Lanikai Beach

Swim in calm, shallow turquoise water off a half-mile of sand facing the twin Mokulua Islands offshore.

Public access walkways off Mokulua Dr · Kailua, HI

About Lanikai Beach

Lanikai Beach is a half-mile strip of sand in Kailua on Oahu's windward side, where an offshore reef keeps the water calm and shallow for swimming and snorkeling. The two Mokulua Islands, nicknamed the Mokes, sit just offshore. You reach the sand by public beach access paths between homes on Mokulua Drive. There is no parking lot, restroom, shower or lifeguard, so many visitors park at Kailua Beach Park and walk or bike the last mile.

#beach
#snorkeling
#swimming
#oahu windward coast
#mokulua islands

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What's around here?

The closest stops to Lanikai Beach, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

Sports & Outdoors
Ho'omaluhia Botanical Garden
No admission fee
A 400-acre windward Oʻahu botanical garden with plant collections grouped by tropical region, plus a lake and scenic drive.
6.0 mi awayMore like this
Shopping
Windward Mall
Check prices
An enclosed shopping center on Oahu's windward side with retail, dining, and a cinema.
Transit: reachable by public transit
6.1 mi awaySwitch it up: Shopping
Sports & Outdoors
Harold L. Lyon Arboretum
No admission fee
A University of Hawaii botanical garden in the upper Mānoa Valley with thousands of tropical and subtropical plant types.
6.9 mi awayMore like this
Sports & Outdoors
Koko Crater Botanical Garden
No admission fee
A dryland botanical garden inside Koko Crater on Oahu's east side, focused on rare and endangered desert-adapted plants.
7.3 mi awayMore like this
Sightseeing
Local Gem
Byodo-In Temple
Under $25
Ring the three-ton peace bell, feed the koi and see an 18-foot golden Buddha at a temple in the Valley of the Temples.
Transit: reachable by public transit
8.0 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing
Sightseeing
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific
Check prices
A national cemetery inside the Punchbowl crater in Honolulu, known for its hilltop views and its memorial courts listing thousands of missing servicemembers.
10 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing