Maui, Hawaii: 12 Beautiful Experiences with Your Family
Unlock the magic of Maui, where every moment is a symphony of culture, new tastes, adventure, and natural beauty. From the rhythmic waves of its beaches to the majestic heights of Haleakal?, and the enchanting Road to Hana, experience the essence of paradise on this island getaway.
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Haleakal? National Park
A trip up to this dormant volcano is a must-do on your visit to Maui. Reservations are required to enter the park for sunrise between 3 am and 7 am. Entrance is $10/vehicle and $5/person and your ticket is valid for three days and includes a visit to the same park just past Hana to see the pools of ‘Ohe’o Gulch. From Kihei, it takes about 90 minutes to reach the summit at 10,000ft depending on the number of stops you make on the way up. There are two information centres with washrooms, one as you enter the park and one at the summit. The centres have different operating hours; check on the hours if you want to stop for a map or hiking suggestions.
Be sure to check the weather before setting out to explore this site as the temperature drops significantly with the elevation, particularly if you are visiting for sunrise or sunset. We packed coats and toques for our sunset visit and needed them as soon as the sunset.
Road to Hana
The road to Hana starts in the town of Paia and winds its way through 620 curves along 64 miles of coastal views to Hana. It’s famous for its 59 bridges, many of which are single-lane, waterfalls, and beautiful green forests. The journey itself is the adventure with many interesting stops, viewpoints, hikes and treats along the way. Make sure to set off early if you want to make the entire trip in the daylight. We headed off by 8 am and it took us about 4 hours to reach our furthest destination for the day, Ohe’o Gulch, which is about 35 minutes past Hana. We turned around and returned on the same route, returning to Paia, where we stopped for dinner just after 5 pm.
Depending on what you plan to do for the day make sure you fill up on gas in Paia, pack a picnic lunch, and bring a towel and bathing suit if you plan to go for a swim. We forgot our bug spray and found there were some mosquitoes on the short hikes we did into the forest. Make sure to bring some cash for the farm stands along the way and sample some banana bread and other local treats. Our favourite snack stop is Aunty Sandy’s Banana Bread about halfway to Hana. We also enjoyed learning more about the area and the must-do stops with the GuideAlong driving tour of Maui.
Maui Ocean Centre
The aquarium is a great place to spend an afternoon with the family and learn about the local animals in the waters of Hawaii. When we visited they offered a fantastic program that taught us how to weave with traditional plants. Open from 9 am- 5 pm daily. Tickets range from $40-$50/child and adult. Located just past Kihei in Wailuku.
Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary
Staffed by amazing volunteers, this free Visitor Centre is a great interactive stop for families to learn all about humpback whales. Plan to spend about an hour and bring your swim gear and swim with the turtles in the Hawaiian fishpond just in front of the Centre. There is also a great deck to enjoy a picnic lunch and look for whales. Located on South Kihei Road, the Centre is open from 9:30 am- 2:30 pm Mon-Fri.
Whale Watching
If you are lucky enough to visit Maui during whale season (Jan-Mar), be sure to get out on the water and see them firsthand. We booked a 90-minute tour with Redline Rafting. We had two incredibly knowledgeable local guides who shared their love of whales with us. Tours leave from Kihei Boat Ramp and we were glad we booked the first tour of the day at 7 am, the waters were calm and it was much cooler than the heat of the day. We saw over 20 humpbacks on our tour and listened to the whales singing in the ocean with an underwater microphone.
Beaches of Maui
The majority of our time on Maui is spent at the beach and there are dozens to choose from. Whether you are looking for a great place to swim, snorkel, surf, or see the turtles the beaches are endless and a great way to spend the morning on Maui. Many of the vacation rentals include beach umbrellas, backpack chairs, coolers and snorkel gear but if not you can rent these for your stay at any of the rental shops along the beach roads.
A few of our favourite beaches include:
- Baldwin Beach in Paia is a gorgeous stretch of beach, and you can usually find turtles at the east end of the beach. It has been windy every time we have visited but I like to think of it as a free sand exfoliation.
- Ho’okipa Beach just past Paia is a great spot to watch the surfers and see all the turtles resting on the sand at the east end of the beach.
- Charley Young and the three Kamaole Beaches are great places for swimming, snorkelling, and sunsets in Kihei.
- Makena Beach is a great place to see the pounding waves and right next-door Secret Beach is a great spot to enjoy the sunset. These beaches are just past Wailea.
- Wai’anapanapa is a beautiful black sand beach just before Hana. You now need a reservation to enter this state park.
- Honolua Bay is a great protected cove for snorkelling on West Maui.
Take in the Turtles
Whether you are checking out the turtles on the beach at Ho’okipa or are lucky enough to swim with them on the south side beaches be sure to learn more about the Honu (Hawaiian green sea turtles) who can live to be 60-70 years old.
Shave Ice
Shave (no ‘d’) ice is a popular Hawaiian dessert, and no judgment if you eat it for breakfast, you’re on holiday. You will see stands, stores, and food trucks serving shave ice just about everywhere you go. We made shave ice a big part of our trip and tried the many different yummy concoctions. We had it with ice cream, served with condensed milk, tried unusual toppings from gummy bears to mochi, tasted homemade syrups, and even ate shaved fruit. A small serving, which seemed large to us, ranges in price from $6-9. We even learned about the history of shave ice at the local Sugar Museum.
Snorkelling
Maui is a fantastic place to see turtles, fish and coral while snorkelling right from the beach. Make your way towards the lava rocks and you will likely see many people giving snorkelling a try. If you are looking for something more adventurous you can take a snorkelling tour out to the popular Molokini Crater. Our family snorkelled at Ulua Beach and heard the whales singing by diving just a few feet underwater.
Iao Valley State Monument
The Iao Valley is a great stop if you are visiting central Maui. A reservation is required to enter the State Park but we were able to do this on the day of our visit after checking the weather. The cost is $10/car and $5/person. This sliver of rainforest is one of the wettest places on Maui with over 365 inches of rain each year. Plan for about an hour’s visit and make sure to bring sweaters or rain jackets. It is a short walk up a set of stairs to see the Iao Needle, check out the gardens and walk along the river. Make sure to stop at the Kepaniwai Gardens just as a few minutes down the road as you leave. It is a beautiful garden honouring the different cultures found on Maui.
La Perouse Bay
Make your way past Wailea to the end of the road on the south side of Maui and you will find La Perouse Bay (about 25 minutes from Kihei). This is the site of the last lava flow from Haleakal? and is an interesting walk on the lava rock.
O’heo Gulch and Pools
About 35 minutes by car past Hana, you will re-enter Haleakal? National Park (Kipahulu District) at the pools of Ohe’o Gulch also referred to as the seven sacred pools. This area offers a short hike to see the pools and gulch or a longer hike to see some spectacular waterfalls, including the 400-foot Waimoku Falls. It can be muddy so make sure to have good shoes and bug spray with you. Entrance fees are required but tickets are valid for three days at both Haleakal? parks so plan to do both these parks within three days.
Pro tip: Pick your favourite spot on Maui and book a Flytographer photo shoot to capture the magic of your holiday. This will be the best souvenir of your entire trip and is a great way to make sure the whole family gets to be in your holiday photos. Plus, you get to meet an amazing local photographer who can share all their favourite spots. Learn more about our first experience with Flytographer on Maui here.
