Trip highlights
- 1Road to Hana — 52 miles of waterfalls and jungle
- 2Haleakalā sunrise at 10,023 feet
- 3Molokini Crater snorkelling
- 4Whale watching January–April
- 5Lahaina Front Street and Banyan Tree
Daily spend
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Day-by-day plan
Arrival & West Maui
Wednesday, January 20
Est. spend
$260
per person
🌅 Morning
Arrive Kahului Airport (OGG)
Kahului Airport, Maui, HI
OGG is the main Maui airport, 15km from Kaanapali beach resort area. Rental car pickup at the airport is essential — Maui requires a car for everything. Pre-book months ahead in peak season (December–April). Budget 4WD from $60/day.
Book a convertible — driving the Road to Hana with the top down and the jungle air is one of travel's greatest sensory experiences.
☀️ Afternoon
Kaanapali Beach — Maui's main resort beach
Kaanapali Beach, Lahaina, Maui
4km of perfect white sand backed by resort hotels. The Kaanapali beach walk connects all the resort areas. Black Rock (at the north end) has the best snorkelling with sea turtles and fish in 3m of water accessible from the beach.
Rent snorkel gear ($10/day from local shops) and snorkel at Black Rock at 7am when the fish are active. Spinner dolphins sometimes enter the bay in the early morning.
🌙 Evening
Lahaina Banyan Court Park and Front Street
Banyan Court, 649 Wharf St, Lahaina, Maui
The enormous 1873 Indian banyan tree (the largest in the US, covering an entire city block with multiple trunks) and the Front Street strip of whale watching companies, art galleries, and restaurants. The sunset off Front Street is extraordinary.
Note: the 2023 Lahaina wildfire destroyed much of historic Lahaina. Check current status before visiting — as of 2026, parts of the town are still in recovery.
🍽️ Meals
Mama's Fish House, Paia
Hawaiian seafood · $100 · The most famous restaurant in Hawaii. The fish is caught by named fishermen and listed by the catcher's name on the menu. Book 2 months ahead.
Haleakalā Sunrise
Thursday, January 21
Est. spend
$130
per person
🌅 Morning
Haleakalā sunrise (3am departure)
Haleakalā National Park, Maui, HI
The summit of Haleakalā (3,055m, 'House of the Sun') requires a 3am departure from Kaanapali, a 2-hour drive up the volcano, and a 30-minute walk to the summit observation area. The sunrise from above the clouds is one of the most extraordinary natural events in the world — the summit appears above the cloud deck as the sun rises through layers of color.
BOOK the sunrise entry permit at recreation.gov minimum 60 days ahead ($1 permit + $30 park entry). Without a permit, you cannot enter the park at sunrise. Bring all warm layers — the summit is 10–15°C even in Hawaiian summer.
☀️ Afternoon
Crater walk and return
Haleakalā National Park, Maui
After sunrise: the Sliding Sands Trail descends into the caldera (2–3 hours round trip, 600m elevation loss). The silence, the volcanic landscape, and the native silversword plants (found nowhere else on earth) make this the most otherworldly walk in Hawaii.
🍽️ Meals
Nuka, Kula
Japanese-Hawaiian · $35 · The best Japanese-Hawaiian restaurant on the Upcountry Maui road. The ramen with local Maui beef is extraordinary.
Road to Hana
Friday, January 22
Est. spend
$120
per person
🌅 Morning
Road to Hana — the full 52 miles
Road to Hana, Maui, HI
The Hana Highway (Route 360) is 52 miles of switchbacks, 600 waterfalls, bamboo forests, black sand beaches, and jungle. Leave by 7am to avoid traffic. The Twin Falls (Mile 2) and Waikamoi Nature Trail (Mile 9) are the early highlights. The Three Pools of Oheo (7 Sacred Pools, Kipahulu, Mile 42) are the far-end highlight.
Bring a cooler with lunch, snacks, and drinks — restaurants are scarce until Hana town. The Ke'anae Arboretum (free, Mile 16) and Wailua Falls (Mile 18) are the two most beautiful stops. Download offline maps — cell service is intermittent.
🍽️ Meals
Coconut Glen's, Mile 27.5
Hawaiian vegan · $12 · Roadside vegan ice cream made with organic Maui coconut milk. One of the Road to Hana institutions. The haupia (coconut) and taro flavours are outstanding.
Molokini Crater Snorkelling
Saturday, January 23
Est. spend
$240
per person
🌅 Morning
Molokini Crater snorkel boat
Maalaea Harbor, Maalaea, Maui
Molokini is a partially submerged volcanic crater 5km offshore — the inner reef has 70m visibility and the highest fish density on Maui. Half-day snorkel trip from Maalaea Harbor ($65–80): 2 hours at Molokini then the 'turtle town' reef.
Book the earliest departure (6:30am Trilogy Excursions) — best visibility and no afternoon wind. 'Turtle Town' (the second stop) guarantees Hawaiian green sea turtle encounters.
☀️ Afternoon
Whale watching tour (January–April)
Maalaea Harbor, Maui
Humpback whales winter in Maui waters from December to May — 10,000 whales in Hawaiian waters at peak season. Pacific Whale Foundation offers the most knowledgeable guides and research-informed tours. $35–45 per person.
On most winter days you'll see multiple humpbacks from the deck — breaching, tail slapping, and mother-calf pairs. The Pacific Whale Foundation runs certified educational narration.
🍽️ Meals
Monkeypod Kitchen, Wailea
Hawaiian · $60 · The best all-round restaurant on Maui. The pizza with fresh local fish, the cocktails, and the wood-fired everything are outstanding. No reservation for happy hour (3–5:30pm).
Upcountry Maui — Lavender Farm & Wineries
Sunday, January 24
Est. spend
$130
per person
🌅 Morning
Upcountry Maui — Ali'i Kula Lavender Farm
Ali'i Kula Lavender Farm, 1100 Waipoli Rd, Kula
At 1,100m elevation in the Kula uplands — the lavender farm has extraordinary Maui mountain views and a maze of walking trails through 45 lavender varieties. The farm shop has lavender scones, lavender lemonade, and lavender honey. Entry $3.
The MauiWine winery (8 minutes from the lavender farm) produces excellent Maui-grown sparkling wine from pineapples and Blanc de Blancs grapes. The only winery in Hawaii growing European varietals.
☀️ Afternoon
Big Beach (Makena State Park)
Makena State Park, Maui, HI
Oneloa Beach — the largest non-developed beach on Maui, a half-mile of wide white sand with no hotels behind it. The body-surfing and body-boarding here are Maui's best (and most dangerous). The Little Beach (nude beach, 5-minute walk) has Sunday drum circle events.
Big Beach has no lifeguards. The shore break is powerful — only body-surf if experienced. The current year-round is predictable but the waves are large.
🍽️ Meals
Café des Amis, Paia
French-Mediterranean · $25 · The best crêpes on Maui, served in a garden setting in the surf town of Paia.
North Shore Surfing
Monday, January 25
Est. spend
$200
per person
🌅 Morning
Ho'okipa Beach — world-class windsurfing
Ho'okipa Beach Park, Paia, Maui, HI
Ho'okipa Beach on Maui's north shore is the windsurfing capital of the world — on winter days, 50+ windsurfers and kitesurfers at professional level fill the bay with spectators at the clifftop observation area. The resident green sea turtles basking on the east end of the beach are accessible from the beach.
Swimming is dangerous at Ho'okipa in winter — the wind and current are intense. Come to watch the pros, see the turtles, and marvel at the spectacle.
☀️ Afternoon
Surfing lesson at Lahaina
Launiupoko Beach Park, Lahaina, Maui
The south shore break near Lahaina is Maui's best beginner surf area — long, gentle rollers in warm water. 2-hour lesson with board included: $75–85 from Maui Surf Clinics or HST Surfing School.
🍽️ Meals
Paia Fish Market, Paia
Hawaiian seafood · $25 · The most popular fish lunch counter on Maui — mahimahi sandwich and fish and chips at picnic tables outside. Always a queue.
Wailea Snorkelling & Departure
Tuesday, January 26
Est. spend
$90
per person
🌅 Morning
Wailea beach walk and final snorkel
Wailea Coastal Walk, Wailea, Maui
The Wailea resort coast (4km of connected white sand beaches — Keawakapu, Mokapu, Ulua, Wailea, Polo) is Maui's most beautiful beach corridor. The rocky points between beaches are the best shore snorkelling on the island — green sea turtles feed on the algae every morning.
☀️ Afternoon
Return car, airport departure
Kahului Airport, Maui, HI
OGG Airport is 30 minutes from Kaanapali/Wailea. Allow 2.5 hours before departure for car return and security.
🍽️ Meals
Tin Roof, Kahului
Hawaiian plate lunch · $15 · Chef Sheldon Simeon's accessible plate lunch near the airport. The garlic chicken and the macaroni salad are the Hawaiian plate lunch standards done perfectly.
Before you go
📅 Best time to visit
January–March for whale watching; May–September for calmest snorkelling conditions; April and October are shoulder months — fewer crowds, same weather. Christmas–New Year is peak season — expensive and crowded.
🛂 Visas
Maui is a US state. ESTA required for ESTA-eligible nationalities (UK, EU, Australia, Japan) — apply at esta.cbp.dhs.gov ($21). US B-2 visa for other nationalities.
💱 Currency
US Dollar. Maui is expensive even by Hawaii standards (the most expensive state in the US). Budget $400–500/day for a couple including accommodation.
🆘 Emergency numbers
police: 911
ambulance: 911
coast guard: 808-244-5256
💬 Things you won't find in a guidebook
- Maui No Ka Oi (Maui is the best) — the local motto. Traffic on the single-road west Maui coast is notorious from 7–9am and 4–6pm. Do the Road to Hana on a weekday.
- The shave ice is not an ice cream — it's a Hawaiian institution. The best shave ice in Maui is at Ululani's (Lahaina and Kahului). Order it with ice cream on the bottom and azuki beans on top.
One thing worth not skipping
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