For Maui goers, is the Road to Hana worth it? Heard it takes a while?
What about luau's? Fun?
I personally thought the Road to Hana was amazing, but I'm also a pretty huge nature/outdoors kind of guy and I also knew most of the best places to stop thanks to an old high school buddy that lives there now. There is wildlife and plants and such there that are found nowhere else on the planet. It's some pretty spectacular scenery and even if you don't make it up the whole thing (it is definitely long) it's worth checking out a part of the ecosystem that you'd otherwise never get a chance to see.
Also, navigating up the trail is pretty entertaining by itself, especially if you are traveling in a caravan of two or three cars like we were. Nothing like the possibility of watching your buddies go flying off a thousand foot cliff right in front of you to keep it interesting.
looked into, most def doing it. do you think we should set aside a full day? we're planning on leaving at 7 or 8 in the morning for it (from kaanapali).
oh yeah, between getting out there, all the stops you'll want to make, and stoping to eat once or twice, it's definitely an all-day type thing. I know lots of people stay at the Hana hotel and drive back in the morning. You can probably see everything on the paved section which goes pretty far out past Hana and make it back in 6-8 hours or around that.
There is an unpaved "back-side" section that continues on and winds around all over the place that is pretty incredible, the problem is that your rental company most likely lists that road as "unapproved" which means if a truck plows into you around a blind curve or you get stuck you are SOL.
We rented a 4 x 4 and had planned on doing it anyways the whole time. It's definitely worth it if you are careful, you really start feeling like you are out in the jungle. If you are driving a car, or have small children or anything else like that I wouldn't try it though.
Few other things; bring water shoes if you have them, they will come in really handy. There are a bunch of really cool waterfalls along the way (don't pay for the Garden of Eden entry unless you really don't want to walk off the road a little, there are several awesome waterfalls you can climb on/swim in along the way).
Don't worry about the locals riding up your ass, just keep taking it slow and pull over to let them pass. They will seriously be flying down the road, just get out of their way and keep taking it slow.
Turn down your music and just listen to the sounds of nature and whats going on around you. Roll all your windows down. We had a jeep with the top of that was great.
Keep going at least 10 miles or so past Hana. You can check out Charles Lindbergh's grave, the cascading pools, more waterfalls, and of course the black sand beach is a must see. Pretty much just explore as much as you can while keeping in mind you have to drive all the way back, and the road can get dangerous when it gets dark. Any more questions just let me know but you guys will definitely have a good time.
