Name: Maui Road to Hana Driving Tour
Rating: 4.8818 (21057 reviews)

User Reviews for Maui Road to Hana Driving Tour

4.88 out of 5

21.1K Ratings

3 years ago, i11evnator

AMAZING TOUR GUIDE!

I found this app while searching for travel safe app for our trip to Hawaii and really enjoyed reading the raving reviews. I downloaded this app and told my partner all about it and right when I bought the Road to Hana tour while in Maui, he said “you shouldn’t have bought it, it’s a waste of money.” What a turnaround it turned out to be after listening to our tour guide navigate us on the road to Hana! We had lots of laughs, enjoyed our tour guide’s humor, and felt like we had another buddy on our trip. The recommendations on activities to skip or do were very helpful because we were short on time since instead of starting at 8am, we started at 12pm! Shaka Guide kept us company during a tough time during our drive home at NIGHT! We started the tour a little late and even when the sun was starting to set, we still pushed on full speed ahead! So even when driving on the winding and rollercoaster ride of a road out of Hana to reach civilization in the dead of night. We were extremely informed by the interesting legend stories and legendary history. The music playing along the road made us feel so at ease; it was very soothing and relaxing to drive to 🤗 You know how you wish there was a theme song for your life and every moment of your life? That’s what this tour did for us. It really set the mood for the day and helped us enjoy this trip to the fullest. Thank you, SHAKA GUIDE! 🤙

5 years ago, femalelonetraveler

Excellent guide!!!

I debated between signing up for a tour or doing the drive myself since I have a car. I though buying a tour would be safer for a female lone traveler like myself but the tours are so expensive! I decided to download the app & took the reverse route for a fraction of money that tours are charging . I made the best decision in doing that! The app. goes over a lot of details esp. safety and timing . I had my own private guide in the car with me along the way. I even took a few wrong turns and it brought be back on track. It kept me on track with the time too, making me decide which stops to make or not . I left Paia at 8:00 am and was back safely before 6:00 , plenty of daylight! I have to tell you though , the guide is very concerned about your safety and the first part of the tour will warn you about driving through unpaved roads as the rental agencies strongly discourages it! I had to pull over and ask a tour bus driver (parked in one of their stops) if he thinks I’ll make it with the car I have. A regular 4 door sedan. Driver said don’t worry I’ll be ok. Well, I went through those roads with a sedan and did just fine ! I highly recommend this app for anyone doing the road to Hana! I learned so much about the history of Hawaii along the way and the music they played in between points are impeccable! I had the best day in Maui today ! Thanks Shaka app for a stress free, and VERY economical way to the road to Hana!

2 years ago, CH222222222

Great App!

We were recommended to this app by a friend, and we did the Road to Hana, Maui. It was scary! The music did get annoying on the way back so we would pause it, and then the tour guide would start back up again automatically. You should preview the spots on the tour 2 days before you plan to go, and make your reservations. Also, do your research—certain days of the week may be less crowded. If we knew that we would preview the spots on the listing ahead of time the night before, perhaps we would have booked the black sand park reservation ahead of time. Unfortunately, we passed the black sand park and did not have a reservation, but felt frightened enough of the road that we did not go back. We went all the way past Hana and did not reach the seven springs. We appreciated the reminder to turn around, providing us a time estimate for the way back. We were able to visit a public waterfall that people were swimming in. It was very far to get there. Heading back west toward the OGG airport on the road to Hana, was tricky since the stop sign for the one way roads favored the East bound traffic as they could come closer to the stop. It is dangerous to go in reverse. Overall, we survived thankfully and mostly in part a great thanks to the tips on tracking time and ensuring we have enough drive time for the journey back.

5 years ago, Billybob$&:@/);

No planning necessary!

We recently used the Shaka app to take multiple tours on Maui, Oahu and the Big Island and they totally made our trip! Very easy to use and incredibly informative, they made planning our day trips a breeze. In fact, no planning was necessary because they tell you exactly where to stop and what to do. It came in especially handy on the Road to Hana where there is way more to potentially do and see than you can get done in a day. Also loved the Haleakalā sunrise, North Shore Oahu, Volcanos National Park and Kohala Coast tours. There was no fear of missing out knowing that the Shaka Guide would take us to the best attractions and give an honest assessment of which ones could be skipped. We felt like we got way more out of our travels than if we were to just drive around looking at stuff. We and our kids learned a ton about Hawaiian history and culture and there was no need to mess with maps or cumbersome 200 page guidebooks. Works best if you have a rental car than can stream through the stereo via Bluetooth. Our rental Jeeps on two of the islands didn’t have this and it would not play properly through a USB connection or at all through a portable Bluetooth speaker for some reason. Maybe a technical issue to resolve but certainly not major - we just listened through the phone speaker and kept it charged. Very highly recommend.

6 years ago, C&E 06-10-2018

Just awesome...the tour guide made us feel like Ohana!

This app was so helpful. We did this tour on our first day in Maui and actually missed our “tour guide’s voice” the rest of our trip. (We even gave him our own name “Oggie” because I didn’t read the email entirely to the bottom to find out his real name lol). He was funny, accurate and so informative. My new fiancé =) was even debating on when to propose during this trip and because of something that was mentioned he found exactly when and where to propose. We didn’t get to make it to all the stops but we followed the tour’s advice and made it to all of the most spectacular sites. Time flew by rather quickly and because of his advice we were able to make the most of our time. For the rest of my trip, I even recommended this app to other tourists and visitors who were planning to do the Road to Hana. It definitely beat being on a tour bus. This gave us guidance but also the freedom to come and go as we pleased. On the drive back to our hotel, the app also gave us such an entertaining and valuable history about Maui and Hawaii. We are so grateful we used this app, we really got the whole package with this app. Not only did it guide us on the Road to Hana but it guided the road to my boyfriend’s proposal! =) Thank you Shaka Maui! You made all the difference in our trip! Until next time...Mahalo! - C&E

3 years ago, Jakewisdom

Must have App for Maui!

I lived on Maui for almost a year about 30 years ago but decided it would be fun and helpful to have an app guide on our recent vacation and road trip to Hana. The Shaka Guide App was the perfect combination of map, guide, places of interest, humor, music, culture, language, history, and what I might call local knowledge. We LOVED this app! The guide/narrator gave great insight, helpful hints and plenty of silly jokes that you might expect from any in person tour guide. I especially appreciated when the guide made suggestions about what sites could be skipped and what sites were not to be missed. On our return trip from Hana, we listened to the history portion of the journey and I was amazed at how much we learned from the small soundbites. Hearing this history is so important in a place like Hawaii and should not be missed if you use this app. Besides the content of the app, we were very impressed with how the app functioned as it followed our journey with many stops and slow downs. With only a few exceptions the guide/narration followed us perfectly on our journey. By the time we finished our trip I think we were honestly both a little sad to turn off the app. I would recommend this app without hesitation for anyone visiting Hawaii!

4 years ago, jewelwhite71

Totally worth the money!

This tour was inexpensive and totally worth every penny, for the info on available restrooms alone!! My fiancé and I drove all the way to Ohe’o Gulch and back and we didn’t leave Paia until about 9:45. We had done the road to Hana before but never made it to Ohe’o Gulch so that was our goal. We didn’t make a lot of stops on our way there, since we had done many before, but even still made the time to stop at the black sand beach near Hana and some of the waterfalls. It’s definitely possible to do the whole trip starting that “late” we were sure to leave Ohe’o by 4 and were set up having dinner at Momma’s Fish House by 630! This guide is awesome! It turns itself on and off based on your location, is full of helpful info (bathrooms for sure) and made the trip far more enjoyable. We had some technical difficulty the first time we turned the car off and drove for a few minutes without the guide but quickly pulled over to get it reset. We missed it! The app even has trouble shooting built right in. For me, shutting off my iPhone and restarting it did the trick. The guide had just the right tone and amount of info, even the interesting historical stories for the way back. I would definitely purchase another guide from Shaka Guides again!

6 years ago, Bobc85262

Fantastic app!

The valet at our hotel asked what we were doing that day as he pulled up our car. When we mentioned we were driving the road to Hana, he recommended this app. It MADE our trip perfect. It felt like we had the most experienced tour guide in the world with us. In addition to being very detailed and explaining each site we were coming up to, it also made recommendations on when to stop and when to keep driving (“this waterfall is ok, but you will see much better in 30 minutes...recommend not stopping“), it was also smart and funny! If you drove past a scenic spot the app knew this because the timing of the GPS indicated we kept moving, so it would say “ok, so I guess you didn’t want to see that”. Kept us engaged for 6 or 8 hours as we drove along. At one point we stopped at an overlook after we just heard the story of a church built with coral and there was a tourist with their tour guide standing next to us, and he was stumbling for a good explanation about the church, so I just started to repeat all that I just heard on the app and the tourist asked how I knew all that, and I explained about the great app while the tour guide (who knew next to nothing and was really just an overpaid Uber driver) scowled at me! Anyway, GREAT app!

5 years ago, Crashes with new iPhone update

Honeymoon success thanks to this app

At first, we were a little bit skeptical about doing this tour ourselves without a guide. We didn't want to miss out on anything. However, we decided to just be adventurous and give this app a shot. Let me tell you, best decision ever... we were able to enjoy every single stop, go on our own pace and not have to worry about paying for a guided tour which would've made us have to stick to their schedule and itinerary. With this app, we were able to find two of our favorite spots. 1) the lava cave which is so much fun. We recommend you to go all the way in. You'll find a gorgeous little river pond. 2) the hidden Venus pool. This is a bit tricky and we would've never been able to even know it existed if it wasn't for this app. Listen carefully to the app instructions to be able to find the secret entrance. Once you find it... you'll find yourself walking into a clear blue swimming pond paradise. If you're a savage swimmer lol then go ahead and jump right in from the big rocks. If not, carefully go up the rocks and you'll find a tricky pathway to get down to the low waters. Anyway, this just shows how much we really loved this app and were so happy we didn't pay for a guided tour.

4 months ago, OSU Pedro

Great app!

Found this app while researching for guides for the road to Hana. All the five star reviews drew me to the Shaka Maui guide. The app is a free download and then you purchase individual tours (usually $20 each). At first I said, 20 bucks!! But it is well worth the price. The guide is funny (some corney jokes) and the music that played along the way added to our experience. The guide is so informative and will tell you stops that you can skip if you are short on time and stops that should not be missed. On the way back the guide let is know about stops the we skipped which was very helpful to let us go if we wanted. The guide tells about the history and interesting facts. The guide led us on an unexpected side trip off the road to Hana and it was well worth it, so listen to the guide… you never know what new thing you will find! Lastly, the guide will tell you to be sure and plug your phone into the car’s charging port. Do this for sure as the app takes a lot of power to run. Also you can launch the car play and play the app through the car’s speakers. This was great! Do recommend this app and will look at Shaka’s other guide offerings for future trips.

3 years ago, LacindaLuther

Awesome “Bra!”

We took our second tour of Hana Hwy using the Ap going the reverse direction this time. Can’t say enough good things about the tour…. Music, history, points of interest were all right on! We took our first Shaka tour 6-7 years ago and my family still imitate the narrators voice and his little sayings! I agree with another reviewer that it would have been nice to have a quick update at the very beginning of the tour saying what places were closed. I downloaded the ap the day of the trip so there was no time to read an email that supposedly talked about the changes (like 7 pools not open for swimming). The other thing that made us miss some spots was when he’d say something is coming up in 3 miles , for example, the next time it was announced was when we were right on top of the stop! Maybe we were driving too fast but it seems like an earlier “final call” might make things easier to find. Also, adding a visual map to the program would be hugely helpful! Even if it was a picture of what the next stop looked like would be great! Overall this ap is awesome! I recommend it all the time! Thanks for a great day!!

2 years ago, alib5!

Family of 5 all loved our tour

We are a family with 3 teens. Hawaii is expensive and we had to carefully pick where we spent our money for the best value. We bought the full package of Maui guided tours. By far our best vacation investment. The music was excellent and really added to the ambience or “vibe” of our drives. The tour helped us survive a very long road to Hana and kept us laughing and learning about the rich history and culture of the Island. If you are thinking… “what?…5 people, 3 teenage girls, all in a car winding and twisting through dangerous jungle conditions for 13 hours?” The answer would be-yes- and so glad we did it. it is absolutely no joke though. Be on the top of your driving game and don’t do it without your Shaka guide. We started at 6AM and finished just in time to see the sunset over Mama’s Fish House. We did have some upset stomachs and occasional whining along the way, but we made great memories. After 10 beautiful days in Hawaii, our 18 year old sited the Shaka guide tours as one of her biggest highlights. You could not get a higher compliment! Thanks for being such a special part of our very special vacation! Do NOT hesitate to buy any of these.

3 years ago, Calliiii372727737

Reverse Road to Hana Tour

As we had heard Maui was very crowded, especially the Road to Hana, my partner and I decided to do the reverse road to Hana tour to avoid crowds. We got this recommendation from someone on our scuba dives and decided to download it the night before without really knowing much. Best decision ever. This guide works flawlessly with or without cell signal. The stops are awesome, and remember, you can always skip stops on the way and just hear about them while driving. We got to stop at the Seven Sacred pool and the trail over there before most people were there. By the time we finished, the parking lot was so packed. Also, I’m not sure if we would’ve been able to hike the trail going the normal route as you must start it before 3pm or they lock the gates on you! So, as far as doing the normal or reverse route, there are certainly pros and cons. The ride in the beginning can be precarious and there are cows and goats crowing the road in front of you. It felt really adventurous and fun though. I wholeheartedly recommend this app. Just get it now! You don’t have to think about anything or bring any books, you just listen and the day is planned for you!

2 years ago, Cindy & Maya

Classic Tour to Hana

This was the greatest experience ever!!!! My daughter and I took the day to explore the famous road to Hana. A friend told me about this app and recommended it to help guide us through the sights on our trip. The trip was amazing, breathtaking views and the most amazing beaches and agriculture we have ever seen. BUT, it would not have been the same experience without this tour playing along as we made the journey. The guise was spot on every single turn, the music made it seem like we were in the middle of some historical Hawaiian musical and the narrator was so engaging. There were times we both looked at each other and said, “what is happening and how do they know every single turn”!?!? Toward the end even, as you’re driving back, the story they tell and the music that accompanies you is like the ending to some magical tale of Hawaiian battles and royalties. We were laughing because it was such a perfect fit and we almost felt sad that it was over. We definitely lived in the moment as they instructed. We will not be leaving home in another route without Shaka tours. Was such a great experience that we will talk about forever. Aloha !!!!

6 years ago, k.Mira

Awesome App

Shaka is amazing! We were able to hit so many more spots than we had originally planned. It was great & totally worth the $10. If you are going on the road to Hana, I absolutely recommend this app. We purchased the “Classic” tour. We did it in 6-7 hours. Did I already mention It was amazing?!?! If you start in Kahului, you should leave at 9am. If you are starting in Paia, you should leave about 10am. The app wants to start you in Kahului, so just hit the second option to “join tour” where ever you are because it will wanna backtrack you to Kahului. We started in Paia. The app is amazing! It even tells you where you can get food and gas. It also has an offline map because there isn’t much cell signal on the road to Hana. We enjoyed it very much. We left Paia close to noon because we stayed a couple days in Hana. For those who are driving back, you’ll wanna start your trip at about 9am. You don’t have to stop at all the spots but the voice on the app (we named him Billy) will let you know of the places you might wanna skip if you got a late start. Buy this app! My boyfriend and I had a lovely trip to Hana. The bamboo forest is a must see. The entrance it hella sketch but it’s all worth it.

2 years ago, MLBUser

Absolutely worth it

Truly can’t say enough about how wonderful this app is. We had initially downloaded it for the Road to Hana tour, but also ended up listening to the Sunrise Haleakala tour and the West Maui tour. We really enjoyed the recommendations for spots to see as well as the great stories, history, and music in the app. The tour guide really did feel like another buddy in the car! We even ended up changing our plans and spending additional time in upcountry Maui after the app recommended visiting Makawao after the sunrise at Haleakala. While there a local artist gave us a hand drawn map of Kula, which we used as a guide for the rest of the day. Truly a unique experience that we would not have had without this app. Would recommend getting the tour bundle because it is cheaper and you will want to use it! My only suggestion for improvement is that sometimes the driving directions come a little too close to the turns, which can be a little stressful. We had google maps up in the car as well so we could try to guess the directions before they popped up. Will be recommending this app to everyone in the future!

5 years ago, crayzdoglover11

Made the Road to Hana so easy!

I’m in Maui with my mom and brother. The concierge at our condo said that of we did the Road to Hana on our own, we’d probably see 3 things maximum on our trip before we’d have to turn around to get back before dark. We were considering booking a tour van for that reason, and then we found this app. It saved us $600 and the experience was wonderful! It worked offline- using GPS- so even once we lost cell service it continued working because we downloaded it beforehand. We saw 9 different places along the way, including the black sand beach and many waterfalls. And those 9 didn’t include all the bathroom pitstops and the other places we could have seen if we didn’t get a late start. The guide let us know when we might want to skip the stop if we needed to conserve time and it gave us time to discuss it before we’d have to turn. Anyway, such an awesome app! I’m so glad I found it! We were nervous because of how the concierge talked about how difficult finding the stops would be and how “crazy” the road is, but the reviews for this app reassured us and we are so glad we didn’t let her salesmanship get to us!

2 years ago, Aer151

Was hoping for more

App was great for navigation and you download so you have it without service. Guide was good but felt he kept repeating same things. There were several things I thought were missing to better plan the journey. First, ability for it to recognize items you saved and announce those stops. We actually missed one because it was not an announcement. Two, wish I could have just said skip some stops which would allow me to better plan. But I had no idea what was coming until close to the stop not really allowing for planning out the day at least some. Also, I couldn’t zoom in prior to even try to map out as well. I do wish there were live updates, such as the fact pretty much none of the waterfalls have water or very little running. So majorly of stops were disappointing and definitely would not have gone to seven scared pools had they provided real time updates. Overall did the basics and had some good information. On the way back for some reason it had trouble and kept announcing stops already had even though it recognized I completed the road to Hana and was on my way back so shut it off and we just drove and hit a few spots that were busy and we skipped.

7 years ago, NCGirl1972

Personal tour guide

Must have for anyone planning a trip on the Hana Highway. (Even if you already have a great book about Maui (e.g. "Maui Revealed"). It really was like having a tour guide in your car. Since cell service is basically non-existent through the rainforest, it was nice that this worked without data. The tour guide's instructions for pull outs were SPOT ON, and he gave good advice on what was not to be missed and what you could skip for the sake of time. We used this app in addition to the book "Maui Revealed" and felt it vastly improved our trip. You don't want to spend time with your head down in a book during this tour for a couple of reasons. 1) You could miss something, and 2) you could get car sick. So if you have that book and think you don't need this... you may want to reconsider. IMPORTANT: Don't forget to download the app AND the tour (purchased in-app after it installs) before you go. It takes a while for the tour to install, and I had to give it several attempts because of the spotty internet service at the resort. I recommend doing it a day or two in advance (or at home using your own wireless network before leaving for your vacation).

5 years ago, Jen 4

Shaka Maui and Kauai app

We used these apps on our Maui/Kauai trip. We started with the Gypsy app and switched to the bundled Shaka Maui and Kauai apps. We liked the Shaka apps better. I felt Shaka had more detailed stops on the road to Hana. It also plays Hawaiian music and has Hawaiian legend stories mixed in. This was extremely helpful on the road to Hana and made the drive more interesting. Tip- book a room in Hana and continue your drive the next day. Do the pipiwai trail hike (4 miles total) and start this hike before 3:30pm and bring bug spray for the bamboo forest. My kids are mosquito magnets. This was an amazing moderate hike that ends with a huge waterfall. I looked at reviews for both apps before we left on vacation and found that both shaka and gypsy had very good reviews. My family of 4 preferred the Shaka app tours because they were more entertaining and detailed. I would use them again on a return trip. On our Kauai trip it had us stop at moloa’a bay which is the location Gillian’s Island was first filmed. It played the theme music as we drove in. How fun! Get the Shaka apps, you will love the tour help on where to stop. We like to explore and it gave us lots of options to do so. 🌸

7 years ago, JayBTR

This tour was essential.

We drove the full loop to Hana and back yesterday. We had a guide book, but this app was essential. There are so many options and stops which do not have any signs or markers. The app lets you know in advance and tells you where to stop. For example, there is a lava tube cave, which is unmarked and on the road to Hana. No cars were stopped there and it was just a small hole in the ground, until you go inside. The detour to Nahiku was worth the time. In addition to an incredible view of the shore and crashing waves, we walked down the rapids to a beautiful crystal clear pool. Don’t let the closed, dilapidated bridge scare you off from proceeding. My wife loved the wild pig which darted across this isolated road in front of our Jeep. The “rental car-violating” portion of the drive was not too bad (My wife tolerated it...which says a lot.). In addition to sharing a single lane with oncoming cars, at one point our Jeep was surrounded by cattle. It was like running with the bulls in Pamplona. The music and stories kept us amused during the white-knuckle driving times of this 12-hour day. We had a great time, but could not have done it without the guidance of this app.

6 years ago, Stretch_s

Whole family enjoyed this

We had a few technical difficulties with this at first, I think more related to our rental car’s Bluetooth than the app, but we were able to play it thru a portable speaker that we brought for the beach. Once we got it going, it was great and really informative. The Shaka guide can be a bit cheesy now and then, yes, but the provided info is really interesting. There is simply no way we would have known what was coming up, how long until the next site, where restrooms were, etc. The linkage to your GPS is sooo nice since he can then give you a timely “heads up” for upcoming pullouts and turns. This is critical on this curvy little road. It was also really helpful to know how much time we had until we reached Hana and the “end of the road” up ahead. We stayed overnight in Hana and then did Oheo pools and Pipiwai trail early the next morning which I highly recommend to avoid the crowds. On the way back the guide gives a lot of interesting history of the islands that we really enjoyed. My whole family made me promise to write a review since they felt that our drive was so enhanced by this guide, so here you go! Mahalo!

7 years ago, Mr. Not sure

This app made our trip GREAT!!

I've never paid for an app and was reluctant about driving the Road to Hana on our first trip to Maui. But after downloading the Classic version, yesterday's trip to Hana was the best part of the trip so far. We saw many things other people probably never knew about...the quick exploration of the lava cave was my son's favorite. And we drove right by other spots that probably weren't worth stopping at but we might have otherwise pulled in just because was saw a bunch of cars. Only regret was we didn't leave early enough to make it to the pools and I didn't have my phone charger so I was stressed I'd run out of battery life and miss part of the app tour. Luckily we made it to Hana and back with about 9% battery left (6+ hours). It was great getting updates about how much travel time to expect along the way. Seriously, it was like having a local in our car telling us exactly what to expect every twist and turn along the way. And even told us Hawaiian history stories on the way back home, making the drive back very enjoyable. Worth every penny and would rate 10 stars if I could. Great job!

6 years ago, Globetrotter030707

This App is On Point

I have done the drive to Hana 4 times. The first three were don’t using the popular Maui Revealed Book which was the “old gold standard” in Maui for this trip. This app blew me away. It sinks up to your GPS and is spot on with telling you where to go, what to do and when to do it. The suggestions of the things to skip are spot on as well, as I have stopped at most of them in the past and felt like I wasted my time. It was great getting the instructions as to where we could swim and where we couldn’t. Leave at 6:30 or 7:00 am and you will get all the way to the end without a problem. My only complaint with this app is that the Seven Sacred Pools at the end are no longer open for swimming as of 1/3/17. It would be great if they could update the voice recording on the app to reflect that as we would have opted to stay longer at the Black Sand Beach. In fairness to the app, they did send an email which I read after the fact that did inform us of this. It would just be great to have heard it in the app. Bottom line, would never do the drive or advise anyone to do it without this fantastic app.

2 months ago, WowiedbyMaui

Perfect, fun, full day tour!

This app was such a pleasant surprise. We decided last minute to try the road to Hana and figured we could turn around if it wasn’t our cup of tea. We were hoping just to identify a few good stops along the road to Hana, but we spent almost 10 hours totally hooked on the full tour experience! The narrator had us cracking up laughing the whole time, shared interesting Hawaiian history, and also provided such good insight into what each stop entailed, allowing us to decide where we wanted to prioritize. We saw the most beautiful views all along the road and to our own surprise, followed the tour all the way to the seven sacred pools before turning around at 5pm. I would highly recommend this app to anyone who wants to drive the road themselves - gives you all the knowledge you need with the independence to pick and choose what you want to experience most. To me this far surpassed any van tour we could’ve paid hundreds for. We did this on a whim, started at 10:30am and had an incredible, fulfilling and fun day thanks to the classic road to Hana tour!

7 years ago, Fattire40

Awesome App!

I normally don't leave reviews. However, I felt this was worth leaving a review. At first I was concerned about how good the app would work, and not having any cell service for most of the trip, I wondered how the app would work. We followed the directions and turned off cellular and left GPS on. It was fantastic. It was like having our own personal tour guide. Yes, it still worked without cell service and the music was a nice touch as there is no radio signal for pretty much the whole trip. We plugged the cell phone into the car and listened through the car stereo. The narrative is very informative and gives great information through out the entire trip. Some key elements for me was at the beginning of the app he talks about how to handle the one lane bridges and suggests that if you are starting your trip and it's after 10 you should probably consider not doing the trip or not stopping as much.. He also tells you where to park to see key view points and suggests stops that you can skip or stops that he highly recommends. Even where bathrooms are and places to eat along the way.

8 years ago, Sisters in Maui

Better than a guided tour

Traveling alone to Maui Hawaii my sister and I were determined to do the road to Hana. We were told by the concierge and other tourists who have travelled the road to Hana that you just must spend the money on a guided tour so you didn't miss out on any of the history, stories, or any of the attractions. On a whim we decided to download the app and we drove the road to Hana. What an amazing trip and application. We saved a couple hundred dollars by not paying for the tour but didn't miss a thing. This app took us to so many places. I even found that we were stopping in locations that the tour buses were not. Not only did it give us the history and stories but it even had nice Hawaiian music to fill in the blank spaces. We thought once the mission was complete, the narrative would stop but it did not. It gave us more stories and more music all the way home. It even gave us tips on attractions that might be worth skipping or that might be better to see on the way home for time saving management. This is an awesome application I would definitely say it is worth more even than the five dollars.

2 years ago, queenprincessofmojo

Made for an absolutely awesome day!

We are in Maui for the first time, from Michigan. Had heard that we HAD TO do the road to Hana but wanted more flexibility than a regular tour bus could have given us. This app absolutely made our day! The information was all correct and up-to-date, the hints and suggestions were extremely helpful, the guide was super engaging, educational and, at times, even truly funny. We even dug the music selections — some of it was just background elevator-ish music but a lot of it (maybe ALL of it?) was Hawaiian and even got quite deeply cultural which enhanced the educational aspect of the tour. We did the there-and-back trip (not the loop) so we were NOT looking forward to having to do the same drive twice but the totally different information and stories on the way back truly did make the drive so meaningful and fun. This app was absolutely indispensable! If we ever do another road trip in Hawaii (and we hope we do!), we will look for a Shaka Guide! Wish we were on social media so we could share the love far and wide. ❤️ Mahalo!

7 years ago, Big_Cat_Rezzy

Great way to see the islands

My wife and I recently made our very first trip to Hawaii (Maui and Kauai). Before leaving, we discovered the Shaka Guide to Kauai and Shaka Guide to Maui apps. We are really glad that we did. During our vacation, we bought and used 3 different tours (Road to Hana, North Shore Kauai Tour, Waimea & Na Pali Tour) and found them to be super helpful and entertaining. We saw so many things and learned so much that we would have missed if we had made the trip on our own without these apps. It was like having a local tour guide right in our car with us (but at a fraction of the price). We highly recommend! Each tour was well worth the price. In addition, the support provided by Andrew was exceptional! The day before we did the Road to Hana, I was having trouble downloading the tour to my iPhone. I called Shaka Guides to ask for support on a Monday evening. Andrew immediately called me back. He was able to identify the reasons that I was having a problem (my wifi connection was slow and intermittent) and then guided me to resolve the issue, staying on the phone until the process was completed!

3 years ago, mn321.1

Great app

We just did the classic road to Hana tour and it was great, very easy to use and without any glitch, just remember to download the tour before hitting the road. We started the tour from hotel, the app send the start location to google map so when we got there the tour automatically start. You don’t need any other navigation app this app shows the direction but you need connect it to the car via apple car play or Bluetooth to have a better audio in the car. There is a pause toggle switch so you can pause the tour for each stop. We started around 7:30 am and reached Hana around 1:00 pm. The information and guidance is grade and on time we didn’t miss any stop. The road after Hana is a bit rough and narrow so I won’t recommend drive beyond Hana for everyone, my wife wasn’t comfortable on the way back, up to Hana are packed with great stops and can cover a whole day, even if you start early. High light of trip was wai’anapanapa state park which we get there 3-4 hours after the start point, I highly recommend this app

4 years ago, Plant Girl5

Fantastic, fun, and educational — just do it!

Could not have imagined a better experience driving the road to Hana. If you have read reviews talking about the danger of doing so yourself, ignore them. Because this was my first trip to Maui I don’t have anything to compare it with, but the number of cars on the road to Hana was not that many, and the drive was very doable. This may be because of lower tourism numbers due to Covid but we only saw 4 tourist vans all day taking groups on the road; taking a tour is definitely not necessary. This GPS guided, turn by turn guide was fantastic! I did download it to my phone as recommended (needed because you will not have cell service for a large part of the drive) and simply paused the tour each time we stopped at locations by sliding the tab on the bottom right. I learned a ton and loved the recommendations (ex: “this stop is nice but there are better waterfalls ahead so I would recommend skipping it”). It felt like we had our own personal experienced guide with us on the road. Definitely 5 star!! Would do again in a heartbeat.

4 years ago, filorate

The perfect guide!

We loved having the Shaka Guide with us during our Road to Hana adventure. We learned a lot about the culture and history of Hawaii and had so much fun along the way! These guys really know what they’re doing and they have everything you’d need to know to have the best experience in your Road to Hana. The stories and music on the way back kept us entertained since it can get pretty boring coming back at night since you can’t see any of the views and you’re basically just driving through tons of curves in the dark. The only thing we would say is that we think the tour is mainly for the summer since we started early, but weren’t able to get to the Pipiwai Trail and 7 sacred pools. Haleakala National Park entrance closes at 5pm and we weren’t aware of this until we got there. We have enough time in Maui, so we will go back again to hit the areas we skipped, but if you can only go for 1 day and want to see the Pipiwai Trail (Banyan Tree, Bamboo Forest) and 7 Sacred Pools, we’d recommend you skip more than a few of the stops along the way (in the winter time only).

6 years ago, Rahul55555

Amazing must have .

I should admit I am blow away by this tour. I am using I phone for 9 yrs and never ever bought any thing from App Store . We went to Hawaii and tried to do road to Hanna by our self and only made it half way on first day . That’s to seeing not much . Then we went to tickets for less and Ron there suggested to download this app . I did and figured out it was paid. Took the heli tour in am and then at heliport bought this tour and downloaded on lte . Took 5 minutes or so and then started to Hanna . There is so much to do that you can do all in one day so for first timer do it in 2 days !! We skipped all the first days spot and any hikes and made all the way to 80 feet fall . Did not go to the 7 sacred pool as it was already 4:30 pm . The app for fun . Tell you interesting facts and also I think 10 $ we’ll spent . I would advise to buy the hole Maui package for any trip you take as it will help you to see and this helped us the second day . We should have app for every tourist spots like this . I am thinking about making my own and make a company out of it lol .

6 years ago, ceoken

A must-have for the Road to Hana

As two tourists from New York City who’d never been to Hawaii before, I’m pretty sure this drive would have been impossible without this app. We downloaded the “Classic” tour, and because of this app we were able to budget our time on the road and made sure we stopped at all of the essential detours (and skipped the ones he said may not be worth it), while still getting back to our hotel in Kihei before sundown. The app worked seamlessly with our car’s GPS. He tells you all the turns to make and the backroads to take, and he never missed once! Where the restrooms are, which food trucks to stop at. It can be so specific that he’ll tell you where to turn for the best banana bread, and he’s right! It WAS the best! The guy’s got major personality too. We’re still talking like him, “brah!” And make sure to leave the tour on for the ride home. He takes you through the entire history of Hawaii and King Kamehaha and you just learn so much and see so many beautiful things that it’s hard to put into words. Mahalo for an incredible experience!

9 months ago, Pilot311

Fantastic app - worked perfectly!

I can’t say enough good things about this app! We have driven the Road to Hana before, but I was amazed at how much more information this guide gave than previous audio guides we’d used, as well as how many things we’d missed out on during prior trips. The GPS worked perfectly, and we were able to visit many of the must do attractions, as well some of those that are lesser known. I would recommend reading the “before you go” article prior to your drive, as it was very useful in helping us prepare. We learned much about the Road to Hana attractions, interspersed with Hawaiian music and entertaining stories. It is ESSENTIAL that you download the app first, because there will not be cell service on most of the Road to Hana. Also, be sure you can charge your phone throughout the day. We bought the entire Maui package, which included Haleakala among other tours, but we unfortunately ran out of time before we could use them. I guess that just means we’ll have to go back soon!

3 years ago, Twogirlzzmom

Absolutely fantastic app

My family and I used Shaka app for our recent trip to Maui. I can’t say enough about how helpful, entertaining and informative the app was. We bought the package of all the different tours and we ended up using almost all of them. The way the app works it was very easy for us to tailor the ones we didn’t need for a full tour to accommodate specific areas we were exploring. For the ones where we did the full tour, it was so easy to move at our own pace, and tailor it to our schedule. There is also a feature that helps you get from your location to the tour starting point that was very helpful. We also found the pieces of information about our surroundings and the history to be really interesting and an enjoyable addition in between the different stops on the tour. We have gone to Kauai for years but this was our first time in Maui and our first time using Shaka. Now we can’t wait to use it next time on Kauai to see what we may have been missing all these years!

3 years ago, holladaze37

Read this review, please

If you are traveling with small children, older, living with low mobility, uncomfortable with being in unfamiliar places, and prefer to see the “sites” mostly from the comfort of your rental car— maybe you would enjoy this tour. If you are younger, adventurous, and looking to tap into all Maui has to offer on the Road to Hana, DO NOT USE THIS APP. Trust me. As two 30-somethings who wanted a more active and adventurous Road to Hana tour, we regret using this app. I’m fact, it’s one of the primary vacation disappointments of my adult life. I know, I sound dramatic. I get it. But the Road to Hana could be a once in and lifetime opportunity and this app and tour are not meant for everyone — it definitely was not meant for me. Im so sad that I wasted much of day following these instructions. I actually had researched a number of alternative itineraries (which I do recommend) prior to downloading this but didn’t save the info for the long jaunt through service-less territory. I’m still seething from all of the let-downs today offered up. Please don’t let this be how you choose to see the Road to Hana. Unless of course you fall into the category of people I described in the beginning of this post.

3 years ago, Torturse

This app is the best tour guide app EVER!

I absolutely loved this app. The tour guide was entertaining and informational. He told jokes and made me and my family laugh and have fun during the trip! He gave informational tips on every stop and the GPS was accurate. Every stop he recommended was wonderful and was worth while. The tour guide also recommended stuff that a normal tour guide app wouldn’t, for ex. ice cream shops and general stores. And those stops where DEFINITELY worth while as well. The tour guide also made sure that we we were all safe and cosy in our car, and helped us avoid wrong/unsafe roads. He also told us stories about our stops and the history that goes with it. Those history lessons were fun, entertaining, and just overall informational. I literally didn’t want to leave the app because I loved the tour so much. This tour guide app is so much like a real tour guide, that sometimes I thought there was a real guide in our car with us! I DEFINITELY recommend this app and you guys should go ahead and check this out.

3 years ago, marcel loves freedom

Time of My Life

We wouldn’t have enjoyed Maui as much as we did without this app! It was well worth the investment. Because of Covid this app was an excellent source for reporting what places had restrictions and required reservations. We saw things many of our friends didn’t know about, in fact as first timers to Maui we saw so much more than our friends had who went before us. One of our favorite parts was our personal tour guide speaking to is on Bluetooth in our rental car. He gave us amazing history lessons and stories along the way and music as well, for the Journey. We took The Road to Hana tour and The Loop road tour. We found amazing snorkeling spots, lava tubes, blow holes, amazing views, hidden arboretum, and more. We had one challenge and that was at times we missed our turns because the speaker would tell us to turn a little to late, we figured out how followed the gps that’s included instead of the voice. It’s a minor flaw and didn’t ruin our trip. I highly recommend this app!

6 years ago, a_med5

Great guide

First time driving the road to Hana and couldn’t imagine having done it without this app. The absolute only criticism I have is that they only let you know the seven pools “may be closed” once you are about 15 minutes away. It’s more my fault for not doing more research, but once we got there it turns out the seven pools have been closed for swimming since January 2017. Seems like the app could be updated to let you know that info well ahead of 15 minutes prior to arrival. But since it’s a state park I’m sure the app owners are incentivized to leave that fact out since it costs $25 to get into the park, and if you’re aware that the pools are closed in advance you probably wouldn’t go. I know we would have turned around after Hana if we knew the pools were closed, but when you drive that far and find out only 15 minutes before that they are closed, you’re likely to continue regardless and in turn drive revenue for the park. Again, I’m not ignorant and I understand how business works, but it’s a shame they won’t update the app or put a disclaimer somewhere that states the pools are closed.

6 years ago, SueEvanGarrison

Incredible!!

I purchased the Road to Hana Loop tour. It is the best money spent in Maui hands down. My two young adult children (23 & 22) and I drove the Road to Hana using this tour and we were so impressed with the depth of information provided. The tour is very easy to follow at your own pace. But the best feature is the clear detail to find the “hidden” access points to waterfalls and hikes you would never find on your own. Literally stopping and climbing through a small hole in the bamboo on the side of the road, following the trail, crossing a river and ending at the most beautiful waterfall! Also, directions to find the red sand beach that we would never have found on our own. We loved the history about Hana, Maui and Hawaii provided as well. And also the honest input about the quality of some roads and the risk involved. We felt like the tour guide was part of the family after our 10 hour adventure. You will not regret this purchase. We are planning to purchase the Haleakala tour as well. Thanks Shaka Guide for adding so much to our Maui vacation!!!

7 years ago, Fytnfireman

Adventurous? You must get before you go

This was a personal tour guide. Worked without data flawlessly. We got so used to him talking to us we missed it when there where pauses. The app navigate you and picks up where you're located and will give appropriate messages. I want suggestion is that we pushed hard all the way to the end as fast as we could. We skipped many things on the way, but plan to do them on the way back. Our goal is to get all the way to the end they beat the crowds. While we encountered no traffic whatsoever because we start at 5:30 in the morning. The app does not repeat all the placesthat you passed. But, it will remind you about some of the places it's suggested you skip on the way to Hana to begin with to save time. Honestly this was the best 599 I've ever spent on an app. And when we come back in five months for a wedding we will use the same app and do this trip again and look at places that we did not experience. Furthermore, we are going to do the volcano, and get the guided tour for that.

3 years ago, penguin man 282717

Wonderful guide

The road to Hana was awesome and the guide was very helpful and told us where to stop or not. However, he said that certain stops were meant for certain people. He cracked jokes and gave us a nice experience and we were never bored. Many people say that they were told not to stop at certain places or did not like the drive or the stops. That is criticism to a beautiful drive and not the guide. The guide recommended where you should stop but clearly said stop if you are interested in the topics he mentioned. He provided history and stories as well and some nice music. Some of the stops are closed because they can’t keep updating it every week when the open or close a building or marketplace which was another bit of criticism. Also, the guide is linked with the gps so as long as you don’t do funky stuff with your device or your device is decent, it should work(more criticism 🙄)as he has to talk about a stop when we are close to it.

3 years ago, Sunshiny4

Must have for Hawaiian travel!

We have used these Shaka Guides for Kauai, Oahu, and now Maui and tell everybody we know traveling to Hawaii about them. It’s like having a local, personal tour guide with you to tell you where to park, tell jokes and play music along the way as well as point out all the must sees for your trip. We love the map preview on the tours so we can see which tours take us where, and appreciate all the tips for road safety (like on Maui’s west coast road of death!), and places known for having great food or snacks. We LOVE the history stories and upbeat approach to travel, makes our trips so fun! We paid a FRACTION for the Maui bundle compared to just one ticket our relatives paid for a Road to Hana tour when we visited the island for a family event. We had SO much more fun not being stuck on a bus, elbow to elbow and not having control over which stops we made and how long we spent at each place. Wish we had a “Shaka” guide for every major city we travel to.

5 years ago, sweetesthye0507

Will ease your worries

Used this app for the R2H loop tour that we did over 2 days. It had useful information about stops along the way and was extremely useful for driving and parking information. I ended up purchasing the package of tours they had and was very happy about it when on the morning of the drive we went to connect the app and it turned out the loop tour had not finished downloading despite it saying it had. The classic tour that I had downloaded on a whim had what we needed so we were able to use that instead. I’d say try to test the app out ahead of time to avoid any mishaps since you don’t want to spend precious time figuring out an app and finding wifi on your trip. Also, you can follow the app completely and have a great time but there are stops we found to be absolute musts that the app brushes over, research from other places lead to those bonus situations. Overall a very smart, useful and well put together app that takes the stress out of driving. I liked the sound track in some spots that added a little chill to the day too.

5 years ago, helboc36

4 stars almost perfect-4.8 if I could !

This app was amazing- seriously great at guiding us on some treacherous roads with detailed descriptions and very helpful info on what’s to come down the road. The only thing I would want more detail on is the actual stops/hikes. For example, we stopped at the blowhole on the west Maui tour but couldn’t find the heart shaped rock. A bit of guidance to its location could have helped. We also did the reverse road to Hana and this helped us navigate with great detail. I don’t know what we would have done without it! Gave more detail on most hikes but we still missed a few things like the ocean cave. Really saw a lot though!! The hike to the farthest waterfalls after the 7 pools trail is totally worth it albeit long! This is a must download app if coming to Maui and down for an adventure. We would absolutely use again for another trip and recommend to friends. Also, get the upgrade to a Jeep! Roads are crazy in some spots! It was very rainy when we did Hana and I don’t think we would have made it through some muddy and flooded spots without it.

6 years ago, $:'wojndk

Didn’t work!

My friend and I were excited to use this app after all the positive reviews. I paid the downloaded the app, paid the $20, and we hit the road...only to find out that you had to download individual files too, in addition to the app and buying the tours. So we tried to do this along the trip, but reception is tough for much of the road to Hana, and even though we just wanted to download the road to Hana file, the app made us download everything, and in a particular order. We ended up stopping at a coffee stop along the way and successfully downloaded it via their wi-fi. Once again, excited to be on our way, we plugged our phone in and set up the audio system. And it worked for maybe one segment, but anytime you disconnect your phone to take photos, you had to reconnect and figure out where you were again. And for some reason the app wouldn’t work properly with our car system, so I spent half of the trip fiddling with the audio system to figure out why the app would stop in the middle of a segment and go to a screen with music files. I’d restart the segment and it would happen all over again. I ended up watching my car’s audio system for half the trip, instead of enjoying the road to Hana.

7 years ago, Linzbears

Totally worth it, but is frustrating.

We got this app and the Road to Hana IAP for our drive to Hana based on a recommendation from another visitor in Maui. It made our drive so much better! Not only did it tell us all the great activities to stop and do along the way, but it gave some etiquette for the drive (how to do the one lane bridges), told us where to park, where to find restrooms, where to get good snacks, and some history lessons, all at the time it was relevant to us in our drive. 5 stars for content! The rating comes down because the app was so frustrating. It constantly asks you to log in with Facebook or Google requiring 2 extra steps to get around it each time you come back to the app. If you leave the app for a while to see one of the sights it doesn't always come right back to the tour so you have to get around the sign in requests, then open the tour (where it often froze or crashed), then once the tour opened again it would pick up where it left off. So it's a great app and totally enhances your drive to Hana, just frustrating at times.

7 years ago, Jagallo119

Huge help!

Not sure we could have done the road to Hana without this app! It really helped us narrow down the places we wanted to stop, since you really can’t stop at all of them. The timing of everything worked out great with the app connected to our cars usb and the navigation following us exactly. The history was a nice touch and actually didn’t put us to sleep. Just a few things could be tweaked to help the experience... if they added difficulty in hiking terrain. My 72 year old mother had a hard time on some of the short hikes and we really had no idea ahead of time what we were getting into. I realize things change with the weather but a general idea would be very helpful. Also, we kinda got lost in The town of Hana looking for food, and then finally found more food as we were exiting the town. Lastly, please fill the extra dead time in between points with more Hawaiian music. Even with these small flaws, I still highly recommend this app and would use again!

8 years ago, #Sirinyaadventures

Better than we could ever asked for!

We recently used Shaka guide Maui and did two of the tours: road to Hana and Haleakala national park tour. We loved the guide. It allowed us to have a better tour than with a large group. From our own car and at our own pace. It provided detailed guidance turn by turn based on gps and allowed us to see hidden gems (like waterfalls and lava tubes!) that would have otherwise been missed. It had detailed information about gas, places to eat, bathrooms as well as how to divide our time wisely so we can get to all of the tour. The gps tour triggering feature was especially helpful on the road to Hana with the multiple dangerous curves and turns in an area without telephone signals. It allowed us to see all of the wonderful stops safely and enjoy every moment. We will definitely use Shaka guides again for our other vacations. We were so happy with the tours we told other tourists about it on our last day when they asked where all we had gone and how we got there.

Description

Change the way you see Maui with Shaka Guide. Get all the benefits of a guided tour from an app! Along the way, you’ll get directions as you drive, hear stories about the places you’re visiting, and listen to Hawaiian music. The app features six GPS audio tours of the island, including three ROAD TO HANA tours — the Classic, Loop, and Reverse! Each Shaka Guide tour visits popular attractions, beaches, hikes, scenic spots, and cultural sites. All tours are made locally in Hawaii with hours of audio narration that plays automatically as your drive. The app works completely offline. This means that even in remote parts of the island without wifi or data, we’ll still get you where you need to go! Shaka Guide tours never expire — use them more than once or break them up into multiple days. Change the way you see Hawaii with Shaka Guide! Check out the Maui tours below. CLASSIC ROAD TO HANA TOUR *Most Popular Tour* 10+ hours, 32 stops Your Maui experience is not complete without Shaka Guide’s Classic Road to Hana Tour. Let this app guide you the entire 64+ miles of Hana Highway. On this epic journey you’ll discover: - Little-known waterfalls - Great hiking trails - Off-the-beaten-path swimming holes - Beautiful white, and black sand beaches - Enchanting stories about Hawaii Popular Stops: • Twin Falls • Waianapanapa State Park • Hana Town • Seven Sacred Pools aka the Pools at Oheo • Pipiwai Trail LOOP ROAD TO HANA TOUR & REVERSE ROAD TO HANA TOUR 10+ hours, 37 stops Similar to the Classic tour except these tours take you around the island allowing you to see the untamed backroad to Hana! The Loop and Reverse tours make the same stops, but start in opposite directions. Popular Stops: • Backroad to Hana • Waianapanapa State Park • Hana Town • Seven Sacred Pools aka the Pools at Oheo • Pipiwai Trail SUNRISE AT HALEAKALA NATIONAL PARK & SUNSET & STARGAZING AT HALEAKALA NATIONAL PARK 3+ hours, 10 stops These tours take you to the summit of Mount Haleakala and back stopping at the best viewpoints and hikes along the way. As you drive, listen to stories about the park's history and Hawaiian legends like Maui, da’ Hawaiian Superman! Popular Stops: • Red Hill Overlook - Haleakala Summit • Sliding Sands Trail • Leleiwi Overlook • Halemau'u Crater Hike • Makawao Town WEST MAUI COASTLINE TOUR 6+ hours, 17 stops Drive through the historic town of Lahaina and the famous resorts of Kaanapali and Kapalua before visiting an awesome blowhole! Then come with us as we wind around the West Maui Mountains along coastal cliffs, finishing the tour in the lush Iao Valley. Popular Stops: • Lahaina • Kaanapali Beach • Kapalua • Olowalu Petroglyphs • Nakalele Blowhole Check out a complete list of stops for each tour in the app! BUY THE ISLAND BUNDLE, GET ALL 6 MAUI TOURS When you buy the island bundle you’ll get ALL SIX Maui tours for more than 50% off the retail price. WHAT CUSTOMERS ARE SAYING - “Best Road to Hana tour app” - “Very enjoyable, cost-effective Maui tour guide” - “Best money ever spent!” - “Couldn't have navigated without it” - “Road to AMAZING!!” DOWNLOADING THE TOURS It’s important that you download the tours (preferably in wifi) before you go. Make sure the tour is completely downloaded and you’ll have no problem using the tours offline. BATTERY USAGE The app uses your GPS only when necessary. Please remember that continual use of your GPS can dramatically deplete your battery. Be sure to pack a car charger for your tour. IPAD NOTICE You can use an iPad to take the tour, however, wifi-only iPads without GPS capability will not work. ABOUT SHAKA GUIDE At Shaka Guide our goal is to connect people with places. We love Hawaii. Not just for its beauty, but also for its rich history and culture. We believe that every destination has a story and we want to tell it. In Hawaii, we have over 20 audio tours that do just that — share the stories of the islands.