʻi Beach26.7°C
- ʻAnini Beach26.6°C
- Keālia Beach26.6°C
- Wailua Beach26.9°C
- Waipouli26.9°C
- Hanakāpī‘ai Beach26.7°C
- Kauapea Beach26.6°C
- Barking Sands26.9°C
39 more on CoastyaOpen Coastya ↗
2 lakes
on Lakeyas, the lake atlas
- Waita Reservoir1.5km²
- Wailua0.16km²
Lakeyas is coming soonOpen Lakeyas ↗
7 waterfalls
on Cascadyas, the waterfall atlas
- Hanakapiai Falls91m
- Wailua Falls26m
- Kipu Falls
- 'Opaeka'a Falls
- Manawaiopuna Falls
- Ho'opi'i Falls
- Mōhihi Falls
Cascadyas is coming soonOpen Cascadyas ↗
The shape of the land.
On average the island stands 391 m above the sea. 42 % of it is below 200 m.
- 13 %0–50 m
- 29 %50–200 m
- 28 %200–500 m
- 20 %500–1,000 m
- 10 %1,000–2,000 m
Share of the island's area in each altitude band, from the Copernicus DEM (30 m, read at 30–240 m on large islands).
Size, for real
Next to islands you may know.
50 km
All outlines drawn to the same scale (Natural Earth and OpenStreetMap).
Towns on the island
- Kapa‘a10,699 people
- Lihue6,455 people
- Kekaha-Waimea5,971 people
- Wailua Homesteads5,188 people
- Kalāheo4,595 people
- Hanamā‘ulu3,835 people
- Kaumakani-Hanapepe3,769 people
- Omao-Kukuiula3,538 people
- Kekaha3,537 people
- Koloa-Poipu2,936 people
- Puhi2,906 people
- Kīlauea2,803 people
Month by month
The weather on the island.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon high (°C) | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 25 |
| Night low (°C) | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 23 |
| Sea (°C) | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 25 |
| Rain (mm) | 68 | 84 | 125 | 57 | 49 | 43 | 41 | 47 | 51 | 76 | 84 | 100 |
| Wet days | 10 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 13 |
| Sun h/day | 7.3 | 7.3 | 7.5 | 8.7 | 9.6 | 10.1 | 10.1 | 9.7 | 9.3 | 8.0 | 7.2 | 6.8 |
| Wind (km/h) | 21 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 21 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 22 | 21 | 22 | 22 |
Averages 1991–2020 for the ~55 km NASA POWER cell over the island; the sea from NOAA OISST.
Recent years
Warmer and cooler years at sea.
Each month's sea temperature compared with its 1991–2020 average, in degrees.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +0.9 | +0.6 | +0.4 | +1.0 | +0.7 | +0.7 | +0.9 | +0.9 | +1.0 | +1.3 | +1.5 | +1.6 |
| 2021 | +1.3 | +1.2 | +0.6 | +0.2 | +0.4 | +0.6 | +0.3 | +0.2 | −0.3 | −0.6 | +0.3 | +0.2 |
| 2022 | +0.8 | +1.4 | +1.3 | +0.8 | +0.3 | +0.1 | ±0.0 | +0.3 | +0.8 | +0.7 | +0.5 | +0.2 |
| 2023 | +1.1 | +0.7 | +0.6 | +0.5 | +0.2 | ±0.0 | +0.3 | +0.4 | +0.2 | +0.6 | +0.8 | +0.5 |
| 2024 | +0.6 | +0.3 | +0.1 | −0.1 | +0.2 | +0.3 | +0.2 | +0.3 | +0.4 | +0.4 | +0.4 | +0.5 |
| 2025 | +1.0 | +1.2 | +1.2 | +1.0 | +0.7 | +0.2 | +0.3 | +0.9 | +0.9 | +0.9 | +0.5 | +0.7 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Photos
Seen by visitors.
About these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q201026) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Outline | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Sea temperature | NOAA OISST v2.1 · 1991–2020 |
| Climate | NASA POWER · 1991–2020 |
| Relief, 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Beaches, ports, lighthouses, trails | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Towns | GeoNames · CC BY 4.0 |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Beaches, mountains, lakes and waterfalls | Coastya, Lakeyas, Cascadyas — Wikidata · CC0; © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL; GeoNames · CC BY 4.0; NOAA OISST; HydroLAKES (Messager et al. 2016) · CC BY 4.0, LakeTEMP (Korver et al. 2024) · CC BY 4.0 |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
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