Maui: Haleakala, the Road to Hana and Molokini

1. Jour 1 : Arrive on Maui

   Kahului airport (OGG) to Kihei

   • Environ 30 min de route
   • Welcome dinner
   • Nuit : Kihei
   Détail du jour 1

   Fly into Kahului (OGG) on Maui, ideally landing by about 3 pm. On the approach you cross the flat isthmus between the two volcanoes that make the island: the West Maui Mountains on one side and the long slope of Haleakala on the other, where you will be before dawn on day 3. Our driver meets you at arrivals for the 30-minute drive south to your hotel in Kihei, your base for all six nights, so you unpack once. If you land early, walk to the beach across the road, swim, or watch the light go orange over the islands of Kahoolawe and Lanai offshore. At about 6 pm your See Sight Tours guide meets the group in the hotel lobby to talk through the week: the early start on Haleakala, the snorkel boat and the long day on the Hana Highway. Then we walk to a welcome dinner nearby. Most guests from Canada wake early on the first mornings, which suits the plan.

   Compris

   • Arrival transfer from Kahului airport (OGG) to your Kihei hotel
   • Welcome meeting with your guide
   • Welcome dinner in Kihei

   Temps libre : Afternoon free before the welcome meeting

   Activité : Landing after 6 pm? Your guide catches you up at breakfast.

2. Jour 2 : Iao Valley and Lahaina

   Kihei to Iao Valley State Monument and Wailuku, then Lahaina and Kaanapali, back to Kihei

   • Environ 3 h de route
   • Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
   • Nuit : Kihei
   Détail du jour 2

   We are at Iao Valley State Monument for the 7 am opening, with the non-resident entry reservation made, while the valley is quiet and the cloud often still sits on the ridges. A paved path and steps lead to a view of the Iao Needle, a green spire rising about 370 m from the valley floor. Your guide tells the story of Kepaniwai, the 1790 battle in this valley in Kamehameha's campaign to unite the islands. Then over the pali road to the west side and Lahaina, once the royal capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom and a whaling port. The August 2023 wildfire killed more than 100 people here and destroyed most of the town. We do not tour the burn area: your guide explains the history and the rebuilding, and where a community group offers a talk we join it and pay its fee. Lunch is at a reopened restaurant in Lahaina or Kaanapali, then a walk on Kaanapali Beach before driving back to Kihei by about 3:30 pm.

   Compris

   • Iao Valley State Monument entry, reservation and walk to the Iao Needle viewpoint
   • Lahaina: the town's history and its rebuilding, with a community talk where one is offered
   • Lunch at a reopened restaurant in Lahaina or Kaanapali
   • Kaanapali Beach walk

   Option plus facile : Stay at the lower Iao viewpoint by the stream instead of climbing the steps.

   Temps libre : Late afternoon and evening free in Kihei; an early night helps before tomorrow's 3 am start

   Activité : What visitors can see in Lahaina changes as rebuilding goes on. We follow Maui County's guidance for each date and ask the group not to photograph homes or the burn area.

   

3. Jour 3 : Sunrise on Haleakala and Upcountry Maui

   Kihei to the summit of Haleakala for sunrise, then Kula, an Upcountry farm and Makawao, back to Kihei

   • Environ 4 h de route
   • Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
   • Nuit : Kihei
   Détail du jour 3

   The early start of the trip, and the reason we put it on day 3, while you still wake early. We leave Kihei at about 3 am, the exact time set by the season's sunrise, and climb the switchbacks into Haleakala National Park in the dark, roughly 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours, to the summit area at 3,055 m. The park requires a sunrise reservation for every vehicle, and our licensed operator holds the sunrise permit or reservation. The sun comes up over a sea of cloud and lights the crater below, a basin of red and grey cinder cones about 11 km long. It is near freezing at dawn; we bring blankets and hot drinks. After sunrise there is a short walk to a viewpoint and a look for the silverswords, a plant that grows almost nowhere else. On the way down, breakfast in Kula, then a working Upcountry farm on the volcano's slopes with a tasting and a farm lunch, and a walk through Makawao, the old ranching town. Back in Kihei by about 2:30 pm to rest.

   Compris

   • Haleakala National Park entry, with the sunrise permit or reservation held by our licensed operator
   • Sunrise at the summit area, 3,055 m, with blankets and hot drinks
   • Breakfast in Kula
   • Upcountry farm visit with a tasting and lunch
   • Makawao walk

   Option plus facile : Stay in the warm vehicle while the group walks to the summit viewpoints.

   Option plus active : Walk a short way down the Keoneheehee (Sliding Sands) trail into the crater and climb back slowly at altitude.

   Temps libre : Afternoon and evening free in Kihei

   Activité : Bring every warm layer you have. Not advised in pregnancy or with heart or breathing conditions. Total driving is about 4 hours over about 150 km, in stretches of under 2 hours.

   

4. Jour 4 : Snorkel boat to Molokini

   Kihei to the boat harbour, Molokini Crater and a second reef stop off the south coast, back to Kihei

   • Environ 30 min de route
   • Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
   • Nuit : Kihei
   Détail du jour 4

   A short drive to the harbour for a morning snorkel boat at about 7 am, when the sea is usually at its flattest before the afternoon trade winds. Molokini is the rim of a sunken volcanic crater about 4 km off Maui's south coast, a crescent of rock that shelters a marine reserve of clear, calm water where you can often see 30 m down. The licensed operator's crew gives a briefing and provides masks, fins, lifejackets and flotation noodles, with lifeguards watching from the boat; your guide snorkels with the group. The second stop is a reef along the south coast where green sea turtles often graze: give them at least 3 m, as touching or chasing them is against the law in Hawaii. Breakfast and lunch are served on board, and from about December to April humpback whales are often seen on the crossing. Back in Kihei by about 12:30 pm, with the afternoon free.

   Compris

   • Morning snorkel boat to Molokini Crater with a licensed operator
   • Second snorkel stop on a south-coast reef
   • Masks, fins, lifejackets and flotation noodles
   • Breakfast and lunch on board

   Option plus facile : Stay on deck, or snorkel only at the calmer second stop.

   Temps libre : Afternoon and evening free in Kihei

   Activité : Boat trips can be cancelled in high wind or surf; if so we rebook on day 6. Bring non-nano mineral sunscreen only.

   

5. Jour 5 : The Road to Hana

   Kihei to Paia, the Hana Highway, the Keanae peninsula, Waianapanapa State Park and Hana, back the same way

   • Environ 6 h de route
   • Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
   • Nuit : Kihei
   Détail du jour 5

   The long day of the trip, and the one day over our 4-hour driving cap: about 6 hours on the road over about 210 km. We keep one Kihei base so you unpack once, and a Hana overnight would add a second hotel, so we go from Kihei with our driver at the wheel and your guide talking, and break it with a stop every 20 to 30 minutes. We leave at 6:30 am to be ahead of the rental cars, with coffee in Paia, then the Hana Highway along the wet northeast coast: hundreds of bends and dozens of one-lane bridges past rainforest and waterfalls such as Upper Waikani Falls. We stop on the Keanae peninsula, where taro is grown in terraced patches and the surf hits black lava. At Waianapanapa State Park, with the entry slot booked, you walk to the black sand beach and the sea caves. Lunch is in Hana town. We turn back at 1:30 pm whatever the weather, so the drive home is in daylight, and reach Kihei by about 5:30 pm.

   Compris

   • Guided Road to Hana in our own vehicle, with a driver
   • Waterfall stops, including Upper Waikani Falls
   • The Keanae peninsula
   • Waianapanapa State Park entry and reservation: the black sand beach and sea caves
   • Lunch in Hana

   Option plus facile : Skip the day and stay in Kihei for a beach day instead.

   Option plus active : The coastal trail at Waianapanapa, about 1.5 km each way on lava rock.

   Temps libre : Evening free in Kihei

   Activité : About 6 hours of driving in stretches of 20 to 45 minutes. The road is narrow and winding: bring motion-sickness tablets if you need them and a rain layer. If the highway is closed after heavy rain, we swap this day with day 6.

   

6. Jour 6 : A free day on the south shore

   Kihei and the south shore at your own pace

   • Petit-déjeuner et repas du soir
   • Nuit : Kihei
   Détail du jour 6

   A whole day with nothing planned, after three early starts. Kihei and Wailea have a string of beaches along the south shore with calm water most mornings, and a paved coastal path between the Wailea resorts that is good for a walk at sunrise. Your guide is at the hotel at breakfast to suggest a plan or book what you want. From about December to April a whale watch from Maalaea, about 20 minutes away, is the most popular choice: humpback whales spend the winter in the channels between Maui, Lanai and Kahoolawe. The Maui Ocean Center at Maalaea is another option for a rainy morning, and a luau in the evening is a third. Or do nothing at all: the hotel pool and a book are a fine use of the day. If the snorkel boat or the Road to Hana was rained out, we run it today instead. Tonight the group meets for a farewell dinner in Kihei.

   Compris

   • Farewell dinner in Kihei

   Activités en option

   • Whale watch from Maalaea, December to April. About 2 hours; the price is shown when you book
   • Luau on the south or west shore. Evening; the price is shown when you book

   Temps libre : The whole day is free until the farewell dinner

   Activité : This is also the weather back-up day for the snorkel boat and the Road to Hana.

7. Jour 7 : Depart from Maui

   Kihei to Kahului airport (OGG)

   • Environ 30 min de route
   • Petit-déjeuner
   Détail du jour 7

   A last morning on the south shore. If the sea is calm, your guide walks anyone who wants a last swim or snorkel to the beach at about 7:30 am, when the water is usually flattest and turtles are often grazing near the rocks; others can take a slow breakfast or walk the beach path. Check out at about 10:30 am and drive about 30 minutes north across the isthmus to Kahului airport (OGG), arriving by about 11:15 am, where our service ends. Kahului has nonstop flights to the US West Coast and seasonal flights to western Canada, and we confirm your flight options home when you book. Book a flight leaving after about 1 pm. If you want to stay on, we can add nights at the group hotel in Kihei, or help you add a few days on another island; our three-island and four-island Hawaii trips show what is possible.

   Compris

   • Transfer to Kahului airport (OGG)

   Temps libre : Early morning free for a last swim

   Activité : Book your flight home to leave Kahului after about 1 pm.

Faune et météo : Maui's south shore around Kihei is dry and warm all year, about 27 to 31 C by day in summer and 25 to 28 C in winter. The Hana side and the West Maui Mountains are much wetter, with showers in any month and heavier rain from about November to March, when the Hana Highway can close for a few hours after storms. The sea off Molokini is usually calmest in the early morning. From about December to April humpback whales winter in the channels around Maui, and you can often see them from the shore and the snorkel boat. At the Haleakala summit dawn is near freezing in every season.

• Kihei6 nuits