The Road to Hana from Kahului Hawaii

[Monkeygirl2]

Hi there

We are in Kahului and I am keen to take a shore excursion along the road to Hana. My husband isnt that keen and wants to stay in port but it sounds like a great day out

One of the independent tour operators say that they dont go back the same route to Kahului so their trip is more interesting? Has anyone done that or just doubled back along the same road when you get to the end?

also some of the Independent tour operators say they will drop people off at hotels and then back to the port which is a time waster for us (versus getting a ship shore excursion)

can anyone recommend a good tour operator they have taken the Road to Hana trip with or if you stayed in port what did you do or other options

 

thanks

Pam

[KeepCalmBearOn]

If I was going to do the RTH right now I'd ONLY do the cruise excursion because they are responsible to get you back on time or transport you to the next port stop. The RTH is a mess right now and likely to remain so for awhile.

 

If I stayed around Kahului, I might go to Paia, go eat in Wailuku, go to the Queen Ka'ahumanu Center and things like that. There isn't a lot to interest tourists in Kahului, but there are some.

[Monkeygirl2]

Scott, thanks for the feedback, I hadn’t considered the state of the road. our cruise line is selling this trip at a good price (better than independent operators) so Im tempted to book it however we have been lucky enough to visit Oahu, Maui and Kaui previously on cruises and taken helicopter and road trips, swam on beaches with black sand and stood under waterfalls

The ship excursion experience seems to be taking to photos from the coach and perhaps wetting your feet in the sea when we get to Hana

it does get great reviews from everyone but the photos they post look like things we have already done

Wouldnt mind a whale watching tour but not sure Feb is a good month

 

thanks again for the detail, will check out Paia also

[princeton123211]

8 hours ago, Monkeygirl2 said:

My husband isnt that keen and wants to stay in port but it sounds like a great day out

Port would not be my first choice if on Maui for the day unless you really, really like the ship a lot. 

 

8 hours ago, Monkeygirl2 said:

One of the independent tour operators say that they dont go back the same route to Kahului so their trip is more interesting? Has anyone done that or just doubled back along the same road when you get to the end?

This is more interesting-- you continue on beyond Hana and over to the south side of the island where the landscape changes from lush jungle to barren. It's very pretty and without all the vegetation the views along the mountainside and out to sea are spectacular. Definitely something worth doing if you been to Maui before and looking for something different. But be warned it is an entire day. I would take a tour that goes all the way around anyday over one that double backs. 

 

8 hours ago, Monkeygirl2 said:

can anyone recommend a good tour operator they have taken the Road to Hana trip with or if you stayed in port what did you do or other options

My personal preference when we do the Hana road is to rent a car and drive ourselves-- allows us to stop (or not stop) where we want. 

 

18 minutes ago, Monkeygirl2 said:

Wouldnt mind a whale watching tour but not sure Feb is a good month

Feb is an excellent month for whale watching-- you are right in the middle of the whale season. 

[93yearsyoung]

2 hours ago, Monkeygirl2 said:

Wouldnt mind a whale watching tour but not sure Feb is a good month

 

February is one of the best months for whales. I'd book one of the Zodiac tours over a bigger boat.

[Silver Sweethearts]

18 hours ago, Monkeygirl2 said:

Hi there

We are in Kahului and I am keen to take a shore excursion along the road to Hana. My husband isnt that keen and wants to stay in port but it sounds like a great day out

One of the independent tour operators say that they dont go back the same route to Kahului so their trip is more interesting? Has anyone done that or just doubled back along the same road when you get to the end?

 

If your husband isn't keen about going as far as Hana, he is going to be even less thrilled to continue on and not backtrack because that means you'll be spending a good ten hours looking out your car windows.  It ties up far too much of the short time you have on Maui.

[Monkeygirl2]

So true, dont need a grumpy husband, having a rethink of RTH

[BermudaBound2014]

In February you really should do whale watching. It's amazing! I go out at least once a week January-March and it's different each time and in the dozens of trips I have been fortunate to be on, I have always had sightings. It's my most favorite hobby.

 

I recommend taking a boat from Maa'laea Harbor instead of Lahaina since you are going to be on the Kahului side of the island. No need to fight the traffic (or worry about traffic jams) getting to/from Lahaina with lots of choices right out of Maalaea. It's a 20 minute ride from the port. You can easily spend all day there visiting the Ocean Center (there is an amazing 3D humpback video albeit short). Shopping and happy hours can also be found right in the harbor. Uber getting there should work but I'd set up an uber for the return via the app. to make sure you can get a ride. Or if you are adventurous you can take the Maui Bus for $2 ($1senior). It's reliable and ontime. Pick up from Queen Kaahumanu is probably closest to the port. 

 

Pacific Whale and Trilogy both run whale watches from Maalaea harbor. I've been on both and they are good solid outfits. There are others but I have no personal experience.  Heck, that time of year you can even do one of the snorkeling tours to Molokini and be nearly certain to spot whales. 

 

If you do end up on RTH I would not recommend the full circle tour. The back side is a bit sketchy and the scenery really changes from lush to dry. It's still pretty, but I don't think your husband would appreciate the back side of Hana. BTW: You likely won't be stepping your foot in any beach in Hana, but you will likely get a stop at Waianapanapa Beach (black sand beach) where you can get your toes wet. Hana isn't a destination, it's the turn around point. :).

 

Enjoy your time in Maui. I'm counting down the days until I return. 

[Monkeygirl2]

Thanks for that detail, much appreciated and food for thought. We are in Honolulu the following day (we leave Maui 2359hrs and arrive Honolulu 0700) - do you think we will see whales early in the morning on our way

 

Im excited about the whale watching, we have a full day in port so will make the most of it

 

finally, the ship runs a 4hr Haleakala at Sunset excursion - have you done that? Sunset is around 1830hrs so thinking of squeezing that in too

 

[CruiserBruce]

There are some whales all around the Hawaiian islands. However,  by far, the greatest concentration is off west and southern Maui. Next best area is off Kona. But Maui is the best.

[princeton123211]

2 hours ago, Monkeygirl2 said:

We are in Honolulu the following day (we leave Maui 2359hrs and arrive Honolulu 0700) - do you think we will see whales early in the morning on our way

 

Im excited about the whale watching, we have a full day in port so will make the most of it

You may see some in the distance but as CruiserBruce says, no where near how many, and how how close, you can see them in Maui. Lahaina Roads, the water between Maui, Molokai, and Lanai, is a bottleneck for whales mating and giving birth and in seasons you can literally just sit there and watch them breach all day. 

 

2 hours ago, Monkeygirl2 said:

finally, the ship runs a 4hr Haleakala at Sunset excursion - have you done that? Sunset is around 1830hrs so thinking of squeezing that in too

Haleakala and a whale watch is a very full day that doesn't allow for anything else on the island. I would pick one and then go to a beach or grab a nice meal and relax with the remainder of your time. Having done both numerous times the whale watch would be my recommendation. Haleakala is a lot of time crammed onto a bus when it's done in an excursion format. It's slightly more tolerable when you are driving yourself up there. 

[Monkeygirl2]

Thanks guys, great advice. Pacific Whale looks the business and a good deal

[philv]

On 8/25/2022 at 5:28 AM, scottca075 said:

If I was going to do the RTH right now I'd ONLY do the cruise excursion because they are responsible to get you back on time or transport you to the next port stop. The RTH is a mess right now and likely to remain so for awhile.

Hi scottca075, We are renting a car at the airport on Maui Sept 25 and were planning on doing RTH. You mentioned the RTH is a mess right now, can you explain further?

[KeepCalmBearOn]

9 minutes ago, philv said:

Hi scottca075, We are renting a car at the airport on Maui Sept 25 and were planning on doing RTH. You mentioned the RTH is a mess right now, can you explain further?

 

There are massive congestion problems, no place to pull over legally, roads and bridges damaged by two years of flash floods, local resentment that has led to damaged rental cars (windows broken, tires flattened) and more.

 

You cannot predict how long a trip all the way to Hana and back will take and all bets are really off if it rains.

[victoriaj]

Those planning to rent car and do RTH need to check whether extra insurance required or even allowed.

[phabric]

Thinking April or November for a cruise, would we be able to see whales if we book an excursion?

[princeton123211]

4 minutes ago, phabric said:

Thinking April or November for a cruise, would we be able to see whales if we book an excursion?

You are on the bookends of what is considered peak whale season-- a lot of sources will say its November to May but really the best whale watching is mid December through mid March. You'll most likely see some in November, especially if you are sailing towards the end of the month, but not in the concentrations you'll see them even a few weeks later. In April you'll see stragglers/sicker/older whales that haven't started the trip back up north yet, again in much lower concentrations. 

[KeepCalmBearOn]

9 hours ago, phabric said:

Thinking April or November for a cruise, would we be able to see whales if we book an excursion?

 

A topic from the Maui Forum of TripAdvisor, CruiseCritic's parent company.

 

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g29220-i86-k14110923-First_Whales_Seen_South_and_West_Sept_14_2022-Maui_Hawaii.html

[BermudaBound2014]

22 hours ago, scottca075 said:

 

A topic from the Maui Forum of TripAdvisor, CruiseCritic's parent company.

 

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g29220-i86-k14110923-First_Whales_Seen_South_and_West_Sept_14_2022-Maui_Hawaii.html

 

This is likely a curious juvenal; although whales are arriving earlier each year due to the temperature of the ocean rising. Let's hope this is solo flyer or else this could actually be a very bad sign 😞