Ultimate 7-Day Itinerary: Explore The Best Of Maui, Hawaii
Experience a 7-Day Maui adventure with stunning beaches, wildlife, and more. Explore the Island’s charm, climb a volcano, drive the Road to Hana, go whale watching, and savor the sunsets!
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Day 1: Arrive and Settle In
You will most likely arrive at the Kahului airport, where you can pick up a rental car. There is a free trolly that will take you from the main terminal to the car rental area. Make sure to take a moment and breathe in the tropical air. If you are renting a car from the airport, I recommend stopping at Costco or one of the big box stores to stock up on some groceries as they are all a short five-minute drive from the airport. I highly recommend staying in Kihei given its central location, budget friendly accommodations, and amazing beaches. No matter where you are staying, it will likely take 30-45 minutes to drive there from the airport. Once you’ve settled in, go for a walk on the beach and take in your first Hawaiian sunset. Aloha Maui.
Day 2: Beach Day and Aquarium
Depending on where you are staying, find a beach nearby and spend the morning swimming, snorkeling and exploring. If your vacation rental doesn’t come with all the beach necessities (chairs, umbrellas, boogie boards, and snorkels), they can be rented from several shops that line the beaches in Kihei.
Head to the aquarium 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, so be sure to check the schedule for what’s on the day of your visit. Located just past Kihei in Wailuku, the Centre is open from 9 am- 5 pm daily. Tickets range from $40-$50/person. If you are looking for something a little more low-key, visit the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary instead. The 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. Located on South Kihei Road, the Centre is open from 9:30 am- 2:30 pm Mon-Fri. Either way, make sure to stop for a shave ice treat on the way home at one of the local stands.
Day 3: Iao Valley and Haleakal?
You can break these two stops into two parts and go home for a rest and swim in between or set out and see both on a longer afternoon and evening. Visit the Iao Valley State Monument in the Iao Valley in central Maui (about a 30-minute drive from Kihei). 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. 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 a few minutes down the road as you leave. It is a beautiful garden honouring the different cultures found on Maui.
Drive to Haleakal? National Park (about a 90-minute drive from either Iao Valley or Kihei). Reservations are required to enter the park for sunrise between 3 am and 7 am but I would suggest arriving later in the day and spending the afternoon or staying into the evening to watch the sunset. 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. There are two information centres with washrooms, one as you enter the park and one at the 10,000-foot 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 sun set.
Day 4: Turtle Town and Wailea
Whether you are checking out the turtles on the beach or are hoping to snorkel 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. If your kids are a little older you might enjoy a snorkelling trip out to Molokini Crater. These trips leave from the Kihei Boat Ramp each morning. We visited Maluaka Beach to see turtles but the water wasn’t clear enough, we ended up having the best luck seeing them in the ocean at the Kamaole Beaches. If you are heading out near Wailea, you can check out The Shops at Wailea. There are free activities daily for the family from ukulele lessons to lei making, weaving and more. 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. Be sure not to park on the lava or you may end up with a flat tire.
Day 5: Paia and the 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 at the Flatbread Company 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 want 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. Bring some cash for the farm stands along the way and sample some banana bread and other local treats. Our favourite snack stop was 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 for Maui.
Day 6: A Whale of a Day
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. We saw over 20 humpbacks on our tour and listened to the whales singing in the ocean with a hydrophone.
If you are on an early morning tour stop for a snack at the Cinnamon Roll Place on your way. You will find a lineup as soon as they open at 6 am but it moves fast, and you won’t be disappointed. If you need a bigger breakfast after your whale watching head over to Nalu’s South Shore Grill. I’m still dreaming about their furikake-flavoured house potatoes. If you haven’t already been to the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, have a walk through their free Visitor Centre. If you have small children, bring your swim gear and snorkels and swim with the fish and turtles in the shallow Hawaiian fishpond just in front of the Centre.
Head to Secret Beach for a spectacular last sunset on Maui.
Day 7: Snorkel, Surf or Swim Before Heading Home
Many flights leave later in the day or evening so you should have time to do something in the morning before packing up and heading home. Whether this is simply heading back to your favourite beach for a swim and snorkel or getting up early to take a surf lesson or rent a board at Cove Beach Park.
Do-Overs
Above are my suggestions on what to do in Maui if you have 7 days with the family. It likely won’t feel like quite enough time to see everything but you can certainly hit a lot of the highlights. On both our visits we stayed for 10-11 days, and this felt like a great amount of time to truly sink in and enjoy the island. For our extra few days, we found some new beaches to explore.
Hemolele ‘Perfect’ To Teach is to Love To Learn is to Respect by Sculptor Franz Herbich
See Experienced It for our family’s favourite things to do on Maui and Good Eats for our favourite restaurants and treats.
