Road to Hana Private Tour

[vacation44]

We are a group of ten and are interested hiring a private van for our group.  Does anyone have a recommendation or suggestions?  We will be arriving on The Pride of America.

[princeton123211]

7 hours ago, vacation44 said:

Does anyone have a recommendation or suggestions?  We will be arriving on The Pride of America.

There are a number of private companies that do offer them but the issue you might have is a lot of them are up to 6 passengers (they operate with minivans, large SUVs and sometimes Jeeps which seat even fewer people). Roberts is a major tour operator and had larger minibuses that could accommodate 10 but they were still not running on the Hana road when I checked last. They would be my first call if you were looking to have everyone on the same vehicle. 

 

Honestly I would just rent two cars and caravan out-- you'll see more and it will cost A LOT less. You can download an audio guide like Shaka or Gypsy (my personal favorite) and get to hear about everything. 

[vacation44]

25 minutes ago, princeton123211 said:

There are a number of private companies that do offer them but the issue you might have is a lot of them are up to 6 passengers (they operate with minivans, large SUVs and sometimes Jeeps which seat even fewer people). Roberts is a major tour operator and had larger minibuses that could accommodate 10 but they were still not running on the Hana road when I checked last. They would be my first call if you were looking to have everyone on the same vehicle. 

 

Honestly I would just rent two cars and caravan out-- you'll see more and it will cost A LOT less. You can download an audio guide like Shaka or Gypsy (my personal favorite) and get to hear about everything. 

Thank you for your suggestions.   Since our trip is not until next March, hopefully Roberts will then be available.  I will keep on checking.   

 

Regarding renting our own vehicles, I really want everyone in our party to enjoy the views and I am concerned the drivers will not be "keeping their eyes on the road".   

[princeton123211]

50 minutes ago, vacation44 said:

Regarding renting our own vehicles, I really want everyone in our party to enjoy the views and I am concerned the drivers will not be "keeping their eyes on the road". 

I've driven it a bunch and you still see quite a bit as the driver (not to mention that its a fun road to actually drive). You could try switching up drivers-- one drives out and the other drives back (assuming you turn around in Hana and retrace your route like most folks do). Driving all the way around past Hana is fun but you would most likely be hard pressed to do it on a port visit in terms of time. 

 

Doing it on your own I feel like you just see more and can more easily customize what you want to do. The GPS tour apps read along as you drive so you don't miss anything. 

[vacation44]

On 4/13/2022 at 3:41 PM, princeton123211 said:

I've driven it a bunch and you still see quite a bit as the driver (not to mention that its a fun road to actually drive). You could try switching up drivers-- one drives out and the other drives back (assuming you turn around in Hana and retrace your route like most folks do). Driving all the way around past Hana is fun but you would most likely be hard pressed to do it on a port visit in terms of time. 

 

Doing it on your own I feel like you just see more and can more easily customize what you want to do. The GPS tour apps read along as you drive so you don't miss anything. 

Just wanted to thank you again for your suggestions.   After do more research and pricing out rental cars, I think we are going to rent our own in Maui and Hilo and do our own excursions now.   It really is  cost effective and you can create your own timeline of events.    The NCL excursions are ridiculously expensive even with the discounts offered ($50 and latitudes discount).

[princeton123211]

6 minutes ago, vacation44 said:

After do more research and pricing out rental cars, I think we are going to rent our own in Maui and Hilo and do our own excursions now.   It really is  cost effective and you can create your own timeline of events.

I think you've made a wise choice-- you will make some folks on the ship jealous when you get back later that day. 

 

Give yourself as much time as you can-- skip breakfast on the ship and grab coffee and something to eat in Paia which will be the first town you come to as you set off. Theres a great little market called Mana's for food on the go or a bunch of restaurants for something more. 

 

Some folks turn around in Hana itself-- if you have the time I would drive past town a bit and turn back at the pools at Kipahulu where there is a large parking lot and National Park Service station. Worth a look and you can see a bunch of waterfalls along the way and while there. 

[vacation44]

13 minutes ago, princeton123211 said:

I think you've made a wise choice-- you will make some folks on the ship jealous when you get back later that day. 

 

Give yourself as much time as you can-- skip breakfast on the ship and grab coffee and something to eat in Paia which will be the first town you come to as you set off. Theres a great little market called Mana's for food on the go or a bunch of restaurants for something more. 

 

Some folks turn around in Hana itself-- if you have the time I would drive past town a bit and turn back at the pools at Kipahulu where there is a large parking lot and National Park Service station. Worth a look and you can see a bunch of waterfalls along the way and while there. 

I think so too.   

 

We are in a suite so most likely I will have breakfast delivered to our cabin bright and early as we are very early risers.    But our two young adult children will probably want to stop for more local food options.    

 

Have you ever done the bike tour?   We are interested in the one where you go at your own pace and can stop whenever you want.  

[princeton123211]

1 hour ago, vacation44 said:

Have you ever done the bike tour?   We are interested in the one where you go at your own pace and can stop whenever you want.  

Not sure which bike tour you are talking about. The one that starts at the top of Haleakala?

 

There aren't many bikes on the Hana Road-- it would be a major safety issue with the way cars go around sharp corners and narrow roads etc. 

[vacation44]

1 minute ago, princeton123211 said:

Not sure which bike tour you are talking about. The one that starts at the top of Haleakala?

 

Yes, that one.

[Silver Sweethearts]

7 hours ago, vacation44 said:

Have you ever done the bike tour?   We are interested in the one where you go at your own pace and can stop whenever you want.  

 

Bike tours on Maui are not for novice riders, no matter how great it sounds.  Potential riders should be well familiar with bikes and have the stamina and talent to handle one.  The route they follow is public roadway, and you share it with vehicles who sometimes aren't that patient in slowing for and passing bicycles.  Unfortunately, there have been many accidents and deaths.  It is not the fun it seems.  We would avoid it.

 

[princeton123211]

19 hours ago, vacation44 said:

Yes, that one.

And you have one day in Maui as a port call? The reason I ask is that it will be a one or the other-- either do the Haleakala bike tour or the road to Hana. 

 

The bike tour itself starts very early in the morning-- I think we were up there around 5am for the sunrise so not sure if it will line up with your ships schedule anyway. You then basically glide down the volcano on a bike. 

 

If it's between the two of them I would definitely do the Hana road as a first timer-- its not even a toss up. 

[vacation44]

5 hours ago, princeton123211 said:

And you have one day in Maui as a port call? The reason I ask is that it will be a one or the other-- either do the Haleakala bike tour or the road to Hana. 

 

The bike tour itself starts very early in the morning-- I think we were up there around 5am for the sunrise so not sure if it will line up with your ships schedule anyway. You then basically glide down the volcano on a bike. 

 

If it's between the two of them I would definitely do the Hana road as a first timer-- its not even a toss up. 

We are docked in Maui for two days and are most likely doing the excursion on our own and not through the ship.  

 

Did you enjoy the bike ride and would you recommend it?   

[BermudaBound2014]

Personally, I would not recommend the bike ride down Haleakala. IMO, It is unsafe. I just drove to the top of Haleakala a few days ago and bikes in the roadway are a hazard to both the cars and bicyclists. There have been documented fatalities. Normally I'm all for this type of tour; We've biked down a mountain in Flam and several in the Rockies, all of which were significantly safer than the bike ride down Haleakala. There is some legislation in the works to prohibit/limit this tour.

https://www.mauinews.com/news/local-news/2021/11/as-complaints-mount-county-looks-to-regulate-bike-tours/

 

Currently the Road to Hana is flooded and people are highly discouraged from driving it. This happens periodically. Always check the weather before heading out. Also, if it's black on the mountain, it will likely be wet on RTH. It will be good to have your own car so that you can pivot plans should the need arise. 

 

I also agree it is worth it to drive past Hana to the lower entrance to Haleakala National Park. The PipiWai Trailhead is here. Give yourself a good 2 hours for the hike but it is one of my more favorite on the island. I'd pick this hike over biking down Haleakala in a New York Minute. Even if you don't do the Pipiwai trail, there is a short easy trail that loops around for you to see the 7 sacred pools. Your park pass ($30) is good for 3 days, so be sure to save the receipt so you can go to the top of Haleakala on your second day. 

 

Hope I've added something of value. Enjoy your time on Maui!! 

 

[princeton123211]

On 4/16/2022 at 4:57 PM, vacation44 said:

Did you enjoy the bike ride and would you recommend it? 

No, it's a bit of a death trap in my mind. Cars, busses, you name it going both ways.
 

Keep the rental cars after the Hana trip and go up to Haleakala on day 2 if you really want to. Personally I would use day 1 as the day to go to Hana (so you can take your time and not be worried/rushed about getting back to the ship for sailing-- you could even go all the way around and end up above Wailea which is a fun way to do it) and take day 2 and go sit on the beach in Kaanapali and enjoy the resorty side of Maui. 

 

Hana is going to be a full day in the car no mater if you turn around or go all the way around-- I cant speak for your level of endurance but we are usually exhausted the next day and want to just relax rather than get back into a car to drive up a windy road again.