Upcountry Tropical Farm Tour
Haku Lei Making, Makawao Historical Tour
Private Tour Information
Exclusive transfer with a narrated tour from your hotel or condominium up to the verdant slopes of Haleakala, located in Upcountry Maui. Explore a botanical garden or a lavender or working vegetable farm, and smell and taste the abundance that Maui gives so generously. After your farm tour, your group can explore Makawao town on a historical tour, stop at Haku Maui for a unique haku lei making experience, explore shops, eat local food and more.
*While your transfers are exclusive, some tours are limited and may not be. Exclusive tours are subject to availability and could incur an additional fee.
First Stop: Kula Botanical Garden
Explore acres of colorful and unique plant life, amazing rock formations, a covered bridge, waterfalls, pools, koi pond, aviary, and other new attractions including the carved tiki exhibit. Tour self-guided, or when available, a botanist can educate you on the history the garden as well as the horticultural significance of each plant species.
Alternate Stop: Other Farms & Gardens
While Kula Botanical, open 365 days per year, is enough to satisfy many, there are other options available as well, including Enchanted Floral Gardens of Kula, Alii Kula Lavender Farm, O’o Farm for organic garden and farm-to-table dining, Maui’s Surfing Goat Dairy. Please call to discuss timing and availability.
Second Stop: Haku Maui Lei Making Studio
Dive in to Hawaiian culture with a hands on session hosted by huku lei making experts where they live, in their Upcountry Makawao studio. Skip the prep work and start building your own custom haku lei design without trimming and stripping leaves.
Your haku bar sets before you as beginners to crafting experts alike build their floral crown creations. The head (or ankle & wrist) garland can stay fresh for about a week, and is yours to pack and ship home with you, or wear it out for a truly Hawaiian day upcountry, and for the rest of your Maui vacation. Great photo opportunities!
Haku Lei
n. Hawaiian [ha-koo lā ]. Floral crowns also known in Hawaiian as “lei po’o”. Worn around the head, this version of adornment is a popular Hawaiian headdress for dancing hula and for ritual ceremonies. Haku leis are equally as popular between men and women, the male variety tending toward foliage and leaves and women combining more floral combinations. Traditionally, white flowers are used for a bride’s lei po’o, although colorful tropical flowers for accent are used to complement a theme.
Third Stop: Historic Makawao Town
This is a small upcountry town that embraces its paniolo (Hawaiian word for cowboy) roots as well as its local Japanese, Chinese and Portuguese immigrant inhabitants. Historic buildings house numerous independently owned boutique shops with unique lines of clothing. A great place to visit a glass blowing studio or seek out artisanal hand-crafted jewelry and pottery from local artists. Surprisingly, a few of Maui’s best hole-in-the-wall restaurants are located here.
With our Not Pau TourTM option, your tour ends when you say so, not when the schedule dictates. Just five minutes down the mountain, you can discover pineapple fields, Surfing Goat Dairy, and Paia Town: (pronounced pie-EE-yah, unlike the Spanish seafood dish) the epicenter of Maui’s North Shore. One glance at the people and the shops, you can sense the international flavor. Europeans and surf aficionados from around the world have long gathered there to surf Ho’okipa, the world-renowned windsurfing beach. Stop at any of Paia’s amazing restaurants, or visit Charley’s, a favorite hangout of Willie Nelson, for a bite or a beer.
Perhaps you’ll want to explore down the coast to see the windsurfers and kite surfers in action skimming the surface of the waves like butterflies on shimmering glass, or head another 5 miles further toward Hana to Peahi, to witness the power of “Jaws”, one of the world’s biggest waves.
Tour Details
Kula Botanical Gardens: Every Day
Haku Maui Options: Tuesday – Saturday
Time: Recommended hotel pick-up between 7:45 AM – 8:30 AM depending on your location. Return approximately 2:00 PM.
Upcountry Tropical Farm Tour with Haku Lei Making – For up to 8 people | |
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Private Tour Price from | $1,880.00 |
Option 1 – Bring your own Food & Beverages Haku Maui provides tables with linens, glass flutes, drink dispensers, pupu plates, napkins and utensils. |
$60.00 |
Option 2 – Cheese, Charcuterie and Refreshments Serves 10–15 people. Includes Water, Lilikoi juice, Cheese Charcuterie. Platter to include Havarti, Brie, Goat Cheese with Honey, Cheddar & Smoked Gouda Cheeses, Sliced Salami or Chorizo, Lilikoi Fruit Preserves, Red Grapes & Crackers. |
$155.00 |
Kula Botanical Tour Guide | $60.00 |
- Does not include taxes, fees, or driver gratuity.
Not PauTM Private Tour Option
For an additional fee*, your vehicle will be made available beyond your anticipated return time (based upon availability). Add a destination, or extend shopping time, on the fly. The Not PauTM option allows you to settle up with the driver upon your return to the resort.
*Van rate (up to 12 passengers) for additional time is $155 per hour plus taxes, fees & gratuity and based upon the expected return time stated at the time of booking. Charges accrue in increments of 30 minutes, and are rounded to the next half hour. Call for larger vehicle rates for larger groups.