As well as its untouched landscape, Kauai also has magnificent cultivated spaces filled with protected plant life. Hawaii's 'Garden Isle' takes its title very seriously. You won't want to put your camera down, but try to at least for a moment, just to soak up the grandeur. It's the only way to glimpse some of its otherwise impenetrable beauty spots, and to grasp a full sense of the scale of all those cliffs, peaks and valleys.

While joy flights are a luxury novelty in other destinations, in Kauai it should be compulsory to soar above the island by chopper or plane. Three major lookouts and a number of smaller vantage points along a climbing road provide vistas of crimson lava rock, lush foliage and volcanic formations as well as rare native birds. 3 WAIMEA CANYONĪnother one of Kauai's geographical marvels, on the west side, is known as 'The Grand Canyon of the Pacific', by virtue of its epic dimensions: 22 kilometres long, 1.7 kilometres wide and about 1 kilometre deep. Hundreds more trails for hikers of all abilities take you among flora and fauna unique to Kauai and reveal the ancient geology of Hawaii's oldest island. The most famous hike is the Napali Coast's 17-kilometre Kalalau Trail it's strenuous, but even a short stretch rewards you with panoramas from those towering peaks. With only 10 per cent of Kauai's dramatic landscape accessible by road, on foot is the best way to unearth its full range of treasures.

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