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Land Adventures
KAUAI BACKROADS
This is a half day, four wheel drive tour which takes place on the private roads of the 22,000 acre Grove Farm Plantation. Behind locked gates, this adventure gives you exclusive access to scenic and historic areas of Kauai. It's a look back into the history of Kauai and a glimpse of the future.
The tour covers 33 miles of mostly private roads and follows a figure 8 route covering the area from the top of Kilohana Crater to the rugged coastline of Maha'ulepu. You will pass through the quarter mile long cane tunnel carved through solid rock. Built in 1948 and 1949, the tunnel took miles off the round trip for the cane trucks going to the mill and harbor.
Kilohana Crater is 1250 feet in elevation. Its height is deceptive because of the gently sloping sides of the crater. On the way up, the vegetation changes from sugar, to rat berries and guava, to a mixed pine and bamboo forest. Wild orchids sprout beside the road. From the east viewpoint, you can see into the bowl of the crater about one half mile across. Now filled with vegetation, the area is home to wild pigs.
From the viewpoint on the western rim of the crater, you get a 360 degree view of the eastern part of the island. From the Anahola Ridge, Kapaa, Wailua, Lihue, Puhi, Mt. Haupu, Knudsen's Gap, Mt. Kahili and Mt. Waialeale. It makes your head spin. Passing trade showers often oblige the tour with rainbows and waterfalls.
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