Kōloa Rum is undoubtedly a staple on Kauai, known for its full range of sustainable, single-batch, premium Hawaiian rums. If you love rum, you can visit their tasting room at the Kilohana Plantation in Lihue, Kauai. But if you want an even more interactive experience, head next door to the Kauai Safaris for a unique rum safari tour. This rum safari tour goes beyond just rum tastings, taking you on a stroll around the large 105-acre plantation where you’ll learn about the past and present history of sugar cane and the importance of the island.
Before this tour, I had been on many safari tours but never a rum tour, making this experience more intriguing. Along this tour, the open-air vehicle stops at various outdoor bars, using fresh fruit from the plantation to make delicious farm-to-glass cocktails. Here’s what you can see and expect along a Kauai rum safari tour, from exotic plants to fruit and vegetable orchards. You can’t go wrong with this fun Hawaiian tour if you’re looking for a unique experience while visiting Kauai (and love rum and cocktails).
Stops along the Kauai rum safari
I wasn’t sure what to expect when they started this tour, saying we’d make farm-to-glass cocktails. As it turns out, they weren’t kidding about making litearl farm-to-glass cocktails. Along the tour, we learned about the various fruits grown on the plantation, stopping to grab some lemons and oranges for our cocktails. Everything used to make our cocktails is grown and produced on the plantation. (and that’s about as fresh as it gets)
I almost didn’t think our tour guide was serious when he said we would use those for our drinks. Throughout the ride, the open-air rum safari trucks take you along the beautiful fruit orchard, pointing out various exotic fruits such as longan and lychee.
The tour guides made the experience especially memorable by making it interactive and asking us our thoughts on our favorite rums and cocktails. Along the way, you’ll also run into various animals on the plantation, such as goats, donkeys, and wild pigs. It wouldn’t be a safari without seeing the animals, too! This part of the experience felt like an adult-inspired petting zoo (we even got to feed the wild pigs tortillas).
Outdoor bar stops
Of course, one of the highlights of this Kauai rum safari tour is the rum tastings and cocktails at the various outdoor bars. The 2-hour experience includes a lot of rum tastings, including a great mix of light to dark rums. You’ll taste some of the most popular Koala Rums and then use them to make a classic Hawaiian mai tai. Beware: These drinks are strong.
At each stop, the group leaves the vehicle and watches the drink demonstration while listening to facts and history about the drinks and the rum. This experience is unique because it goes beyond your average rum tasting, bringing together the importance of the land and the culture in Hawaii. Every tour on the Kauai rum safari is unique, offering different cocktails and experiences. You could return to this experience on your next trip and have a new experience altogether.
