Reverse Road to Hana on a Private Jeep Tour in Maui
Everyone’s familiar with the Road to Hana on Maui. But after taking a tour with Hoaloha Jeep Adventures on the Reverse Road to Hana this summer, the experience is something I hope more visitors to Maui will take advantage of. Taking the back route to Hana gives you a better experience of Maui. You get to see the many ecosystems of the island, learn more about the culture, and spend time building memories.
SAD NEWS FROM HOALOHA JEEP ADVENTURES
It is with tremendous sadness that Hoaloha Jeep Adventures will not be able to recover from the ongoing economic disaster caused by Lahaina wildfire on August 8, 2023. We will no longer be able to offer tours moving forward. Mahalo nui loa to everyone who supported us, believed in us, and encouraged us to pursue our dream. We have felt your warm aloha and sincerely appreciate all the wonderful memories these past six years.
My wife and I enjoyed a day-long adventure on the reverse Road to Hana with Hoaloha Jeep Adventures during our summer stop on Maui. I know the company owner, so he took the helm and drove us to many of his tour stops – including a few bonus stops.
If a trip to Maui is in your future, here’s a rundown of our experience with Marcus and Hoaloha Jeep Adventures.
Take the Private Jeep Tour – Not a Rental Car
Many car rental companies in Maui will specifically tell you that their cars are not allowed on the back side of the island. That means they don’t want you taking the Reverse Road to Hana. After making our way around the backside of the island in our private jeep tour, I understand why. The roads are narrow. Some aren’t really paved. There are potholes that are perfect for jeeps – not so much for a Ford Impreza.
Other than the fact that you get to ride in a jeep, here are a few other perks to help convince you to take a private jeep tour on the Reverse Road to Hana:
- Someone else does the driving so you can enjoy the scenery
- Hoaloha Jeep Adventures will pick you up from your hotel (i.e., they come to you)
- The drivers are also the guides and know so much about the culture and history of the island
- The guide will respect the land and not allow you to go places you shouldn’t
- Your guide knows where to grab the best food for lunch
- The guide will also capture photos of you and your group, so you can focus on enjoying everything
One major advantage to taking the Reverse Road to Hana as opposed to the main Road to Hana – avoid crowds. In the morning, while every tourist is driving out to Hana on the northern road, you’ll be exploring the south side of the island. By the time you reach Hana, traffic isn’t as bad and you can enjoy the experience.
We are glad we booked the private jeep tour to experience the Reverse Road to Hana with Hoaloha Jeep Adventures.
Knowledgeable Guides on Culture, History and More
The guides can make or break an adventure around Maui. Our guide, Marcus, was awesome. Granted, we’ve known each other for years, as we both worked in a similar industry for about 10 years before he moved to Maui. So outside of catching up on how things are going on our lives, he made sure to share the history and culture of Maui during the tour.
Marcus knew many of the local stops along the way. About halfway around the island, we stopped at a locals house for a bathroom break and to taste some homemade delights. I was able to try fresh fruit from their tree and get a beautiful view of the ocean and lava rock coast.
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Near Hana, we stopped at a spot to see some jewelry and trinkets made locally. We also stopped at a great food truck in Hana for lunch. Rather than sitting at the tables by the food truck, we went to a little spot near one of the beaches. Marcus has made this trip a time or two before (maybe even hundreds), and he is friends with so many of the locals and they loved talking about their culture, too.
Waterfalls, Beaches, Hiking and Overlooks
Outside of the people we chatted with along the way, we made multiple stops to experience the beauty of Maui. I’m not going to list everything we stopped at along the way, because each tour is unique. Plus, if I list everything, then you’ll want to drive the road yourself and miss out on all the fun of a guided jeep tour.
We stopped at two gorgeous waterfalls, each one a short hike from the parking area. Because of how much rain they receive, some areas of the trail can be a little muddy. My water shoes had great traction. There were some adventurous people who went swimming in the pools of water below the waterfall. However, be mindful of the signs that say no swimming or diving.
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Two beaches we stopped at were pretty unique. They had black sand. The sand particles were a little larger than typical sand, and they stuck to my wet shoes pretty easily. By the time we got back home, I had water shoes filled with black sand because it was nearly impossible to get it all out.
A Customized Tour for Your Troupe
There are so many beautiful places to explore or hikes to take on the Reverse Road to Hana. With so many options, it’s hard to know what to experience and which stops to make. A few days prior to our private jeep tour in Maui, we discussed our tour with Marcus. We’d done a little research ahead of time, so knew we wanted to see black sand beaches, waterfalls, and sea turtles.
As our tour was wrapping up, Marcus had one more stop for us on the way back from Hana to our Marriott Ocean Club Resort. My wife was really interested in seeing sea turtles. We hadn’t seen any yet on the beach near our resort, so we were still keeping an eye out for them. Marcus knew where the sea turtles were going to be that evening. He parked the vehicle and showed us an area of beach that was covered in sea turtles. Close to three dozen sea turtles were laying on the beach, covering themselves in sand. It was awesome to just watch them in nature.
Many of the photos I see on Hoaloha Jeep Adventures Instagram channel are of couples. One recent post included a marriage proposal along the way. But they also cater to entire families. If you’re a couple planning a honeymoon or the one assigned to plan a family reunion, look into Hoaloha Jeep Adventures.
The Details
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Now I know what to do in Maui! I’ve been to Oahu and Kaua’i but not Maui. Love these kinds of guided adventures. Thanks for the review.
You’re welcome. I know you’ll have a blast on the jeep tour around Maui – and you may want to check out a zipline adventure tour, too. There are so many fun activities for the whole gang in Maui.