5 Things to Do and Not Do in Maui
Explore Iao Valley State Monument. Honestly, this is such a beautiful state park with so many trails and nooks to discover. Plan to walk the 113 stairs to the Iao Needle Overlook. This is a popular walking trail which gets pretty busy during the day, but the lookout is worth the stop. If you have time, try to hike the Waihe’e Ridge trail or Wailuku Heights Cross trails as well. Both lead to scenic overlooks of Wailuku.
Do not forget to bring your swimsuit to Iao Valley State Park! Do not make my mistake and forget your towel! I did not realize that Iao Valley had multiple swimming holes. The valley has 4 major streams that flow through this area. I suggest when you walk down the steps, take a slight left and follow an upward trail that leads to the top of the stream. There is an area that is pretty deep for actually swimming instead of wading.
Take a Helicopter Tour. This was a crazy experience and the views from above were insane! I did my tour with Blue Hawaiian and the process was extremely straightforward. Masks are required the entire time and temperature checks are conducted before entering the premises. Once on site, you go through your safety training and then you head on your flight! I did the West Maui and Molokai tour. This tour was great because not only were you greeted with amazing scenery, but you were taught tons of cool facts about all the different islands.
Do not wear bright clothes in the helicopter. Please do not be like the man that sat in front of me and wore a bright pink shirt. Seriously, when they say to wear dark clothing, you should wear dark clothing. If not, then your clothes will reflect off the window and will ruin your photos.
Drive the Road to Hana. There are no words to describe the Road to Hana; you really have to experience it at least once. The total trip took about 10 hours, and that includes all of my stops there and back. Let me add, I am a big foodie, so I stopped quite a few times at the food stands. I even stopped at a handful of beaches and hiked a few of the trails along the way. If you venture on the Road to Hana, I recommend the following stops:
Waikamou Ridge Trail
Nahiku café
Koki Beach
Wailua Falls
Pipiwai Hiking Trail
Do not do another activity in town! I made the biggest mistake by over extending myself on this trip. Most of the guides say it takes about 3 hours to reach Hana, so I miscalculated my overall travel time. Instead of being able to take my time and explore more vendors on the return trip, I was attempting to rush back to Ka’anapali for a tour. The return trip with no stops took about 3 hours.
Do try as much food as possible. Maui is the prime spot to find the freshest fish! Which means easy access to some of the best poke! Before arriving in Maui, I searched on Instagram and Yelp to find hidden gem restaurants in town. People usually tag their food pictures, so this makes finding food spots easy!
My favorite spot I found was Like Poke! It is a food truck in Kahului. The poke comes in many styles, including a cooked version for those not a fan of raw fish. If poke is not your thing, this specific lot is filled with multiple food truck vendors. The infamous Geste Shrimp is also located here as well!
Do not just eat at franchise spots, support local restaurants. Although, some of the franchise spots like McDonald’s and Jollibee have unique menus, don’t spend time here. Put your money toward local food stands instead. You can find fresh fruit and banana bread on most of the side roads. So pull over and support local businesses instead!
Do spend time on the beach. Maui has some of the most gorgeous beaches. I suggest going to the beaches for either sunrise or sunset. If you visit the beaches in the morning and evening, you will find them to be mostly empty. This made it really easy to socially distance.
Also, if you go to the beaches, please respect them! Don’t be the tourist who leaves a bunch of junk on the beach. Whatever you bring, be sure to take back with you as well.
Do not spend all your time on just one beach. Don’t visit the same beach repeatedly. Maui has numerous beaches, with the majority being close together. Maximize your time in Maui by really exploring the different beaches. I’ve listed some of my favorites below:
Makena Beach
Sugar Beach
Koki Beach
Ka’anapali Beach
Baby Beach
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