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Travel guide
Maui
6 days · 8 things to do
Best time to go: April to June, September to October
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Welcome
Maui, in a few days
The second island of the Hawaiian archipelago is made of two volcanoes joined by an isthmus: Haleakalā, whose summit rises above 3,000 metres, and the West Maui Mountains, carved into green valleys. Between them, the Road to Hana follows the jungle of the north-east coast, while the beaches of the south and west look out over the humpback whales that come to give birth from December to April.
- Day by day
- D1 Day 1 1 thing
- D2 Day 2 2 things
- D3 Day 3 1 thing
- D4 Day 4 1 thing
- D5 Day 5 2 things
- D6 Day 6 1 thing
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
The trip
Day by day
Map of the sights (numbers follow the suggested order). It prints with the base map.
D1
Day 1
1 thing to do · at your own pace
- All day · Road to Hana free · a full day104 km of hairpin bends and mostly one-lane bridges through bamboo and rainbow eucalyptus, stopping at Twin Falls, the taro fields of Keʻanae and roadside banana bread stands.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Mana Kai Maui ↗ · All places to stay by budget →€330 a night
D2
Day 2
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Waiʻānapanapa State Park · about 1 h 30A seaside state park just before Hana, with the black lava sand of Pāʻina Kai beach, lava tubes, sea arches and a coastal path along the ancient King's Highway.
- Afternoon · Pīpīwai Trail · 2 to 3 hA 6.4 km return hike in the Kīpahulu district, past a giant banyan and the 56-metre Makahiku Falls, through a creaking bamboo forest to the 120-metre Waimoku Falls.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Mana Kai Maui ↗€330 a night
D3
Day 3
1 thing to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Sunrise at Haleakalā · half a dayFrom the 3,055-metre summit, the sun rises out of a sea of clouds above an 11 km rust-and-ash crater, before the Sliding Sands trail leads down among silverswords and nēnē geese.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Mana Kai Maui ↗€330 a night
D4
Day 4
1 thing to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Mākena Beach · half a dayOneloa, the Big Beach, over a kilometre of golden sand with no buildings in sight, closed by the Puʻu Olaʻi cone, with a powerful shorebreak and sunsets facing Kahoʻolawe.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Mana Kai Maui ↗€330 a night
D5
Day 5
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Molokini · half a dayA half-sunken crescent-shaped crater 4 km off the south coast, a marine reserve where over 200 fish species swim in water often clear beyond 30 metres, usually followed by Turtle Town.
- Late afternoon · ʻĪao Valley · about 1 hA deep, cloud-wrapped valley in the West Maui Mountains, where the green ʻĪao Needle rises 366 metres and Kamehameha I crushed Maui's army in the battle of 1790.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Mana Kai Maui ↗€330 a night
D6
Day 6
1 thing to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Kaʻanapali Beach free · half a dayFive kilometres of hotel-lined sand facing Lānaʻi and Molokaʻi, with snorkelling among turtles at Black Rock, where a diver lights torches and leaps into the sea every evening.
Before you go
Worth sorting before you go
📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
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Good to know
Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Burgers and barbecue: brisket and ribs cooked low and slow, done differently in every state.
- Clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl: the classic lunch on the San Francisco waterfront.
- Mexican food: tacos from a truck in Los Angeles, a Mission burrito in San Francisco.
- Pancakes and weekend brunch: a national habit, generous to the point of excess.
- Craft beer, and California wine from Napa and Sonoma.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Tipping is not optional: add 15 to 20% in restaurants and bars.
- Prices on menus and in shops exclude sales tax, which is added at the till.
- Do not plan more than four or five hours of driving a day: the distances are larger than they look on the map.
- Never travel without health insurance. A night in hospital can cost thousands of dollars.
- In summer, do not hike down into the Grand Canyon in the heat of the day: the climb back out is where people get into trouble.
Getting by
Words that help
🗣️ English is the main language here, so there is nothing to learn by heart.
The essentials
The practical page
CurrencyUS dollar (USD, $)
BudgetAbout €275 a day, mid-range
Best seasonApril to June, September to October
PlugA/B · 120V
Tap waterSafe to drink
Tipping15 to 20%, expected
Emergency911
EntryUK, Australian and most EU passports need an ESTA, applied for online before departure, for stays of up to 90 days; a few EU countries sit outside the Visa Waiver Program and need a full visa. Canadians need neither, only a passport. Anyone who has been to Cuba since January 2021 cannot use an ESTA and must apply for a visa.
HealthNo vaccination required. Keep tetanus, diphtheria and polio up to date; hepatitis A is worth considering if you eat well off the tourist trail. In the desert parks, the heat is the real risk.
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https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/maui
Don't forget
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.