Skyline Hawaii - Haleakala Sunrise Tours — Attraction in Maui

I did both the Skyline Haleakala sunrise tour and the zipline, which is a great deal for the money. I'll start with the sunrise. It's well worth getting up at 2am for this AMAZING experience.

Skyline was great the entire time. They texted me the night before and the morning of letting me know exactly what time I'd be picked up and updates. I had Keith as a tour driver and he was fantastic. He was fun and shared tips both on the road and at the stops. It was great to learn the little tidbits and things like the "Echos" that you would likely never know about if you went up to Haleakala by yourself. Thank you, Keith!

The sunrise was an incredible experience! There are simply not enough words. Actually two words - DO IT. This is one of those don't miss experiences on Maui.

The zipline was amazing! Our zipline guides, Kevin and Pono, were super fun, entertaining, and made the whole experience even better. I've been to other zipline tours where they simply zip you in and send you off. Kevin and Pono joked and made everyone in our group feel comfortable, even those who were a bit nervous about the heights. Thank you, Kevin and Pono, for an awesome time!

A couple of notes/tips: The buses are roomy and comfortable and the windows are large enough to see even on the other side from where you're sitting. I appreciated that Skyline keeps the groups small so it's not an overwhelming number of people. There were 12 in my group, a great size.

The continental breakfast is not substantial - simply a few pastries, fruit, coffee, and tea. If you have dietary restrictions like myself, you'll definitely want to bring a couple snacks with you as it's not enough to fill you up for the next several hours. Lunch is a long ways away and there are not any food options up at the summit.

Bring your own water bottle. Again, there are no options for water at the summit (short of drinking fountains) or most of the way down and as our guides kept saying - stay hydrated! (A note for Skyline - it would be awesome if you provided bottled water for your guests.)

Coats - it is cold up at the summit, but if you're from chilly New Hampshire as I am, it felt like home. Skyline will give you a jacket and windbreaker pants (if you want), but it still helps to have layers underneath.

Check with your guide on what time your bus is leaving when you get to the top. I thought we had a lot more time at the top and went back to the bus to find another group member, only to find that everyone was ready to leave and waiting for me! (Oops!) Luckily, they always count everyone so no worries about getting left behind.

Note: Please be respectful of the land. It's a privilege to visit Haleakala and a fragile area. People don't think about the fact that if everyone trods all over the land, there will be nothing left for others in the future. It was frustrating to see people sneaking past the railings to get closer and taking shortcuts through areas they were clearly told not to use. (The park rangers are watching and will stop any rule-breaking.)

Gift Shop: there's a gift shop near the summit, right next to the spot everyone gathers to watch the sunrise. If you miss this one, you can find the same gift items (tees, books, magnets, postcards, etc.) at the Visitor's Center part way down the mountain.

The Lavender Farm: it's at the zipline course and a simply lovely place. They offer a delightful variety of delicious lavender (and not lavender-flavored) pastries, breakfast items, coffee, lattes, smoothies, etc. I ordered the lavender matcha green tea latte with coconut milk and it was heavenly! The lovely Hawaiian woman who ran the register and handled orders was super kind and thoughtful. Thank you! Don't forget the lavender soap, essential oils, and other gift items - check those out!

Skyline gets 2 thumbs up and 5 stars from me. Thanks for an absolutely incredible day...

Highly Inefficient Experience – Not Worth the Price

I recently took this tour and found it to be a waste of time and money. A do-it-yourself reservation costs $1, while this tour charges $240 pp. Essentially, you’re paying an exorbitant fee for a drive up the mountain -- possibly appealing to those uncomfortable driving winding roads in the dark early hours of the morning.

We were told we’d be picked up at 2:55 AM in Wailea, but the bus arrived 15 minutes late. After picking up another passenger in Kihei, we inexplicably spent 35-40 minutes sitting by the side of the road while the tour operator searched for jackets for the other guests. This was a glaring example of poor planning and a complete waste of time that could have been avoided with proper preparation by the operator. There were only 14 pax on the bus, so this could have been done very quickly.

The drive up the mountain itself was smooth, and the driver was competent. The journey took about 1 hour and 15 minutes in the dark, most passengers slept. Upon reaching the National Park entrance, we stopped for a bathroom break. This was appropriate and well-timed, but then we spent another 45 minutes sitting in a dark bus while the guide rambled about birds. This unnecessary downtime was very frustrating and could have been better spent elsewhere.

The time spent at the summit for the sunrise was the sole redeeming feature of the tour. The operator gave clear instructions on where to stand and offered useful tips. The jackets provided were warm and appreciated, though I recommend bringing extra layers (sweaters, blankets, etc). We arrived approx 40 min before sunrise which gave us enough time to set up cameras and find a good place to stand. After sunrise, we visited the small NPS gift shop and everyone was back on the bus by 7:45am The sunrise itself was stunning. No two sunrises are the same, so clouds and weather may affect your sunrise both good and bad - but that will be nature-dependent.

The Return Journey: The guide filled the entire descent with non-stop, irrelevant chatter. Worse, his attempt to deliver a historical and cultural lecture was both misinformed and condescending. He openly admitted to learning about Hawaii's history from YouTube documentaries and then gave inaccurate and incomplete information on topics such as colonialism and environmentalism. It was exhausting and frustrating, particularly because he presented this flawed narrative as fact.

The breakfast stop at "Café O’Lei at The Plantation" was the final disappointment. While the pancakes were decent, the eggs and bacon plate was shockingly bad—unappetizing and poorly presented. I’ve had better meals in hospital cafeterias. It’s clear that the tour operator has a financial arrangement with this restaurant, as there are far superior breakfast options on the island. The experience was so bad that we left early and booked a rideshare back to our hotel to avoid further frustration.

Key Issues Extreme Inefficiency: Between the late pickup, the jacket distribution fiasco, and unnecessary idle time, the tour was poorly planned and wasted hours of our morning sitting in a dark bus. Misguided Guide Commentary: The guide’s ramblings were misinformed and inappropriate. If they focused on the National Park’s ecology or shared personal stories from their 30+ years in Maui, it would have been far more valuable. Terrible Breakfast Choice: The restaurant selection was subpar, further diminishing the value of the experience.

Conclusion While the sunrise itself was breathtaking, it’s something you can easily experience on your own for a fraction of the cost. This tour offers minimal value, and its inefficiencies, poor food, and frustrating commentary far outweigh the convenience of not having to drive. I strongly urge potential customers to reconsider and look for alternative ways to...

TL;DR: The sunrise was truly incredible and so worth waking up early to see. I’m grateful we had an option to get to the top of the mountain despite tickets being sold out, but I would not go with Skyline Hawaii again. I would recommend planning early to obtain your own reservation or not going at all over using this service.

I felt as though our entire experience was rushed, our guide was inconsiderate, and that the food that was offered to us was subpar for the price.

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While we were picked up on time and promptly made our way to the top of the mountain, our tour guide (Marlon) talked most of the 1.5 hour drive up while many tried to sleep (2:30 am pick up). We then stopped before we reached the summit for a 30 minute break where it felt like time was just being wasted. We were asked to pick out what we wanted to eat for breakfast (which wouldn’t be served for 5 hours) while he reviewed endemic species to the park. I love learning and would expect this to be part of our tour, but our guide was not a good storyteller and just pointed at pictures in a book. It was additionally frustrating that we weren’t even at the summit at this point and no one was really awake.

The sunrise itself was amazing! Unfortunately we were only given 30 minutes after the sun rose to stay at the summit. We were really hoping to have way more time to explore and enjoy the park, but we were rushed off.

We were then taken directly to breakfast at the Café O’Lei. I was hopeful for a decent meal but it felt more like a continental breakfast. Everything was premade and plated immediately as we arrived. For the price I would have expected a made to order breakfast, not mass batched eggs ultra thin bacon, and cold toast. I’d have preferred a simple coffee and pastry before the sunrise to this!

We were so frustrated with how the tour went that we ultimately decided to leave the cafe early and Uber back to our hotel.

Ultimately nothing dimmed the experience of the incredible sunrise, but this tour truly seemed to try to. Definitely go on your...