The first stop of our 2018 summer trip to Hawaii was the island of Kauai. Though far less frequented than Maui or Oahu, Kauai deserves international recognition for its untouched beauty. But because of the smaller influx of travelers, Kauai — in most areas at least — feels sequestered away from the chaos of the outside world. It’s the perfect mix of the island life and the active lifestyle; you feel so at peace staring out over the mountains and the ocean, yet the thrill of adventure from hiking, snorkeling, golfing, kayaking, surfing, and other activities is always present and easy to access, too.

On the island, you’ll find almost every sort of environment you can think of: lush green forests, rolling hills, thundering waterfalls, towering mountains, jagged coastlines, sandy beaches, narrow ravines, rocky canyons, and bright blue water. At one moment, you can be on top of a miles-long canyon, but thirty minutes later you might be at a calm, sandy beach. It’s the amalgamation of these fascinating environments that give Kauai its picturesque grandeur and make it one of my favorite places I’ve ever been to.