The oldest island in the Hawaiian chain is Kauai, also known as The Garden Isle. Simply put, Kauai is lush, green, tropical. Beaches are excellent, scenery is wondrously varied, local folks are quiet and friendly.  What’s not to like?

It’s not a coincidence that Kaui is both the oldest island and the most beautiful. Kauai has been carved up over the past six millions years into an array of cliffs, chasms, beaches, gardens, waterfalls, and majestic mountains.

Kauai is roughly circular, and, as is typical for the islands, very wet on the northern end, and dryer on the southern and western end. In between is a stunning array of scenery that defies description—unless you describe nearly every geographical formation available.

To the North, the Garden Isle hosts giant waves, lush valleys, pristine beaches, and secluded hideaways. Mount Waialeale is one of the wettest spots on the face of the earth; sometimes over 400 inches of rainfall. Yet, the waterfalls and mountain pools are just a dozen miles from Waimea Canyon; one of the driest locations in Hawaii.

In fact, Waimea was once called the Grand Canyon of the Pacific, an obvious reference to how similar the two appear (although the US Grand Canyon is several orders of magnitude larger).

The southeast of Kauai sports many beaches and the island’s largest city, Lihue, a launching point for many wondrous sites and pleasures. To the west is Huleia Stream, no a wildlife sanctuary (as in animals, fish, birds, not dancing, drinking and fun). The lush, green tropical mountains loom over both Lihue and Huleia Stream.

Kauai Quick List:

• Wailua Falls
• Kilohana Plantation
• Kauai Museum
• Kalapaki Beach
• Fern Grotto (north shore)
• Kapaa
• Mount Waialeale (it’s wet here)
• Kilauea Point
• Princeville
• Hanalei (the bridge is cool; no tour buses)
• Kalalau Trail (about as far away as you can get and stay in the US)

Did I mention how wet it gets on Kauai? You will need an umbrella.

Want to know the best places to eat in Hawaii? Click over to Ono Dining for totally biased reviews on Hawai's best (and not so best) restaurants.