Explore Upcountry on Maui
For many tourists, Maui is known for the Haleakala Crater, a dormant volcano, and the Road to Hana. However, Maui has much more to offer, if you drive through Upcountry. The drive starts at the North Shore town of Pa’ia, continues through the “paniolo” cowboy town of Makawao to Kula and ends at Ulapalakua.
Sunrise on Haleakala Crater Maui
The biggest attraction of Upcountry is the spectacular sunrise and sunset of the Haleakala Crater which is more than 10.000 feet above sea level. There, you feel like being on a different planet like the moon. At the summit of Haleakala, the temperature can even go below the freezing point. Therefore, make sure you have warm clothes and closed shoes with you. We recommend the sunrise tour on the Haleakala.
Upcountry became an agricultural center in the late 1700s, when a British naval captain gave Hawaii’s King Kamehameha a herd of longhorn cattle. Hawaiian paniolos (cowboys) settled here in the mid-1800s. They farmed the volcanic soil and raised cattle. As of today most of the cowboys are gone, but several big ranches are still there. Today you can take farm tours, visit goat dairy or even sip Maui-made wines.
Locations and attractions you can explore:
Haleakala Crater, also known as the House of the Sun
You need to wake up early to see the most spectacular sunrise on earth – a once in a lifetime experience. The park is open 24 hrs a day.
Hawaii Sea Spirits Organic Farm and Distillery
This vodka and rum is USDA-certified organic and gluten free, made from organic sugar cane and deep-ocean mineral water.
Driving through Maui pastures and ending up at Ulupalakua Vineyards. Discover this historic estate and taste some of Maui’s exquisite wines.
Soar through seven thrilling ziplines with spectacular ocean and upcountry views. It’s family friendly, so kids ages 5 and up are welcome. A reservation is required.
This is an award winning zipline on Maui with two unique tours. Both tours are perfect for the whole family. The Haleakala skyline tour, en route to Haleakala, combines five thrilling zipline crossings, a swinging bridge with panoramic views of the south Maui coastline. The Kaanapali Skyline tour has three different zipline options including a dip into a natural mountain pool, a tandem zipline and an eight zipline crossings through Maui’s mountains.
Do you like cheese? Then you definitely have to visit this dairy. The Surfing Goat Dairy already won 18 national awards for their different 30 varieties of gourmet cheese.
Ulupalakua Ranch Store and Grill
Once you get to Ulupalakua, you need to have lunch at this place.Choose one of their famous burgers – ranch-raised beef, elk or lamb. The open-air grill is fired-up from 10am to 5pm.
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