For leisure travelers with a keen sense of adventure, Kaua'i offers some of the hottest tour packages on the planet. That's because the island is filled with pleasant surprises.

Many people are surprised to learn that Kaua'i is the only island in Hawaii with navigable rivers. And that 97 percent of its landmass is divided between conservation and agriculture.

Kaua'i's 43 golden-colored sandy beaches, ideal water temperatures, lithified sand dunes, legendary cascading waterfalls (fashioned by the Hawaiian gods), secret lava pools and hidden tunnels are the stuff tropical dreams are made of.

. . .

The island of Kaua'i is one place you'll never have to worry about looking a little dirty. And that's exactly what happens when you take a rugged drive on a back country cane road in a custom-built "Mud Bug" from ATV Off Road Adventures & Tours.

ATV mud bugs are fully automated, all-terrain dirt mobiles that dig all the red dirt Mother Nature slings its way. The company provides protective clothing as part of the deal (the makers of Red Dirt Shirts use one bucket of Kaua'i mud to dye 500 shirts!), so you won't get your white Nikes permanently stained.

My memorable tour took me and my fellow "dirt-bags" for a wild wide on the Makai side of a 22,000-acre cattle ranch, which ends at the Waita Reservoir, the largest body of inland water on Kaua'i.

. . .

One of the absolute highlights of my Kaua'i adventure was taking a Kaua'i grand tour" with Island Helicopters, one of the most established helicopters on the island. Kaua'i is home to the Waimea Canyon and Kokee State Park, which Mark Twain called "the Grand Canyon of the Pacific."

Its gorge is one mile wide, 10 miles long and roughly 3,600 feet deep. Watching the sun and clouds etch their desert colors on the jagged mountainsides through the helicopter's expansive windows, while listening to artfully choreographed tour music touches both the mind and the soul.

. . .

The Princeville Ranch is actually a 2,500-acre working cattle ranch (the island of Kaua'i has 900 cattle ranches) dating back to 1831. It's owned by a fifth-generation Hawaiian family who are descendants of the missionaries who first settled on the North Shore.

For daredevils in search of another heart-thumping "Kaua'i high" adventure, Princeville's exhilarating "Zip N' Dip Expedition" tour makes you feel like you're in a film action scene.

Adrenalin junkies can soar through the air, "zipping" 175 feet on a steel cable stretched across a Hawaiian jungle.

Granted it's a "speedy" excursion, but it ends with another delicious adventure. As a picnic lunch is prepared for you, travelers can grab a thick rope and swing through the air, just like "Tarzan and Jane," and land in a swimming hole fed by a nearby waterfall.

. . .

Visitors to Kaua'i won't forget a four-mile hike across the Kalihiwai Valley, which takes you over rough-hewn stairs and stream crossings and has you scaling a 10-foot rock wall. There's also a memorable stop for lunch at the majestic, five-tiered Kalihiwai Falls.

The tour company will personalize your hike, so if your dream is to walk on razor-sharp ridge trails and valleys filled with the song of tropical birds, or through open fields with gentle inclines and multitudes of exotic bird-of-paradise plants, you're the big "kahuna."

. . .

Kaua'i is a land of plenty, with its rich volcanic soil, plentiful morning sunshine and misty afternoons. In fact, its unique microclimate yields so many flavorful agricultural products that you could mistake Kaua'i for the Garden of Eden. And you can see it at your own pace by renting a car. The roads are well-marked and the island is circular, so if you do get lost, you'll end up where you started.

It's a tropical delight to learn about Kaua'i-grown products by touring independent farms. Kauai is the "Guava Capital of the World," so a visit to the Guava Kai Plantation is a "don't miss." And no self-respecting coffee aficionado would dare miss a tour of the Kaua'i Coffee Company, one of Hawaii's largest coffee plantations.

. . .

The only way one can possibly say "aloha" to Kauai is by joining others in a champagne toast at sunset. In the Na Pali Sunset Sail and Sightseeing Tour by Holo Holo Charters, you'll glide along the Na Pali coast in a 65-foot high-powered catamaran, while hearing about the ancient civilizations that once inhabited one of the world's most spectacular coastlines.