Anini Beach on Kauai’s North Shore

Posted on March 14, 2023 by by

Anini Beach is home to a vast reef in relatively shallow waters. It is located on the north shore of Kauai and is a less crowded alternative to Hanalei Bay.

Anini Beach

One of my favorite things about Anini Beach is how much shade there is. This was day 11 of our trip and I really needed a place where I could be out of the sun. Besides keeping me cool, the tree was the perfect umbrella when it started to rain.

Anini Beach

The beach is 2.5 miles long, perfect for a nice long stroll.

Sea lion at Anini Beach

If you walk long enough, you are bound to come across a sea lion sleeping on the sand.

During our stroll, we also found some beautiful seashells. I loved that one shell was pink and one was blue. I told my husband it reminded me of us.

A few moments later, I stumbled upon this pretty group of four and proclaimed that it symbolized our family. The crabs inside seemed indifferent to my enthusiasm.

The west end of Anini Beach

We went back a second day because my husband was happy with the snorkeling. I forewarned him that I was planning on going for a walk and pointed the direction I was going to head; so he’d know where to find me if I wasn’t reading in my little, shady alcove. The beach is full of curves, so you don’t know what you will see until you round the corner. This was my favorite around the corner surprise. If you want to look for this spot, all I can tell you is, I started at Anini Beach Park and walked along the shore west. I think I walked for about 20 minutes, but when walking in sand 5 minutes seems like an hour, so I am not sure.

Things to Know Before You Go:

It’s free, no reservations are required.
There is ample parking, showers, toilets and picnic tables.
There are no lifeguards at this beach.
There are buoys in the water, marking where boats and windsurfers should stay behind, and swimmers should stay in front of. My husband estimated the depth at the buoys at about 12 feet.
Snorkeling is supposed to be pretty good here during the summer. We went in November. The water was still calm but was murkier than in Poipu. Compared to Poipu, my husband said there were less fish overall, but more variety.

After our beach day, we spent the remainder of the day shopping in Hanalei. We had dinner at Kalypso Island Bar and Grill. The atmosphere was fun, the drinks were good, the food was average. We both thought the food at the Happy Talk Lounge was better, although the wait is longer and they don’t accept reservations. We also kept visiting the Pineapple in Paradise food truck, yummmmm! They don’t actually have food, they are more along the line of smoothies and dole whips. Our next day was spent hiking the Kalalau Trail, exploring Ke’e and Wainiha Bay Beaches. As always, wishing you happy travels and fantastic adventures in this thing called life.