Maui · Hawai'i
The volcano that built East Maui, with a vast summit crater and a peak at 10,023 feet. Watch the sun climb out of a sea of clouds, see silverswords on red cinder, then stay for a sky full of stars.
Independent guideTickets and experiences hand-picked by our editors.
Tours
In the centre, the sunrise tour with the most reviews on Maui, park fee and breakfast included. Either side, a smaller-group sunrise and an evening trip for sunset and the stars. Every card opens a full tour page.
Small group
★ 4.88 hoursFree cancellationValley Isle Excursions collects you from South or West side hotels around 2 a.m. for sunrise at the summit. Smaller van, oxygen on board, breakfast after the park stops.
Most booked
★ 4.710 hoursFree cancellationSunrise from the Visitor Center at 9,740 feet with Polynesian Adventure Tours, then breakfast on the way down. No $1 reservation or 3 a.m. drive for you: the guide handles both.
Sunset + stars
★ 5.05.5 hoursFree cancellationSunset from the summit with Amazing Maui Stars, then the night sky through a telescope with warm jackets and hot drinks. No 2 a.m. alarm, and no reservation needed for sunset.
Interpretive guide
★ 4.67 hours
Sunset
★ 4.47 hours
Dinner included
★ 4.36 hours
Hike the crater
★ 4.87 hours
Private
★ 5.05 hours
Private sunset
★ 5.05 hours
Daytime + Upcountry
★ 4.39.5 hoursCompare
Three questions sort it out. Can you face a 2 a.m. pickup? Do you want the sunrise, the sunset or the stars? And would you rather share a van or pay for your own guide?
| Tour | Where | Start time | Best for | Trip | From | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Haleakala Sunrise Tour with Breakfast | Summit Visitor Center, 9,740 ft | Pickup 2 to 2:30 a.m. | A first sunrise, park fee and breakfast included | 10 hours | $254 | Book |
| Majestic Haleakala Sunrise Tour | Summit and crater overlooks | Pickup from 2 a.m. | Sunrise in a smaller van, South and West side | 8 hours | $264 | Book |
| Haleakala Sunset & Stargazing Tour | Summit area, then dark-sky viewing | 4 p.m. in Makawao | Sunset, then the stars through a telescope | 5.5 hours | $245 | Book |
| Classic Sunrise Tour with Breakfast in Pa'ia | Summit, Makawao and Pa'ia | Pickup around 1:45 a.m., guests report | Sunrise with a park concessioner, then Makawao and breakfast in Pa'ia | 7 hours | $287 | Book |
| Haleakala Sunset Twilight Tour with Dinner | Kula stop, then the summit | Early afternoon pickup | Sunset without the 2 a.m. start, takeout dinner from Kula | 7 hours | $257 | Book |
| Haleakala Sunset Tour with Plantation Dinner | Summit crater at sunset | Afternoon pickup | Sunset with an interpretive guide and a sit-down dinner | 6 hours | $314 | Book |
| Haleakala Crater Hiking Experience | Crater trails, 8,000 to 10,000 ft | 8:30 a.m. in Kahului | A guided 4-mile crater hike with lunch, ages 8+ | 7 hours | $208 | Book |
| Private Haleakala Summit & Stroll | Summit, crater rim and Hosmer Grove | Daytime, Kahului | Your own guide and pace, short walks, daytime | 5 hours | $359 | Book |
| Haleakala Private Sunset Tour | Summit at sunset, pickup island-wide | 4 p.m. pickup | Sunset with only your group, pickup even from an Airbnb | 5 hours | $555 | Book |
| Best of Maui: Haleakala, Upcountry & Iao Valley | Summit by day, Makawao, Iao Valley | 6 a.m. pickup | The summit in daylight plus Upcountry and Iao Valley, no 2 a.m. start | 9.5 hours | $307 | Book |
No tour here needs the $1 sunrise reservation: the operator brings you in. Children under 12 pay less on most group tours. Every tour cancels free up to 24 hours before.
Before you book
Since 2017 every private car entering the summit area between 3 and 7 a.m. needs a sunrise reservation from Recreation.gov. It costs $1 per vehicle, it is released 60 days ahead and again 2 days ahead at 7 a.m. Hawaii time, and the good dates go within minutes. The $30 park fee comes on top, and the park takes cards only.
Here is the part most booking pages skip: if you join a tour, you need neither. The park's licensed operators drive in on their own permit, and the tours here either include park admission or bring you in on the operator's van. What you pay for instead is the 2 a.m. pickup, a driver who knows the switchbacks in the dark, and someone else's coffee at the top.
Private vehicles allowed into the sunrise viewing areas each morning, at four overlooks from 8,840 to 10,023 feet. Tour vans come on top of that.
Only if you drive yourself at sunrise. Sunset and daytime visits need none.
$30 per car for three days. Most tours here list it as included.
About 30°F colder than the beach, and often below freezing before dawn.
Divers within 72 hours, and anyone pregnant or with heart or lung trouble without a doctor's okay.
Your day
Seven to ten hours from pickup to drop-off, and most of the first half happens in the dark.
Somewhere between 1:45 and 3 a.m., depending on where you stay. Bring every warm layer you packed.
About 2 a.m.Through Kula and up the switchbacks to the park. Most people sleep; the driver talks once the sky starts to lighten.
About 2 hoursFind a spot at the Visitor Center or the summit 30 to 60 minutes early and watch the sky change color above the clouds.
5:45 to 7 a.m.Daylight on the crater, a few park stops, then breakfast on the way down and back to the hotel.
3 to 4 hoursPlan your trip
Timing, prices, the reservation rules and what to wear: one tab each.
Where it happens
Haleakala Visitor Center, Crater Road, about 10 miles past the park entrance
The summit sits in the middle of East Maui, above Kula and Makawao. Most tours collect you from your hotel in Kihei, Wailea, Kaanapali or Kahului; the Polynesian Adventure Tours trips do not pick up in Lahaina. A few tours meet at the Kahului Park & Ride or in Makawao instead, so check the start point on the tour page.
Around your trip
Timing, what guests wish they had known, the altitude and the fine print.
East Maui
Pick sunrise or sunset, then pick your date.
Check availabilityGuest reviews
★★★★★The sunrise in the morning is amazing, but definitely listen to the advice to dress for cold, windy conditions! It is so much colder up at altitude then down at sea level in Maui [...] Also, the breakfast afterwards was terrific.
★★★★★This is a very cold and windy place but this company was prepared. They had wind proof fleece capes that kept us toasty and warm while waiting for the sun to rise. [...] The breakfast afterwards was amazing at a beautiful property.
★★★★★Truly unique experience. I've never seen stars so clearly in my life. It was great fun to see the crater and the park at sunset. Different perspective. Trish was an excellent guide.
★★★★★Honestly I did NOT want to get up at two in the morning for this tour as I'm not a morning person. I'm so glad I did! The sunrise was amazing. The experience was awesome.
★★★★★This tour is worth it! The sunset was beautiful and worth the long drive. It was so cool to be above the clouds!
★★★★★This was the only tour I saw that allowed for an easy hike on the Hosmer Grove trail. The hike was filled with great views. We then were given a snack and finished our drive to the summit. We had time to explore.
★★★★★Preston, our tour guide, was amazing!!! He really loves his job and loves telling the history of the island and the volcano. I wore a beenie, gloves, sweats, socks and Uggz boots. Tennis shoes would have been ok as well.
★★★★★Our driver, Cory, was very entertaining! He shared information about Maui as well as Haleakala. We loved watching the sunrise while listening to the sunrise chant. It was a memorable experience.
★★★★★Absolutely amazing evening! We counted 9 rainbows on our drive up to the summit. [...] the stargazing was the cherry on top! (We were lucky to have clear skies)
Same sunrise, different way down
Watch the sunrise from the summit, then ride part of the way down. The ride starts below the park at 6,500 feet.
Sunrise at the summit by van with Bike Maui, then the van takes you down to 6,500 feet, outside the park, and you ride downhill on your own with a map. Riders must be 15 and have recent biking experience. Breakfast is at your own cost.
Ages 15+Park entry includedSelf-guided
The guide
Haleakala is one mountain, but the tours sell very different days on it. Here is how to read them.
Haleakala is the shield volcano that built East Maui, and its summit rises to 10,023 feet at Pu'u 'Ula'ula. The "crater" at the top is not a true volcanic crater but a huge valley carved by erosion and dotted with red, ochre and black cinder cones. Hawaiian tradition knows it as the house of the sun, where the demigod Maui snared the sun to slow it down. The national park protects the summit area and, separately, the Kipahulu coast near Hana; the two districts do not connect inside the park.
Two things surprise first-timers. The first is the cold: the park says the summit runs about 30°F cooler than the coast, and the hours around dawn are often wet, windy and below freezing. The second is how high you are. Thin air makes the short walk up to the summit shelter feel like a stair climb.
Four companies hold the park's road-based concession for tours: Polynesian Adventure Tours, Valley Isle Excursions, Haleakala EcoTours and Skyline Eco-Adventures. On a sunrise tour they solve three problems at once. You skip the $1 reservation, which sells out fast. You skip driving a dark mountain road with no streetlights or guardrails after three hours of sleep. And you get someone who knows where to stand. The price for that is $254 to $287 a head, against $31 for a carload of people who drive themselves.
That math is why couples on a budget often drive, and why families, first-timers and anyone staying on the far side of the island tend to book. Neither choice is wrong. Our tour or drive guide runs the numbers.
Sunrise is the one people come for: the sky going from black to violet to orange over a floor of cloud. It also means a 2 a.m. pickup, the coldest hours and the biggest crowd at the rim. Sunset is warmer, needs no reservation and is calmer, and the light falls across the crater instead of behind it. Stay on after dark and the stars come out over an observatory site that astronomers chose for its clear air. The small-group sunset and astronomy tour adds a telescope, warm jackets and a guide who names the constellations. Our sunrise or sunset guide goes through it.
A daytime visit is the underrated option. You see the cinder cones in full color, the silverswords up close and the nene, Hawai'i's state bird, along the road. The Best of Maui day tour pairs the summit with Upcountry and Iao Valley. A private guide can add the short Hosmer Grove walk at the park's forest edge. And if you want to stand on the crater floor, the guided crater hike covers about 4 miles at altitude. On your own, the Sliding Sands trail drops about 2,500 feet, and the park warns that coming back up takes twice as long.
Guides
In-depth guides to the questions people ask most before booking. See all guides.
Sunrise reservationThe $1 permit, when it drops, and how to skip it.
Sunrise or sunsetClouds at dawn, stars at dusk, or the crater by day.
Tour or drive yourselfReal costs, real drive times, and who should book.
What to wearReal summit temperatures and the layers that beat them.
StargazingA telescope tour or your own blanket under the Milky Way.
Crater hikeSliding Sands, Halemau'u and the guided crater day.From the blog
Closures, fee changes and what is new this year. All posts.
FAQ
Straight answers to what people ask most about Haleakala tours.
No. The $1 reservation on Recreation.gov is for private vehicles entering between 3 and 7 a.m. Authorized tour companies bring you in on their own permit, so the tour is your ticket. You only need the reservation if you drive up yourself. The details are in our reservation guide.
On Viator, sunrise tours with hotel pickup start at $254 per person and run to about $287 with breakfast. Sunset tours with dinner cost $257 to $314, the small-group stargazing tour $245, and private tours $359 to $555. Driving yourself costs $1 for the reservation plus $30 per car for the park, before the rental.
Early. Pickups run from about 1:45 to 3 a.m., depending on your hotel and the season. The Polynesian Adventure Tours sunrise trip starts at 2 a.m. from April to September and 2:30 a.m. from October to March. The drive up takes about two hours from Kihei or Kaanapali.
On most of them, and the listing says so: the Polynesian Adventure Tours and Haleakala EcoTours trips list park admission as included. A few listings do not mention it, but you still ride in on the operator's vehicle. Driving yourself, the fee is $30 per car for three days, card only.
Sunrise is the classic, with the sun coming up out of a sea of clouds, but it costs you a 2 a.m. alarm and a crowd. Sunset needs no reservation, has fewer people and lets you stay for the stars. We would pick sunset for families. Compare them in sunrise or sunset.
Cold. The summit is about 30°F cooler than the beach, and before dawn it is regularly wet, windy and below freezing, says the park. Guests on recent tours report 34 to 55°F. Bring a warm jacket, hat and gloves. See what to wear.
No. Clouds can sit on the summit, and tours run rain or shine. The park does not refund the $1 reservation for weather, and Polynesian Adventure Tours refunds only if it cancels for safety. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before is your best protection.
Yes, in any rental car. For sunrise you need the $1 reservation, released 60 days ahead and again 2 days ahead at 7 a.m. Hawaii time, and they go fast. The road has no streetlights or guardrails. Our tour or drive guide weighs it up.
The air at 10,023 feet is thin. The operators ask pregnant travelers and anyone with heart or breathing problems to check with a doctor first, and to wait 72 hours after scuba diving. Very young children and older travelers should take it slowly.
Yes. The Hike Maui crater tour walks about 4 miles at 8,000 to 10,000 feet with lunch, from age 8. On your own, the Sliding Sands trail drops about 2,500 feet to the crater floor, and the climb back takes twice as long. Read the crater hike guide.
Every tour on this site cancels for a full refund up to 24 hours before the start. If the park closes the summit road for weather, as it did three times in 2026, the operator cancels and refunds or rebooks.
Ready to book
Hotel pickup on most tours, no reservation to chase, and free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
More: a smaller-group sunrise · a guided crater hike · a private sunset
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