5 Best Things To Do in Maui

1. Road to Hana – this is a must do when you’re on Maui. Keep in mind this adventure is an entire day of exploring so make sure you plan accordingly, start early, bring lots of waters and food. You’ll also want to wear a bathing suit, bring towels and wear shoes for strenuous terrains.
   
   The best way to experience the Road to Hana is to start through what is called the backside, do this with a local or schedule a Tour with Dana from the Magic of Maui Experience. This will save you time and give you a more nourishing experience that you can thoroughly enjoy.
   
   These roads are very curvy and can be dangerous if you’ve never driven this road before, theres only one way in and one way out accompanied by 59 1 lane bridges. I highly encouraged you to do this with a local it gives you an opportunity to explore secret spots that you won’t be able to find on your own and they can’t be disclosed in this blog post.

Things to stop and see along the way

• Bamboo Forest
• Twin Falls 
• Mile marker 10 waterfall
• Kaenae Peninsula
• Pua’a Falls ( Mile marker 22)
• Wai’anapanapa State Park (black sand beach) you need a reservation and there is now an entrance fee
• Ohe’o Gulch “Seven Sacred Pools”

2. ‘Iao Valley State Park – this state park is another MUST see when you’re on Maui. It’s by far one of my favorite places to trek out into. These mountains are completely impassable by humans. The ‘Iao Valley is the second wettest place in Hawai’i (the wettest is on Kauai and its also unofficially the wettest place on earth.) The summit of the valley sees an average of over an inch of rain PER DAY.

These views are accessible through hiking trails. You’ll see the path off to the left when you arrive at the ‘Iao Needle lookout spot. The trails are very muddy so make sure you have appropriate shoes, they are lush with greenery and changing scenery throughout the trail accompanied by an abundance of guava trees that provide you with some delicious snacks along the way if they’re in season and going off.

The main attraction here is the ‘Iao Needle (kuka’emoku) which is a 1200′ high peak created by erosion of the softer rock around it over many millennia. In the Hawaiian culture, it is known as the phallic stone of the god of the ocean (Kanaloa.)

This valley is very sacred and offers such a peaceful and relaxing energy when you visit. The valley was forbidden (kapu) to all but Hawaiian royalty. The sheer, inaccessible cliffs in ‘Iao Valley were used as a burial site for Hawai’i royalty (ali’i) for centuries.

If you choose to visit this Valley please respect the land (‘Aina) and leave no trace as you would with any sacred site or hiking trail you choose to trek along. When your done if you take the paved trail and go down the stairs to the bottom it will lead you to a stream that is very soothing and relaxing and you can wash off all the mud from your hike.

3. Haleakala National Park – Do you like Sunsets? This is by far one of the top 10 things to do in Maui. If you do this is by far the best place to watch a sunset whilst above the clouds at an elevation of 10,023ft. It’s Truly an experience of a life time.

I recommend sunset over sunrise. Sunrise you need to make a reservation and it’s very crowded. When you go during sunset there is less people. You will pay a $30 fee to enter the National Park.

It takes on average about 2 hours to drive to the top of the summit of Haleakala. With that said, make sure you use your time management accordingly depending on where you are coming from on the Island. It is imperative you make sure you have enough gas and bring food/ water with you because there is no where to get any of these things out there.

Dress Warm, the summit can be absolutely FREEZING depending on the time of year and even in the summer months is still VERY COLD. Wear long pants, long sleeves, closed toed shoes and socks. I encourage you to bring a blanket to sit on as the summit is mostly rock.

If you’re super adventurous and want to do something really fun book a bike tour down Haleakala with Maui Easy Riders it’s such a fun and epic experience. The bike ride is a total of 26 miles down the mountain and you do almost no peddling! How cool is that?

4. Nakalele Point Blowhole – Have you ever seen a Blowhole before? This was my first ever blowhole experience and let me tell you nature is AMAZING.

Nakalele Point is a land mass on the eastern edge of the Northern tip of the Island of Maui. The point is obviously known for its blowhole. To access this viewpoint you park on the side of the road, there is small wooden sign that indicated blowhole this way. It’s about a 1.25 mile roundtrip hike and its a lot rocky terrain down to the view point so be careful and wear appropriate shoes.

The best time to see the blowhole is during high tide because the water is higher and allows for more of it to flow through and blow up through the hole. It’s also more dangerous, so make sure you observe the waves. When you go here please DO NOT get close to the blowhole you can be sucked inside and die it is very dangerous and it has happened before. Never stand between the blowhole and the ocean and don’t turn your back to the waves.

The blowhole effect is much like that of a geyser, a hole in the ground with a jet of water shooting periodically into the air. Some jets can approach 50+ feet and if you’re close enough you can sometimes feel the ground tremble.

At the bottom you’ll begin to get some previews of the “Acid War Zone” and many breathtaking and dramatic views of the ocean and coast. The “Acid War Zone” is an impressive sight. The name aptly describes it as a barren landscape where boulders have been severely pock-marked, sculpted, perched precariously and otherwise eroded by countless years of salt water spray.

5. Paraglide Maui- If you’re a thrill seeker and you love exhilarating experiences this is for you! The views are absolutely STUNNING.

Paraglide Maui is located in Kula, Hawaii. They offer both a Tandem experience and solo lessons. The tandem experience for the big flight is highly recommended. This is their most popular tandem flight. The price for this experience is $295 and well worth every penny.

You drive from the Landing Zone 20 minutes up the side of Mount Haleakala through the Haleakala Watershed Preserve forest to the Ferns launch at 6500′ elevation.  From launch you have spectacular views of Maui’s central valley bordered by ocean on either side as well as the islands of Lanai and sometimes Molokai in the distance.  The flight time is approximately 12 minutes with a 3000′ decent back to the Landing Zone.