Exploring Maui Day 9 -Best of Maui in ten days guide

Day 9 South Maui

The Last day will be spent in the South Maui Makena Area. The Makena area is more rugged with a lava shoreline starting around Makena Landing all the way down to La Perouse bay ( farthest point south to can travel). Maluaka beach is also known as turtle town because of its abundance of green turtles. Ahihi Cove is a great snorkel spot for fish and coral. La Perouse Bay has plenty of hiking trails and great snorkeling ( expert swimmers). Maui's Longest sandy beach is Big Beach located in Makena State Park. The beach offers good swimming and surfing.

Ahihi Cove

Ahihi Cove is probably the best snorkeling site on the south shore. Unfortunately it is not suited for children or poor swimmers. The cove is very shallow with delicate coral. I have seen children and adults standing on coral permanently damaging it and possibly harming themselves. You enter at the concrete slab laying down and cautiously floating out. You will be amazed at the amount of fish and coral (no turtles), it is like being in an aquarium. If you do go here be careful! There is only 4 parking spots but you can drive to Ahihi Bay and walk back on the road. More Info...

Option: Ahihi Bay

Ahihi Bay is a great snorkel spot for experienced swimmers and snorkelers. Difficult entry (Lava) and possibility of strong currents makes it not suitable for children and poor swimmers. More Info...

La Perouse Bay

The best part about visiting La Perouse Bay is the drive there. You will travel over a large lava field that will make you feel like you are on a different planet. Snorkeling is excellent for advanced snorkelers as you will need to swim to the lagoon for the best area. There is plenty to do for non-snorkelers with trails and tide pools along the shoreline. This is also a resting area for bottlenose dolphins (usually spotted in the afternoon). More Info...

Maluaka Beach

The area around Maluaka Beach is also known as Turtle Town because of its abundance of sea turtles. This is a great beach for swimming, sun bating, and snorkeling. Swim out to the boats as they only stop for turtles. More Info...

Beach Option: Big and Little Beach

Makena State Park is a very popular attraction featuring Big beach, Little beach, and Black Sand Beach. Big Beach (longest beach in Maui) is very popular with good swimming, sun bathing and surfing. Little beach is an out of the way nudist beach next to Big beach. Further to the north is Black Sand Beach which has a mostly dark grey coast line. The road to this beach is rough and flooded some of the time. More Info...

Alternate Attraction: Makena Kayak

There are a number of kayak tours out of Makena Landing. Most take you to turtle Town and 5 caves 5 graves (a popular snorkel and diving spot). Great way to get to best snorkeling on the island. Tours usually start around 7-8 and last 2.5 to 3 hours (there are longer ones if you have the stamina), giving you time to explore La Perouse Bay, Ahihi Cove and Maluaka Beach (or Big Beach) More Info...

Dinner: Kihei

Try Nutcharee's Authentic Thai Food in Downtown Kihei. Departure