Seeing the Haleakalā sunrise in Haleakalā National Park while visiting Maui is one of the most amazing things I’ve ever witnessed.
I knew it HAD to be on our must-do list as soon as we decided to vacation in Hawaii. I also knew I wasn’t going to be happy about my wake-up call that day. When the time finally arrived, we knew it would be an early morning. Who am I kidding? We were picked up before 3:00 a.m. — the middle of the night!
The trip we ended up taking in Hawaii allowed us to see a lot of different things on different islands … it just didn’t give us a ton of time in each location. Because we were in Maui just two days, we decided to skip the rental car. Instead we booked a Haleakala Sunrise tour through Tom Barefoot’s Tours. At nearly $160 per person, this tour is one of the most expensive of our trip. If you have access to a car, this trip is just as easy … and a whole lot cheaper!
I will say it was nice to just walk off the ship, through the terminal and step right on the bus for the excursion. The Haleakala Sunrise guides are not kidding when they say to dress warmly. Your fellow travelers will be dressed in winter coats, boots and gloves at the top of the mountain. There will also be dozens of people who are miserable in shorts and flip-flops. DON’T BE THESE PEOPLE. We were waiting for the sun to rise for probably 90 minutes. If you don’t have pants, sweatshirts, and coats, take the blankets from your hotel room or ship cabin. You will need them.
After picking us up, we went to a central restaurant for hot drinks. When everyone in our group arrived, we piled onto a bus. Our guide gave us a quick idea of what to expect as we headed up the dormant volcano, and then turned off the lights.
As we drove, we watched a movie about the legends of Haleakala and the demigod Maui. According to those stories, Maui climbed to the top of Haleakalā — or house of the sun. He waited for the sun to rise from its crater. As soon as the sun peeked out, Maui lassoed the sun. He only released it after the sun agreed to slow down for half the year. According to legend, this is how the seasons came to Hawaii. The seasons also brought longer days in the summer and shorter days in the winter.
Many of us dozed as the bus drove to the summit. (At least the ones who were prepared did.). The guide and driver will not turn on the heat until after sunrise on the way down the mountain. They want you to get acclimated to the temperature slowly instead of just stepping out into the freezing temperatures.
It was AT LEAST 40 degrees colder when we arrived at the summit, so layer up … it’s worth it!
Our guides staked out a location that would have a good view for the Haleakala sunrise. At least once it got light. When we arrived it was pitch black. If you think about it, grab a flashlight to take with you. The lights on our cell phones didn’t help much. We hung out with hundreds of other people in the dark for about an hour … just standing around and waiting and waiting and waiting …
AND IT WAS AMAZING!!
The breathtaking sunrise was probably the most beautiful experience I had in Hawaii. It began gradually … and then the sky just exploded with color and light! We were lucky. The morning before, everyone arrived at the summit and it started raining, so there wasn’t a sunrise. But the morning of our experience, we witnessed a double sunrise. The guides explained that happens when the sun rises, goes behind a cloud line and then moves above … rising a second time. It was magnificent. I have never witnessed a sunrise that colorful. The sky was on fire!
As the sun rose over the Haleakala Crater, a park ranger walked out and started chanting, making the entire experience even more amazing. Even if you aren’t a spiritual person, it’s something you shouldn’t miss.
I’ll let this video I shot speak for itself.
I mean, WOW, right?!?
After the sun rose, our guides met us back on the bus. They passed out hot chocolate and coffee as we boarded.
We started down the crater, stopping several times for pictures, stories, and at the visitor’s center for restrooms. The sunrise was definitely the highlight of this excursion.
We ended up back at the restaurant where we started hours before and enjoyed breakfast. Then the bus dropped us off at the cruise terminal! All of that before 11 a.m.!
