Hawaii is universally considered an expensive travel destination. And Maui is no exception. However, now that Southwest Airlines started its budget price flights to Hawaii is the state more affordable for more people to visit? Are there any things to do in Maui on a budget? Of course there are plenty of things to do in Maui on a budget! You just need to find them. 🙂 But no worries – Family Road Trip Guru already did all the leg work for you.
Here is my extensive list of 14 things to do in Maui on a budget (13 of them are absolutely FREE):
#1 thing to do in Maui on a budget – SNORKELING
You do not need to buy an expensive snorkeling tour, just drive to one of the great snorkeling beaches on the island such as Honolua Bay. Parking at the beach is FREE of charge, you just need to come early to get a parking spot. The water at Honolua Bay is teaming with different types of beautiful fish. Take a picnic with you and spend a day here – you will have a great time.
#2 thing to do in Maui on a budget – TURTLES
You can watch them in their natural habitat and swim with them at Ho’okipa beach. Parking at the beach is FREE. There are local fruit vendors selling their delicious produce right next to the parking lot. Grab some yummy fruits and head to the beach. The best time to see the turtles is in the afternoon when they come out to warm in the sun. Ho’okipa beach is also great for watching wind surfers, also absolutely FREE!
#3 thing to do in Maui on a budget – BLOWHOLE
Nakalele Blowhole is a unique phenomenon: a powerful wave action causes the water to shoot up through a hole between lava rock. This is quite a spectacle and it is FREE. It is located on the North shore of Maui and though it is a bit of a drive from anywhere on the island I think it is totally worth it. You can combine the trip to Nakalele Blowhole with snorkeling at Honolua since they are located in the same region of Maui.
#4 thing to do in Maui on a budget – BEACH HOPPING
There are lots of beautiful beaches on Maui and all of them are different. Some are great for snorkeling, others for surfing and so on. All of them are highly Instagrammable. 🙂 Explore as many as you wish FREE of charge.
#5 thing to do in Maui on a budget – WHALES
Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary Visitor Center in Kihei is FREE to visit and it has many educational exhibits about whales. The rangers on site are very knowledgeable and will provide you with loads of information about these amazing marine mammals and where to see them in season. Whale watching season on Maui is in winter. People typically take boat charters to go out on the water to see the whales but we were told at the Sanctuary’s Visitor Center that sometimes you can see them from land – FREE of charge.
#6 thing to do in Maui on a budget – BIRD WATCHING
Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge and Kealia Coastal Broadwalk are both great places to see local and migratory birds. Sevral species of the birds a unique to Maui and you won’t be able to see them anywhere else. Both the Refuge and the Briadwalk are FREE to visit. We did a hike along Kealia Coastal Broadwalk and it was very interesting and educational. The hike one way is less than a mile long and it can be easily done even with small kids.
#7 thing to do in Maui on a budget – ROAD TO HANA
Road to Hana! Driving the road to Hana and enjoying the lush forest, amazing waterfalls and beautiful coves – all of this is FREE of charge. Driving to Hana requires some planning though. I have detailed information on the first half of the road to Hana and its attractions in my Maui family itinerary post.
#8 thing to do in Maui on a budget – LAHAINA
Doing a walking tour of beautiful historic Lahiana will cost you nothing. Lahiana is an old whaling village with lots of island history. Take a stroll along the Front street, which is the main street in town, to see the most of Lahaina’s attractions. When you are visiting don’t miss a unique and huge Banyan tree right off Front street!
#9 thing to do in Maui on a budget – HIKING
Hiking! You can find lots of hiking trails off the road to Hana but not only there. For instance, consider a beautiful Lava Fields-Kings Trail in South Maui. Surreal, out-of-this-world landscape of frozen lava is a sight to behold. Exploring Lava Fields and most of the trails off the road to Hana is FREE.
#10 thing to do in Maui on a budget – HALEAKALA NP
Generally, the entrance to Haleakala National Park is $25 per vehicle. It won’t break your budget and the more people you have in a car the less expensive it is per person 🙂 But in addition to that the Park designates several days per year (about half a dozen a year) when the entrance to the park is FREE of charge. Please, check the Park’s website indicated above for an exact schedule. Another way to get into the Park for FREE is if you have a 4th grader in your family. You can get a FREE Every Kid in a Park pass and then the entrance to all national parks will be FREE for that 4th grader and his/her family for the whole academic year!
#11 thing to do in Maui on a budget – SURFING
To learn surfing, get the gear, rent the equipment, etc. costs money BUT to watch great world-class surfers that congregate in Maui during winter season is absolutely FREE. Your best bet to see pro surfers is at Hookipia Beach and Peahi (also known as “Jaws” because of its scary life threatening reputation). I think just to see those gigantic waves form, rise and crash on the beach is a spectacle in itself.
#12 thing to do in Maui on a budget – LESSONS AND EVENTS
Lahaina Cannery Mall is famous for its various FREE lessons and FREE events. Do you want to learn Hula dance or play ukulele? Or would you like to see an adorable FREE kids Hula show or another family show? Check the calendar of the Mall’s weekly events HERE
#13 thing to do in Maui on a budget – PARTIES
Every Friday of the month a town on Maui hosts an evening of FREE entertainment, music, food booths, etc. This tradition is called Maui Fridays. You can see the schedule and participating towns HERE.
#14 thing to do in Maui on a budget – SHOWS
Free shows at the Shops at Wailea is also an island tradition typically organised on weekdays. Some of the shows are concerts, others are demonstrations of local arts and crafts, such as wood carving, lei making and coconut husking. A couple of times a week there are also ukulele lessons at the Shops at Wailea. You can see the full monthly schedule on their website HERE.
More things to do in Maui
For information on other exciting things to do in Maui, Maui travel tips and ideas and places to eat, please, check out my previous stories:
Classic Maui itinerary for a perfect family vacation
Maui farm tours and culinary adventures
How to stay on Maui on a budget.
To save a lot on Maui travel avoid big resorts at all cost! Rent a condo instead. When we traveled to Maui in 2018 we rented a huge 2 story condo with 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, full kitchen and a balcony with ocean views in a condo complex with many amenities such as a pool, hot tub, and grills for just $150/night. Smaller condos will cost much cheaper than that. Book more than 6 months in advance through Booking.com to get the best rates.
If you found this information about things to do in Maui on a budget useful, please do me a little favor and share this information with others, for there’s a good chance that it will help them with their travel plans. 🙂 Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram where I post many more cool photos and videos about our trips than I could include in a blog post and organize some nice giveaways!
If I missed any cool tings to do in Maui on a budget, please, leave me a comment below – I would love to learn more and try them out next time we are visiting Maui.
Here is a pin if you want to save this information for later. Happy travels!
