There are always new opportunities when you travel, hundreds of ‘firsts’ waiting for you to experience them. When I was looking into what Kauai had to offer there was so much I wanted to sign up for and had to keep reminding myself that I have my whole life to travel and to be selective about what I do and know that I can try other new things in other new places.
I’d never been zip lining before and thought the over grown, jungle-like island was just the place to try it out. There are several companies with zip lines throughout the lush greens but once I found Princeville Ranch Adventures I knew I’d found the company for me.
Their Zip N’ Dip tour gains access to the most zips on the island including the largest (at the time) line called “King Kong.”
A combination of 9 exciting zip lines, a suspension bridge and an hour at a deep hidden swimming hole, where you’ll enjoy a picnic, swimming, jumping and floating on inner tubes. It’s the experience of a lifetime!
Getting ready to load up & head to the zip lines.
Our group was led by two of Princevilles finest & to be perfectly honest, they were almost as great as the adventure itself! Most often the tour guides make all the difference when it comes down to it!
There is some walking, but with these views how could you complain? I was their in Septemeber and there was a nice breeze and a few clouds for shade, even still I would recommend wearing light clothing.
One guide leads the group and rides first to help each member of the group when they arrive at the landing while the other guide rides the line last to help everyone get strapped in right and on to the landing safely. Here I am getting set up to take of on my first zip line.
B-E-A-U-tiful! It's breath taking and magical. We spent 4 hours surrounded by this gorgeous scenery!
You know what the advantage to multiple ziplines?
Princeville starts at the smallest line and ends with the largest so you have plenty of time to be scared, peaceful, adventuous and of course to screeeaaammmm!
I wanted a photo of me riding the line without being too focused on the camera, its not going to make it into Cosmo any time soon but it only takes one look and I can almost feel the wind rushing past me and the thrill of flying through the trees.
I also loved zip lining, especially with Princeville, because they encourage you to bring your cameras & camcorders. Just make sure you've got an okay grip and have a wrist wrap & you'll be sure to get tons of great shots!
Did you know?
The most dangerous insect/amphibians/reptile on the island of Kauai is a bee. That’s right, a bee. (One of the many reasons Kauai is on my top 5 favorite places in the world!) So for the real thrill seekers I would also recommend Princeville’s zip lines because as you can see in the video below, you zip right past a big nest! I wouldn’t have ever known if our guides hadn’t previously informed us and instructed us on how to turn around so we can see it.
You’ll recognize the nest because it’s the only big patch of dirt other than the lush green trees.
After we had a few zip lines under belts, our group headed to a large suspension bridge. Doesn’t sound completely boring but I can’t say it was on my list of must-have adventures… until I saw our guide run across it. Literally, run straight across it in a matter of seconds. He made it look as if any of us could do it, sure we each attempted the bridge telling ourselves we were going to own it & manage to run the entire way! None of us made it close to half way without having to stop completely, gather out balance again and then take each wobbly step until we reached the other side. We all gave our guides mad props for their straight skills!
The view below, it gets your heart pumping especially when you can't see the bottom as the jungle turns to darkness. Don't be worried though, no one has ever fallen and you are strapped from your waist to each side of the bridge. Pretty sick right!?!
Note my Keen shoes? I completely love them, I bought them just for this trip knowing that I would be spending a lot of time in & out of water.
Personally I don’t think I could have picked anything better. There are mixed reviews, they aren’t the cheapest (~$35-100) and some people feel they aren’t worth it. Here is what I know, I found the pair I wanted, waited until I found them on sale and spent every day in water & land; Hiking, swimming, kayaking, zip-lining, playing in the ocean, walking around town and everything in between. I never got a blister, my feet weren’t all soggy and sloshing around inside & the shoes dried very quickly. I also intend on bringing them with me when I travel a lot, I think I will get enough valuable use out of them to get my moneys worth.
So we zipped and now it was time to dip!
The guides led us to a sweet little watering hole where we could relax, swim and jump into the watering hole along with the option of inner tubes. I think I turned into a fish the minute I touched the water cause I spent almost all our time in the water & I couldn’t have been happier! All the while our guides were fixing lunch that we all helped carry up in the company’s backpacks.
After swimming, jumping & lunch it was time to conquer “King Kong” Princeville’s pride & joy. It was the longest & tallest zip line while we were there although another company was building a new line meant to surpass “King Kong.” It turns out the adventure tourist industry in Kauai is extremely competitive, however with Princeville’s line you also get to ride tandem! That’s a nice touch!
Don't let our holding hands fool you, we're just friends but we didn't want to miss out on the photo op. Tip: The two girls behind us hooked together with their feet, we were super jealous so if you ever do something like this without a significant other, their are alternatives!
Have you ever been zip lining? If so where?
