10 TIPS FOR YOUR DRIVE ON ROAD TO HANA

The famed road to Hana –  I spent many hours researching this sixty something mile stretch of windy road, but when it came down to actually doing it, I still felt unprepared. I actually did it in the course of 2 days, and I’ll combine both days into one post. A post on all my Road To Hana highlights will be coming up shortly next week.

A few things to keep in mind for any Road To Hana traveler (in no particular order):

1. Start really early.

We started at 7am to try to beat the traffic and crowds. We picked up a couple cups of coffee and breakfast sandwiches at the Jaws Country Store Cafe near the entrance to the start of the Road to Hana. Pretty delicious by the way. They also have other drinks, food, and stuffs in their store as well. We also bought a pack of passion fruit mate tea. As long as you get to the start of the road to hana before 7:30 or 8am should be fine.

2. Try to stay at an Airbnb close to the start of the Road to Hana.

It saved us a 40 minute drive from Kihei and also we got to stay in a much more quiet and remote area. I enjoyed it a lot. We may not have had an ocean view, but we also weren’t in a building with 40 other rooms and 80 other people. It was tranquil.

3. Get dramamine.

The road will be windy. I’ve never used dramamine before this trip (mainly because I always think I can stand it, which is a mistake haha) but this was a godsend to have. I did get drowsy much more easily though, but still better than feeling nauseous while looking at these falls!

4. Plan on spending the whole day on this trip.

There’s a lot to do, and a lot to see. You won’t be able to do it all in one day, and if you do try to do so, it will definitely feel rushed. Try to make a list of all the MUST SEE places and then play by ear for anything outside of that list. If you have more than one day, go to Haleakala National Park and do the Pipiwai Trail. It does not disappoint, but it is at the end of the drive past Hana, and does take a lot of time out of your day. (I will have another post about this soon as well)

5. The drive isn’t as treacherous as many people make it out to be. But also, don’t park where it says no parking.

Just don’t cut into the other lane, use pullouts if you’re slower than traffic, and wait your turn at the one lane bridges. Don’t speed too fast. A lot of tourists park near the one lane bridges to see waterfalls and sometimes it blocks off a part of the road.  When it’s after a blind turn it could be pretty dangerous for everyone. Find parking spots or at least a pullout and walk back to the falls. The locals running tour groups will be pissed at you if they find you parking in a no parking zone.

6. Explore.

There’s so much to see, and a lot of it is beyond just what you see from the car or the lookouts. As long as it isn’t on private property, try to take the road less taken. You may just come across unique views that a lot of other people don’t get to see. See a stop you find interesting? Drop by, try their coffee, food, or snacks! I haven’t been disappointed.

7. Download the GYPSY Road to Hana app.

Okay, yes… it costs money, but it’s only a fraction of what you would pay for a tour and completely worth it. Although this is pretty much a one time use APP, it made the drive much more informative, enhanced the whole experience, and it felt like I had a tour guide in the car with me the whole time. I would’ve missed turnouts for cool places and spots if I didn’t have this app. It also tracks you by GPS so even if your service goes out the app will still work in real time as long as you are highway 36. Plus, on the ride home the app walks you through the history of Hawaii! I think it really added another level to driving the Road to Hana and you’ll get do everything at your pace.

8. You cant swim in Oheo, aka Seven Sacred Pools anymore

It’s against the rules. I wasn’t planning to, as cool as it looks. But even if I was a rulebreaker, it looks like I wouldn’t have been able to anyway with all the rain that came down that week.

9. Don’t drive past Oheo parking lot with a rental car.

It violates the rental contract. It might be fun, but don’t.

10. Fill Up On Gas

There isn’t anywhere to get gas until you get to Hana. This isn’t too big of a concern though, we used up only about three quarters tank of gas with our intermediate car going through it both days (we made it to Hana on both days, then back to Haiku)

I hope these 10 tips are helpful!

Happy travels everyone.