Maui Trip Guide: A Week Without Wasting Days
Two days do the heavy lifting. Haleakala sunrise means leaving the coast at 2:30am for a 10,023 foot summit and needs a timed entry reservation booked in advance. The Road to Hana is a full ten to twelve hours and needs a Waianapanapa State Park reservation. Put a soft day between them. The rest of the week is snorkelling at Molokini or Honolua Bay, the Waihee Ridge Trail in the West Maui mountains, Iao Valley, and whichever coast your accommodation is on. Our Haleakala sunrise itinerary covers the summit day.
The two days that need booking
- Haleakala sunrise. Entry to the summit district between 3am and 7am requires a reservation, released in a batch about 60 days ahead plus a smaller batch two days out, on top of the park entrance fee. The drive from Kihei or Lahaina takes two to two and a half hours, the summit sits at 10,023 feet and it is usually near freezing with wind. Bring a proper jacket, gloves and a hat, not a beach towel. Detail in our Haleakala sunrise reservations guide. Sunset needs no reservation and is nearly as good, and afterwards the summit is one of the best stargazing sites in the state.
- The Road to Hana. Sixty four miles, 620 curves, 59 bridges. Leave Paia by 7am, book Waianapanapa State Park, and turn round at the Pipiwai Trail in the Kipahulu district. Our Road to Hana itinerary has the stops in order.
Schedule at least one easy day between them. A 2:30am start followed by a twelve hour drive the next day is how people end up sleeping through half their holiday.
The hikes worth the time
- Pipiwai Trail, Kipahulu. Four miles round trip through a bamboo forest to the 400 foot Waimoku Falls. The best hike on the island, and it sits at the far end of the Hana road. See our Pipiwai Trail guide.
- Waihee Ridge Trail, West Maui. Four miles and 1,500 feet up a ridge into the West Maui mountains, with a view back over the isthmus. Go at dawn, because the summit clouds in by mid morning and the small car park fills.
- Sliding Sands, Haleakala. Down into the crater from the summit. Even two miles in puts you in a landscape that looks nothing like the rest of the island, and remember every step down is a step back up at 10,000 feet.
- Kapalua Coastal Trail, flat, easy and along the water at the north west corner.
- Iao Valley State Park, a short walk in a steep green valley near Wailuku, with a reservation system for non resident parking.
Water days
- Molokini crater by boat from Maalaea, best on an early sailing before the wind picks up. The water is clearer here than anywhere reachable from shore.
- Honolua Bay, the best shore snorkel on the island in summer, and unsafe in winter swell.
- Ahihi Kinau and Makena on the south shore, with lava reef and turtles.
- Whale watching, December to April, when humpbacks fill the channel between Maui and Lanai. From shore at Papawai Point, or by boat from Lahaina or Maalaea.
- Surf lessons at Lahaina or Kihei, and windsurfing at Hookipa for people who already know how.
Where to stay
- Kihei and Wailea, south shore: the driest and sunniest side, closest to Haleakala and the Molokini boats.
- West Maui, Kaanapali and Kapalua: good beaches and snorkelling, and the longest drive to both Haleakala and Hana.
- Paia and the north shore: the closest base to the Hana road and the most local in feel.
- Hana itself: worth one night in the middle of the week so the Hana road becomes two half days instead of one long one.
Lahaina was devastated by the 2023 wildfire and the town is rebuilding. Check what is open before you plan around it, support the businesses that have reopened, and treat the burn area as what it is, a place where people lost their homes, rather than a sight to visit.
When to go
- April, May, September and October: the best combination of price, weather and quiet.
- December to March: whales, bigger north shore surf, more rain on the windward side, and the highest prices around the holidays.
- June to August: calmest water for snorkelling, hot and busy.
Practical notes
- Rent a car, and book it early. Maui has no useful public transport for visitors.
- Reservations to book before you fly: Haleakala sunrise, Waianapanapa State Park, Iao Valley parking, and any Molokini sailing.
- Reef safe sunscreen only. Chemical sunscreens are banned in Hawaii.
- Respect the water. Shore break and rip currents cause most visitor drownings, and the safest answer is always the lifeguarded beach.
- Fuel and food are much cheaper in Kahului than in the resort areas, so shop on the way in from the airport.
Have us plan the week
Tell us your dates and where you are staying and we will book the timed entries and pace the two big days so they do not collide. Planning is free, and we earn only if you book through us.
Maui Trip Guide: A Week Without Wasting Days FAQs
Seven. Two of them go to Haleakala sunrise and the Road to Hana, which are both full days, and the rest to snorkelling, shorter hikes and the coast. Five days works if you drop one of the two big days.
Yes. Entry to the summit district between 3am and 7am requires a timed reservation, released about 60 days ahead with a smaller batch two days out, in addition to the park entrance fee. Sunset needs no reservation.
The Pipiwai Trail at Kipahulu, four miles round trip through bamboo forest to the 400 foot Waimoku Falls. Waihee Ridge in the West Maui mountains is the best half day hike, and Sliding Sands takes you into the Haleakala crater.
No. The summit day starts at 2:30am and the Hana road is a ten to twelve hour drive, so put at least one easy day between them.
April, May, September and October for price, weather and quiet. December to March for humpback whales and bigger surf, and June to August for the calmest snorkelling water.
Parts of West Maui are open and the town is rebuilding after the 2023 wildfire. Check current information before planning around it, support businesses that have reopened, and stay out of the burn area, which remains a residential loss rather than a sight.
