Tunnels Beach

One of the secret, beautiful beaches in Kauai. This is the place that is depicted in the musical " South Pacific" or the famous fictional place "Bali Hai". Use Makua Beach /hAena state beach park to park is the access you can use to get to tunnels beach! Once you get there it's super gorgeous! Definitely worth the 1 hour drive from lihue for a sunrise/sunset in Kauai!

We enjoyed checking out this side of the island this time. It was kind of tricky to find parking but just be patient and you'll find some. We ended up finding a spot on the street and walked down an alley to the beach. Didn't need an umbrella here as there are plenty of shade trees right on the beach. So beautiful and relaxing. It is very popular and busy, but you only really notice that in the water because of everyone wanting to snorkel. The snorkeling was really cool here! Some of the best I've seen! I spent a lot of time in the water, but tried not to go too far out as the tide can be a little tricky here in some parts as well. A must-see when on Kauai!

This beach is also known as Makua Beach and is on the north shore. Parking is pretty limited in an alley and good luck getting a spot. If you do get a spot, it's worth it though. If you can't find a spot, you can drive a little way more and park at Ha'ena Beach and walk back along the sand. After swimming, you can head to Ha'ena Beach to use their showers and bathrooms. The water is beautiful and calm here. Less crazy than Hanalei beach for sure.

Tunnel's beach was a great way to spend the day. You need to get there early to get a parking spot. Once there you can walk into the dry cave across the street. It is very deep, sandy bottom, no bats when we were there. The beach at the parking area is not for swimming, you have to walk about a 1/4 mile up the beach to a small cove in order to swim in the ocean, plenty of turtles to see. The beach is beautiful, the sand is very coarse so wear Sandals or water shoes! The drive to get there is also very gorgeous.

Amazing snorkeling spot. Worth the drive and the hassle of parking as there are limited spots.

Beautiful beach! Parking a little tricky to find if you come too late - we were there by 8:30 and were lucky enough to find a street spot because the lots were already full. Snorkeling was great!

Such a cool free even t on the island. Came here one afternoon, and it was super smooth. No problem finding parking, and walking the Tunnel is a pretty neat experience. It's not really too big, but bring a flashlight if you want to be able to see around. The iPhone camera does not help a whole lot. Kauai is such a great place, that this is just another awesome beach up in the northern part of the island. There are bathrooms with running water, and obviously plenty of sand and beach stuff! My kids found the underground cave to be cool and it was worth spending about 45 minutes here. Went in the cave, and then played on the beach for a bit. The waves and riptide seemed a bit big, so be careful if going in the water. There are lifeguards on duty.

It is a beautiful beach and great for watching sunsets, lounging on the beach, and there are also some fish for snorkeling. We didn't go to the outer reef like another reviewer said, but we stayed closer to the shore. The only problem with this beach (why I docked a star) is that you have to walk a long way to get to it -- you have to park at Haena Beach Park's parking lot and then it's like a 10 min walk down from Haena beach to get to Tunnels Beach. Keep in mind, this 10 min walk is on either soft dry sand or on the wet/sloped sand where one foot is higher than the other so you're walking lopsided. We were tired from the awkward prolonged walk on soft sand vs. slanted wet sand. NOT good for small kids unless you want to carry the kids or your kids are not prone to whining. Aside from the tiring walk both ways, we really enjoyed our sunset view.

Nice beach and having a green mountain on the side is both unique and pretty. Tunnels beach is on the right side of the area and Ha'ena beach is on the left side. Ha'ena beach is prettier in my opinion, but the water is much harder to casually swim in. Tunnels beach has very calm water, but the general lack of waves makes it a bit less fun (again, in my opinion). I came from Kapaa and arrived very early on a Saturday morning (7:00) and there were three cars parked in one of the two one way makeshift lots. At 8:30, there were five cars in the area, leaving space for probably three more cars. If you enter the home address next to the lot in your GPS (5-7772 Kuhio Hwy), it will take you straight to the lot (see the pictures in the review).

One of our favorite beaches. We recommend getting to the Hā'ena Beach parking lot by 9am. We visited in March so may need to be earlier in busy season. We came here 3 times and each we found ample parking by arriving by 9am. It does fill up and often had long lines when we were leaving. When you approach beach, head right to Tunnels Beach. If you go far enough down there's an area that is shallow and protected by the rocks and common to see people swimming. It's one of the only safe spaces to swim in the ocean at this beach during winter season. Lots of kids splashing and enjoying the water here. Sand changes from gritty shells to nice soft sand. Recommend water friendly shoes to protect in the rougher sand. Plenty of shaded areas from the trees to balance sunshine and protection. Beautiful views of the Na Pali coast mountains from the beach. Big waves and common to see surfers and windsurfing. We didn't find any legal parking for Tunnels Beach directly aside from walking from Haena Beach. Hope that helps! These beaches are way less crowded than Hanalei Bay likely due to limited parking.

The Tunnels and Ha'ena beaches are not nly beautiful, but great for swimming, snorkeling, and scuba diving. They merge together, occupying different stretches of a slightly sheltered curve of beach on the north shore of Kauai. Ha'ena is at the western end at the county park with toilets, tables, and parking. It has stronger waves. Tunnels is at the eastern end, with a lot of coral formations which you need to avoid, but the water is more calm here and the coral provides habitat for sea life and interesting areas to explore. There are some shallower parts fairly far out. The setting is lovely and striking. There is almost no parking near the Tunnels Beach, and visitors are not allowed to park along the roads. That seems to be a problem for some, but we stayed only about a 20 minute walk away so we had a pleasant stroll to and from the beach.

Gorgeous beach to watch the sunset. We brought wine and sandwiches to enjoy. The cave is beautiful across the street

Amazing beach for snorkeling with lots of wildlife and calm water, but not so great for swimming. Much of the coast is rocky or coral, and of course you want to avoid stepping on coral and hurting both yourself and the environment there. Parking is also very scarce, so try to get there before 8am or park about a mile down at the state beach parking (still limited).

Gorgeous beach! Like picture-perfect. Like, the kind of place you conjure up in your mind when you think of a Hawaiian island. We lucked out and found a spot in the first lot (You know, the one everyone says never has a spot because there are only like 8 spots? That one. We were so grateful to be so lucky). It's a super quick walk to the sand from there, and once you arrive there's a HUGE expanse of beach to easily have your slice of heaven to yourself. Plenty of trees away from the shore to get relief from the sun should you need... Some of the loveliest snorkeling we've seen! Was glad a warden was on the water near the reef to remind idiots, sorry - I mean people, to STAY OFF OF THE DAMNED REEF. They had to remind people NOT STAND ON THE REEF *giant facepalm* I have attached a great pic to show the best place for parking, and a perfect snorkeling "route" once you're in the water. Best chance for low-to-no currents and minimal turbidity for optimum viewing. Several charters were offshore allowing folks to snorkel without fighting for a parking space. If you can't get a lucky Tunnels alley parking spot, there is more parking farther down the road by the Dry Caves. There you will also find a few picnic tables and a bathroom. Go early and you should be able to find a spot! Please don't stand on the reef. Please wear reef-safe sunscreen. Please pay attention and only park in the designated spots. There are signs that say "NOT TUNNELS" for a reason - don't park there. Get your aloha on, people!

Cool beach on the North Shore of Kauai. It's a pretty scenic drive with lots of winding roads and one way bridges. Parking is limited but if you get parking your golden. There's also a cool cave right across the street. They have restrooms, a few picnic tables in a grass area and the beach is a quick walk to the sand. Sand is soft but the shallow part has little rocks so not as soft on the feet but definitely not super uncomfortable either. They even had a food/snack truck which is always a plus since there are no restaurants or stores within walking distance.

Very beautiful beach with a cave near the beginning. The waves were pretty strong and swimming was discouraged the day we were there, but it was a good beach day!

The pinned location indicated in this yelp site is not quite accurate. Regardless, this is one of the most beautiful beaches I've ever seen. Personal preference, but the green mountains rising behind the line of coconut and mangrove trees along with the golden sand, the water that are multiple shades of blue. The only "con" is that the waves are super freaking strong. You'll be like driftwood getting tossed back and forth.

This beach is one of the best. Great for snorkeling or just wading in. Lots of reef so the water is calm and protected and you can see a lot of fish. We saw turtles in the water and a seal lying on the sand. You have to park at Haena Beach parking lot (or on the limited space in the side streets) and then walk half a mile on sand to Tunnels. There are restrooms in Haena beach but not in Tunnels. There is a small alleyway closer to Tunnels that has space for 4 cars. So you need to get there early for parking.

Beautiful beach, very clean and there are lifeguards. Parking is slightly limited so you need patience. This is my fifth time to this bitch and it never disappoints. It is good for snorkeling except for today the waves were extremely rough and the lifeguards were not letting anybody to go into the water but that is OK. They were trying to keep people safe. They did an excellent job at it too. I saw a few people try to get in the water even though there were signs all over the place that said beach closed and that it was dangerous. The lifeguards would either announce it on the loudspeaker or come to you on an ATV and tell you that you were making a really bad choice. There are bathrooms here and picnic tables in shaded areas there's even a food truck that comes to the beach but it's in the parking lot.

This beach is absolutely stunning! Consider adding it to your itinerary before any other beach or activity for the day. Parking is very limited for the popularity of this beach. Come before 10:30am or so because finding parking can be very, very painful! This beach has plenty of shade available. Great scenic beach, beautiful blue waters, and great for beginner friendly snorkeling. So happy I rented a snorkel and mask for only $5 before making the drive to Tunnels. I saw a variety of fish only about 4 feet into the water. Be very careful with the waves and make sure not to touch the reef.

Lots of coral, so those are perfect conditions for snorkeling. Is this the best place in Kauai for snorkeling? Not sure because I haven't snorkeled at all the beaches but I saw loads of fish. I would suggest getting into the water in the sandy part and then snorkel your way over the coral. Great place to watch the sunset over the mountains too.

Was recommended by a local (who grew up in Kauai) to come to this spot for snorkeling, it was amazing. Managed to snag a parking spot around 11AM on Sunday - counted us lucky. Had to walk a bit to Tunnels Beach, but it was well worth it! The snorkeling was great, as the water was shallow and even quite far out from the shore, people could stand up. Waves are very gentle and almost non-existent, and there are so many different types of fish - of all varying sizes, colors, types. Very cool! Highly recommend.

overall our experience was pretty good ar tunnels but it wasn't our favorite beach- it was super crowded and hard to find parking- we had to park on the far left side of the beach and hike all of the way to the right to snorkel- it is a trek!! not to mention the sand is super hard to walk on!! it's very coarse and loose so on the way back to the car my husband went to get the car and picked me up. we enjoyed other beaches more than tunnels. the snorkeling itself was good though once you get there! just a hassle to get to the beach and find parking. saw lots of fish and a few sea turtles.

Beautiful beach with a stunning backdrop. The only problem was parking. There weren't any spots at all, so we had to squeeze into a possibly illegal no parking zone just like everybody else was doing- oops! No ticket was given though. It didn't look like anyone was monitoring for it

Lots to see and do at Tunnels. Protective reef provides for swimming and snorkeling with minimal currents and very limited wave action. It's a good size Beach so lots of room to wander, and lots of places to lay your blanket down including some shaded areas. Snorkeling was good not great while I was there, but there was a lot of wave action outside the reef that raised the turbidity inside the reef and maybe I just wasn't looking in the right area - lots of area to cover. For swimmers: pay attention. Even in this protected area there are currents that can swiftly take you someplace you don't want to be if your watching the clouds while floating peacefully on the surface (my experience). Parking is tight. Locals have priority - out-of-state visitors have to get a pass for specific times (go early, less wave action). There are bathrooms with sinks to wash your hands, but no showers or places to wash the sand off.

Tunnels beach is one of the most serene and beautiful beaches I have ever seen In Hawaii. It provides aqua tones and beautiful breathtaking white sands and views of the mountains. Across the street there is an incredible cave that you can explore! I loved snorkeling and saw lots of beautiful coral reefs and colorful fishes. This is such a great destination to explore the beautiful beaches of Kauai! Located near Princeville and incredible views driving to this place. It is definitely a must see while exploring the island! If you do stop by this beach their is a food truck that has incredible coconut shrimp and the dried mango and fresh pineapple is to die for! Not too mention those wonderful island smoothie vibes!

Beautiful beach. Was worth the drive from the south part of the island. Really enjoyed the "adventures" this beach had to offer.

The beach is very beautiful. Parking is tight, I'd suggest you arrive early,otherwise you'll have to wait for a parking spot. I was disappointed, we drove over an hour because the reviews I read said there were an abundance of shells. We found none, there is a lot of rocks and coral washed up on the beach. I wouldn't swim here unless your used to the strong currents. There was a food truck with misc food and the cave across the street was breathtaking!

Beautiful beach with mountain views. The parking situation is not as dire as everyone makes it out to be. Most people look for this tight little public alley sandwiched between 2 houses. Don't worry if you can't find it or if there are no spots. Just continue on the road about 1/2 mile to the Haena beach park across the cave. The cave is nothing to explore. It's just there at the side of the road. There's plenty of parking spaces and restrooms. It's an easy beach walk to Tunnels (maybe about 1/2 mile walk along the water) from Haena Beach. Bring your snorkel gear and stay off the reefs.

Gorgeous mountain vistas. Yesterday I sunbathed next to a monk seal for hours. HE (or she) RUBBED HIS (her?) EYES FROM TIME TO TIME WITH HIS (lady?) FLIPPER. Unreal. Ps. Bring your snorkel!

This is my favorite beach on the island .. the first time we were here the weather was perfect .. blue sky. This time it was cool and rained all week .. ocean was all churned up and much bigger waves. Good if you like to surf or boogie board .. not so great if you like to snorkel or play in calm water. Very few people were in the water all week. When the sky is blue .. and sun out .. this is gorgeus the color of the sand .. water and lovely mountains .. make this beach stunning. normally calm water good place to snorkel .. but not this week. still worth the visit. liked watching people brave enough to fight the powerful waves . we are not young and brave enough but fun to watch others make it look easy. This is close to Ke'e beach and some caves .. not far from the literal end of the road.

Arrive early!! We arrived at 8:20 am during the week and got a parking spot in the lot. There was about 6 spots left. You do have to walk a bit to get to the middle of the beach, but it's worth it because that's we're the best snorkeling is. By far the best beach for snorkeling while in Kauai!

Sort of disappointed with this beach today. My husband and I have been coming to the island every three years for 30 years. This used to be a favorite spot as we love the tunnel, there used to be a family that made baskets out of leaves and the locals were always nice. NOT this year. We were trying to park in a handicap spot and a tour bus driver from North Shore Tours came at me hot then when we moved a local 11 or 12 year old tried to tell us we couldn't park where we were parking because it wasn't handicap. Both were just rude.

Absolutely beautiful and breathtaking views. If you visit Hawaii, this is a MUST SEE!! The hike is intense and we'll worth it. Its a good five mile hike or more. Come prepared with serious bug spray,water, proper hiking sticks, hat, hiking shoes and stamina!! Ladies; do not wear perfume and make-up. The bugs will eat you up alive!! The winds are intense and strong, so wear a bandana or hat. Men; leave your Ralph Loren stylish socks at home or they'll get muddy and wet! Once you get to the top, you've almost reached HEAVEN!!!! You'll be pleased with yourself once you've reached your destination. Good Luck!!!

Sea Turtles! My wife and I spotted a large sea turtle literally less than a minute after we started snorkeling. I was so excited and thought to myself, "there must be tons of sea turtles around here." Not true. That was the only one we saw. We talked to other snorkelers who were specifically searching for sea turtles but never found the illusive creature. I guess we got lucky? Regardless, I have confidence that if you are snorkeling out here long enough you'd see one too. But if not, you'll still see some stellar sea life. Even my wife who is scared of snorkeling said this was one of her favorite snorkel experiences. We went fairly early (maybe 8:30 am), so maybe that had something to do with spotting a turtle. I don't know. All I know is my wife and I came here two days in a row because we liked it so much. Pro tip: look for the crowd of people snorkeling because it will lead you to the safest entry point. The coral would be difficult to maneuver if you didn't wade in at this point.

Yelp 100 Challenge 94 Beautiful beach, amazing views of lush tropical mountains and good snorkeling! Gotta get their early for a parking spot at Ha'ena Beach and walk to Tunnels. Bring flip flops as the sand gets super hot and remember your sun screen and water. When snorkeling in and out look for sandy spots so as not to get scraped on the sharp coral if the water level is low. We saw colorful, beautiful fish, a sea turtle and a monk seal who was sleeping on the beach. Be prepared to enjoy this beach!

This was a truck for us as we were staying on the opposite side of the island and all were in a car with littles for a while. To get here was smooth overall, there was some construction in various places, some bridges you had to cross, but the views and the little cities we went through to get here were neat to see. Once we got here though it was a little tricky. There are little inlets for you to park, really like 2 of them, and they are narrow alleyways, kind of, then there is a parking lot, but that is very small, and then that's about it, so even once we got here it was a mission to find parking. Once we got to the beach though it was heavenly, there is a beautiful backdrop of forestry, because there is only so much parking, the beach is very secluded and quiet and peaceful. The beach is long and shallow, and in some parts there is almost this granite rock you can sit on and let the waves come across you. There are also some rocks the kids can climb and then this little river that flows into the ocean and they loved that. It was a great day, not too much wind and no rain, it was great!

Gorgeous beach! Be careful though the waves can be rough and can slam you into some rocks.

Tunnels Beach is one of the prettiest we've seen in Kauai, and certainly one of the trickiest to get to. After passing through Hanalei town, you'll have to navigate some pretty narrow roads, sharp turns, and eventually a series of one-lane bridges where you'll have to share with oncoming traffic. Folks seem good about yielding and drivers seem courteous here here so no problem. Parking is on a rocky dirt lot with some gigantic potholes and mini-lakes, so be careful. They have a full bathroom, a smoothie stand (get the pineapple-strawberry!), a little cave, camping areas on the grass, lifeguard station, and then finally the beach. Beach is truly amazing - golden sand that's really soft and pristine, and the water is about as blue as it gets. We didn't spend a whole lot of time on the beach, just enough to catch some rays and the nice breeze. Supposedly this beach is great for snorkeling and other Yelpers were lucky to see monk seals.

It was raining on and off all morning. Some of the rain was coming down hard, so we had already put off our plans to hike down to Queens Bath, so we decided it was worth it to drive over to Tunnels to see if we could sneak in some beach rays. Benefit of the rain was that we found parking in the lot, it was still pretty full, but we managed to grab a spot when someone was leaving. We sat down on the beach and started to get chilly as another rain fall started. But there were many snorkelers in the water saying they were seeing all kinds of fish, so we figured if we were already wet may as well get in the water, and boy am I glad we did! We saw SOME AMAZING FISH, so many colorful fish swimming all around the reefs (pretty close to shore), and then a SEA TURTLE came and swam right up to us! It was so close, and just swimming around! Best snorkeling we did while on the island (even compared to a N'apali coast snorkel boat). Once we got out it started to rain again so we packed up and as we were walking to the car we noticed the cave across the street, so we explored that a little, and then got some delicious smoothies at the food truck parked at the end of the lot. Totally worth it, even on a rainy day!!

Great beach to spend the day. There is a crazy awesome cave as well you can explore. It can be a bit busy and parking can be a nightmare, but overall it's a great place to see some great waves. I recommend getting there early if you want to get a good spot.

Out of the 5 beaches we visited while on Kauai this one was our favorite. We got here early to get a parking spot and walked down the beach. The lot is small and full, but the beach never felt busy. Best snorkeling! We swam with a sea turtle and schools of fish over lava tunnels. Just don't follow the fish too closely. My husbo annoyed one who chased him and bit his finger. It only drew a drop of blood with it's razor sharp teeth and gave me something to tease him about the rest of the trip. The whole surroundings in and out of the water were really amazing!

Gorgeous beach!!!!! The drive to the north shore was about an hour (staying in Kapaa), but it was absolutely stunning! My fiancé popped the question here and it made our time there so much more special. Definitely recommend!

Beautiful beach just passed Hanalei. It takes a while to get as there are several single lane bridges to cross. Also, there isn't much parking close to the beach access but if yuh drive further down there is a make shift lot across from the cave and has a little shave ice/snack stand there. Bathrooms are a plus! The beach has deep, steep sand and it gave us a workout! Some parts of the beach had a ton of crushed coral so be careful. My feet were so sensitive afterwards. The tides must've been high because there were no swimming signs up. This is a beautiful beach and as an added plus you get a great view of Bali Hai & get to explore a cave to boot! It took about 1hr 15 mins from Poipu area to reach Tunnels.

Parking is crazy, but the views are well worth it once you find a spot. It was super windy when we went, but we laid on a blanket and soaked in the sun and views. Be careful when climbing down, especially if it rained recently. It can get very muddy and slippery. Oh oh oh! Make sure to walk across the street to go into the cave and get a photo op.

This was probably my favorite beach on Kauai. If only the parking situation was better. I did get a great parking spot, but when we left, there were about 4 cars waiting for spots. There are also no showers where we parked:/ or bathrooms. This isn't a beach park, in fact, it kind of reminded me of cromwells on Oahu, if you've been there. The parking is ridiculous. I actually missed turning into the alleyway on my way there, it's easy to miss, so drive slowly. There are maybe 6 spots to park. That's it. I feel kind of bad for the people who live along that road because it is jammed packed full of tourists all the time. There is a lot of fish and other marine animals to see and it's easy to snorkel because the waves aren't too big. The water is pretty and the green mountain cliffs that border this beach are so beautiful. I'd definitely come back!!

Awesome beach for swimming and snorkeling. We didn't snorkel at this location but we did swim for a couple hours until the bf decided to open his eyes under water without googles and lost his contacts to the ocean. We started brining his glass when we went to the beach..... The water was nice and warm, the tide and current weren't too strong. Great location for a boogie board. The water was clear and pretty. There are a couple spots for parking. There is a smaller parking area with limited parking next to homes that have signs that state that you may not park there. If you go further down the road there is more parking and picnic seating areas. We got there later in the afternoon and there was plenty of parking. We parked across from the Maniniholo Dry Cave. The cave was pretty cool because could walk into it pretty far without a flashlight .Its looks like it use to be an under water cave but now it's dry. There was a man selling fresh coconuts where he was cutting them open right there for you for $5.

We love this area. Unfortunately like so many things on this trip... it's closed off. This has been a strange trip... The road to Gillin's Beach is closed until end of February 2019... Tunnels (Ha'ena) Beach and Ke'e inaccessible due to flooding in early 2018 (the road is blocked near the end of Hanalei Bay)... sinkhole in the road, so a blockade on the road to Hanalei Pier... Kīlauea Lighthouse not operating normal hours (still haven't figured out why on that one... UPDATE! because of low government funding, this is only open on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday... we figured that out because we kept going by there, and some of the people doing maintenance told us. We never found anything online.)... We became vaguely aware of the situation right before our trip but there is so little information available online so travelers know what to expect. I actually had to buy the online app version of Kauai Revealed to discover that Gillin's is closed until end of February. However, the app says nothing about Tunnels and Ke'e being closed off, so even it's not that updated. I'm posting this information in a few places so others will know. This is an area you definitely can't get to right now... not sure when that will change.

Kauai offers so many great beaches, and Tunnels is definitely one of them. The snorkeling is awesome. Maybe not the first beach to hit, but for sure on of the best 3 we found in our week on the island. Lots of fish in all kinds of varieties! We went on a rough day and the inner beach area was really well protected and calm. The water was a tiny bit murky, but not badly. Younger swimmers can safely see lots of fish and interesting rock formations within 10-20 feet of the beach in 3 feet of water. Bolder explorers can swim further out where the reef drops off from 6-7 feet to 20 feet. The wall there is teeming with sea life and beautiful to soar over. Parking is in short supply, but works out if you bring a big supply of patience and a little willingness to walk if nothing opens in the two tiny Tunnels lots.