jverrine

Hi,
Unfortunately, I have to choose between these two activities...do you recommend one over the other? We would enjoy both types of trips equally so I'm having a hard time deciding.

Thanks for any advice!

JohnD

I vote for the Haleakala sunrise, snorkel trips can be done elsewhere.

tpatricco

Hi Jverrine, John D makes an excellent point. There are few places where you can do gravity assisted biking down a mountain at sunrise, and many where you can do great snorkling. We did sunrise but not the biking at Haleakala and did a snorkle charter to Molokini. We enjoyed both, but I have since snorkled in many better places, so in hindsight, I'd skip Molokini and go for the great biking opportunity! Maui is fantastic! Enjoy! Trish

turn_it_on

There's so many great places to snorkel right from the beach in south Maui, I'd do Haleakala. Check out Palauea, Po'olenalena, Ulua, and Keawakapu Beaches for snorkeling.

love
roxy

alvarki

I agree with the other posts - choose the Haleakala biking trip at sunrise. We went snorkeling at Molokini and thought it was a bust - we had MUCH better snorkeling experiences going right off the beach in both Kapalua and Kanapali. Don't bother with the trip to Molokini!

jverrine

I really appreciate the advice and we will definitely do the volcano! Any particular tour operator you recommend? I noticed the main difference is an organized tour vs. ride down at your own pace. There seem to be pros and cons to both. Any thoughts?

here_today_gone2Maui

I personally could never imagine doing an escorted tour. They are herded down the volcano, and you can only move at the speed of the slowest member of the group. I see them coming down in waves, one after another. There are more accidents on the escorted rides as they tend to ride much too close together and when one goes down, the rest follow in a domino efect.

We have done unescorted with Haleakala Bike company a few times. Their bikes are real mountain bikes as opposed to the single speed cruisers the escorted companies use. On an unescorted ride you can take your time, stop and enjoy a vista and take the time to explore. We like to stop at the Kula Lodge for breakfast, then spend some time in Makawao, usually returning the bikes to Ha`iku sometime around 2 in the afternoon.
http://www.bikemaui.com/

For somethgin different, we are planning on checking out the winery bike ride with Aloha Bike Tours sometime after the kids are back in school and things quiet down for the fall.
http://www.mauibike.com/