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na pali
coast
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R I V E R S & S H O R E S
KAUAI, HAWAII
Not for nothing did the coast of northwest Kauai
feature in the movie
Jurassic Park
. The region’s
vegetation-swathed and deeply fissured Na Pali
clifs, which plunge thousands of feet to pristine
and secluded beaches, look like a strange, prehis-
toric world. The clifs have been formed by a twin
assault from the incessant pounding of waves
and the swift-flowing streams—fed by 460 inches
(1,200 cm) of rainfall a year—that carve deep
clefts and valleys as they crash to the sea from
the island’s precipitous interior.
DON’T MISS
View the clifs, seabirds, and marine life (dolphins, turtles,
and monk seals, plus whales from December through April)
on a boat trip or by walking to Hanakapi’ai Beach (4 mi/
6 km) or hiking the demanding Kalalau Trail (22 mi/35 km
round-trip).
Fast-flowing streams and waterfalls (left) helped carve the
steep chasms and fissures of the Na Pali coast (above).