Saturday, April 12, 2025
Whale watching in Hawaii is a lot of fun and Maui is a great place to do it. The best months to see them are December through March. It is April so we did not research any tours. I wish we had.
We decided to take a 2-mile loop hike to see some waterfalls. There would be opportunities to swim or wade in if we chose to do so. Sounded like fun.
We started our day with a room service breakfast. Right on time at 6:45. We got to the world stage at 7:45 and we’re heading for the vans by 8:00
Our HAL tour today – Rain Forest & Waterfall Hiking Adventure
ABOUT THE EXCURSION – Walk to several waterfalls in one of Maui’s most popular rain forest valleys. The falls are between 10 and 40 feet tall, and all have large pools perfect for swimming or toe-dipping (there is time for a swim for those who wish to do so). This valley is unusual because it has so many waterfalls close together.
You’ll experience Maui at its best as you explore among gorgeous bamboo and tropical rain forests, freshwater streams, numerous waterfalls and pools, ferns, flowers and fruit trees.
The whole area is a playground of beauty and adventure, and there is nothing as refreshing and bracing as showering under a Hawaiian waterfall.
Your rain forest walk is enhanced by expert naturalist guides — these ‘walking encyclopedias’ can answer your questions about botany, ethnobotany, geology, culture and history.
The tour operator won Hawaii’s Eco-Tour Company of the Year award in 2010.
Notes: The hike is two miles round trip. Footing can be tricky since there are rocks, roots, streams and sometimes mud to navigate. This is not a strenuous hike, but participants should be in reasonable physical condition and should expect to encounter occasional steep inclines. Lunch, backpack, rain poncho, insect repellent (when needed) and bottled water are provided. Wear your swimsuit under your clothing; bring a towel, reef-safe/biodegradable sunscreen, light clothing to act as a full cover-up for further protection from the sun, and a hat. Wear sturdy walking shoes or heavy-duty sandals for the hike. Minimum age is 10 years.
So the van was comfortable, and the driver was also the guide. She liked to laugh at her own jokes. It wasn’t long before we arrived at the parking lot for the rainforest hike. The hike would be going through both public and private land.
We were directed to the porta-potties. Then she handed out our lunches – sandwiches, bottled water, chips, and a cookie to be carried in our backpacks. She also handed out some disposable ponchos. She offered everyone a backpack to use and a walking stick. We had our own backpacks. I took a walking stick to help with stability.
We started out on a level, gravel pathway. She stopped every so often to explain the different plants we were seeing. She would pick leaves or berries to let us smell or taste. Smell – okay. Taste – nope.
She was very knowledgeable. We soon left this nice public path onto the private farmland that this company has a contract with to provide hiking opportunities to unsuspecting tourists.
The path soon became more difficult. Now, we have hiked many places over the years and some much longer than 2 miles, and were used to roots, mud, rocks. But this path took it to a whole other level.
You just didn’t step over roots. You had to high step over the roots and there were lots of roots. You had to bend down and limbo under fallen trees. Any rock could move and trip you up, so I was always looking down and missed the scenery along the way. The mud just splattered everywhere on every step. Don’t get me started on the humidity. My hair ballooned out like a dandelion puff.
Then to add to the excitement, it started to rain. Really rain. Rainforest rain. We started scrambling to get our ponchos on which wasn’t easy when you are sweating. We were definitely in the rainforest.
Then the sun came back out in force and decided we should all boil inside the plastic ponchos. We scrambled to get the ponchos off. They did not want to come off – you would get part of it to unstick from your skin or clothes and only to have it cling to another part. It was if a python had you in its clutches. Chuck finally ripped his off like Superman ripping off his Clark Kent outfit.
We finally got to our first waterfall. You could view it or you could jump in from the ledge and swim. We viewed.
Our next stop was a lunch break, and people could swim if they wanted. Several people took advantage of the pool ignoring the large crawly things with legs that were swimming along side of them. We did not swim. We sat on a log, not speaking, and contemplating our life choices.
Finally, we made it back to the public gravel path. We could choose to see the last waterfall or go back toward the rest area. I decided to see the waterfall. How much worse could it get?
Chuck decided to go to the rest area. I should have chosen that option. To even get to the waterfall, we had to walk into the creek on the slippery rocks. Once we got to the fall, I changed into my swim shoes (that I had packed for the hike) and waded into the pool for just a short way.
Now it was time for all of us to trudge back to the vans. We found Chuck enjoying the shade in the rest area and happily chatting with all the other happy people from other hikes who also chose to rest.
As we made our way closer to the van, after all the walking over all the roots, all the slippery rocks, and all through mud, one man in our group suddenly slipped on the gravel and hit hard.
He was really scraped up, but he said he didn’t hit his head. It was bleeding a bit, so I think he did. I was really surprised it was him as he was one of the few in the group who jumped in at the first waterfall and then swam at all the others. Very athletic. Gravel got him. Mother Nature can be cruel.
I was very happy to get back to the ship and get a hot shower. I had to really scrub to get that mud off of my legs. It was if the mud just wanted to come home with me as a souvenir of my time in Maui.
I’m sure the laundry personnel were going to take one look at our clothes and say, “what the hell happened here? I don’t get paid enough for this mess.”
The hike description said “not strenuous.” Others in the group did not find it strenuous but we did. So much so, that I cancelled a similar tour for Kona. Not going to go through this again. Really, I’ve seen better waterfalls less than 30 miles from our house.
I do want to say again that the guide was informative, attentive, and cheerful (so very cheerful). She tried to make the hike from hell a pleasant one but came up way short.
After our showers, Chuck went to the Sea View to describe in great detail to his friends the horror I put him through today.
I stayed in the room to read. I was done for the day and was not coming out of the room. When Chuck came back and asked about dinner, I said I was ordering room service. He said that sounded good to him too, so we both had club sandwiches, chips, and chocolate cake. We went to bed early.
I love whale watching.
Tomorrow – Honolulu