Road to Hana

If you love to do day hikes then Maui is the place for you.  One of the most popular and mostly free Maui activities is hiking.  You wouldn’t believe the spectacular and This is by far the best thing to do in Maui.  It’s an exciting day filled with all sorts of classic Maui activities and sights.  Checking out the huge waterfalls, the rugged coast, the rainforest, the colorful flowers, the small villages as well as taking a dip at a classic swimming spot enjoyed for many thousands of years by the Hawaiians.  This is a day you will not forget and will want to do more then once.

The route takes you from Kahului through little towns of Maui’s Northern coast.   Many tours stop in towns like Paia but the folks at Valley Isle Excursions believe that you should spend a bit more time there.  They wet your appetite to come back and see that one.   It’s a great spot to catch a pizza at Flatbread.  They use local and organic ingredients in their creations.  The specials are always very tasty.

The Road to Hana tour from there becomes a tropical wilderness as the road winds through hundreds of gullies over tens of bridges and past waterfalls of various sizes.   Since there is so much to see and experience they stop at only the best or most convenient places along the trip.  There are times when you would want to stop to check out a specific place but trust the guides they will take you to the best spots.

Some of the main stops on a Road to Hana Tour by Valley Isle Excursions are:

• Maui Waterfalls

  • There are hundreds of waterfalls along this part of Maui.  Depending on the amount of rain over the past couple days they will be either gushing, torrent of water or barely a trickle.  There are trade-offs in dealing with the rain on this side of the island.  So if you get a nice clear sunny day, you can see a long way up the coasts but the waterfalls will be smaller.

• Keanae Peninsula

  • This area is beautiful with it’s rugged coastline.  This is the most exposed point on the north coast of Maui.  It has been subject to a tsunami almost 50 years ago as it’s only a few feet above the ocean.   There are no sandy beaches here as this is a result of a lava flow many, many years ago.  It has been made habitable by Hawaiian’s years ago through the hard work of transporting good soils down here to create taro fields.

• Waianapanapa Black Sand Beach

  • The black sand beach and blowhole at Waianapanapa state park are just two of the features to see.  There are caves, graves and a wide variety of plants to see.  Take your time and enjoy this beautiful spot where the blackness of the rocks, the green of the plants and the blue of the ocean contrast with such stark colors that you wonder if your are really seeing it.

• Wailua Falls

  • This beautiful waterfall just past Hana is just off the road.  You can enjoy the view and the mist by standing on the bridge.  You won’t find this scene anywhere else in Hawaii or the world.

• Hana Town Sightseeing

  • The town of Hana is quite small and there are a few places of note, like the bay and the hotel.  This sleepy little village is home to many celebrities and hawaiians for many years as this is one of the best examples of a relatively untouched Hawaiian lifestyle.

• Hana Ranchlands

  • The Hana ranch is huge and is spread over many thousands of acres.  The road cuts through this ranch at many stages and is quite a change from the dense rainforest earlier on in the journey.

• Charles Lindbergh’s Memorial at Pala Pala Hoo mau Church

  • This classic american hero, the man who flew across the atlantic non-stop and alone first is buried here.  Hana was his home and he loved this place more then anywhere else in the world.  By the time you reach here you will understand why he never wanted to leave.

• Swimming at the Pools of Oheo at Haleakala National Park

  • Few tour companies are allowed to stop in the park.  This is by far one of the best stops in Hana.  The Seven Sacred Pools are here, examples of Hawaiian architecture.  Huge waterfalls, bamboo forests and amazing plant life are found in the park.  Stopping here can rejuvenate you for the rest of the journey back around Haleakala as you make your way from Hana.

• Surfing Overlook at Hookipa Park

  • This park is a stop just after Paia.  It’s a place where the worlds best windsurfers come to compete and practice.  Their colorful sails dot the ocean doing jumps and flips over the waves.  If you look carefully right below the cliffs you might see many of the turtles bobbing in the water feeding off of the seaweed that dot the coral reef just a few feet below the surface.

• Tedeschi Winery

  • The winery is the last major stop on the Road to Hana Tour.  After a day of exploring and sightseeing, enjoying a sweet glass of pineapple wine will make you feel very good.  Grab a bottle to enjoy later with your meal.  You might want to get a few.  The grounds are beautiful and have lots of history so be sure to check out their little museum attached to the wine tasting room.