Kee Beach

Kee Beach is where the road on the north shore of Kauai simply ends and the wild begins, and it is one of the great set pieces of the Hawaiian islands. Drive as far as the island lets you and you arrive at a broad golden cove tucked under the first soaring green ridges of the Napali coast, with a reef holding a clear lagoon in front and the roadless wilderness of the Kalalau trail beginning just past the sand. The composition is extraordinary, sea, reef, beach and near vertical jungle cliffs stacked in a single frame, and it is the reason people plan whole trips around standing here. For anyone who chooses a beach on sheer drama, few in the world beat it.

On a calm summer day Kee also swims and snorkels beautifully, which is rarer on this coast than the photos suggest. The reef fringes the cove and shelters a lagoon that is clear and gentle enough for easy snorkelling, alive with tropical fish and often a resident green turtle or two, and there are lifeguards on duty by day, which is a genuine reassurance on an otherwise exposed shore. Come at opening, before the lagoon fills with people and while the light still rakes across the cliffs, and you get the best of both the snorkel and the scene. It is a place to linger, watch the turtles and let the Napali wall change colour as the sun moves.

The honest caveats are the access and the seasons, and both are serious. Kee sits inside Haena State Park, and out of state visitors must reserve entry in advance, a parking pass or a shuttle seat through the official system, because you cannot simply drive up and park. Passes release a set window ahead and sell out within minutes in the busy season, so this takes real planning, and the shuttle from Hanalei is the reliable fallback. Just as important, the water that is so inviting in summer turns dangerous in winter, when high surf and strong currents hit the north shore, so this is a summer swim and a winter viewpoint. Follow the lifeguards and every posted sign, never turn your back on the sea, and treat the conditions as typical rather than guaranteed.

Come to Kee for the Napali drama and a summer snorkel over the reef, and plan the entry well ahead. For the sunnier, calmer south shore swimming go to Poipu Beach. For the full picture start at the best beaches in Kauai, for the gentlest swimming beaches read the calmest water beaches in Kauai, for loungers and dining see the Kauai beach clubs directory, and to plan around the seasons and the surf read when to go to Kauai.