Seven Days in Maui: A Complete Island Itinerary

Planning this trip around driving, not just sights

Maui has no interstate, and its main roads are two-lane highways that wind along the coast or climb a volcano. The distance from Kaanapali to Wailea is under 40 km but still takes close to an hour, and the Haleakala summit road and the Hana Highway are each a half-day commitment on their own. A seven-day trip that tries to treat West Maui, South Maui, Upcountry and Hana as day trips from a single hotel spends more time driving than exploring. This itinerary instead moves the base three times, following the island’s own geography: west, then south, then a central base near Kahului for the two regions that need a full day each. For the logic behind choosing a west or south base for a shorter trip, see West Maui vs South Maui; for whether to drive yourself or book guided tours for Haleakala and Hana, see Guided Tour vs Self-Drive in Maui.

Nights	Base region	Covers
1-2	West Maui (Kaanapali or Lahaina)	Lahaina, Kaanapali, west-side snorkeling and boats
3-4	South Maui (Kihei or Wailea)	Kihei beaches, Wailea, Makena, Molokini boats from Maalaea
5-7	Central Maui / near Kahului or Paia	Haleakala, the Hana Highway, Iao Valley, departure

Day 1: Arrival and West Maui settle-in

Flights land at Kahului (OGG), the island’s only airport with mainland and regular inter-island service. Pick up the rental car at the airport rather than the day before a big drive; nearly every operator in Maui expects reservations made in advance, especially in high season. From Kahului, the drive to Kaanapali runs about 45 minutes on the Honoapiilani Highway.

Check into a West Maui base — Kaanapali for its long beach and Beach Walk, or nearby Napili and Kapalua for something quieter. Keep the first afternoon light: unpack, walk the beach, and get an early dinner. Lahaina is rebuilding after the August 2023 fire, and Front Street is not the browsing strip it once was; plan an evening in Kaanapali itself rather than expecting a lively historic town on day one.

Day 2: Lahaina and Kaanapali on the water

Spend the full day on the west side. Morning is the better time for boat departures out of Lahaina harbor, before the afternoon wind builds in the channel between Maui, Lanai and Molokai. Winter visitors (roughly December through April) can combine this with whale watching:

a morning humpback whale cruise departing Lahaina harbor

Outside whale season, the same harbor departure works for reef snorkeling trips along the west coast. In the afternoon, walk or swim at Kaanapali Beach and snorkel at Black Rock (Puu Kekaa) on its north end — one of the better shore-entry snorkel spots on the island, and a reasonable warm-up before Molokini later in the trip. Kaanapali’s hotel parking is paid; the public beach access points nearby are free but limited.

Day 3: Drive to South Maui

Check out of the West Maui hotel and drive south. The route runs through Maalaea — Maui’s main harbor for boats heading to Molokini — before continuing to Kihei, Wailea or Makena. Traffic through Maalaea can be slow in the early afternoon, so aim to leave West Maui by mid-morning.

Settle into the South Maui base for three nights. Kihei is the more affordable, casual stretch, with the Kamaole Beach Parks I, II and III as easy afternoon options. Wailea is the resort coast, with a 2.5 km paved coastal path connecting its hotels and beaches. Spend the rest of the afternoon at the beach; save Molokini and Makena for full daylight tomorrow.

Day 4: Molokini, Turtle Town and Makena

This is the marine-life day. Boats to Molokini, the crescent-shaped islet 4 km off the south shore, leave early — visibility is consistently better in the morning before wind picks up, which is also why afternoon trips are cheaper. Nobody lands on Molokini itself; snorkeling happens directly from the boat inside the marine reserve.

a combined Molokini and Turtle Town snorkeling trip

Turtle Town, off Makena, is the island’s most reliable spot for green sea turtles, though sightings are never guaranteed and federal law requires staying at least 3 m away. Take seasickness precautions before boarding — the channel is often choppy — and note that Maui County bans the use of sunscreens containing oxybenzone, octinoxate or octocrylene; most boats provide reef-safe mineral sunscreen or rash guards.

In the afternoon, drive to Makena for Big Beach (Oneloa) — beautiful, but its shorebreak causes real injuries every year, so it is not a place to let young kids play at the waterline unsupervised. The paved road ends at La Perouse Bay, on the island’s youngest lava flow; there is no shade or water past that point.

Day 5: Upcountry and the Haleakala summit

Check out of South Maui and drive up toward Upcountry and Haleakala, or relocate to a central base near Kahului or Paia for easier access to tomorrow’s Hana day. The drive from South Maui to the Haleakala summit runs close to two hours, climbing from sea level to 3,055 m, so budget the whole day for this region alone rather than pairing it with anything else.

If aiming for summit sunrise, note that entry between 3 a.m. and 7 a.m. requires a separate reservation on recreation.gov, released 60 days ahead with a small batch two days out — there is no walk-up access during those hours. Sunset, covered here, only requires the standard three-day park entry fee per vehicle and no separate reservation:

a guided Haleakala sunset tour with snacks and photo stops

Before heading up, spend the morning or early afternoon in Kula or Makawao — lavender and goat farms, small galleries, and a slower pace than the coast. Pack real layers for the summit: temperatures hover near freezing at the top even though the coast below sits in the high 20s Celsius. The volcano is dormant, not extinct, and its last eruption was centuries ago; there is no active lava anywhere on Maui.

Day 6: The Hana Highway, one full day

This is a full-day commitment, not a morning excursion: about 100 km of coast road from Paia to Hana, with 620 curves and 59 one-lane bridges. Fill the tank in Paia or Kahului — there are no gas stations between Paia and Hana. Given the length of the drive and the fatigue of hairpin turns after five days of island travel, a guided van gets around the driving, parking and reservation logistics entirely:

a full-day guided Hana Highway tour with snacks and drinks included

If driving independently, plan stops loosely rather than trying to see everything: waterfalls along the way, a walk through Paia itself, and — if time and a reservation allow — Waianapanapa State Park’s black sand beach, which requires an online time-slot reservation and a separate parking fee for non-residents. Continuing past Hana into Kipahulu for the Pipiwai Trail and Waimoku Falls adds real time and depends on the pools being open; they close to swimming after rain due to flash-flood risk. Hana itself has no supermarket and limited shops, so this is a day of scenery and stops, not errands.

Day 7: Central Maui and departure

Use the last day close to Kahului. Wailuku and the Iao Valley make a good half-day: the Iao Needle and rainforest valley are a short, non-strenuous walk, though non-residents need a reservation and parking pass in high season. If the flight is in the afternoon or evening, this also leaves room for a last swim or a relaxed morning before returning the rental car at OGG.

Because this itinerary already visited Kaanapali with a boat tour earlier in the week, travelers who skipped whale season on Day 2 and are visiting between December and April can instead use a free morning for a shore-based option: a Kaanapali whale watching boat tour booked as an add-on before flying out, if the schedule allows a short detour back toward West Maui — otherwise, skip it and keep the last day close to the airport.

Seven-day Maui itinerary FAQ

Do I need to rent a car for this seven-day itinerary?

Yes. The Maui Bus serves towns like Kahului, Wailuku, Kihei, Lahaina and Kaanapali, but it does not reach the Haleakala summit or the Hana Highway, both of which this itinerary depends on. See Do You Need a Rental Car in Maui? for the exceptions.

Is seven days enough to see all of Maui?

Seven days is enough to cover West Maui, South Maui, Haleakala and the Hana Highway at a reasonable pace, provided the trip is split across two or three bases instead of one. For shorter or longer versions of this same route, see How Many Days Do You Need in Maui?.

Should I drive myself to Haleakala and Hana, or book guided tours?

Either works; the choice comes down to comfort with narrow mountain and coastal roads and whether unlimited stopping time matters more than not driving. The full comparison is in Guided Tour vs Self-Drive in Maui.

How much driving does this itinerary involve?

Roughly four transfer days: airport to West Maui (about 45 minutes), West Maui to South Maui (about 45-60 minutes through Maalaea), South Maui to the Haleakala area (close to two hours one way), and the Hana Highway day itself (around 2.5 hours each way without stops). The remaining days stay within one region.

What is the best order to visit Maui’s regions?

Moving from West Maui to South Maui to a central base works well because it follows the coast road without doubling back, and it leaves the two most demanding driving days — Haleakala and Hana — for a base near Kahului, where both are more direct.

Do I need to book anything before arriving?

Yes, three things: a Haleakala sunrise reservation on recreation.gov if sunrise is the goal, a Waianapanapa State Park time slot for the black sand beach, and a rental car, all reserved well ahead of arrival. Molokini and Hana tour boats and vans also fill up in high season.

Can I do this itinerary while staying in only one hotel?

It is possible but adds significant daily driving, since South Maui to Haleakala or Hana each run two or more hours one way. Splitting the week across a west, south and central base, as laid out above, keeps each day’s drive closer to an hour.

Will I see lava, dolphins, or land on Molokini during this trip?

No. There is no active lava anywhere on Maui — that is on the Big Island’s Kilauea, a separate island reached by a roughly 40-minute flight. Swimming with spinner dolphins is prohibited under federal rule, and boats do not land on Molokini; snorkeling there happens directly from the vessel.