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Totally worth it. My mom who has used it as well has done a guided tour before on the road to hana and she said she enjoyed the shaka tour much more. The reverse tour gives you access to a lot of the more popular spots at the end of the traditional tour before they get really crowded, but expect to spend 10-13 hours to complete the tour, depending on how long you spend at each spot.

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The only draw back is that, if you like the points of interest at the start of the road going the regular way, there is a good chance that you will not have much time to enjoy them as you will be losing daylight.

I prefer the reverse way though.

BSD said:

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Has anyone done the road to Hana in reverse? Considering that for Spring Break next year.

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Sure the crowds would be better. Would be an early start to get down there from the resorts. Probably a lot more white knuckle moments on the blind turns/narrow bridges since you'll face a lot more oncoming traffic.

Ha. Thanks. I'm obviously not that smart.

I'm thinking of staying the night in Hana, too. I rushed thru the whole circle last time and have regretted it ever since. Of course, my son was 4 years old back then so anything too adventurous was out of the question. Now it's a little different. I can't go balls out with him but a 4 mile hike and swim in the Sacred Pools is doable.

We'd actually be coming from the Volcano area so that early start wouldn't be too bad. Of course, we'll be up at 3:30am anyways because of the time change. Ugh.

BSD said:

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Ha. Thanks. I'm obviously not that smart.

I'm l thinking of staying the night in Hana, too. I rushed thru the whole circle last time and have regretted it ever since. Of course, my son was 4 years old back then so anything too adventurous was out of the question. Now it's a little different. I can't go balls out with him but a 4 mile hike and swim in the Sacred Pools is doable.

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My mom has a timeshare in Kaanapali that we plan on going back to in a few years, and we plan to also book a place to stay for a night in or around Hana so we can do 2 full days there, you are absolutely right that there is far more to do than just one day if you really want to enjoy all it has to offer. I think we would also still do it in reverse as well.

I also would not consider doing that drive unless I had a good night's sleep before. It was pretty nerve wracking.

BSD said:

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Has anyone done the road to Hana in reverse? Considering that for Spring Break next year.

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The guide I hired took us in reverse. If you've never done the trip before, I'm not sure how you would be able to tell the difference.

Edited to add - as previous posters said, there is way more to do and see than a day will allow. You will run out of time. Watching the sunset with the turtles at Ho'okipa beach is a cool way to end the day, though.

No matter how good of a driver you think you are, pull over and let the locals pass you on the road to Hana.

They will ride your behind if you don't. Just get out of the way and enjoy the day, is the best course of action.


We honeymooned in Hana, so we really got to explore. Get Maui Reveled and find those hidden spots south of Hana, towards Lindbergh's grave.

Also, if you have time, find the Red Sand beach. Interesting hike over to it. Look for the bus stop behind the main hotel Travaasa. Prepare for potential bad nudity, but cool to see a red sand beach.

We just got back from a Paia & Kaanapali stay.

- Use Trilogy for Molokini/other boat cruises
- Waihee Ridge Trail is great, but recommend driving in from the east side
- Kimo's in Lahaina w/ a reservation around 5:30 will give you awesome sunset views
- Merriman's in Kapalua still my favorite restaurant on the island
- Mama's is ridiculously overpriced

so a little update. my wife and i just got from 3 days in Kauai and 4 in Maui.

this was my 2nd time to Maui.
-Road to Hana we stayed at the Travaasa for 1 night in Hana. if i had to do it over again, we would have stayed 2 nights. it is quite lovely.
-the 7 Sacred Pools are closed indefinitely
-on the last day, we did a trip around the North side of West Maui to the Olivine Pools. that was awesome. we were there during a low tide. for swimming at the pools, that is what you want because the waves from the ocean are not coming over the rocks. i hear it is extremely dangerous at high tide in fact people have died.

however, that means the Nakalele Blowhole will not be spraying.

we also did the Feast at Lele luau. when i was Maui the first time, i did the Old Lahaina Luau.
1) Feast at Lele has far superior food. 2) you get your own table 3) the show at Old Lahaina is far superior

Kauai was just incredible all the way around. we stayed at a condo in Princeville and spent most of our time on the West side and evenings in Hanalei. Bar Acuda was very good.
The highway to the Napali Coast was open to locals only. it should open for everyone the first week of June.

Honestly a guided tour for the road to Hana sounds great. We drove it, and by "we" I mean me, so I saw hardly anything because it's a pretty curvy road. I actually got a headache driving it. We went down some beaten paths and found a local pizza place. We also did the Garden of Eden Arboretum, which gave you some great photo ops and a chance to get out and stretch your legs.

We did the Old Lahaina Luau, the dancing was really cool, I thought the food was very overrated, but the scenery and pictures we got there are still up in our home so it is worth it. The drinks were awesome. I can't not recommend it, just know the food to me wasn't impressive and I'm not hard to please.

The one thing we didn't do was go to Halekala, and with your wife pregnant, may need to see how you can view that. My wife and I passed while the rest of the family went, and we regret it now. Our family did the bike tour thing.

We enjoyed the Bamboo Forest hike on the mountain side. Swimming hole at the end of it, and the walk was shaded and cool the whole time due to the bamboo ends at a waterfall/swimming hole.

The Seven Sacred Pools at Ohe'o was also very refreshing.

And recommendations on guided tours for Road to Hana?

Furlock Bones said:

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-the 7 Sacred Pools are closed indefinitely

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Oh no. That's one of the main reasons I want to go back. I didn't have a lot of time there so I was planning on staying in Hana and hitting the pools early the next morning.

Furlock Bones said:

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Bar Acuda was very good.

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I love that place. I've always had a great meal there. Dinner there followed by a walk along the bay is a perfect evening for me.

k20dub said:

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And recommendations on guided tours for Road to Hana?

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We used Maui Easy Riders. They were outstanding, and I've I've recommended them to two other people who were equally pleased. They have a website, but you have to call to book the Road to Hana. Guy named Billy is the owner/operator. He will call you back.

https://www.mauieasyriders.com

k20dub said:

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And recommendations on guided tours for Road to Hana?

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i wouldn't do a guided tour. just download the Maui revealed app or get the book and do it yourself. (or one of the other apps available).

BSD said:

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Furlock Bones said:

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-the 7 Sacred Pools are closed indefinitely

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Oh no. That's one of the main reasons I want to go back. I didn't have a lot of time there so I was planning on staying in Hana and hitting the pools early the next morning.

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yea, there's no timeline but i'm guessing they will be open soon.

definitely stay in Hana at the Travaasa. it's a wonderfully relaxing hotel. hike down to the Red Sand Beach.

we booked the Feast at Lele since Old Lahaina was booked through mid-july.

Did you make a reservation for Haleakala?

https://www.nps.gov/hale/planyourvisit/sunrise-and-sunset.htm

AggieOO said:

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we booked the Feast at Lele since Old Lahaina was booked through mid-july.

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as mentioned above, the food is quite good at Lele. the show is weaker than others. however, it is still good.

the photographer that was there does a good job. go over early and take pics with the sun up and get back inline when the sun starts setting.

also, you don't need to pay to park. if you get to Lahaina around 5, you can park in the free lot or on the road. it says 3 hours, but don't worry about it. that's just so people don't park there literally all day.

you can grab a drink at Pacific'O and enjoy the view or walk to the Lahaina shops.

lil99chris said:

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Did you make a reservation for Haleakala?

https://www.nps.gov/hale/planyourvisit/sunrise-and-sunset.htm

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as noted on the first page, yes!

Furlock Bones said:

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AggieOO said:

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we booked the Feast at Lele since Old Lahaina was booked through mid-july.

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as mentioned above, the food is quite good at Lele. the show is weaker than others. however, it is still good.

the photographer that was there does a good job. go over early and take pics with the sun up and get back inline when the sun starts setting.

also, you don't need to pay to park. if you get to Lahaina around 5, you can park in the free lot or on the road. it says 3 hours, but don't worry about it. that's just so people don't park there literally all day.

you can grab a drink at Pacific'O and enjoy the view or walk to the Lahaina shops.

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we'll have nothing to compare it to, so sure it'll be great.

Bump. Headed to Maui in a week. Any other recommendations?

Hit up the wine palette for sure, best food and wine I had while there. Do the road to Hana yourself around the entire island, was the funnest part, when youre done you will be by the winery so stop by for a drink of their pineapple wine. Can't imagine doing that in a tour unless you're old as dirt and can't see well.