Road to Hana Private Tour with Optional Waterfall Hike

• Local snacks and all-day drinks, plus fresh banana bread (or similar treat) at a popular local food stand 
• Black sand beach (Waianapanapa) limited reservations and admission fees
• National Park fee at Kipahulu (for tour version with Seven Sacred Pools hike)
• Pickup/dropoff from most lodgings in Central & South Maui (more details below, including West Maui price)
• All other admission fees (unless for any stop added by request)
• Rain gear 
• Hiking/walking poles
• Binoculars
• Sunscreen
• Insect repellent

• Everyone can relax and enjoy the views and commentary rather than focus on safely navigating the narrow and windy road
• Most people do not stay in Hana (limited lodging and remote), so there is a lot of ground to cover during daylight hours, and a tour is usually much more effective in maximizing the number and quality of stops
• Cars can get broken into (tour vans know how to properly minimize this)
• Tour guides who drive this route multiple times a week, often for years, know how to drive it safely and in a way that reduces motion sickness
• Local tour guides add a lot of interesting context regarding the culture and history of Hawaii, and their humor adds to the fun of the day

The list below is a general recommended and optimized itinerary, which also takes into account some tour constraints including the black sand beach time reservations.

However, as a private tour, the guide has some discretion to take into account your group’s interests, as well as to adapt to traffic/crowds, conditions, etc. You are also welcome to indicate specific interests/requests with your booking which will be noted for your guide; for must-see stops, please note them as such so we can ensure it can be accommodated with your booking confirmation. 

Below are a mixture of substantive stops ("S"), quick photo opportunities ("P") with brief stops, and drive throughs/bys ("D"), listed in general chronological order, although some of them may be done on the way back. Stops in bold are typically longer.

Town of Paia (D)
Bamboo Forest (D/P)
Rainbow Eucalyptus Trees (P)
Kaumahina State Wayside Park viewpoint (S)
Keanae Valley Peninsula (S) (with fresh banana bread at famous Aunty Sandy’s, except on Sundays)
Keanae Arboretum (S) (for smaller groups with interest)
Halfway to Hana food stand (S) (mostly backup for Aunty Sandy’s)
Wailua Valley State Wayside viewpoint (P)
Upper Waikani Falls (aka Three Bears) (D)
Pua'a Ka'a State Park Waterfalls (S) (swimming opportunity)
Lava tube (S) (roadside, if interested in exploring)
Hanawi Falls (P)
Wai’anapanapa State Park Black Sand Beach & lava tube (S) (swimming opportunity)
Hana Bay (D)
Hana town (S) (lunch at local food truck, paid out-of-pocket, such as the highly rated Da Fish Shack, Pranee’s Thai Food, Hana Farms, Huli Huli Chicken, or Braddah Hutts BBQ)
Koki Red Sand Beach & Alau Island (P)
Hamoa Beach (D/S) (option to stop & swim) (usually turnaround point)
Glen’s coconut ice cream (S) (if interest, pay out-of-pocket)
Wailua Iki waterfalls (D)
Ho’okipa Beach Park (S) (up-close with turtles on beach, major surfing spot)

There is also an alternate private tour version that includes a 2-2.5 hour hike of the Pipiwai Trail at the National Park at Kipahulu. One of the most popular trails on Maui, it packs so much of Hawaii into a single compact hike. You start at the "Seven Sacred Pools" (Oheo Gulch) which form a picturesque series of pools that flow down to lava rocks at the ocean’s edge. Hiking up this trail takes you through rainforest with guava and lilikoi (passion fruit) often present, a whimsical ancient banyan tree, multiple bridges with views of the pools and waterfalls, and a bamboo forest sometimes so dense that it appears dusk. The trail culminates upon reaching the 400-foot-tall Waimoku Falls. 

This tour requires an intermediate fitness level where you should be able to hike unassisted for 2-2.5 hours / 3.4 miles round-trip, with an elevation gain of 820 feet, on a trail that is often muddy and slippery. Swimming is not permitted at the Seven Sacred Pools or Waimoku Falls (prohibited by the National Park Service), but there are swimming opportunities at other stops on the tour.

The other key stops on this tour include:
Pua'a Ka'a State Park Waterfalls (S) (swimming opportunity)
Wai’anapanapa State Park Black Sand Beach & lava tube (S) (swimming opportunity)
Hana town (S) (lunch at local food truck, paid out-of-pocket, such as the highly rated Da Fish Shack, Pranee’s Thai Food, Hana Farms, Huli Huli Chicken, or Braddah Hutts BBQ)
Ho’okipa Beach Park (S) (up-close with turtles on beach, major surfing spot)

Beyond these stops, there may be time for other stops and photo opportunities as detailed in the Stops & Highlights list above for the standard tour, but these additional stops will be more limited and will depend on the pace of the hike and how your party communicates your interests and priorities with your guide.

Lodgings

The tour can pick up at virtually all hotels and condos, including in Lahaina, Ka'anapali, Kihei, Wailea, and elsewhere, or guests can meet at the tour starting point in Kahului. The pickup time is generally 7:30 am (hiking tour) or 8 am (standard tour), with dropoff around 5-7 pm (later time for hiking tour and West Maui dropoffs); however, feel free to note at checkout if you want an earlier pickup as early as 7 am. Please note that there is an extra cost (detailed in pricing section below) for West Maui pickups/dropoffs due to the further distance from the start of the tour (1.5+ hours round-trip, or 3 hours round-trip for the guide who is based in Central Maui). 

If you are staying in Paia, Haiku, or Upcountry (Makawao, Pukalani, Kula), it would be great if you can meet centrally in Kahului at Target (free parking) which is near the start of the tour, but if not the tour can pickup/dropoff at your lodging. For those who are staying in West Maui who prefer to meet in Central Maui (either to save the extra cost, or to have dinner or do some shopping after the tour), you can meet at Maui Tropical Plantation in Wailuku (a bit closer) or Target.

Airport

For those flying in for the day from another island, the Kahului airport is conveniently located near the natural starting point for the Road to Hana. The default time is 8 am to 5 pm (or 7:30 am to 6 pm for the hiking tour), but there is some flexibility based on your flight schedule.

Cruise Ship

The tour can pickup near the cruise ship at Maui Mall (near Whole Foods), which is a short 10 minute walk, or starting in July 2025 directly at the cruise ship. Dropoff can be directly at the cruise ship. Since it's a private tour, it should work for most cruise ships, since it can simply be customized to fit the cruise ship schedule.

For the weekly Pride of America cruise ship specifically, Sunday is the best day for a Road to Hana Tour, although Mondays may also work but would be somewhat shorter in order to get back in time for the evening ship departure. In addition to this private tour, we also offer a small group shared tour that is more economical. When that other tour is sold out on occasion, we may offer a shared version of this tour (contact us for details & pricing).

The standard private tour is $1,499 for up to 4 people and then $249/person beyond that. 
The hiking private tour is $1,599 for up to 4 people and then $269/person beyond that; the higher cost is because it tends to be about 1 hour longer and incurs admission fees for the National Park.

For those staying in West Maui (e.g., Kaanapali, Lahaina, Kapalua, Napili), there is an additional $299 cost for pickup/dropoff at your lodging, or you can avoid this by meeting in Central Maui (free parking) which is closer to the start of the Road to Hana. Pickup/dropoff from South & Central Maui lodgings (e.g., Wailea, Kihei, Maalaea, Wailuku, Kahului) are included in the price. 

For those looking for a (non-hiking) lower-priced shared tour or for larger private parties, our other Road to Hana Tour may be a better fit; it is $239/person for the shared tour, or $1,912+ for private tours (by booking at least 8 seats).

This private tour is generally on a Mercedes-Benz Metris tour van, with up-to-date availability reflected in the booking calendar. There are 6 seats -- 2 in the first row, 3 in the back row, and 1 in the front seat.

If your group is more than 4-6 people, a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter tour van with 11 seats may also be available. You can proceed with submitting your booking, including noting any backup dates, and we will let you know asap if we can confirm on the larger van, or you can contact us to doublecheck before booking. If your party is 5-6 people, please note if the Sprinter is required; otherwise, you would likely be confirmed on the Metris.

Both vans are optimized for tours, with large windows, headrests, climate control, easier entry access, etc.

• All else being equal, it is suggested to book this tour in the middle of your trip. If the first day, you risk a flight delay/cancellation impacting your arrival and missing the tour (trip insurance would be advised for these situations). If at the end of your trip, if it is cancelled due to an occasional storm or other unforeseen rare circumstance, it's less likely you could be rescheduled. 
• Sundays (and to a lesser extent Mondays) are generally busier days on the Road to Hana due to a large cruise ship in port weekly.
• Online booking for next-day tours end around 3 pm. If it's around or after this time and only tomorrow works for you, please contact us to see if it's possible.