Hawaii Travel Guide

Best Places to Visit in Maui: Hana

Hana, Maui     

Hana is the town at the end of the fabled and spectacular “Road to Hana” (designated both as State Highway 36 along the Island’s north shore and State Highway 360 along the Island’s east shore). Hana, thought by many to reflect “Old Maui”, is beginning to change around the edges, although it remains a paradise. The town has a beautiful location and an interesting crafts marketplace.  It is also blessed with three fine beaches.  Hamoa Beach is considered one of the best on Maui, although Haihalulu Beach and the beach at Wai'anapanapa State Park (a black sand beach) are almost as spectacular.

Driving to Hana is one of the quintessential road trips in Hawaii and no one should be in a hurry to complete the drive, since the scenery along this route (and not Hana) is the main attraction. You will follow miles of curving road that hugs the shoreline, although the highway briefly heads inland every once in while.  Waterfalls, lush vegetation, towering cliffs and a beautiful ocean peek at you during a drive to Hana.  Take you time and enjoy it. Your commute to work will never look like this section of paradise.

The drive can be slower than you might like, depending on traffic and the weather. Be prepared for a narrow road, lots of curves, stops for scenic views and, sometimes, more traffic than you would expect. The trip to Hana Bay from Kahului is approximately 50 miles and should take three hours of driving plus stops and added time for traffic.

You can make the drive to Hana and the return in one day, but we recommend that you spend the night in Hana and return the next day. Hana is a popular place and room reservations are a must. For more information on Hana see this interesting site presented by the merchants of Hana  http://www.hanamaui.com/.

There are a number rental cabins at Wai'anapanapa State Park to the northwest of Hana, but they must be reserved months in advance. The reservation process is laborious, but if you are interested, information on how to run the reservation gauntlet can be found at the end of this paragraph. Just so you know, walk-ins have priority over mailed reservations, which reasonably, gives the advantage to citizens of Hawaii. Also, requests for reservations  can be made no longer than 12 months before your desired stay. Check out this site for more information: http://www.hawaii.gov/dlnr/dsp/fees.html.

Kipahulu

Ten miles south of Hana is Kipahulu , a lush valley that is part of the Haleakala National Park. If you want to experience rainforest, waterfalls, freshwater pools and native life, this is the place to visit. For more information see http://www.nps.gov/hale/pages/tier_one/planning.htm. We provide a 3D map of the Kipahulu Valley area here. (the map is approximately .4mb, so you may not want to  download the image unless your connection is broadband.)

The Kipahulu area was damaged by an earthquake in mid-October of 2006.  The eastern section of Kipahulu (the section accessed from Hana and described above) was re-opened in December 2006.  The western section of Kipahulu, including the Kaupo Trail - near Kaupo, has been closed due to the indefinite closure of Highway 31.

Kipahulu is best considered as an add-on when visiting Hana. The road connecting Hana and Kipahulu  is curvy and often wet, so exercise caution. The other alternative approach to Kipahulu, the road from the South Coast of Maui (e.g. Wailea), is unpaved in parts and extremely dangerous to drive.  As noted above, this road (Highway 31) has been closed near Kaupo and can no longer be used to access Kipahulu. Many rental car agreements prohibit the use of rental vehicles on the road from South Maui.  We advise that you do not drive this road for any reason.

What else is there to do on Maui?

The major attraction on Maui is the Haleakala National Park.  We provide details on the park, maps and scenic photographs in our section covering Haleakala.  In addition, we provide details on the remaining Best Places to Visit in Maui, here.

 

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