Visiting the Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge in Kauai

On the northernmost point of Kauai, you will discover the Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge.

The Refuge is located atop a 180 foot bluff, giving you a spectacular view of the nesting site of many seabirds, as well as, the Pacific Ocean.

Laysan Albatross birds were constantly landing and taking off from their nesting site, across the bay. If you have binoculars or a telephoto lens, you will want to bring them here.

There is a paved path (all uphill, but not too steep) that leads from the parking lot to the lighthouse. At this time, tours are no longer offered.

The Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge is home to the Nene, or Hawaiian Goose. In the 1950’s the Nene population was down to 30 birds, all living on the Hawaiian Islands. Captive breeding and reintroduction efforts in Kauai were successful enough to downgrade the Nene from endangered to threatened. Conservation efforts are ongoing.

I wasn’t sure if this Nene was trying to impress me or a female Nene. Its little show was amusing. (Just a note, I am over 20 feet away, using a telephoto lens, while taking these photos.)

Before our arrival to the refuge, we knew it was home to threatened Nenes; however, we had no idea what they looked like. When we saw our first one, my husband said, “Huh, they look like Canadian Geese,” which living in Wisconsin, is one bird that you’d never pair with the word threatened or endangered. It no longer felt like an exotic encounter. Nevertheless, I thought they were delightful, while my husband was content to ignore their existence. 

Besides being a wonderful place to go birding, there are many sightings of turtles, seals, dolphins and whales. It’s always nice to see Green Sea Turtles, as they are another endangered species. 

My husband spotted this baby bird in its nest in the ground near the Visitor Center. We were sure to keep our distance, but she didn’t seem bothered by our presence. She seemed to feel about us, the way my husband felt about the Nenes. 

We spotted a juvenile Shearwater on our way to our car. It was doing a whole lot of wing flapping, but no flying. 

Sorry for the grainy picture, but I was trying to capture the wall of rain that was headed right for us and get my camera put away before we got soaked. We probably should have headed for the Visitor Center as soon as we saw it coming, but there is something so cool about watching a wall of rain coming closer and closer to you. 

Things to Know Before You Go:

1. Cost is $10/person – 15 and younger are free. Parking is free. You may cancel 24 hours in advance and receive a refund.
2. You must sign up using their reservation system. You can reserve your time slot 2 months in advance. There is an additional $1 website fee.
3. The refuge is currently open on Wednesday – Saturday from 10 am – 4 pm. You can check their website for the most up to date information.
4. There is a Visitor Center, Gift Shop and bathrooms.
5. Print out your entry ticket. You most likely will not get a signal for your phone and will need a hard copy. Or take a picture of your ticket on your phone before you get there, so you can bring up the image.
6. Wear sunscreen, sunglasses and bring water. There is no shade.
7. The website recommends giving yourself at least 30 minutes. We stayed for an hour.

If you are a wildlife lover, I highly recommend visiting the refuge. It is a place I would happily visit again. After our visit here, we headed to the Sealodge Condos, where we would be staying for the rest of our trip. Our first full day on the north shore was spent at Anini Beach and shopping in Hanalei. As always, wishing you happy travels and fantastic adventures in this thing called life.

(Pictures are available for purchase as Fine Art Prints or Digital Downloads at full resolution through Alamy. If you see something you like, click on the link. If you are unable to find it, use the Contact Me page and I will make sure the image is available.)

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