Published on Oct, 2019
Arriving off the Pride of America cruise ship, you're a little shellshocked. Maui is the first stop of the cruise and you are still adjusting to being in Hawaii after a long flight, and now, being at sea. Getting into a small bus for 10+ hours to make 600+ turns on one of the world's most dangerous roads is an ordeal. It is rewarding, memorable and exhilarating too -- but an ordeal it is also. So, be prepared.
Our driver/guide was TRAVIS. I prefer to travel and explore without tours, but felt intimidated by the terrain on the road to hana, and was also interested in gaining as much information and insights as possible. I also didn't want to spend the entire trip watching the road and worrying about safety -- I wanted the opportunity to actually see and experience the adventure without those concerns. If this is you, then this is your tour and Travis is your man.
If you have more than one day for this part of the world I urge you to go it alone and take your time. My only frustration at the end of the day was a serious case of FOMO. There are just so many potential stops and bits of advice everywhere, you always feel like you're missing out. You zoom by other people stopping and seeing things you had read about. That is tough. I think there could have perhaps been a couple of more stops early on at the hero destinations, but that being said, since this tour does the whole loop, it's an ambitious journey as it is.
Back to the tour. So, Travis. I have done a fair share of tours in my time and Travis would have to be the best there is. He is warm, but firm. This is serious business and safety is a concern. He had my 100% trust, and that is important on a dangerous journey like this. He was so generous in sharing his knowledge and insights, I learned so much from him. He could have taken it easy, relaxed, zoned off, zoned out -- but he was 'on' with us the entire time, invested in us getting the most out of this opportunity as possible.
As for the highlights and so on, it's important to stress that the highlight of this trip is the trip itself. Of course there are beautiful stops, memorable sights etc. The black sand beach stands out in my memory, so does swimming under a waterfall. But it's the road itself that is the true hero of this adventure, taking its bumps, squeezing past cars, looking down a sheer cliff face, feeling this island in this way. Your body will feel it, you will have to have an early night afterwards -- but the memories and stories will live with you well past the end of this trip.