About Us
Kauaʻi Backcountry Adventures
COME PLAY WITH KAUAʻI BACKCOUNTRY ADVENTURES!
Join us on our unique Kauaʻi adventures! Enjoy tubing down an old sugar plantation irrigation system, through open canals, and through several tunnels hand-dug in 1870. Soar through the air on our seven-line zipline course, traversing the side of a mountain down to a lush bamboo grove. Through it all, learn about our island’s history, culture, and natural environment. Join us and take home memories for a lifetime!
The mission of Kauaʻi Backcountry Adventures is to provide eco-tourism activities that are accessible to a broad range of people. Our zipline and tubing tours have a minimal environmental impact and contribute to the preservation of Kauaʻi’s history and culture. We have helped restore sections of the old plantation irrigation system, which are now used for the Mountain Tubing Adventure.
“We are pleased to be able to set a standard for balancing recreational activities and preservation of our amazing resources here on Kauaʻi. We have opened up spectacular lands never before available to the public. Our exclusive access ensures careful stewardship of the land, total privacy, and a genuinely unique experience.” — Kauaʻi Backcountry Adventures owner, Karin Carswell Guest, sixth generation member of a Hawaiʻi family.
The History Behind The Adventure
The historic Līhuʻe Plantation ditch and tunnel system, originally developed in the mid-1800’s, once irrigated vast sugarcane fields across more than 17,000 acres of Kauaʻi. After sugar production ended in 2000, much of the system sat unused until 2003, when sixth-generation Kamaʻāina siblings Kelley and David Carswell founded Kauaʻi Backcountry Adventures and introduced exclusive tubing tours through this remarkable historic waterway.
Flowing through some of the island’s most remote and breathtaking landscapes, the system offers spectacular views of the interior of the island, which is often hard to access. The waters, originating near Mount Waiʻaleʻale — one of the wettest places on earth — travel through hand-dug ditches and tunnels built by plantation workers more than a century ago.
Today, younger sister Karin Carswell Guest proudly continues the family tradition, keeping Kauaʻi Backcountry Adventures locally owned, family operated, and rooted in the spirit of Aloha.
If you’re looking to get off the beaten path, this one-of-a-kind Kauaʻi adventure offers an unforgettable journey through the island’s natural beauty and rich history. From start to finish, guests experience a fun-filled adventure that many describe as the highlight of their vacation.