Like I said before.. the cliché is true! Hawaii is the actual dream everyone says it is. A few weeks ago I wrote about Oahu tips & this week I’m giving you The Perfect Guide to The Road to Hana in Maui!

M a u i

Maui seems to be the most popular & well known of all the Hawaiian islands. It has world famous red & black sand beaches, Haleakala National Park, and the most tropical/luscious travel activity I have ever done.

At the end of this blog I will have prep tips for Maui for what to do prior to arriving there (including an awesome & very needed app that shares the logistics of reaching the places I mention!) So if you actually go, make sure to read that part!

OKAY NOW THE FUN STUFF.

If you only have two days on Maui…

The Road to Hana is the adventure you are looking for. This long, winding road takes about 2 hours to drive down (if you don’t stop) to reach the city of Hana. On the drive there are numerous world-renowned spots to stop at and enjoy including: waterfalls, hikes, beaches & more. Of all the travel research I did I found most people said you could do The Road to Hana in 1 day. I strongly feel you need 2 days if you want to enjoy it! (Everything I mention below, I did in 2 days).

Keep reading & I will share all the best locations to stop at on The Road to Hana! There are so many stops & you don’t want to waste time at the lame ones!

P I A B O W L S

The first rec I have for you is beginning your day eating at Pia Bowls (@paiabowls).

If you like açaí bowls & just good food in your body then stop here! I got my açaí bowl with coconut, bananas, cocoa nibs , & peanut butter. Literally SO GOOD. They also have a blue colored açaí bowl that looked adorable & I wish I got after seeing others with them.

After a bit of driving you will come to your first beach called Hookipa Park! It was simple, yet beautiful & it is where many extreme surfers come to ride the massive waves that accompany this beach. Just sit & watch, it is quite amazing.

 I wish we would have spent more time at this beach but we were not sure what was ahead. It is the only normal sand colored beach on this adventure. I would stay & just relax a bit on this beach as your first stop because you won’t be seeing another beach for a bit!

The next 2 stops are both beautiful arboretums.

 The Garden of Eden Arboretum has a tremendous amount of plant life, special tress & amazing views like The Keopuka Rock Overlook pictured above. It is $15 to enter & certainly worth it. It also has a far viewing of a waterfall you can’t spot from the other arboretum, so I would suggest spending the $ if you can.

Just a few miles down the road is The Ke’anae Arboretum. It is much more rustic than the last. You don’t have to pay to get in & instead of a guided area like the Garden of Eden, it is more of a small hike through vegetation & gardens.

It is right off The Road to Hana & so small I almost missed it (even with the app telling me where it was!) It took about 40 minutes to walk through and back. There wasn’t an official ending point, but you just run into a smaller field growing certain plants & know to turn back.

This place is quiet, gorgeous, and full of lush green plants & amazing Eucalyptus Trees you cannot miss because they look like they are from a Dr. Seuss book! These same trees were at the Garden of Eden, but these ones here at Ke’anae were prettier to me. Larger & more colorful. Make the stop!

Right after the Ke’anae Arboretum listen to the app & take the left to see the Ke’anae Peninsula.  A short drive down this peninsula brings you to some beautiful, black pinnacles formed from Haleakala’s lava. There is even a church made out of the rocks which is pretty awesome. The light blue colors of the water against the black rock are truly gorgeous.

This is not a place, but at some point you are going to get hungry along The Road to Hana! That is why it is important that you bring some cash money because there are a zillion little stands you will pass & not a lot of them take cards.

Pineapple is sold at most stands & about a quarter of the stands have Banana Bread! Make sure you eat & try both! I have seriously never had a better pineapple OR chocolate chip banana bread in my life. Plus it was cool to buy a pineapple whole & watch someone cut it up right in front of you. Can you get any fresher than that?!?

Wai’anapanapa State Park is another MUST.

This is a black sand beach & the contrast of the lime green foliage against the sand is unlike any other beach you’ll ever see. Don’t miss this stopping point or I will personally make fun of you for making it all the way to Maui & not seeing it. Just go.

Kaihalulu Beach (red sand) is where you should head next! AND this was my #1 fav stop!

This was a very difficult beach to find. If you cannot find it, locals will not help you! This is not because they are rude, but simply because they want to keep this beach a hidden, less populated beach. It is more their respect for the island then it is them not wanting to help you.

When I reached the beach I understood why. There were maybe 15 people there & the beach was absolutely perfect. It seemed so loved, uninhabited, and untouched; incredibly refreshing & so different from any other beach I had visited thus far on any island in Hawaii. Again the colors of the red sand and bright blue water are unreal. I stayed at this stop the longest.

 Note – this is also a nude beach. So be warned! There were only a handful of people there who were actually nude, but still it will throw you off a bit if you have never been to one before. I personally wore a swimsuit the entire time. Truly, no one cares what you do.

Also, people will say the hike to get there is dangerous. I did not think so in the least. Maybe it is because I have hiked more unsafe trails before, but basically there are just a few drop offs on the way. No running & you’ll be fine.

 If you are going to Maui & want to know how to get here DM me on my insta @tori_churchill & I will let you know. Out of respect, I don’t want to publish something taking away from the beach’s quiet, kept beauty.

Wailua Falls Bridge is your next stop. *This is not to be confused with THE Wailua Falls on a different island (Kauai) shown in the opening scene of an older TV show (Fantasy Island).*

Wailua Falls Bridge is an 80 foot waterfall & it will be on your right while passing a one way bridge. Many people parked their car off to the left after crossing the bridge (there are only like 10 parking spots) & then looked at it from the bridge.

BUT!… to the right of the bridge you can jump down, over a few rocks, so you can get as close as possible & see the view of the waterfall from the bottom. It makes for a bit more of an adventure & a cute pic!

The Pools of ‘Ohe’o were absolutely gorgeous. We only had time to run through the main area of the pools, but saw this view in under 30 minutes. If you have the time I would suggest doing the Pipiwai Trail to see Waimoku Falls. It is 4 mile hike round trip. It is full of rain forest, bamboo, & why many people do The Road to Hana in the first place!

Now. Most people will travel all the way down The Road to Hana & at this point will turn around to drive back in the same day. Why?

PREP for THE ROAD TO HANA

People do this because there are not many places to stay in Hana & actually not much to do when you get there!

It is also not recommended you travel past the city of Hana because of the road conditions. Like I said, the road is not just windy, but also small, full of potholes, & at many times turns into a one-way street. At these one-way streets you have to literally stop to let others going the opposite direction through. Oh, & the road gets worse as you pass Hana!

Another reason is that most rental car agreements on the island do not cover driving past the city of Hana! So if you are going to keep going like I did, make sure to check that rental car agreement.

Many people rented mustangs & lower to the ground cars. If you are going down The Road to Hana, then do not do that! I would go with renting a Jeep or something that can handle rough roads better!

One very important thing to do before arrival… make sure you download an app to help guide you on this road. Yes, this road is that complicated & you need an app to guide you.

The one I downloaded for like $6 works with no service! There are many, but I got the one called Gypsy Guide (Hana). Trust me spend this extra $$$ on the app.

This is needed because most people do not have service on The Road to Hana & as you begin your journey you may get lost or have a hard time finding the secret gems along the road.

Literally, I would have paid  $50 for this app because it was that helpful & I would have missed so many beautiful things without it.

Lastly, I would start on the road EARLY. Like, as early as possible. When the sun gets up, you should be going because once sunset hits there is nothing to do… so spend your time living during the daylight!

If you decide to journey on like I did & pass Hana…

The scenery is stunning. On your right there will be long fields just below the famous Haleakala Volcano, and on your left the ocean & cliffs. Such a beautiful drive.

I chose this route because if you want to visit Haleakala National Park it is a much much shorter drive to get there from the back end if you are already in Hana.

Hard to explain, but Maui has a main road which is in the shape of a massive circle. There are no shortcuts. So if you do not go past Hana using the back-roads, then you have to back track The Road to Hand & then drive the rest of the circle to Haleakala taking 4-5 hours instead of 2.

Haleakala National Park is a dormant volcano that is 10,000 feet tall & incredibly breathtaking. This is also a must. We went for sunset, but a lot of people go for sunrise bike tour. Leaving your accommodations around 3 am allows you to see the sunrise & then bike down the Volcano ending around noon (+ it is a few hundred dollars & you need reservations in advance).

If you want a more economical choice, do the sunset! & don’t forget to wear extremely warm clothes. I wore gloves & a face guard & was still cold.

If you do sunset, you can wait until sundown & watch the stars. The stars I saw on top of this volcano beat “the best starts I have ever seen” when I was in Namibia, Africa in the middle of the desert (my 1st ever blog post if you keep scrolling down!) Yeah. Felt God’s presence so strongly when looking up at those stars on top of Haleakala. Memory for life.

Again, the temperate will drop about 40 degrees so be prepared! Also, I would bring a dinner because you will probs be hungry by then. Dinner under the starts? Yes, plz.

When I flew into Maui I booked an Airbnb in Paia (a city near where The Road To Hana begins) for the 1st night & the following night at an Airbnb in Hana (where it ends, obviously). This was perfect because like I said, I did not have to travel backwards on the road.

If you are jumping around places like I did, then pick a car that is good for security along the road as well. The quaintly, unkept road to Hana calls for, like I said, something like a Jeep! But you also want a car that is secure if you have all your things because many people will steal from your car on the road. So lock your car & get ready for the best road you will ever travel on.

I hope you’ve loved This Perfect Guide to The Road to Hana & it saves you a few hours of research! The Road to Hana & Maui were a dream & a place I would recommend to anyone wanting an adventure.

If you have any questions about The Road to Hana OR any other Maui related questions, DM me on insta @ tori_churchill & check out my other post Hawaii Tips *Oahu* for all things Oahu!

X O X O

– D O L L