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Lanikai Beach, Kailua, HI

Photo: Cristo Vlahos, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

Sport & OutdoorOutdoor AdventureFree

Lanikai Beach

Public access walkways off Mokulua Dr · Kailua, HI

Why you should go…

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

Good to know

General sport & outdoor guidance

Habits that pay off across this whole category, not rules for this one venue. Always check the official site for the specifics.

  • Weather calls the shots

    Check the forecast the morning of and keep an indoor backup in your pocket for the day it turns.

  • Shoes, water, sun cover

    The three things that decide whether you last the whole outing or cut it short after an hour.

  • Parking and launches fill early

    On a nice weekend, lots and trailheads are often full by mid-morning.

  • Daylight shrinks in shoulder season

    Spring and fall visits need an earlier start than the same trip in July.

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.

  • 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.

    8.0 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Iconic

    Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve

    $25–$50

    Snorkel over a coral reef inside a flooded volcanic crater on Oahu's southeast coast, a protected nature preserve.

    8.5 mi awayMore like this

  • Museums
    Rainy-Day Pick

    Honolulu Museum of Art

    $25–$50

    Wander 32 galleries and six courtyards holding more than 55,000 works of art from Hawaii, Asia, Europe and the Americas.

    11 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums

  • Shopping
    Free

    International Market Place

    Free

    Shop and eat beneath a preserved banyan tree at an open-air shopping center on Kalakaua Avenue in the heart of Waikiki.

    11 mi awaySwitch it up: Shopping

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Iconic

    Diamond Head State Monument

    Under $25

    Climb switchbacks, steep stairs and a lighted tunnel to old military bunkers on the crater rim.

    11 mi awayMore like this

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Iconic

    Waikiki Beach

    Free

    Swim, take a surf lesson and stroll Honolulu's resort beach with the Diamond Head crater in view down the shore.

    11 mi awayMore like this