Maui Hawaii is a top vacation destination and well known for its many unique adventures including waterfalls, hikes, diving and more. Since home base for me is Arizona, most of my year is spent hiking in hot deserts with very little greenery so you can imagine staying on a lush tropical island every now and then makes me a very happy girl! Here are some of my top places to explore, stay, and eat when visiting Maui from my last trip!
Things to Do
Catch sunrise at Makena Beach
Makena Beach is separated into a big and little beach as you can see in that photo above. If you wake up early before the sun rises, you’ll most likely have the whole beach to yourself. Keep in mind, Little Beach is known to be a nude beach by many!
Also, my swimsuit is from Cupshe on Amazon and it can be found here.
Makena Beach is great for skimboarding and catching an afternoon tan. I wouldn’t recommend snorkeling here as its pretty much just sand and the shore break does get rough so be cautious!
I recommend saving your locations on an offline map. Cell service around the island is iffy, especially on the Road to Hana.
Visit the tide pools on the North Shore
It’s a quick 15 minute hike down to the Olivine Pools from the small dirt parking area. This area does get quite busy so as always, I recommend and early start if you want a pool to yourself for a while. Bring a snorkel if you want to see all the fun marine life in the pools!
NOTE: Don’t forget to bring good shoes on this trail as the rocks can be quite sharp. NO FLIP FLOPS… Also, pay attention to the tide here and don’t get too close to the edge!
Note: That last tide pool above is not accessible from the Olivine Tide pools area. It is somewhat nearby that area, however, I won’t be sharing this specific location due to the dangerous climb down ( see photo ). Use your best judgment if thinking of attempting this one.
Best sunset? Visit Secret Beach
Just down a ways from the Makena Big Beach turn off, Secret Beach Cove is my top pick for a sunset view. We were able to claim a spot early and watch the sea turtles swim up onto the beach. It’s a great spot to relax but plan on having a handful of other people around as well.
Dive with the turtles at turtle reef
There are so many wonderful diving and snorkeling spots on Maui. On this trip, we booked the Turtle Reef dive with Lahaina Divers. Turtle Reef is a 14 mile stretch along the coast of West Maui, between Honolua Bay and Ma’alaea. We got the opportunity to swim around a sunken dock, see lots of turtles, and even a white tip shark.
Drive the Road to Hana
The Road to Hana is a beautiful scenic drive on the lower east side of the Island. It is estimated to have about 600 turns along the way and the weather here does change often so if you happen to take the roof off the jeep, make sure to bring it with you! This is the wet side of the island and therefore has the majority of the waterfalls. This highway ( more like a small road ) connects Kahului to Hana.
Tim above was switching into his Vibram shoes for this trail. They just released a new version which is even better for rougher trails.
One of the more popular falls (not shown here, but very similar) is Twin Falls at the beginning of the journey. Maui Guidebook has a great post about this area and there are many falls nearby to be found by reading a topo map! This specific waterfall above is a unique Maui adventure spot that took me forever to locate. Lots of map searching, which is part of the adventure of traveling!
The above waterfall can be seen right off the road and is Maui’s Wailua Falls. There are many areas along the road to see a bunch of falls – just be careful and pull off only in designated areas.
Please be aware of the weather warnings if you are planning on hiking. You might be enjoying a waterfall under sunny skies one second and then hit with a flash flood the next.
Note: Most people drive to Hana and then back the same way they came in. There is another exit that takes you all the way around and then back up, however it is not well maintained and is a one-way lane at times. Also, it does tend to break most rental car agreements just FYI.
Enjoy a mai tai at Mama’s Fish House!
Mama’s Fish House has some amazing views of the ocean and is known for their delicious food & drinks. We got dressed up and headed out for a nice dinner here at the beginning of our trip. To check out the menu and make reservations at Mama’s Fish house, click here. I recommend making a reservation in advance of your trip if you want to get a great view of the sunset here during your stay.
Stay just steps from the beach
We stayed in a VRBO rental in Kihei for this trip and it worked out perfectly for us as its centrally located and gave us the opportunity to check out all parts of the island. Not to mention it’s right on the beach!
For more info or to book this Maui Condo rental click here.
No matter what you are into, Maui has something amazing to offer! It’s a beautiful Hawaiian Island filled with waterfalls, delicious food, friendly locals, and beautiful sandy beaches.
If you’re looking for even more Maui experiences, read my other Holiday in Maui trip post!
As always, please don’t litter! Keep these places clean for future visitors & help clean up when you can! 🙂
Unique Maui Adventures | Hawaii
- Visit Makena Beach ( Big Beach or Little Beach )
- Check out the Olivine Tide Pools
- Watch the sunset at Secret Beach
- Dive with the turtles along Turtle Reef
- Drive the Road to Hana for some amazing waterfall views
- Grab dinner and drinks at Mama’s Fish House
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