Unforgettable Maui Sunrise: Haleakala Summit & Breakfast

The sunrise was beautiful, the driver helpful, the food at the restaurant was good. The drawbacks are it’s very early to get up, and long trip back when tired. I do like how the food at the restaurant was ordered ahead of time so that when we got there it was ready to go. It’s just that the restaurant was out of the way - making the tour longer.

It was an excellent experience. Preston was knowledgeable and informative. He gave us lots of great tips and told us lots of great stories and explained a lot of fascinating history on the way down. It’s important to note that if you are planning to make this trip, you need to bring lots of warm layers. It gets quite cold and windy up there. It also often is wet so you to make sure your outer layer is at least water resistant. We went on a dry and “warm” day but it was quite cold and windy despite wearing 3 layers (including a puffer coat) and two pairs of pants. Bring a beanie, gloves and thick socks because the cold air sneaks right into your shoes! It’s a wonderful experience, so don’t let the weather stop you from taking it all in and spending as much time out there as possible!

Fantastic tour with beautiful views! Perfect amount of time at each stop with amazing, knowledgable narration from Preston! Remember to dress warm as it gets ridiculously cold (40-45 degrees on our tour). Thank you again Preston, we appreciate you!

The entire experience from start to finish was truly wonderful. Preston was a wealth of knowledge and was so informative. He hung around and answered any questions before, during and after the actual sunrise. The breakfast was delicious and the entire experience was very well organized. We went on what was considered a warm and dry day but it was still quite cold. So it’s imperative to dress appropriately in layers and make sure your top layer is at the very least water resistant. It can get extremely wet and windy up there!

Our guide was Preston. Preston was an absolute blast. He was incredibly informative, fun, easy going and an excellent guide. We got more out of this trip than I even expected because of him. Of course the views at the top were absolute stunning. This is a visual experience where words don't feel like they can do justice. I feel like this is a must if you visit Maui. Its so surreal to see the sheer scope of this whole view. Word of advice, we had what was considered a pleasant morning at the top which had very little wind and was in the mid 40s. People would be best prepared to dress in thicker clothing and jackets cause even my wife and I with long undershirts and hoodies got a touch chilly. I heard that it can be even colder and more windy up there so please dress a bit heavier, at least if you are too warm, you can remove a layer.

Preston was amazing! The tour was great, the sunrise was amazing, the breakfast phenomenal (recommend the pancakes), and would highly recommend the sunrise (just be sure to dress in layers and be prepared for 40 degrees. on a good day, at the top)! My only criticism would be that we drove from where we were staying in Kihei all the way to Kapalua (Ritz-Carleton) passing multiple pick up points on the way from other hotels.

The sunrise was amazing! Our tour guide Preston was very knowledgeable and entertaining! He made sure we got the most out of our experience! Make sure you wear layers because we went with perfect weather and it was still very chilly due to the wind.

Visiting Haleakalā is one of several things you must do if you are visiting the island of Maui - this tour by Polynesian Adventures was a fantastic way to do that. As with any adventure, a bit of sacrifice and compromise is required - I was picked up at my hotel at 3:50am, which is actually reasonable given that I was staying in central Maui. Others on the tour were collected earlier - it just depends where you’re staying. The trip up the mountain takes about an hour, and in the early hours there isn’t much to see except the city lights that you’re leaving behind. I will say this about the weather - they recommend layers, and it’s a good idea. I am well acquainted with the cold, thought I had enough layers to handle the expected conditions - but hadn’t considered that the temperature on the island the rest of the week had been high 20’s (Celsius), and the near 0 was a bit of a shock to the system! My hands stayed in my pockets when I wasn’t taking photos ;) On entering the car park at the top of the mountain, our tour guide was explicit about where we were not permitted to go (which was absolutely fine - the car park is right at an optimal viewing point) and sent us on our way. We had arrived about 20 minutes before sunrise and the sky was just starting to brighten. Several other people were present - self driven and from other tour companies. We all waited together in anticipation, and because it’s an open space there were opportunities to quietly get to know other observers (if you’re into that sort of thing!) Although there was a bit of cloud cover, we were still treated to a spectacular sight. Some of the local men commenced a chant when the sun broke through the clouds, and wished us all well as the day commenced. My advice to travellers - even if it’s a bit cloudy, even if the sunrise itself is obscured, make the most of the time you have at the lookout - you might just be missing the best stuff if you leave as soon as sunrise is “done”. On return to the bus our driver had tea, coffee, and snacks available for us. The trip back down was well paced, with opportunities to stop and take photos of the island, and to get off at the visitors centre. Even though it was closed, it was a good stop. The breakfast stop as well was nothing short of fantastic - a good meal, in a fantastic venue, at the base of the mountain on the other side of Maui. I got a lot of mileage today! Finally, my tour guide Wayne was awesome! The guy had a lot of local knowledge, and also a lot of general knowledge that he shared with us all throughout the trip. I learned a lot about the recent history of Maui - the sorts of things you’d only get in conversation with someone who has been here for a very long time. Highly recommend!

Preston was very informative and entertaining! I think he knew more about Maui than most natives. His sense of humor was delightful!

This was a must do. Extremely beautiful experience. But even our tour guide told us if we don’t do anything please make sure you go and leave a review about how intense the cold it. This is not a light jacket experience. This is a glove, hat, balaclava, heavy duty jacket, blanket experience. The top of the mountain was about 35-40 degrees with high winds making it feel closer to 30 degrees. Our tour guide wore an atric jacket and glove warmers. It’s so important to have this context because it was hard to enjoy being so cold and my husbands from Philly and LOVES the cold - it’s cold! Be prepared