At Waimea Canyon in the Grand Canyon of the Pacific

To arrive at dawn in the vicinity of Waimea Canyon, on the western side of Kauai, is to find oneself almost in solitude, face to face with a geological wonder that stretches for twenty-two kilometres with its pinnacles occupying a scenery more than 900 metres deep: from the Puu O Kila lookout, in particular, one can admire in exciting sequence the sinuous hills, vertiginous peaks, sinuous cliffs, and mysterious gorges. One only has to drive through Waimea Canyon Drive to get a glimpse of these gigantic and intricate rock formations where erosion and wind have sculpted an authentic theatre of nature. Nicknamed the Grand Canyon of the Pacific because of its resemblance to its Arizona cousin, the Waimea sports a bewitching red colour that is often veiled by streaks of clouds over the Kalalau Valley and the Alakai Swamp, considered the wettest place in the world, hemmed in by the summit of Mount Waialeale: by taking the paths laid out in the canyon, one can penetrate into the heart of this lush vegetation.