One week itinerary in Maui, Hawaii

Aloha my friends! Are you thinking about leaving the stressful and busy city life, and going to the valleys and beaches of Maui for a few days? Let’s see what you can do in Maui for a one week vacation!

Summary

Day 1

  • Mai Poina Beach Park

Day 2

  • Road to Hana

    • Twin falls

Day 3

  • Black sand beach

  • Ke Ala Loa O Maui/Piilani Trail

  • Haleakalā National Park

    • Makahiku Falls

    • Banyan Tree

    • Bamboo forest

    • Waimoku Falls

    • ʻOheʻo Gulch

Day 4

  • Red sand beach

  • Wailua Falls

Day 5

  • Road from Hana

Day 6

  • Whale watching

  • Snorkeling


Day 1

Mai Poina Beach Park

If you are flying in from the mainland, it is likely you will arrive on the island in the afternoon. After checking into the hotel/airbnb, and treating yourself with a delicious meal, you can visit some beaches near you and watch the sunset there. We went to Mai Poina Beach Park, and the sunset there was stunning.



Where to stay

We stayed at Ritz-Carlton for one night. The resort has its own private beach, golf course, tennis court, and tons of amenities. 



Day 2

Road to Hana

Road to Hana is a 52 mile long highway that goes from Kahului (airport) to a town named Hana on the east side of the island. The road is very winding and narrow. Some bridges along it are one lane only. It is recommended to only do the road to Hana during the daylight, since it can be dangerous driving on it in the dark. 

Twin falls

While you are on the road to Hana, there are many waterfalls, beach parks, and lookouts that you can stop by. Check out this post about Top 15 Places to Stop on the Road To Hana.  We visited many but my personal favorite was Twin Falls. The waterfall itself is very nice, but also the ground is an incredible pattern that almost looks like a columnar basalt formation.



Day 3

Black sand beach

When we visited Maui, we camped at the Black sand beach in Waiʻanapanapa State Park. The sand is black there because the beach was formed by volcanic materials and lava fragments. 


The next morning, we watched the sunrise from the beach.


  


Ke Ala Loa O Maui/Piilani Trail

Afterwards, we hiked the Piilani Trail from the black sand beach. It is a 3 mile round trip with 200 feet elevation gain. The view along the trail is stunning:



Haleakalā National Park

There are volcanic landscapes and rain forests in Haleakalā National Park. From the parking lot, we hiked north along Pīpīwai Trail. Here is a list of things you will see along the trail.

Makahiku Falls

With a 0.5 mile hike, you can get to Makahiku Falls. It is a 200 feet waterfall, though the view from the trail is not entirely clear as you can see in the picture below. 



Banyan Tree

This giant tree is a historical landmark. 



Bamboo forest

At some point, the trail will become a bamboo forest. It is an incredible experience walking within this forest. You will hear sounds of bamboo hitting each other like a rustling, clicking sound that comes from everywhere around you. No other kind of forest has anything like it.


Waimoku Falls

At the end of the trail, you will see a big waterfall named Waimoku Falls.



ʻOheʻo Gulch

On the way back, we went to ʻOheʻo Gulch. It is a scenic spot where you can see a two section waterfall, and it’s also really fun to watch the river run off directly into the sea, and the ocean waves pushing back and intermixing with the river water.


Day 4

Red sand beach

Red sand beach (Kaihalulu Beach) is one of the most beautiful beaches in Maui. It's made of  rust-red lava cinder cliffs that is rich in iron, which gives it a lovely red color. 


The sand on the beach is actually pretty hard on the feet. If you are going inside the water, it is a good idea to wear some water shoes.

Wailua Falls

This waterfall has a pond at the bottom.



Day 5

Road from Hana

On the way back from Hana to Kahului, if there are any spots you missed while doing the road to Hana drive, here is your chance to stop and take a look at them.

Day 6

Whale watching

If you are in Maui between January to March, it will be the ideal time for whale watching.

 


If you are lucky, you might even see some dolphins on your tour. We were fortunate enough to see a large shoal of spinner dolphins.


Snorkeling

We went to Black Rock Beach for snorkeling. There are many corals and fishes there, we even caught a glimpse of a green turtle. 



I hope you will enjoy your trip to Maui. Stay safe. Take a deep breath and be kind to yourself.



Check out the itineraries for other Hawaiian islands:

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