Maui Activities and Tours

There are many  sights and beauty to behold in Maui, and there are just as many companies who take you there.  You have countless opportunites to see Maui on land, air, and sea.  You can fly a helicopter deep into the depths of the West Maui Mountains, hike into the Haleakala crater, or sail along the beautiful coast while sipping on a Pina Colada.

The following sections will give you an overview of the types of tours available on Maui, and link you to the companies that offer them.  I strongly recommend checking out the official websites that we have linked to in order to discover what activities you are interested in, and then checking out our Discounts & Bargains page, as you can usually find a better price through one of the countless activity and tour brokers on the island.

This page lists activities and tours that require minimal physical activity.  If hiking, biking, paragliding, caving, or snorkeling are more your speed, check out our Sports & Recreation page for all the info!

Helicopter and Fixed Wing Tours

The most fantastic way to see the rugged landscape of Maui is by helicopter.  The pilots can take you places that would take you days, even weeks to get to on foot, places where no roads exist and some that have never been explored.  You can get close-up views of waterfalls, dash through valleys, take glorious photographs, and take back the memory of a lifetime.

Most of the helicopters on Maui are A-Stars, carrying six passengers.  The A-Stars are air-conditioned, with 180° windows for great views.  They are the newest and fastest choppers out there, so they get you to the good stuff fast.  The down side is that the passengers in the middle don't get as good of picture-taking opportunites and their view is sometimes obstructed.  Also, while the windows provide good visibility, they also provide a lot of sun glare, making photography difficult at best.  An alternative to alleviate this problem is the in-flight video system, which records your flight on a video, complete with narration, for you to take home.  Most of the helicopter companies offer this option, usually for around $20.

Alexair boasts the only two-way communication system on Maui, allowing you to talk back and forth with the pilot during the tour and ask questions, and  Blue Hawaiian is the only company on Maui to fly the brand-new EC-130B4 Eco-Star, the latest and greatest chopper on the tourist scene.

Fixed-wing tours are also available, if a helicopter makes you skittish.  Pacific Wings, Paragon Air, and Active Volcano Air Tours all offer service on Maui and to the neighboring islands as well.  If you want to see all the islands from the air, rather than just Maui, fixed-air tours may be for you.  The price is also around $50pp less than a helicopter tour.

Sunset/Dinner Cruises

There's no better way to see Maui than from the deck of a luxury catamaran, getting a tan or sipping on an after-dinner cocktail.  The jagged coastline and fantastic backdrop of the West Maui mountains are breathtaking.  When we took a boat out to our dive sites, humpback whales breached near the boat, dolphins swam off the bow, leaping and spinning, and flying fish fluttered alongside.  Rainbows encompassed the mountains, while the waves crashed into the beaches until the sun set over the ocean, sending pink, magenta, and orange lights blazing throughout the sky. 

A sunset sail can be very romantic, while a booze cruise can stir up a quite a party.  You can sip champagne from the deck of a sailboat, or dance and dine on a luxury ship.  The Windjammer is even a 70-foot 3-masted old-time schooner, providing a pirate ship feel.  Any way you slice it, there's nothing like sailing the waters of Maui.  See our Sports & Recreation page for information on whale watching or snorkeling cruises.

Check out the links below to read about the cruises offered on Maui, but we recommend that you visit our Discounts & Bargains page before making any reservations.  You'll probably find the cruise your looking for at a fraction of the price.

Maui Land Tours

From the towering peak of the dormant volcano Haleakala to the awe-inspiring beauty of the Hana Road, these guides will take you there, narrating and often serving lunch.  There are tours to meet all needs from bus tours to limousines.  Guides of Maui offers private individual tours, while Roberts Hawaii takes the tour bus approach.  Either way, it's nice to have someone there to tell you about what you're seeing, and to drive so you don't have to!

One of the most popular tours on Maui take you to the top of Haleakala to see one of the most spectacular sunrises on earth.  We rose at 3:30AM to get up there, but when we arrived, the day was overcast, and though the sunrise was still beautiful, it wasn't what it was cracked up to be.  If you're going to check this out, and we highly encourage you to do so, make sure to check your weather forecast first.

The Hana Road is another very popular option.  The road to Hana is a breathtaking jaunt along the North coast of Maui, winding through hairpin curves over countless 1-lane bridges, all the while surrounded by fantastic topography, lush tropical forests, endless waterfalls and scenic vistas.  It'll take you most of the day, but it is truly one of the most beautiful drives anywhere.

The following links will take you to the official websites of the tour companies, allowing you to check out what tours are offered and a bit about the companies themselves.  Once you've chosen a candidate, check out our Discounts & Bargains page, where you can often find great deals on the activity you choose.