I am not exaggerating when I say Maui is an adventure travellers PARADISE! As the second largest Hawaii island, Maui offers a lifetimes worth of epic things to do. From adrenaline inducing flights above the clouds to exploring otherworldly landscapes on top a dormant volcano, Maui is truly incredible. You will never run out of bucket list worthy activities on your trip.
If this description makes your adventurous soul restless, then you are like me! You likely aren’t looking to travel to Maui to lounge on a beach all day. Don’t get me wrong, the beaches are definitely world-class, but Maui has wayyyy more to offer!
I spent 10 days exploring this awe-inspiring island. My goal was to experience the maximum amount of adventures in the time I had. In my opinion, I definitely succeeded. And now I’m here to share with you all of my absolute favourite things to do on Maui.
Here are my top 11 EPIC adventures to experience on your trip to Maui, Hawaii!
11 Epic Adventures to Experience on Maui
1. Visit Haleakala for Sunset/Sunrise
Number one on this list for good reason is experiencing the incredible Haleakala volcano at sunset. Reaching over 10,000 feet in height, Haleakala is the largest dormant volcano in the world. With views over top of the clouds, it feels like you are standing on an island overlooking a white fluffy ocean.
The volcano has several hiking trails, with distances of 0.4 miles for beginners and 12.2 miles for more avid hikers. In addition, a visitors centre is open for tourists to learn more about the volcano and buy cute souvenirs to remember the experience.
The best time to visit the volcano is for sunset. The sun dropping low over the clouds and illuminating the reds and greys of the ashy landscape creates a whole new world of wonder to bask in.
When I visited, I arrived several hours before sunset to explore the hiking trails and enjoy the views with a bright sky. The landscape was filled with ashy land and spotted with craters. It truly felt like I was on another planet. When sunset rolled around, I witnessed a complete change in the magical views around me. It simply cannot be described. You’ll have to experience it for yourself!
2. Drive the Road to Hana (If You Dare)
This adventure is not for the faint of heart…
The road to Hana is beautiful, wondrous, exciting, and also quite terrifying at times. This is because it is basically a narrow road that winds around steep drop-off cliffs. At some points it even reduces to a single lane for both directions of traffic. Every corner you go around you have to honk to ensure you aren’t surprised with head on traffic barrelling towards you and there seems to be an unnerving amount of large trucks making the journey as well.
However, if you take your time and can handle a little adrenaline, this drive is ridiculously cool. You’ll see beautiful waterfalls, jungle landscapes, and high views over the island. There are also several hiking trails that you can find along the route that get you deeper into the jungle paradise!
The road to Hana is an absolute must if you are looking for an adventure that highlights the best of what Maui has to offer.
3. See Maui’s Landscape from Above the Clouds in an Ultra-Light Flight
Looking for a unique way to experience Maui’s beautiful views? Try checking it out from above! And what better way to do that than with a pair of wings in the sky!?
Sometimes known as a powered hang glider, ultra lights bring you the best of the hang gliding experience with a motor to help you feel reassured. Once you are high enough in the sky and with the right wind conditions, you’ll have the opportunity to turn off the motor and glide quietly and peacefully through the sky.
Ever wondered what a cloud feels like? If you are lucky, you’ll find out, just like I did.
This was such a unique way for me to experience Maui’s incredible views and was honestly one of my favourite travel adventures I have ever embarked on.
At the end of the experience, the guy running the flights even gave me a card that counted my flight as hours towards becoming an ultra-light pilot. So cool!
4. Witness Sea Life on a Snorkelling Boat Tour
I am a huge believer that no trip to Maui is complete without exploring it’s ocean life. With crystal clear waters and fascinating sea life, it really is a whole new world under there. The best way to do this? A snorkelling trip!
We joined a tour that took us out to some of the mini islands off the coast of Maui where we got to snorkel in several spots. On the tour we got to see fish of all colours and the beautiful coral reef below.
If this hits your budget a little too hard, you can also rent some snorkelling equipment and just go on your own adventure off the beach. We did this as well and actually got to swim along with sea turtles that we hadn’t gotten to see on the boat tour. So, you won’t be missing out on much doing it this way.
5. Take Surf Lessons in One of the World’s Most Popular Surf Destinations
Ok, everyone knows that Hawaii is one of the best places in the world for surfing right? Well it is also another great way to adventure on Maui, even for beginners.
I found a surfing company along the beach and last minute booked a lesson for my sister and I starting right then and there. I spent the day learning how to surf those famous Hawaii waves and having a blast. I also lucked out hard because the company I booked with was brand new so they gave us an extra instructor for the price of one.
Overall the experience was incredibly fun and now I can say I went surfing in Hawaii!
A little interesting side story: one of our instructors cut his foot on the coral reef at one point in our lesson. We didn’t think much of it but after about 20 minutes of bleeding in the ocean, he whispered something to our other instructor and then spent the rest of the lesson on the shore. Afterwards we found out that he was starting to worry that he would attract some sharks. With images from shark week still fresh in my mind, it was a good thing we didn’t know this until after!
6. Stand Up Paddle Board to Add Adventure to Your Beach Days
When visiting an island with some of the most beautiful beaches in the world, a beach day or two is an absolute must. A great way to add a little bit of adventure to these days though, is by renting paddle boards!
I am definitely not the type to want to lounge around on the beach all day, and renting a SUP board turned out to be a great way for me to enjoy the beach. I would spend some time sunbathing and when I got bored with that I’d take on the waves and explore the waters.
7. Drink Out of a Fresh Coconut After a Breathtaking Hike
After a beautiful hike through the Maui jungle, we stopped at one of the several stands on the Road to Hana. There, we purchased some banana bread (which seems to be the hot selling item along this route) and some fresh coconuts. They cracked the tops of them open for us, stuck a straw in and we were set to go with our refreshing coconut water.
Heads up, if you have never drank coconut water, it is definitely an acquired taste. But it was also a great photo op and a unique experience to add to the list of fun things we tried in Hawaii.
8. Chase Waterfalls in the Maui Rainforest
One of the best memories I have from my time in Maui was exploring the jungle hikes and chasing beautiful waterfalls.
Over the course of our 2 week vacation in Maui, we did several of the hikes on the island. One that sticks out in my mind was the Twin Falls hike on the North shore. Near the end of the hike, there is a beautiful cascading waterfall with a water hole you can actually swim in. You can swim right up close and stand underneath as the water falls over top of you.
9. Experience a Maui Traditional Dance Performance
If you are interested in learning a bit more about Hawaiian culture, check out a Maui traditional show. Mostly consisting of a variety of dances that tell a story, you will learn about Hawaii’s history and find out why they put those pretty flower necklaces around your neck as a welcome.
We booked our tickets for this show fairly last minute, but it ended up being a really memorable experience. The show was super entertaining and helped us understand and appreciate a lot more about Hawaii’s unique culture.
10. Go Cliff Jumping Off of Black Rock on One of Maui’s Beautiful Beaches
If you are looking to add a little more adrenaline to your itinerary, check out Black Rock beach. Here, you can swim out to the rocky cliffs, climb atop and jump off into the crashing waves below. There are different levels of heights you can jump from, ranging from only a few feet high to 18 feet.
Not interested in cliff jumping? Black Rock beach is still worth your time, simply for the beauty this beach has to offer. The views of the rocks are unique and you can snorkel around, finding colourful fish and even sea turtles!
11. Drive Along Maui’s Coast
One of my favourite memories from our trip to Maui was driving along the coast with the windows rolled down and music blaring through the radio. The coast is gorgeous and the vibes? Immaculate!
Whether you drive along the coast to reach a destination or go for a joy ride, this would be an adventure you’d be unfortunate to miss!
Final Thoughts on the 11 Best Maui Adventures
With all these epic adventures on your list, you are sure to have an amazing time on your island trip to Maui. Maui has been a favourite destination of mine and I can’t wait for you to find out why!
I would love to hear from you about any similar experiences you had while travelling on Maui. Feel free to comment below any thoughts or questions you may have.
Happy adventuring!
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