orchid

Hi, has anyone taken a tour van, or tour van/helicopter tour? We have never been to Hana - fear of the drive. But, a tour van seems like it might work. Thanks very much for your reply. Oh, it will be in November. Does that influence the trip to Hana in any way?

galelstorm

Hi Orchid,

Do you really want to spend the good part of a whole day in a van with 4-6 other people?

We drove the road to Hana a few years ago and yes, it is pretty, but yes, it is long. And the scenery along the way is mostly gorgeous vegetation with a few waterfalls here and there. Hana itself was sweet and low key. A helicopter tour might be exactly what you're looking for...or watch the video tour.

To me it is a waste of a day in paradise to drive all that way when you can hike in the Iao Valley State Park or explore wonderful snorkeling spots, or just kick back and enjoy the aloha!

beachgirl86

Orchid: We just did the Road to Hana this past Wednesday, and I am sorry to say that it did not work out for us at all! I didn't like the idea of a tour, so my husband and I went ourselves. The roads are extremely narrow and winding, unlike anything I've ever seen before. It was an all day affair, and not to be gross, but I threw up times times due to motion sickness! Most people love it, my husband and I are definitely in the minority of not having enjoyed it. We LOVED Hawaii (went to Waikiki, Big Island, and Maui), but this was the one day we did not enjoy! The scenery is lovely, though, but for us, it was a waste of a day in paradise.

DawnCt

We went to Hana at the beginning of the month. The road is narrow in places but most everyone is traveling in the same direction early in the day, and it is too lanes. It doesn't turn into one lane until way past Oheo Gulch, where it becomes a dirt road. Turn around just after Oheo Gulch and you will be heading back in the same direction as everyone else at that time. We have driven the road three times, with stops at Waianapapa State Park and its black sand beach, Blue Pool, etc. It is so beautiful that I can't imagine NOT going and I couldn't imagine going with a van full of people. The road is absolutely fine.

lasjas

I havent done this yet, but... I will be driving to Hana on Sept 8th... staying for 3 nights and then driving back to Wailea.

I am answering your question, becasue when I posted a similar post to yours, the answers were all that I must do the drive, not to fly (we were considering flying right into the Hana airport), and I kept being told that the drive is is the journey and the destination, and how amazing it is.

I have found that more people than not say that the road is fairly easy to drive on. a lot less folks say that the road is very scary.

as far as getting car sick... rent a convertible, not only will it help with that, but, you will have the open sky above you and a much better view, not just peeking out of windows

have a wonderful time!!
Laura

amelie

I agree with what Dawn said. The road was fine up until Hana. After that it got much narrower and steeper cliffs. That is wear my husband hit a large rock or something, and damaged the car's tire and rim. We made it back to our hotel though.

yale

My husband and I had a very good experience. However, we did our research beforehand. We left really early (6 am) and set aside an entire day to do it. My advice, leave early, stop often and bring snacks and water. When you leave early, you stay ahead of the traffic all day. I would not take a van. I hate the whole van/bus experience and it always seems like a slower trip. There are many things to see along the way - countless waterfalls, black sand beach, red sand beach and breathtaking bamboo forest at the seven pools. Take the hike up to the big waterfall at the seven pools too. This was a highlight of our trip. It takes you through the thick of the bamboo. Wear shoes that can get wet (tennies are fine) because you have to wade through the creek at the end to get close to the huge waterfall. Totally worth it. Take your time though. This is an entire day affair.

Conlet

Just wanted to add a question to this thread - is it better to drive to Hana on a weekday rather than a Sat or Sun?

BrutusBuckeye

I've got the same question as the previous post. Does anyone have any thoughts on whether it is better or worse to drive the Road to Hana on the weekend or a weekday?

Any help is greatly appreciated!

turn_it_on

We stayed two nights in Hana, so we got to take our time exploring. But I just wanted to say that the Hana Highway is FINE, it's not the Road of Death that the tshirts make it out to be. It's perfectly paved up until past Oheo, and yes, there are plenty of one lane bridges but signs make it VERY clear who is to yield, and we didn't run into any difficulty with people dealing with yielding, everyone figured it out. It would be a shame to miss all the awesome sights along the way because of a misconception about the road. I've driven way worse, and I'm sure it depends on your past experiences, but really, it's not that bad at all.

I can't imagine being stuck in a van with other people. Half the fun is stopping where YOU want to stop, taking as much time as YOU want to. And by the way, there's nothing IN Hana, that's not the point at all, it's all the beautiful places before and after, Hana just happens to be a town along the highway. So feel free to not go all the way to Hana or beyond if you just want to see some of the sights on the earlier parts of the highway.

love
roxy