beachgirl86

I will be in Hawaii this summer for my honeymoon. We are stopping in Oahu for 2 nights, and then will be on the BI for 4 nights and Maui for 7 nights. I don't want to go crazy with excursions, but I would like to do a couple.
I've already booked a snorkeling tour on FairWinds on the Big Island. I would like to do another one on Maui...would you recommend a trip to Molokini Crater or a daytrip to Lanai? What companies do you like?
Also, I would like to go horseback riding, and I would have to do this alone. (My FI is a big/tall guy, and you can't weigh over 230 lbs to ride). I was thinking of the Waipaio Valley horseback riding tour, or a Halekeala one on Maui...any favorites or good/bad experiences? Thanks in advance!

ChristieP

Fairwinds is GREAT. You will love it!

Waipio Valley is a mule ride, and it is typical nose-to-tail. If you want something with more "spice" (trotting or cantering), I've heard Dahana Ranch is the best. From the pics on their website, they definitely have the best horses. (I ran out of time and wasn't able to go riding.)

beachgirl86

Thanks! I thought there were mule AND horse rides for Waipaio. I got the website www.naalapastables.com off Frommers.com, and thought they looked good. Also, thank you so much for the "spice" recommendation -- that looks great. I use to ride quite frequently, so the nose-to-tail thing definitely does not appeal to me as much as the cantering and trotting! Thanks again!

GloriaE

I was disappointed with the snorkle trip to Molokini we took after snorkling on the Big Island. It was crowded and there was not nearly the variety of fish we see on the Big Island. Since you are taking a snorkle trip with Fairwinds on the BI, try something different on Maui. We went with the Pacific Whale Foundation in Maui and while the trip was interesting, the snorkling was dissappointing.

SheilaOB

If you are experienced snorklers you will be disappointed with any of the Fairwind or their competitors' trips. Very nice if you aren't up to going on your own or don't really know how to dive.

We found it on the level of a "class trip" - lots of kids-lots of parents. We went because we had very high surf in Jan on BI 2004 and the Bay IS always calm and that lured us onto the trip.

Mule ride with Hawaii Forest and Trail, volcano trip with HF&T were both fabulous. I ride, but any group trip is going to have little trotting and close to no cantering even with horses. We got lucky and had mule trip to ourselves - us and the guide so we had a private tour and I would do it again in a minute. Mules are grand animals and very sweet. (We did trot in the cattle country.)
Enjoy your trip!

bodi

We LOVED the privelage of riding the ridge above the Valley of the Kings to the waterfall and back. Mule ride? NO, this has much steep rocky terrain and I was so grateful to be riding a hawaian mountain horse that knew exactly how to make each step. We did 'run' when safe, but please respect, that is in a safe place and if everyone paying for the ride is ready. Etiquette is seriously important, please. If you want flat out gallop, ask in advance at the ranch rides, it is not reasonable on the rocky clifts. Remember, you ride not alone but with others on the scale of skill, so please don't terrify the ride they are paying for and respect the life of the horses.....

CaliNurse

The horseback riding into Waipio is great, judging from the photos and stories of my kids. We were there 4 years ago. I was unable to ride on the horses, due to an injury. Tell your s.o. that he can spend a lovely few hours waiting for you at the Art Gallery/snack bar where you meet up for the tour. He can get a cold drink, laze away the afternoon on the porch there, or walk up the little country road past the church, to the Waipio Valley lookout. The smell of guavas is everywhere!!

ForkinMouth

The Waipio Valley ride is very enjoyable and the setting magnificent.
Yes, there are horses, not mules....I guess it depends upon which company you use.

DawnCt

We did the Waipio Valley horseback ride and absolutely loved it. Also, if you are comfortable kayaking, any outfitter in Kona can set you up with a single or double kayak and direct you to the spot to "put in". There is a lot of help there to get you started. We kayaked with our teens across the Kealeakakua Bay to Captain Cooks monument on the Big Island for great snorkeling and its a lot cheaper than a tour with a lot of people.

kamahinaohoku

Adventures on Horseback in Maui is truly amazing. www.mauihorses.com
They only take out 6 people a day, and you can be a beginner, it doesn't matter. The horses are very gentle, as the owner is a horse whisperer. First, you ride to a bluff overlooking the ocean, then cross the road and go up into the forest on the north side of Haleakala. We stopped by a pool fed by waters off the mountain (so the water was COLD). Even so, people went swimming in it. They set up our lunch behind the waterfall...and that was a very unique experience. The trip ran from 10am to about 3pm, and at the end, I felt like I'd had a full body massage for a week. It was that serene, that beautiful. I'd go again in a heartbeat. I've been on four other rides in Maui (with other comapnies), and this one was the best I've ever been on.

lcuy

We did the adventures on Horseback on Maui a couple years ago...it really was a nice trip for a "tourist" ride. The waterfall lunch was beautiful!

The guide did let everyone do a little gallopping on the bluff, but IMHO running any horse that you don't know is not safe.

I learned that lesson a few years back at a horse ranch in Colorado. I'm a very experienced rider and had been apired with my horse for 5 days. His gait seemed normal, but twisted slightly when he ran. A gopher jumped out while he was gallopping and the twist at high speed sent me flying.

Nothing like having to ride 4 hours with a concussion!

klw25

We did Adventures on Horseback in Maui as well, several years ago on our honeymoon, and we also found it amazing. You say you have some experience riding--the owner takes your experience into serious consideration when picking a horse for you, so you may have a little luck with getting to trot or canter a little. FYI, there were a couple of women in our group who were alone because their husbands stayed at the hotel, for whatever reason. You said your husband won't be joining you, and because the group is small and the tour sounds rather romantic, I didn't want you to be put off. It was such an amazing experience--one of our favorites from our honeymoon.
As far as Molokini Crater goes, we loved that as well. I didn't find it crowded (we were there in late August, early September) and we saw lots of fish, all of whom ate our of our hands and tried to get in our pockets for more food. Of course, the only time I had ever snorkeled before was in Aruba, which paled in comparison, so I don't have a lot to compare it to. However, if you have limited experience snorkeling, I think that you'd love it as well.
Also, if you're considering a helicopter excursion, we went on a fabulous tour in Maui. I wish I could remember the name of the operator. But I can tell you that the copter had no doors, and it sat two passengers in the back and one up front, so the view was magnificent! I believe it was (one of) the only copters like it that wasn't owned by the military. The owner used the copter primarily for search and rescue missions (they had rescued some film director and camerman out of the inside of a volcano) and also did some work for the government. They had the best safety record in Hawaii at the time--no accidents and came highly recommended from several tour books and the Four Seasons, where we were staying. If you're interested, I'm sure your hotel could tell you the name.
Good luck and congratulations on your wedding!

kamahinaohoku

Alas, Adventures on Horseback is no longer a tour. Go to www.mauihorses.com, to see about their Horse Whisper experience or the Way of the Horse, but no more rides...

capecodnative

We did the Molokini and Lanai snorkel trip through the Pacific Whale Foundation. My experience was skip the Molokini part -- way too crowded and unenjoyable -- and just do their Lanai trip. That was beautiful and lots of fun.

sail10

Look up a zodiac( type of rubber boat) snorkel trip , they have some good snorkel sites. I also think there are some guided kayak snorkel trips that go arround Wailia, again look up Maui activities on the internet , lots of different web sites to look at different trips. Molokini crater is nice but lots of people. nick

here_today_gone2Maui

Please note that you should never feed wildlife. Not only is it a very idea to feed the fish while snorkleing, it is actually illegal to feed them at Molokini, which is designated as a preserve.