Which Kauai Zipline Is Best?
The best Kauai zipline depends on who is riding: young children, first-timers, thrill-seekers, a group that wants a swim, or a full day. The course for each, from the operators' own rules and prices.
For most groups the best Kauai zipline is the Koloa course: 8 lines in about 3 hours, from age 7 and up to 280 lbs, with tandem rides for light children and one price for every rider. Pick the Kipu Ranch safari for a whole day with a kayak and a hike, the FlyLine if all you want is one very long line, and the Lihue backcountry course if everyone is 12 or older and you want a swim at the end.
The Koloa 8-line tour: from US$169 a person with taxes and fees included (checked November 2026); free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
The course for your group
| If your group is | Book | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A family with children of 7 to 11 | Koloa, 8 lines | From age 7 with no minimum weight; light children ride tandem; children pay the adult price |
| First-timers | Koloa, 8 lines | A safety briefing before the first line and eight lines to settle in |
| Short on time, after one big ride | FlyLine at Kipu Ranch | One headfirst line of over 4,000 ft in about 1.5 hours; 7+, at least 4 ft, 60 to 275 lbs |
| All 12 or older, wanting a swim | Lihue backcountry course | 7 lines, a 4WD ride, a swim and lunch; 100 to 250 lbs |
| Out for the whole day | Kipu Zipline Safari (Outfitters Kauai) | A kayak, two lines and the WaterZip, a waterfall hike and lunch; zipline from 7 |
| Over 250 lbs | Koloa, 8 lines | Up to 280 lbs; Kipu Ranch stops at 275, the backcountry at 250 |
Rules and times from each operator’s own site and the Viator listing for the safari, November 2026.
Families and first-timers: Koloa
The Koloa course, outside Koloa on the south shore, has the widest range of riders of any course we compared: from 7, up to 280 lbs, with no minimum height. Light children ride tandem, tethered to a parent, a friend or a guide, depending on their weight and the weather (koloazipline.com, November 2026). Children aged 7 to 17 pay the adult price, so a family’s total is simply the number of riders times the price. It is also the one course sold as a zipline tour on its own on Viator and GetYourGuide, with free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
One big line: the FlyLine
Outfitters Kauai’s FlyLine at Kipu Ranch is a single line of more than 4,000 ft, ridden headfirst at over 50 mph, for $69 + tax; Zip & Splash, a limited-time fall 2026 offer, adds a WaterZip into a freshwater pool for $120 + tax (outfitterskauai.com, November 2026). It suits a group with an hour or two and riders who meet the 4 ft and 60-lb minimums. It sells only on outfitterskauai.com.
A swim at the end: the backcountry course
Kauai Backcountry Adventures drives riders by 4WD into former plantation land, then runs seven lines down a mountainside to a stream, where the tour ends with a swim and lunch. It takes 3 hours and costs $169 a rider, but only riders of 12 and up, between 100 and 250 lbs, can go (kauaibackcountry.com, November 2026). It sells only on kauaibackcountry.com.
A whole day: the Kipu safari
The safari starts at Outfitters Kauai’s Kayak Shack at Nawiliwili and lasts 6 hours 30 minutes: a 2-mile river kayak, two zipline lines and the WaterZip, a hike to waterfalls and rope swings, and lunch. The ziplines take riders from 7 and over 60 lbs; younger children of 5 and 6 can come for the rest of the day. It runs on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays; on 8 November 2026 Viator’s schedule showed 21 of the 23 such dates from 10 November to 31 December as sold out.
One more on the south shore: Shaka Zipline
Shaka Zipline’s course in Poipu has 8 lines in about 3 hours, for riders of 10 and up between 80 and 260 lbs, at $159.95 + 4.712% Hawaii tax (adventureinhawaii.com, an agency, November 2026). It sells through booking agencies, and its own site did not load when we checked, so it has no row in the table above; the limits side by side and prices compared include it.
Koloa Zipline in Kauai
Koloa Zipline: eight lines in about 3 hours on the south shore, from age 7 and up to 280 lbs, tandem for light children.
Check dates →Kipu Zipline Safari - Kayak, Hike & Zipline
Outfitters Kauai: kayak, two lines and the WaterZip, a waterfall hike and lunch, from Lihue. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays; on 8 November 2026 Viator's schedule showed 21 of the 23 such dates from 10 November to 31 December as sold out.
See the safari →Prices, ratings and review counts from the listings (Viator checked November 2026); the price you pay is the one shown at checkout, so read these as dated figures, not a quote.
Every course here is run by its operator; we run none of them. Prices compared has what each costs and includes, and the limits side by side has every age and weight rule.
The Course That Fits Most Groups
Koloa Zipline's 8-line course outside Koloa: from age 7 to 280 lbs, tandem rides for light children, about 3 hours.
Check dates