Top 10 honeymoon destinations: Hawaii – Kauai

October 5, 6:51 PMWilmington Wedding Planning ExaminerJennifer Zambri-Dickerson

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Wailua Falls (c) A. Barcenas, Wikimedia Commons

Kauai is the best Hawaiian island to visit if you are up to some real adventure. Hiking nature trails, raft trips, golf, exploring caves and helicopter rides are just a few highlights. Shopping and nightlife are limited here, but active couples will not run of things to do and see.

If you love to hike, set aside a few days as Kauai boasts some of the best trails, complete with cascading waterfalls, green mountains and wildflowers. Mount Waialeale is the highest peak on Kauai, and the wettest spot in the world, with an average of 460 inches rain a year. Spend a day wandering through Waimea Canyon, Hawaii’s version of Arizona's Grand Canyon. It is slightly smaller, but just as amazing.

The sea cliffs on the Napali Coast of the north shore plunge into the ocean giving panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean. Most of the area, including unusual caves, gorgeous waterfalls and white sands, are accessible by boat or kayaking if you prefer not to hike. Just a bit further east, the Kilauea National Wildlife Refuge is home to the Kilauea Lighthouse, which still guides ships around Kilauea Point, as it has since 1913. The refuge is also a sanctuary for a variety of rare and beautiful native seabirds.

Tiered waterfalls that plunge a dramatic 80-feet can be seen at Wailua Falls, which is famous for its opening credit shot on the TV show "Fantasy Island." If TV and movies appeal to you, take a Movie Tour which will show you the sites where many popular films were shot including Raiders of the Lost Ark, Blue Hawaii, Jurassic Park and Six Days, Seven Nights.

To the south, the National Tropical Botanical Gardens at Lawai showcases one of the finest gardens in the state with over 2,000 acres and thousands of plant species. In the evening, stop by Spouting Horn, a natural blowhole that spurts water up to 50 feet in the air when water rushes under a lava shelf and bursts through the opening. At sunset, the spray becomes incandescent with the colors of the rainbow.

You can snorkel or dive almost anywhere around Kauai. Beginners can try Lydgate Beach where lava rocks enclose an ocean pool so you can swim and snorkel without getting pushed around by big waves. Salt Pond Beach is a crescent shaped beach with a protected reef and towering coconut trees. Kalapaki Beach has gentle waves, good snorkeling and is also nearby an interesting lighthouse.

Very popular among honeymooners, Kauai has a natural romance that is both calming and inviting. Enjoy the best nature has to offer in this idyllic tropical paradise.