Naha Beach

Located in the eastern part of Lanai, Naha Beach is a long beach with light brown sand and some rocky parts.  This beach is situated near the site of a former fishing village named Naha.  The area near the southern end of this beach has remnants of an Ancient Hawaiian artificial fish pond.  In addition, the area around the beach also has kiawe trees – these trees are native to South America and were introduced in Hawaii in the 19th century.  These fast-growing trees have large thorns and they can live up to a thousand years.  Naha Beach does not have lifeguards or any other public amenities, so plan accordingly.  Getting to Naha Beach can be difficult - from the town of Lanai City, you need to drive along a road named Keomuku Road.  From Keomuku Road, you need to turn towards the right to another unnamed dirt road - this road will eventually lead you to the access trail for Naha Beach.  We recommend driving  heavy duty four-wheeler vehicles (including jeeps and hummers) while visiting this beach – nearly the entire road to get here is dirt and filled with many potholes which are difficult to navigate and which often reduces your speed to less than 5 miles per hour.  If you are planning to rent a heavy duty four wheeler vehicle, there are many vehicle rental companies in Lanai which offer heavy duty vehicles on rent – vehicle rental companies in Lanai include Lanai Car Rental (www.lanaicarrental.com) and Lanai Cheap Jeeps (lanaicheapjeeps.com).  You can visit the websites of these vehicle rental companies for more helpful information regarding the vehicle rental charges and rules.  We recommend visiting this beach during sunny weather as during or after rainy weather the roads will be very muddy with large mini-pools of accumulated water, and can be hard to navigate.  

Naha Beach offers many fun activities including sunbathing, beachcombing, wildlife watching, fishing, picnicking, swimming, surfing, bodyboarding, kayaking, canoeing, jet-skiing, surf-skiing, boating, snorkeling, and water-skiing.  If you are planning to swim, surf, or snorkel near Naha Beach, we recommend being careful as the water here is known to have dangerous rip currents.  The shallow water here also has a rocky bottom, which can inflict serious injuries to visitors.  Despite the unfavorable conditions, surfers (with all levels of expertise) like it here due to its manageable surfing waves.  Depending on the time of the year, you can see many kinds of animals in the water near Naha Beach including sea turtles and migrating whales - sea turtles are protected under a law named the Endangered Species Act of 1973 and harming them can result in a fine of up to $50,000 and possible imprisonment.  If you are planning to fish near Naha Beach, we recommend following the local fishing regulations - these regulations can be found at the website of the Division of Aquatic Resources (which is a part of the State of Hawai’i’s Department of Land and Natural Resources).  Naha Beach offers amazing Instagram-worthy views of the Lanai shoreline and the Pacific Ocean. The beach is ideal for visitors looking for a quieter beach experience as this beach sees few visitors as compared to other Lanai beaches.  As of 2021 Lanai had a population of approximately 2,705 people.

There are many attractions near Naha Beach within an-hour-and-ten-minute drive.  Lanai Petroglyphs is a collection of unique petroglyphs - petroglyphs are images that are created by making carvings and engravings on large rocks.  The Lanai Petroglyphs were carved by Native Hawaiians and these petroglyphs depict a variety of activities including hunting, surfing, and fishing.  These petroglyphs offer a unique insight into the history of Lanai - while the exact age of these petroglyphs are unknown, a few  of these petroglyphs may date back to the 19th century.  Lānaʻi Culture & Heritage Center is a museum that has interesting exhibits that offer a unique insight into the history of Lānaʻi and the Hawaiian archipelago. If you are looking for another attraction near Naha Beach, Shipwreck Beach (also called Kaiolohia) is a large beach which has wrecks of multiple vessels around its shoreline - these wrecks belong to ships from World War Two (including ruins of the navy oiler YO-21, which was present at the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor) and the water near the beach also has wreckage of ships from the 19th century.  You can see these interesting wrecks from the beach and these wrecks also offer a unique insight into the local history.

There are many attractions near Naha Beach within an-hour-and-ten-minute drive.  Lanai Petroglyphs is a collection of unique petroglyphs - petroglyphs are images that are created by making carvings and engravings on large rocks.  The Lanai Petroglyphs were carved by Native Hawaiians and these petroglyphs depict a variety of activities including hunting, surfing, and fishing.  These petroglyphs offer a unique insight into the history of Lanai - while the exact age of these petroglyphs are unknown, a few  of these petroglyphs may date back to the 19th century.  Lānaʻi Culture & Heritage Center is a museum that has interesting exhibits that offer a unique insight into the history of Lānaʻi and the Hawaiian archipelago. If you are looking for another attraction near Naha Beach, Shipwreck Beach (also called Kaiolohia) is a large beach which has wrecks of multiple vessels around its shoreline - these wrecks belong to ships from World War Two (including ruins of the navy oiler YO-21, which was present at the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor) and the water near the beach also has wreckage of ships from the 19th century.  You can see these interesting wrecks from the beach and these wrecks also offer a unique insight into the local history.

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants near Naha Beach within an hour and ten minutes drive.   Sensei By Nobu is an upscale restaurant which is situated in Sensei Lanai, A Four Seasons Resort which has a glass pavilion and a pond.  This restaurant was started by Nobu Matsuhisa and it serves amazing Asian-inspired dishes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. This restaurant’s menu also has a focus on health-conscious and nutrition oriented culinary techniques.  Koele Garden Bar is another restaurant and bar which is situated in Sensei Lanai, A Four Seasons Resort that serves delicious dishes with international culinary influences and it also offers amazing garden views.  The Blue Ginger Café offers amazing dishes exhibiting local culinary influences including seafood, breakfast dishes, burgers, burritos, sandwiches, pork dishes, steaks, and Asian-inspired dishes.  If you are looking for another good and affordable restaurant near Naha Beach, Coffee Works offers amazing dishes for breakfast and lunch including bagels, sandwiches, wraps, and quesadillas.

If you are looking for a hotel near Naha Beach, there are many great options within an hour and 30-minutes’ drive.  The 5-Star Four Seasons Resort Lanai offers many amenities including two pools, a spa, multiple bars and restaurants, a complimentary local area shuttle service, a golf course designed by Jack Nicklaus, a kids’ club, and a fitness room.  This hotel was listed as the best hotel in the United States by a media outlet named U.S. News & World Report in 2018 and 2020, and is a favorite of Randall Kaplan, the world’s foremost beach expert who is known as Mr. Beach.  Sensei Lanai, A Four Seasons Resort  is another upscale hotel which is also a renowned wellness retreat that has soothing Japanese-style architecture – the hotel’s amazing spa has ten hales (Japanese-style huts),and it offers therapeutic spa treatments and wellness-oriented programs including meditation sessions and coaching sessions by wellness guides (called sensei).  In addition to its incredible spa, the hotel also offers many other amenities including a pool, multiple restaurants and bars, tennis courts, idyllic gardens with artworks, a fitness center, and shuttle service to a nearby 18-hole golf course which is designed by Jack Nicklaus – as well as many other fun activities including horse riding and archery and hula lessons.  A more affordable hotel is the Hotel Lanai which has 11 rooms and is set in a 1920s plantation home and offers a restaurant with regular live local entertainment, an airport shuttle service (available for a fee), and complimentary continental breakfast.  If you are looking for another good and affordable hotel near Naha Beach, Dreams Come True Lanai is a bed-and-breakfast that has four rooms and offers many amenities including a communal lounge with antique furnishings, a garden with tropical plants and flowers, and a guest kitchen.