Maui is one of the most beautiful places we have been to but it also comes at a hefty price tag. If price isn’t a factor in determining where you stay on vacation, I would do a whole week in Maui. However, this itinerary covers the must-see and must-do things while in Maui in just 4 days. Something that’s becoming increasingly more popular is the camper van life. There are a bunch of camper van rental services or you can go through Airbnb which is what we did. There are numerous beautiful campsites to stay at along the road to Hana and even some directly on beaches. Keep reading to see how to spend 4 days on Maui!
Check out our Airbnb: https://abnb.me/DYR9yYnvqwb
Day 1
Arrive in Maui
Check in to the hotel, and spend the rest of the day at the pool/beach
Lunch at Kahiau’s Poke Truck
Dinner at Aloha Mixed Plate
Day 2
Haleakala Sunrise
Since your internal clock will not be caught up yet, depending on where you’re traveling from you could be awake very early this morning, which makes it the perfect day to catch the sunrise from Haleakala! Tickets go on sale 60 days in advance and another group is dropped 2 days in advance at 7 AM HST. These sell out in minutes so this requires a bit of planning ahead! Some people will buy a ticket for every day they’re there in case it’s raining on the day they want to go. The tickets only cost $1 to reserve.
There are also a variety of tour companies you can pay to take you up to the summit and then ride a bike back down after sunrise. There is also a trail you can hike into the crater. I recommend hiking down for no more than 10 minutes, the views didn’t change very much if you aren’t hiking all the way to the bottom and the elevation makes the climb back out difficult.
Buy tickets here: https://www.recreation.gov/ticket/facility/253731
Lunch at The Gazebo
Beach/Pool Time
Spend the rest of the day napping at the beach or by the pool. If you’re feeling adventurous you can do some beach hopping and explore the beautiful beaches of Maui. Some to check out include Makena Beach State Park, Wailea beach, Honolua Bay, Ahihi Kinau, and Maluaka.
Dinner at Paia Fish Market
Ululani Shave Ice for dessert
Day 3
Road to Hana
This drive is probably the most popular thing to do in Maui, and for good reason. It’s 64 miles one way of driving along the coastline. The Gypsy Guide app is the easiest way to navigate the road to Hana. It uses your GPS and tells you about the drive and where to stop along the way as you’re coming up on the stops.
I recommend skipping all of the stops and driving to the end, then hitting the stops on the way back. This way you are getting the spots at the end basically to yourself without a crowd. For breakfast, make sure to stop by one of the roadside stands for some fresh, exotic fruit and banana bread! The following are the stops I recommend, listed as if you are doing the road in reverse order.
Pipiwai trail
If you get all the way to the end of the road of Hana and still have the energy this hike was great, but don’t kill yourselves over it if you’re drained. But, if you’re doing the road in reverse this will be your first stop, and it’s worth the hike! You hike through a bamboo forest and end at a 400-foot waterfall. You don’t hike to the base of the waterfall but you get a really good view of it. This is a four-mile hike and it took us about 2 hours. It wasn’t too difficult either but wear good shoes, sandals are not recommended.
‘Ohe’o gulch pools
This was probably our favorite stop along the road. Try to get here early, we were there around 9 am and we were the only ones swimming in the pools. You can walk and climb around the rocks to keep going to higher-up pools.
Braddah Huts BBQ
This was recommended to us by a local, stop here for lunch. The Kaluha pork is fantastic. The portions are HUGE so if you aren’t starving, I would share a plate between two people.
Kaihalulu Red Sand Beach
This beach is kind of hard to find and it takes about 10-15 minutes to hike there. Make sure you don’t park illegally, just pay attention to the road signs and park in the same direction as the traffic. The hike is down and on the side of a mountain at some points, but we never felt unsafe, just maybe skip if you have little kids or are traveling with older adults. Less popular than black rock beach so it’s less crowded, but the views are arguably better.
Waianapanapa Black Sand Beach
There’s a lava tube to the right of the beach and the beach is safe for swimming. We also did a short 15-20 minute hike up the rocks to the left of the beach, this was good for pictures.
Coconut Glens
It’s vegan ice cream but don’t let that deter you. The Liliko’i flavor is great.
Ke’anae Arboretum
Get up close with some rainbow eucalyptus trees.
Dinner at Coconuts Fish Cafe
Day 4
Snorkeling or scuba diving at Molokini Crater
Molokini crater is a volcanic caldera off the shore of Maui. We weren’t able to make a trip out here when we were in Maui, but it’s on our list for next time!
Dinner at Tin Roof Maui
Day 5
Fly home or to your next island
Check out our other Maui posts here:
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