7-day Maui road trip itinerary: fall in love with Hawaii

In this 7-day itinerary for Maui, you'll learn about:

• How to Avoid Traffic Jams on the Road to Hana.
• What to avoid if you want to watch the sunrise over Haleakala without your fingers freezing.
• Where to find the best snorkeling beaches in the southern part of the island.

And much more…

This itinerary is the second part of our trip to Hawaii in late November 2016, during which we visited the islands of Kauai and Maui, in that order.

Since it was the off-season (late fall), the weather wasn't exactly on our side (to put it mildly). However, as you'll see below, we made the most of our 7-day stay in Maui.

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Day 1: Arrival and trip to Hana

After spending 9 unforgettable days on Kauai, we took a direct flight with Hawaiian Airlines. In less than an hour, we had already taken off and landed.

The first thing that surprised us was that the airport in Maui was quite a bit bigger than the one in Kauai—and, as a result, so was the line to pick up our car at Dollar. 🙂

They gave us a Chevy Spark without a trunk lid, so we had to complain, and they replaced it with another car of the same model without any problems.

Paia

Around 11:30–12:00, we headed to Paia, a lively little coastal town where we would begin our tour.

But first, we made a quick stop at the Mana Foods supermarket, which offers organic products and freshly prepared hot meals. What a treat!

Now then; once we're loaded up with food for three days…

On the Way to Hana

Around 1:00–2:00 p.m., we began our outbound journey along the famous Road to Hana:

1. We parked at the lookout point at Ho’okipa Beach Park and ate our delicious hot meal inside the car because it was raining. There was a hot dog and hamburger truck right there, in case you’d rather go straight there, although I wouldn’t have traded it for my serving of roasted vegetables, rice, and curry tofu.
2. We're heading to the beach to get a closer look at the green sea turtles sleeping and resting on the sand. Please remember to keep a safe distance. 🙂
3. We continue on the Road to Hana with hardly any traffic (3:00–4:00 p.m.) and came across waterfalls and centuries-old trees around every bend in the road.
4. We are looking for the Ke’anae Arboretum, but we drove past the entrance and decided to continue on to Wai’anapanapa Black Sand Beach. I’ve never seen such a spectacular contrast of colors as in this park.
5. We arrived in Hana at sunset. We took a walk down to its small harbor, and to make the most of the “lanai” or terrace at our Airbnb (“Relaxing Oceanfront Getaway in Hana”), we stopped by the Hasegawa General Store to pick up some beers.

Day 2: Pipiway Trail and O’hoe Gulch

After a hearty homemade breakfast with ocean views at our Airbnb in Hana, we set off for Kipahulu Valley, located within the Haleakala National Park, to visit the 7 sacred pools of O’hoe Gulch and the Pipiway Trail.

O’hoe Gulch

Since we arrived so early, we were able to enjoy the park almost all to ourselves.

We paid the $20 entrance fee (valid for the entire Haleakala National Park for 3 days) and started by walking the short loop trail with views of the seven sacred pools.

At that time, access to the beach was closed due to torrential rains and landslides, a restriction that remains in effect today (March 2018). However, the postcard-perfect view of this river flowing into the Pacific alone makes it worth a visit.

Pipiway Trail

Next, we set out on the Pipiway Trail, which we were unable to complete all the way to Waimoku Falls due to landslides at the end of the trail.

But, given the beauty of the rest of the route, we're sure we'll return to this little corner of paradise on earth:

• An enchanted forest of twisted tree trunks.
• Rushing waterfalls.
• Makahiku Falls (beautiful).
• A huge bayano tree —it's almost unbelievable.
• Several bridges crossing the river.
• A forest—no, a bamboo jungle.

Tip: Keep mosquito repellent lotion handy.

Koki Beach

Around noon, just as the trail was starting to fill up with tourists, we headed for the nearest beaches, eager to wash off the mud that was caked to our legs.

First, we tried to park near Hamoa Beach, which is suitable for swimmers. However, we couldn't find a parking spot. So we continued down the road to Koki Beach, a beautiful spot suitable only for experienced surfers, but with fewer cars.

After a short walk along the beach, we went back to visit the Black Sand Beach:

• One last look at those otherworldly colors.
• Play for a while with the spray from the blowholes or blowholes along the coast.
• Make the fleeing mongooses run away.

What more could you ask for?

And finally, we had a delicious pad thai ( bought from the Ae’s Thai Kitchen food truck) on the “lanai” of our Airbnb in Hana as the sun set. This is the life!

Day 3: Road to Hana, the Return Trip

After breakfast, we began our journey back Road from Hana.

Ke’anae Arboretum

At that time of the morning, there was almost no traffic. So we arrived at Ke’anae Arboretum (this time, we actually saw the entrance).

We only made it as far as the rainbow eucalyptus trees, which were our destination. The entire route looked promising, but the mosquitoes were all over us (despite the repellent), and we were tired from the day before.

Ho’okipa Beach Park

After slowly unwrapping the Road from Hana, stopping at every waterfall and feeling infinitely glad that we’d taken the trip at an off-peak time (the opposite lane was jam-packed with traffic), we arrived at Ho’okipa Beach Park around noon.

And there, sitting on the sand, while the green sea turtles rested a few meters away from us, we ate our sandwiches and enjoyed the view.

Wailea

Of course, we stopped by Mana Foods in Paia again before continuing on to our next lodging, a small studio at the Grand Champions Condos in Wailea, in southeastern Maui.

Tip: If you're following this same route, the cheapest gas station we found was Tesoro (marked on the map at the end of this post). It operates on a prepaid basis—you can't fill up your tank—but the price difference makes it worth it.

And to finish up, we drove down to the nearest beach (5 minutes): Ulua Beach. From there, we took a long, leisurely walk north, easily crossing from one beach to the next across the sand.

Bare feet cooling off at the water's edge and the sun casting reddish hues as it set…

If there is such a thing as " happy exhaustion " (the curves of the Road to Hana are demanding), this is it.

Day 4: Humpback Whales and Snorkeling

Whale Watching

The next morning, we got up very early to arrive on time at the port of Maʻalaea, where our tour with the Pacific Whales Foundation was departing from.

If you want to know all the details about the excursion, I’ll tell you about them in the post I wrote a few weeks ago about our whale-watching experience off the coast of Maui.

However, if you're looking for a summary:

Two humpback whales, with half their bodies protruding above the water's surface, were seen near the stern of the boat 15 minutes after setting sail.

It wasn't peak season yet; it was cold and very windy. It happened so fast that we didn't manage to capture the moment, and after that we only saw the upper part of its back and a dorsal fin…

But, however fleeting it may have been, what a sight!

Snorkeling at Wailea Beach

Afterward, we returned home tired and with symptoms of heat exhaustion (despite the clouds and bad weather).

We decided to eat inside the studio, on the shared “lanai.” However, the owner of the apartments (ours and the one next door) showed up to clean the other apartment… terrace included! She didn’t even let us finish our lunch in peace. In my opinion, she showed very little consideration for her “tenants”—that is, us. 🙂

That said, when he finally left, a cheeky multicolored lizard brightened up the rest of our meal as it lapped up the crumbs that had fallen on the floor.

And finally, we spent the afternoon at Wailea Beach snorkeling, enjoying the sun, and watching the sunset.

Day 5: Haleakala (Take 1)

The sun doesn't rise over Haleakala

This adventure began in the early morning, when the neighbors arrived shouting and waking up the entire building.

And it can't be said that the situation improved much as the day went on…

• Want to have a good laugh with the full version?
  • Here's our experience at Haleakala.
• Would you prefer a bland summary?
  • It wasn't even dawn, and we didn't see the summit of Haleakala.
  • But we had more than our share of cold weather and frostbite on our fingers.

Snorkeling at Palauea Beach

With our tails between our legs, we returned to our studio in Waimea, warmed ourselves up a bit with liter-sized mugs of tea and coffee, and spent some time enjoying the company of our colorful lizards (a little pair) on the lanai.

After that, we stopped by Maui Dive Shop to rent a couple of snorkeling sets (the ones we had at home were really bad) and headed to Palauea Beach.

And here, the ocean, the underwater life, and the warmth of the sun washed away all the bad feelings the morning had left us with.

Well… There were a few scares… My mask fell into the water and I couldn't find it… Thank goodness my very own Superman-Photographer grabbed it before the current swept it away. 🙂

The icing on the cake?

4 matrimonios por el rito hawaiano a orillas de la playa durante una puesta de sol para el recuerdo. <3

Day 6: Moana

I don't know if I've mentioned this before… We didn't have much luck with the weather in Maui.

Snorkeling? Guess again.

Originally, we were going to spend this day relaxing on the beach while snorkeling among the coral and turtles south of Maui.

However, the day dawned gray and rainy. We headed to Chang’s Beach, even though we really didn’t feel like going in the water in that kind of weather.

So we returned the snorkeling gear, and, when the weather’s bad… movie afternoon!

Moana in 3D

I know that the reviews of this movie (known as Moana in Europe) aren't very positive, but you have to keep in mind:

• We're big fans of Pixar.
• We had the 3D option, which always helps.
• We saw *Moana* on the island of Mauiitself… where better?

The result: We loved it.

We left the movie theater singing and dancing to “Shiny!” and “You're Welcome!”Thescreaming chicken and the killer coconuts were also hilarious… I still can't help but smile when I think back on certain scenes.

And, to top it all off, a sunset at Kamaole Beach Park III (where we happened to be at that time). 🙂

Day 7: Haleakala (Take 2)

Shall we do it again?

Ready for the second part of how not to watch the sunrise over Haleakala?

If you'd rather have a summary, here it is:

• We didn't get that cold, because we learned from our mistakes.
• We didn't see Haleakala, the sunrise, or pickles.

Of course, this time we drove back down the road to the tune of “You’re Welcome” from Moana.

Snorkeling at Poolanelane Beach

The exhaustion from getting up so early, combined with the disappointment of not having been able to see Haleakala and the fact that our trip was coming to an end, left us feeling a bit listless.

Instead of renting diving gear again, I fixed up the masks we had at home as best I could, and we took them with us to Poolanelane Beach.

And… surprise!

The best snorkeling of our trip was waiting for us in southern Maui, on our last day of our Hawaii road trip.

It was amazing. I didn't want to get out of the water, no matter how tired I was.

I even swam (or rather, floated slowly) all the way to the famous Chang’s Beach, which shares a reef with the southern end of Poolanelane.

To wrap things up, we bought sushi and poke (a traditional Hawaiian dish made with spicy raw tuna) for dinner on our lanai.

Day 8: Heading to San Diego

After breakfast, we packed up and headed to the airport, where we would catch a flight to San Diego…

But that's a story for another day. 😉

Budget

During our 7-day, 7-night stay in Maui, our expenses were as follows:

• One-way flight from Kauai to Maui: €212.72 (2 tickets).
• Lodging: 940.3€ (67.2€ per person per day).
• Food: 345.8€ (24.7€ per person per day).
• Car: 227.73€ (32.5€ per day).
• Gasoline: 60.13 €.
• Haleakala National Park: 38.02€ (19.01€ per ticket for 2 people).
• Whale watching: 70€ (35€ per person).
• Snorkel rental: €17.52 (2 sets/1 day).
• 3D Movie: €25.32 (2 tickets + popcorn). 🙂

In total, the budget for a week-long road trip around Maui came to €1,934 for two people (€139 per person per day).

Our next trip

If I have the chance to return to Maui, these are the places I'd like to visit or revisit:

• Back to the Pipiway Trail to reachWaimoku Falls .
• I'll be staying in the northeastern part of the island so I can compare the beauty of snorkeling in the north and south.
• Climb to the summit of Haleakala at any time (no more sunrises—I've learned my lesson), to walk among its volcanoes.
• Go on another whale-watching excursion with the Pacific Whale Foundation, even though it’s peak season and first thing in the morning.
• Sign me up for a diving trip around the Molokoni Crater.
• Back to Chang’s Beach and swim among the coral reefs.

Videos

Here's a small sample of our experience in Maui:

• The Road to Hana in 4 Minutes.
• Snorkeling off the southeast coast of Maui.

Useful links

• International flight deals to Hawaii: Trabber, eDreams and Momondo.
• Car rentals with AlohaRent and DiscountHawaiiCarRental.
• Official website of Haleakala National Park.
• Booking deals in Maui.
• 5% discount on your IATI travel insurance.

Want to learn more about every spot I visited in Maui? Here are all the related articles:

• Guide to planning a DIY trip to Maui.
• The best snorkeling beaches in South Maui.
• Humpback whale watching off the coast of Maui.
• A nightmare before dawn at Haleakala.
• The full description of our experience at O’hoe Gulch and Pipiway Trail.
• 3 days and 2 nights exploring the Road to Hana.

And if you're considering other islands in Hawaii, don't miss:

• How to decide which Hawaiian island to visit.
• 9-day Kauai road trip, step by step.
• Practical guide to organizing your own trip to Kauai.
• Waimea Canyon, the Grand Canyon of the Pacific.
• Kalalau Trail, Kauai's most demanding trek.
• Awaawapuhi Trail, the Napali Coast at your feet.
• Fly over Kauai in a helicopter… with no doors!
• Kauai's most beautiful beaches: what are you in the mood for today?
• Discover the Napali Coast on a luxury boat.
• Queen’s Bath, forbidden beauty in the Garden of Eden.
• Mahaulepu Trail, hiking, temples, and pristine beaches in Kauai.

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