Coming full circle: Nā Pali Coast Tours’ return to FareHarbor

“Really think about what’s best for your business. Recognize that any change, even a positive one, will have an effect on your operations so it's important to really make sure you will have the support you need in your transition.”

Kamalani Baptiste
Director of Operations

It’s not always easy to know which tools are the right fit for your business — until you’ve had the chance to compare. For Nā Pali Coast Tours, that journey included stepping away from the booking software they’d used for years, only to return with renewed clarity on what truly supports their operation.

Rooted in place, culture, and experience

“[Nā Pali Coast Tours] has been commercially operating since 1974, but we like to say we’ve been navigating Nā Pali since 1200AD when we think our first ancestors arrived,” says Kamalani.

They are a proudly Native Hawaiian owned and operated business founded by the Baptiste ‘Ohana, lineal descendants of Wainiha Valley on Kauaʻi’s North Shore. As the only Native Hawaiian owned tour company offering snorkeling and sightseeing excursions along the Nā Pali Coast, their work is more than a business — it’s a way to honor ancestral roots and carry forward cultural responsibility.

The company’s approach is guided by kuleana — a Hawaiian value that encompasses responsibility, particularly in one’s relationship to the ʻāina (land). For the Baptiste ʻOhana, operating along the very coastline their family has called home for generations is a privilege they don’t take lightly.

“Being Native Hawaiian owned, there’s a kuleana to take on this mantle and do it in a way that’s correct,” says Kamalani. “It’s about offering an experience that’s authentic… I feel honored to have that responsibility and take that on.”

Their catamaran vessels are custom-built for Kauaʻi waters, designed to explore sea caves, waterfalls, and remote beaches — all while delivering a personalized experience rich in local knowledge. Each captain and crew member is a skilled waterperson who grew up on these shores, and every tour offers a chance to discover the moʻolelo (stories) of this culturally and ecologically significant coastline.

A financial shift prompts a temporary change

Having worked with FareHarbor since 2015, Nā Pali Coast Tours had long relied on the system to manage bookings. But when some aspects of FareHarbor’s pricing model changed, they found themselves reconsidering the overall cost.

“A competitor approached us with what seemed like a better arrangement with no website hosting fees and lower booking fees, so we were open to trying them out,” said Kamalani Baptiste, Operations Manager. 

Hidden challenges and operational friction

While the new company’s software offered strong onboarding and a clean user experience, deeper operational challenges emerged over time — particularly around payments and refunds. As a weather-dependent business, Nā Pali Coast Tours needs to issue refunds swiftly when tours are canceled.

“The refund reserve system was a bit confusing and we were being charged for having to process refunds back to customers… passing on more costs to the customer,” Kamalani explained. Also, “there was always a delay in transferring funds back into the refund reserve… [which] caused frustration because it affected the way our company was able to manage cashflow.” 

They experimented with workarounds, like adjusting fees or changing deposit structures, but none felt like the best solution for their guests or their values.

A return that felt right

Despite the switch, FareHarbor stayed in touch and remained open to finding a better arrangement. Ultimately, it wasn’t just pricing that brought Nā Pali Coast Tours back — it was the dependability of a system that matched the way they work.

“The [FareHarbor] operating system is more dialed in, and the support feels more experienced,” Kamalani said.

Even with a few expected bumps in the road, Kamalani shares that “we felt supported in returning back to FareHarbor.”

Tools that complement their mission

Back on FareHarbor, Nā Pali Coast Tours continues to deliver exceptional, culturally grounded tours along the coast. They’ve started using our new Waitlist feature in a way that’s uniquely tailored to their operation — and their feedback is helping inform its future development.

They’re also planning to explore more of FareHarbor’s built-in reporting capabilities as they look for new ways to optimize operations without compromising the intimate feel of their tours.

Advice from one operator to another

For Kamalani, the biggest takeaway isn’t about which system is objectively better, it’s about alignment.

“Really think about what’s best for your business,” he said. “Recognize that any change, even a positive one, will have an effect on your operations so it’s important to really make sure you will have the support you need in your transition.”

For Nā Pali Coast Tours, returning to FareHarbor wasn’t just about software — it was about restoring a system that let them focus on what matters most: sharing their coastline, culture, and kuleana with every guest who steps aboard.