The road to Hana is 64 miles winding road that contains 600 sharp turns, 65 hairpin switchbacks, and 59 one-lane bridges. Twin waterfalls, adventures in rain forest and black sand beach are the most popular sights on the road to Hana. Depending on the time you want to spend on Maui, you can plan your Maui road trip to the Hana. Most people prefer going halfway to Hana and come back if they are unable to cover all the stops and reach to Hana town due to time restraints.
Challenges visitors encounter on the road to Hana
Although the road to Hana has immense beauty with picturesque views and mesmerizing scenes, it is also famous for the challenges it offers to visitors. It is an adventurous road with unlimited turns, one-lane bridges, blindspots, heavy rainfall, flooding, and much more. Moreover, people also face the challenges of completing this beautiful yet adventurous place in short time constraints. It’s important to set your properties and know how much time it will take to cover the complete road to Hana when you are heading towards it. Otherwise, you can plan to go halfway to Hana and make the most of your time.
Time required for a full road to Hana excursion
The road to Hana is the lifeline of the citizens who live along this road. You need to follow a few etiquettes while driving or enjoying this amazing journey. Though it’s a 64 miles road, it will take 10-12 hours of your day and is a quite exhausting drive. So don’t plan on anything else after this full day’s adventure.
Plan your trip earlier to save you some time as you will be confused about where to stop and spend time and where not. If you don’t feel like driving on your own, booking a guide from a travel company can help you save time and make the most of your trip to the Hana.
Traveling the road to Hana via different driving and touring options
There are many options for traveling to the road to Hana, you can choose any of them as per your convenience and time you have:
- Drive to Ke’anae Peninsula and turn around: it will consume 2. 5 hours one way. 7 to 9 hours round trip.
- Drive to Hana and back: it may take 10 to 12 hours depending on stops
- Drive all the way around (make the loop): 10-12 hours with more stops
- Book a Hana guided tour: 10-12 hours with a professional guide
Everyone wants to choose the best way to see the road to Hana with the least amount of inconvenience making the most ideal use of their vacation time.
Short of time? Travel only halfway to Hana
Getting a glimpse of the adventurous road to Hana with unlimited stops in a short period is quite difficult. Plenty of people want to cover the journey to Hana town however, they either get very less time to visit each spot or miss plenty of spots in between to make the trip in a hurry. Neither of these options is recommendable rather visiting halfway to the road to Hana and spending a generous amount of time at each location along the road can be more amazing. There are many other reasons why seeing halfway to Hana is more fruitful including:
- You are traveling with children: Only the parents understand how well their children can travel on the winding road with one-lane bridges. Depending on the age, physical condition, and health of your children, you can decide on making your trip to Hana town. If children feel dizziness or other traveling issues, coming back from halfway is an ideal option.
- Traveling with senior citizens: The adventurous trek to waterfalls and the hot tropical heat may not be the cup of tea for grandma or grandpa. Decide whether they can travel for 12 hours or you want to return halfway. There are many more amazing places on the road to Hana where they can just sit or walk and can enjoy the picturesque atmosphere.
- If you are prone to car sickness: Some people fear encountering car sickness on a winding road like the road to Hana. If you still prefer to drive yourself, make sure to make frequent stops and go only halfway. Driving on the adventurous road can be harrowing and not so good for first-time visitors with travel issues. Thereby visiting halfway and coming back is advisable as they can make the most of their tour at the same time also.
- If you are on a cruise ship and planning to drive yourself: For a 10-12 hours drive, it’s not easy to rent a car for a shore excursion. Just be sure to call for a guided road to Hana tour by a professional traveling company or rent a car for halfway to Hana as many tour companies can pick you up at the ship.
- If you are visiting Maui for a few days; If you are also planning to visit other islands on Hawaii or going on the valley isle for a short weekend trip then covering all of the Hana and spending one long day for this excursion doesn’t seem a great idea. Instead divide your itinerary in a way that it would be less tiring and you can cover as maximum spots as you want.
Halfway to Hana stops
Follow this quick rundown of what you can see along this halfway route to Hana:
- Paʻia Town
- Twin Falls
- Garden of Eden
- Rainbow Eucalyptus Trees
- Kaumahina State Wayside Park
- Hinomaru Bay
- Ke’anae Arboretum
- Ke’anae Peninsula
- Beyond Hana
Here’s what will you miss if you go only halfway:
- Wailua Valley
- Pua’a Ka’a Park & Falls
- Hanawai Falls and pump house
- Nahiku Marketplace
- Wai’anapanapa State Park
- Kahanu Garden
- Hana Bay
- Hana Cultural Center & Museum
To wrap up
Everyone is always looking for the best way to see the road to Hana with no or little convenience and the best use of their vacation time. It is difficult to get the most out of your Road to Hana tours in a short time frame. The best advice is to see the road to Hana in a way so you could make it worth visiting. Here’s why should you go road to Hana halfway and return back. If you are visiting Maui for only a few days, driving halfway to the road to Hana will be good choice to save your time, exhaustless and make the best memories out of your tour.
