A few Maui experiences are big enough to build a day around. Most visitors get to one or two of them and leave the rest for next time. Here are the ones we’d put at the top of the list, roughly in order of how much effort each one asks of you.
The Road to Hāna and Haleakalā: The Two Long Drives
The road to Hāna is about 52 miles of switchbacks and one-lane bridges, and it takes most of a day if you stop for the waterfalls, which is the point of going. Start early, fill the tank in Pā’ia, and accept that you will not be back for lunch.
Haleakalā is the other one. The summit road climbs to 10,000 feet through what looks like a different planet, green pastureland below and a red crater floor above. Sunrise up there needs an advance reservation from the National Park Service, and it is genuinely cold at that elevation before dawn, so bring more layers than feel reasonable in Lāhainā.
A shorter third option if you want a half day: ‘Īao Valley, about ten minutes inland from Wailuku, with a short paved walk to a viewpoint. Out-of-state visitors need a parking reservation.
Snorkeling Lāna’i: A Car-Free Vacation Experience
Snorkeling Lāna’i is the other adventure on this list, and it asks the least of you logistically. You get yourself to our check-in on Front Street, and our crew handles the rest of it.
Lāna’i sits about eight miles across the Auʻau Channel from Lāhainā. The snorkeling there runs from coral pinnacles that rise from deep water to shallow reef mazes a few feet under the surface, with turtles, eels, and reef fish throughout it. Three dolphin species live in these waters, and spinners often travel alongside the raft on the way across.
Different day, same payoff as the drives, with none of the switchbacks.
Get Started with Hawaii Ocean Rafting
Ready to book your Maui vacation activities? Explore our eco tours and get out on the ocean with Hawaii Ocean Rafting!