This was not the adventure for us. It’s hard to have a “bad” day in Haleakala as it’s such a beautiful otherworldly place, but unfortunately this hike with Hike Maui didn’t align with what we expected. On their website we don’t feel they give enough detail on what to expect. “Two-mile hike at the 10,000-foot summit where huge cinder cones dominate the desert-like, expansive scenery. Another two-mile hike at 8,000 ft. on a lava trail lined with rare native plant species.” They provide the above plus a “challenging” rating due to altitude, but neither really gave us a great view of what to expect, other than the 700 disclaimers you must accept from a liability waiver perspective.
For the curious: hike one is less steep but constant scrambling over medium to large rocks which gave us blisters in our well broken in hiking shoes, and hike two is more steep but more small pebbles/gravel to less challenging in our opinions. Both doable, but certainly not easy.
Our guide Marko is clearly very experienced. He has been with Hike Maui 20+ years. While very friendly and a wealth of knowledge, we found it hard to focus on being in nature and just enjoying the hike at times as he was very talkative. I know it comes down to personal preference and this is a group tour, so not everyone will get their desired way. Lovely guy, well traveled, able to answer lots of questions, just when we wanted to focus on the hike / breathing in the high altitude it wasn’t always the easiest to be having a conversation. It did feel we were in very capable hands should anyone need medical attention, but thankfully no one did.
In all, if you are fit, hike daily and/or live in the mountains somewhere, this may be a walk in the park for you. Unfortunately for us it was not, nor did it seem worth the price.
Відповідь від хоста
Jul 2024
Thank you for your feedback. We apologize that the hike did not meet your expectations. The trail you mentioned, with the so-called rock scrambling, is a well-maintained national park trail and is generally viewed as the easier of the two. Being at 8,000ft and 10,000ft, the most challenging aspect of this tour is the elevation due to reduced oxygen levels and increased sun exposure.
We also appreciate your comments about Marko. While he is knowledgeable and friendly, we understand that balancing information and allowing guests to enjoy nature is important.
Your insights are valuable, and we’ll strive to improve based on your feedback. We hope to provide a better experience in the future.