Maui

Where to base yourself

Maui divides naturally into two regions for visitors. West Maui — centred on Lahaina, Ka'anapali and Kapalua — has the most developed resort infrastructure, the finest sunset views and easy access to whale watching boats from Lahaina Harbour. South Maui — centred on Kihei and Wailea — is sunnier, drier and has some of the best beaches on the island. The two areas are connected by Highway 30 around the base of the West Maui Mountains, a drive of around forty-five minutes.

Wailea is the most upmarket base — a planned resort community with exceptional hotels including the Four Seasons and the Grand Wailea, a string of beautiful beaches immediately accessible from the resort, and a level of polish that is hard to match elsewhere on the island. Kihei is more casual and significantly cheaper. Lahaina — the historic whaling town on the west coast — was severely damaged by wildfire in August 2023. Recovery and rebuilding are ongoing; check current conditions before planning visits to specific Lahaina establishments.

Beaches

Ka'anapali Beach on the west coast is three miles of uninterrupted white sand backed by hotels and the Whalers Village shopping centre. The snorkelling at the northern end, around Black Rock — a lava promontory where cliff divers perform nightly at sunset — is among the best on the island. The beach is wide, the water warm and the facilities excellent.

Kapalua Bay, at the northern end of the west coast, is a protected cove with calm water and excellent snorkelling — the bay is one of the finest for seeing green sea turtles at close range. The adjacent Napili Bay is equally beautiful and tends to be quieter.

Wailea Beach in south Maui fronts the luxury hotels and is consistently ranked among the finest beaches in the United States — white sand, warm clear water and the kind of well-maintained, well-serviced beach environment that justifies the hotel prices above it. The coastal walking path that connects the Wailea beaches is excellent for early morning walks before the heat of the day builds.

Makena Beach — Big Beach — south of Wailea, is a long, wild stretch of sand backed by the slopes of Pu'u Ola'i cinder cone. The shore break here is powerful and has injured many visitors who underestimated it; watch the waves carefully before entering. Little Beach, accessed by a short trail over the cinder cone from Big Beach, is a clothing- optional beach with a loyal following and a famously relaxed atmosphere.

Haleakala

Haleakala volcano dominates the eastern half of Maui, rising to 10,023 feet above the Pacific. The summit is above the cloud layer on most days, giving views across a vast volcanic landscape of cinder cones, red and brown rock, and — on clear days — the other Hawaiian islands on the horizon. The experience of standing at the crater rim watching the clouds fill the valley floor below is one of the most extraordinary in Hawaii.

Sunrise at Haleakala is the famous experience — watching the sun emerge above the clouds from the summit is genuinely spectacular. It requires a timed sunrise entry reservation, obtainable at recreation.gov up to 60 days in advance; these sell out quickly for popular dates. Plan to be at the summit at least thirty minutes before the listed sunrise time. The temperature at the summit is typically fifteen to twenty degrees cooler than the coast and can drop below freezing before dawn — bring proper warm layers regardless of what month you visit. This surprises almost every visitor.

The drive up the Haleakala Highway takes around ninety minutes from the coast and passes through multiple climate zones — from tropical at sea level to alpine desert at the summit. The road is well maintained and the views on the way up are excellent in their own right. The Hosmer Grove campground near the park entrance has excellent birding — the native Hawaiian honeycreepers are easier to see here than almost anywhere else on Maui.

Cycling down from the summit is a popular commercial activity — multiple operators run guided descents on the road from the summit to the base. The descent covers 38 miles and 10,000 feet of elevation and takes around three hours by bike. It requires no particular fitness but a reasonable level of comfort on a bicycle on a steep, winding road.

The Road to Hana

The Hana Highway from Paia on Maui's north shore to the remote town of Hana on the east coast is one of the great scenic drives in the Pacific. Sixty-four miles of narrow road wind through rainforest, past more than fifty one-lane bridges, alongside waterfalls and sea cliffs, through small communities and past beaches of black, red and white sand. The road requires patience and a full day — rushing it defeats the purpose.

The stops worth making: Twin Falls near the start for an easy waterfall walk; Waikamoi Ridge Trail for a short loop through bamboo forest; Ke'anae Peninsula for a dramatic lava coastline and the best banana bread in Hawaii at Aunty Sandy's; Wailua Falls viewpoint; Waianapanapa State Park for the black sand beach, sea caves and coastal trail — book entry permits in advance at hawaiistateparks.reserveamerica.com; Oheo Gulch (Seven Sacred Pools) in Haleakala National Park for the pools and the Pipiwai Trail through bamboo forest to Waimoku Falls.

Hana town itself is small and unhurried — the Travaasa Hana hotel is one of the most peaceful places to stay in Hawaii, and spending a night here rather than rushing back transforms the experience. The return via the south road through Kaupo and Upcountry Maui is rougher and slower but offers entirely different scenery and avoids retracing the Hana Highway.

Humpback whale watching

The waters of the Auau Channel between Maui, Lanai and Molokai form one of the primary North Pacific humpback whale breeding and calving grounds. Humpbacks arrive from Alaska from November and the population peaks between January and March, when hundreds of whales are present simultaneously in the channel. Whale watching boats operate from Lahaina and Ma'alaea Harbour and sightings during peak season are as certain as wildlife ever gets — the sheer number of animals in a relatively small body of water means encounters are frequent and close.

Humpbacks breach, tail-slap, spy-hop and sing in these waters. The males produce the famous complex song — audible underwater and detectable by hydrophone from the boats. Pacific Whale Foundation operates responsible tours with naturalists on board and donates a portion of revenue to conservation research. Morning trips in calm conditions give the best experience; the wind picks up in the channel in the afternoon.

Upcountry Maui

The slopes of Haleakala above Kahului and Kihei — Upcountry Maui — are cooler, greener and much less visited than the coast. The towns of Makawao and Paia have excellent independent restaurants, galleries and a relaxed character that feels entirely different from the resort areas. Surftown Paia on the north shore is the best windsurfing and kitesurfing location on the island; Hookipa Beach Park above the town is the launch point for world-class windsurfers and worth watching on a windy afternoon.

The Ali'i Kula Lavender Farm and Ocean Vodka distillery are both in Upcountry and worth combining with a drive through the area. The views from the Upcountry roads across the isthmus to the West Maui Mountains and down to both coasts simultaneously are exceptional.