Road to Hana from Lahaina by Mercedes van, with lunch

What the Road to Hana from Lahaina tour covers

The day begins in the dark. Kaanapali properties such as Honua Kai, Royal Lahaina, Papakea and the Westin Nanea are picked up at 5:45 a.m., the Sheraton, Westin Maui and Whaler at 5:50 a.m., Lahaina addresses including the Pioneer Inn, Plantation Inn and Lahaina Shores at 6:00 a.m. Anyone staying in Napili-Honokowai, Kahana or Kapalua meets the van outside the main entrance of Lahaina Cannery Mall, next to the Starbucks, at 6:00 a.m. The vehicle is an air-conditioned Mercedes Benz Sprinter with a maximum of 14 people, and the driver narrates the route as you go.

The road is short in miles and long in hours. The Hana Highway runs 64.4 miles over Hawaii Routes 36 and 360, through 620 curves and 59 bridges, 46 of them one lane wide, where oncoming traffic takes turns. Hawaii's tourism authority puts Hana 52 miles from Kahului and the drive at two to four hours one way, and from West Maui you cross the island before the first curve, which is why the pickup times sit before 6:00 a.m.

Stops through the day include Hookipa Beach Park for the windsurfers and the green sea turtles, Twin Falls at mile marker 2, Keanae peninsula with Aunty Sandy's banana bread stand, Upper Waikani Falls past mile marker 19, Wailua Falls from the roadside, Puaa Kaa State Wayside and an hour at Waianapanapa State Park, the black sand beach at Hana. There are swim breaks at a waterfall pool or the black sand beach when conditions allow, so pack a swimsuit, a towel and sturdy shoes; East Maui is wet, with Hana averaging 82.28 inches of rain a year and no month under 4 inches.

Lunch is picnic style: homemade sandwiches from a local deli in ham, turkey or veggie, with snacks, water, Hawaiian cane juice and pastries, and the driver picks the lunch spot based on the day. No special diets are handled, including raw, vegan and food allergies, so bring your own food if you need one. Hawaii's official tourism page encourages visitors to do this road as a permitted guided tour rather than drive it, and a 14-seat van with a chauffeur is the straightforward way to follow that advice from the Lahaina side.

The day step by step

1. Hana Highway - Road to Hana 420 min
   Seven hours of the day are spent on the Hana Highway itself, a 64.4-mile coastal route between Kahului and Hana. East of Kalepa Bridge the road continues toward Kipahulu as Hawaii Route 31, the Piilani Highway.
2. Paia
   Paia sits four miles east of Kahului on the north shore, split between Lower Paia and Paia. The sugar plantation years left the wooden storefronts that now hold galleries, small shops and restaurants; the van passes through before most of them open.
3. Ho'okipa Beach Park 15 min
   Hookipa is a windsurfing beach, and from the bluff you watch windsurfers, kiteboarders and surfers working the shoreline wind. Hawaiian green sea turtles feed along the water and rest on the sand through the day.
4. Twin Falls Maui
   Twin Falls at mile marker 2 is the first easily reached string of waterfalls and pools on the road. The gates open at 7:10 a.m. and parking is limited to 55 first-come spots, which is one reason the morning starts early.
5. Haipua'ena Falls
   A small waterfall and pool reached by an unsigned trail over a short, often muddy path. Far fewer people stop here than at the signed falls, so wear shoes you do not mind getting dirty.
6. Ke‘anae Point 20 min
   Keanae is a working Hawaiian village where taro, breadfruit and bananas are grown and pigs are hunted. The overlook takes in one of the largest taro farms in Hawaii, the lava shoreline of the peninsula and the snack stand known as Half Way to Hana, with shave ice, fresh coconut and cold drinks.
7. Aunty Sandy's banana bread stand 15 min
   Aunty Sandy Hueu started baking banana bread in Keanae in 1983, and her daughter Tammy joined the family stand in 2003. It sits left off the highway just after mile marker 16 and runs Monday to Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., with the bread coming out hot.
8. Ching's Pond
   A stream pool beside the highway bridge, framed by trees and rock. Treat it as a photo stop and stay out of the water, especially after rain.
9. Upper Waikani Falls
   Three parallel falls of different lengths, known locally as Three Bears, with the smallest on the right.
10. Wailua Falls
    Wailua Falls drops close enough to the Hana Highway to be seen from the van, so the stop here is short.
11. Hana Lava Tubes
    Lava tubes formed when surface flows cooled and insulated the lava still moving underneath, carrying it miles toward the sea. Most have since collapsed; Kaeleku Cave is the largest accessible lava tube left on Maui.
12. Hana Bay
    Hana Beach Park lies inside Hana Bay, with a long black-sand beach, a coral reef across the mouth and a curve that keeps the big swells out. The water here is the calmest on the East Maui coast.
13. Wai'anapanapa State Park 60 min
    An hour at Maui's black sand beach, with cobalt water, black basalt coastline, sea stacks and blow holes, plus a hala forest and a stone arch behind the bay. The park is open daily 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and reservations are required for both entry and parking, released 30 days ahead at midnight Hawaii Standard Time.
14. Pua'a Ka'a State Park 40 min
    Five acres of small waterfalls and pools with restrooms, and the falls are a short walk from the parking area. The water is cold; wear your swimsuit under your clothes and carry a towel and a dry change.
15. Upper Waikani Falls
    The same three falls seen from just past mile marker 19, on the mauka or mountain side of the highway.
16. Wailua Valley State Wayside Park 10 min
    A 1.5-acre pull-in just past the Keanae peninsula, looking over Keanae Valley, the Koolau Gap and the Wailua taro fields. Many of the kalo patches below are ancient and some are still worked, and the valley holds rare native fish and plants.
17. Keanae Valley lookout
    A short stop for the inland view over valley and ridge, with no roofs or power lines in the frame.
18. Honomanu 5 min
    A pullout just past Kaumahina with a view down onto Honomanu Bay and back toward the Keanae peninsula. The view from the wayside park up the road is the better one of the two.
19. Kaumahina State Wayside Park
    A 7.8-acre forest rest stop 28.3 miles east of Kahului and 22.4 miles west of Hana, with restrooms and a northeast-coast viewpoint. There is no drinking water here, so fill up before you leave the van.
20. Rainbow eucalyptus grove 5 min
    Rainbow eucalyptus sheds patches of bark through the year, leaving green, blue, purple, orange and maroon down the trunk. The trees can reach 200 feet.

What is included

Meeting point and pickup

• Meeting point: Pickup time 6:00 a.m. at Lahaina Cannery Mall, 1221 Honoapiilani Hwy, Lahaina, HI 96761, waiting outside by the main entrance next to the Starbucks; 6:30 a.m. at the Maalaea Park and Ride, N Kihei Rd / HI-30, Wailuku, HI 96793, at the corner of Highway 30 and Highway 310; 6:40 a.m. at the Kahului Park and Ride, along the long concrete wall with a single row of parking facing Highway 380, west of Highway 311 just before Kahului. Parking at all three meeting points is at no charge.
• Pickup: if your resort, hotel or condo is not listed, contact the operator's office for pickup arrangements. Guests in Napili-Honokowai, Kahana and Kapalua meet at the Lahaina Cannery Mall main entrance by the Starbucks at 6:00 a.m.; guests in Wailuku meet at the Maalaea Park and Ride at 6:30 a.m.; guests in Paia, Makawao and Kula meet at the Kahului Park and Ride at 6:40 a.m.
• Hotel pickup times: Honua Kai Resort & Spa, Ka'anapali Alii, Ka'anapali Beach Club, Ka'anapali Royal, Aston Ka'anapali Shores, Ka'anapali Villas, Maui Eldorado Resort, Papakea Resort, Royal Lahaina Resort, Westin Nanea Ocean Villas and both towers of the Westin Ka'anapali Ocean Resort Villas at 5:45 a.m.; Ka'anapali Beach Hotel at 5:50 a.m.; Marriott Resort & Ocean Club, Sheraton Maui, Westin Maui and the Whaler on Ka'anapali Beach at 5:50 a.m.; Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa and Hyatt Residences Club at 5:55 a.m.; Aina Nalu Lahaina Resort, Lahaina Shores Beach Resort, Pioneer Inn and Plantation Inn at 6:00 a.m.; Wailea and Kihei at 6:00 a.m.; Sugar Beach Resort at 6:35 a.m.; Marriott Courtyard at 6:40 a.m. Guests on the Pride of America meet at Maui Mall Village at Center Tower, across the street from the ship.
• Ages: child 0–17, adult 18+

Other ways to do the Road to Hana from Lahaina

Four options on this site work for West Maui guests. The Lahaina day trip at $230 runs 7 to 11 hours and is the lower starting price with a West Maui pickup. The Full-Circle reverse tour, from $350 over 8 to 10 hours, drives the route in the opposite direction from West Maui. The Small-Group Road to Hana Luxury Tour, from $385 over 10 hours, has individual leather captain's chairs, a Hawaii State Certified driver and guide, a lunch choice made at checkout and pickup at resorts, condos, harbours and private residences.

Tour details from the operator's listing, checked 22 October 2026. Prices and times can change; the booking page has the current ones.

More ways to plan your visit

Waianapanapa black sand beach

Waianapanapa black sand beach

The stops in order

The stops in order

What to pack for the day

What to pack for the day