Kayak to the Mokulua Islands 2026: Distance, Rules & Tours

Booking choice: The Mokulua Twin Islands guided tour, from $275 per person. Check dates Compare the options below

The Mokulua Islands are Moku Nui, the bigger island with the landing beach, and Moku Iki, its smaller twin. Both have been state seabird sanctuaries since 1932.

The guided option of the Kailua Bay tour with lunch does not go there: it paddles to Flat Island. To reach the Mokes you either book a guided Mokulua tour or go self-guided.

The quick answer

The Mokes are about 2.5 miles from Kailua Beach, 60 to 90 minutes each way. You may land only on Moku Nui's beach, below the high-water mark; Moku Iki is always closed. There are no landing permits on Sundays. Monk seals haul out there, and landings were suspended in 2024 when a pup was born. Book the Twin Islands tour (13+) for a guide, or go self-guided if you are a strong paddler.

Kayakers standing beside their kayaks on a sandy beach below a steep dark islet — Landing on the beach is allowed; the island interiors are not.

How far are the Mokulua Islands from Kailua Beach?

About 2.5 miles each way, which the operator puts at 60 to 90 minutes of paddling, longer into a headwind.

From Lanikai Beach the crossing is shorter, about 1.25 miles or 30 to 45 minutes, but tours and rentals start at Kailua Beach: rental shops cannot deliver kayaks to Lanikai, and Lanikai's streets have no-parking rules on holiday weekends. The guided Twin Islands trip takes about five hours in all, with time on the island.

Aerial view of kayaks crossing clear blue water toward a small green island — The crossing toward the Mokes is long and open.

Can you land on both Mokulua islands?

No. Visitors may land only on the beach of Moku Nui, the larger island; Moku Iki is always off-limits, as is Moku Nui's interior.

Wedge-tailed shearwaters nest in burrows on both islands, and stepping inland can crush them. The sanctuary rules also close the islands from sunset to sunrise and ban dogs, fires, camping and tents. Commercial tours may land only on Moku Nui, with a state permit, which the tours include.

Can you kayak to the Mokes on a Sunday?

Not on a tour: the state issues no landing permits for the Mokulua Islands on Sundays, to give the nesting seabirds a rest.

Kailua Beach Adventures runs its island tours Monday to Saturday, and its Sunday page says no carts or walking kayaks to the beach that day. Plan your Mokes day for another day of the week; see the best time to kayak Kailua.

Got a weekday free? Check dates for the guided Twin Islands tour with lunch.

Check dates for the Mokulua Twin Islands guided tour

Will you see monk seals on the Mokes?

Sometimes: Hawaiian monk seals haul out on the beach, and in June 2024 one gave birth on Moku Nui, which closed the island to commercial landings.

The state suspended all commercial landing permits for the Mokulua Islands when the seal known as RJ30 gave birth there in June 2024, for the five to seven weeks a pup nurses. Weeks later the land board gave the state's natural resources chair power to close sanctuaries quickly. We found no suspension in 2025 or 2026, but it can happen at short notice. Keep at least 50 feet from a seal and 150 feet from a mother and pup, as NOAA asks.

A green sea turtle surfacing in turquoise water with a steep island behind — Turtles are seen often near the islands; seals sometimes rest on the beach.

Is Queen's Bath on the Mokes dangerous?

It can be: the pool sits on the back side of Moku Nui, which takes open-ocean surf, and rescuers have had to bring people back from there.

Queen's Bath is a saltwater pool about 8 feet deep in the lava rock on the island's ocean side. On October 20, 2023, Honolulu Ocean Safety and the fire department rescued three people stranded on the back side of Moku Nui, with surf of about 10 feet there. Go only when a guide says conditions allow, never on a big swell, and keep well back from the edge. Stories of deaths at "Queen's Bath" usually refer to a different pool on Kauai.

A swimmer floating in a clear rock pool among dark lava rocks, with surf beyond — The rock pool on Moku Nui's ocean side. Surf can sweep these rocks.

Which tours go to the Mokulua Islands?

The Twin Islands guided tour, two Active Oahu tours, and the self-guided rentals; the guided option of the flagship does not.

Tour	Guide	Lunch	Ages	Rating	From
Mokulua Twin Islands guided	Yes	Included	13+	5.0 (425)	$275
Mokulua guided (Active Oahu)	Yes	Tacos, shave ice	Ask	5.0 (6)	$219
E-bike and kayak to the Mokes	Yes	See listing	Ask	5.0 (7)	$285
Kailua self-guided kayak day	No	Voucher (guests report)	8+ in a tandem	4.8 (293)	$110
Kailua Bay tour, self-guided option	No	Option	8+ in a tandem	4.8 (1,372)	$115
Mokulua self-guided (Active Oahu)	No	Not listed	Ask	4.2 (5)	$82

Want a guide all the way out? The Twin Islands tour includes the island walk, snorkelling and lunch.

Check dates for the Mokulua Twin Islands guided tour

How hard is the paddle to the Mokes?

Hard for beginners: the operator rates its Mokulua tour as high effort, and the trade winds usually blow against you on the way out.

Guests report paddling into the wind heading out and an easier ride back, though chop and gusts can make any leg tiring. Many first-timers manage it with a guide; on a windy day, a self-guided beginner should turn toward Flat Island instead. Everyone must be able to swim, and the guided Twin Islands tour is for 13 and over.

Fit, 13 or over and keen on the Mokes? A naturalist guide, tide pools, snorkelling and lunch are in the price.

★ 5.0 425 reviews · 5 hours · from $275

Explore the Mokulua Twin Islands guided tour

Not up for a 5-mile round trip?

See the Mokes from above instead: the Lanikai Pillbox hike climbs Kaiwa Ridge for the classic view over both islands.

It is about 1.8 miles out and back, steep and loose at the start. The guided hike with hotel pickup ($125) adds a swim at Lanikai Beach. Or paddle the short hop to Flat Island.