Booking choice: The Hana waterfalls tour with lunch, from $250 per person. Check dates Compare the options below
Driving yourself is cheaper and more flexible. A tour is calmer and usually teaches you more. Which is right depends less on money than on who in your group would be driving, and how they feel about 620 curves and 46 one-lane bridges.
This guide sets out what each option involves, with the real costs and the rules that catch self-drivers out.
The quick answer
Drive yourself if you have a confident driver who does not mind missing the views, want total flexibility and will book Wai'anapanapa in advance. Take a tour if everyone wants to look out of the window, you are nervous on narrow roads, or you want local stories and legal parking handled for you.
Is the Road to Hana hard to drive?
It is not technical, but it is tiring: about 620 curves, 59 bridges, 46 of them one lane, and few places to pull over.
Hana is about 52 miles from Kahului, roughly 2.5 hours non-stop each way. Expect oncoming vans on blind bends, cars stopping suddenly for photos, and local drivers who know the road far better than you. At one-lane bridges, yield to traffic already crossing.
What does driving yourself really cost?
The $25 app is the small part: add the rental car, fuel, and park fees.
Non-residents pay $5 per person to enter Wai'anapanapa State Park and $10 per vehicle to park, and need a reservation. Continuing to Haleakala's Kipahulu District costs $30 per private vehicle (valid three days, and it covers the summit too). Rental agreements can restrict rough roads, so check yours before taking the back road home.
Would everyone rather look out of the window? Shared tours with lunch start from about $250.
Check dates for the Hana waterfalls tour with lunchWhat does a tour do that you can't?
A guide drives, knows which stops are open and legal, times the day around crowds and tells the stories.
Reviewers mention the same things again and again: they saw places they would never have found, they felt safe on the road, and someone else handled parking and bathroom stops. Many guides also take photos for the group.
What do you give up on a tour?
Flexibility and early mornings: shared tours run a set route, pick up from about 5:45 to 7:30 AM and usually turn around near Hana.
A common complaint is short stops on bigger tours, and one guest summed up a long day as mostly sitting in a car. A private tour solves most of this, at a higher price.
Want a tour's ease with a self-drive's freedom? A private guide sets the route around you.
Explore the private full day tourCan you drive the back road in a rental car?
Check your rental agreement first: the Pi'ilani Highway beyond Kipahulu is narrow, rough and partly one lane.
It is the only way to make a true loop around East Maui. Many visitors simply drive back the way they came. Tours that call themselves full-circle should confirm their return route with you; it depends on road conditions.
Is the audio app a good compromise?
Yes, if you are driving anyway: it tells you where to stop and what you are looking at, and works offline.
The Shaka Guide app is rated 4.7 from 260 reviews and costs $25 per car; one purchase covers everyone in the vehicle. It does not drive, and it does not book Wai'anapanapa for you.
Who should definitely take a tour?
First-time visitors who would be driving tired, nervous drivers, groups where everyone wants the view, and cruise passengers on a fixed schedule.
The private tour collects cruise passengers at the port and builds the day around the ship's hours. Shared tours suit couples who want a set plan and lunch included.
Ready to hand over the keys? Check dates for a small-group day with lunch.
Check dates for the Hana waterfalls tour with lunchFrequently asked questions
How long does it take to drive the Road to Hana?
About 2.5 hours each way from Kahului without stops. With stops, plan on a full day of 8 to 12 hours.
Do I need a reservation to drive the Road to Hana?
Not for the road itself, but Wai'anapanapa State Park requires a reservation for every visitor.
Is it cheaper to drive the Road to Hana yourself?
Usually, especially for families: one car and a $25 app cost less than four tour tickets. The trade-off is that one person drives all day.
Ready to book
Choose your tour
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before on every option. Prices are from-prices in USD and move with the season.
Hana Waterfalls Full-Day Tour with Lunch
- Driver-guide with live commentary in an air-conditioned Mercedes Sprinter
- Picnic lunch (ham or turkey; no special diets) and Wai'anapanapa admission
- Pickup from select resorts, or meet at Lahaina Cannery Mall or Kahului Park and Ride
Full Day Private Road to Hana Tour
- A private guide and vehicle for your group only (up to 15 travelers)
- Door-to-door pickup anywhere on Maui, cruise passengers included
- Snacks, soda and bottled water in an air-conditioned vehicle
Self-Guided GPS Audio Driving Tour
Drivers who want the stories without a guide
