6 Days: Honolulu and the Neighbor Islands

6 Days: Honolulu and the Neighbor Islands

Six days is the version that gives Maui the two full days the 5-day trip has to skip. Three nights cover Waikiki, Pearl Harbor, Diamond Head and Hanauma Bay, then a 35-minute flight to Maui buys a proper Road to Hana day and a Haleakala sunrise instead of squeezing both into one. Only have five days? See the 5-day version . Want a second neighbor island instead of a deeper Maui stay? Jump to the 7-day version , or read the full Honolulu island-hopping guide .

Book these before you go

Day 1: Land and settle into Waikiki

This is a domestic flight even from the far side of the mainland, no passport, no customs, just long: San Francisco runs about 5 hours 36 minutes, Los Angeles 5.5 to 6.25 hours. TheBus routes 20 and 303 reach Waikiki from HNL in 45-60 minutes for a $3 HOLO fare, or budget $35-50 for a rideshare. Check in, note the resort fee on your folio (commonly $45-61 a night), and keep night one light.

Day 2: Pearl Harbor in the morning, Diamond Head in the afternoon

Take an early Pearl Harbor slot, a rideshare or TheBus 20 gets you there in 30-40 minutes; arrive an hour ahead for the 45-minute USS Arizona Memorial program. By early afternoon, hike Diamond Head State Monument , a steep 0.8-mile, 1.5-2 hour round trip with last trail entry at 4:30pm. Grab a plate lunch between stops ($12-18) and eat dinner in Waikiki.

Day 3: Hanauma Bay at opening, then Ala Moana

Arrive close to the 6:45am opening, last entry is 1:30pm and the preserve closes Monday and Tuesday for reef recovery. Rinse off and spend the afternoon at Ala Moana Center or Ala Moana Regional Park, a flat 20-30 minute walk from Waikiki. Pack for Maui tonight.

Day 4: Fly to Maui, settle in, afternoon at the beach

The Honolulu-to-Kahului hop runs about 35 minutes on Hawaiian Airlines or Southwest. Pick up your rental car at Kahului Airport right away, Maui has nowhere near Oahu’s bus coverage. Check into Kihei or Lahaina and spend the afternoon at a calm south-side beach.

Day 5: Road to Hana, done properly this time

With a full day free instead of a transfer day at the end of it, the Hana Highway’s 620 curves and 59 bridges over roughly 52 miles finally get the time they deserve, leave by 7am, stop at Waianapanapa State Park’s black sand beach, and add a second or third waterfall stop the 5-day version has to skip. Book a guided Road to Hana tour if you would rather not handle the driving yourself. Overnight in Hana or drive back to Kihei/Lahaina, depending on how late you finish.

Day 6: Haleakala sunrise, then fly back to Honolulu

Haleakala summit sunrise requires its own recreation.gov reservation for any vehicle entering between 3am and 7am, $1 per vehicle on top of the park entrance fee, released 60 days out and gone within minutes on popular summer weekends. Arrive well before your slot, the mountain road gains 10,000 feet and it is genuinely cold at the top, pack a layer. By midday, return your rental car at Kahului, fly back to Honolulu (35 minutes), and connect to your mainland flight from HNL that evening. Treat today as a travel day once you leave the summit, not a second sightseeing block.

Is Haleakala sunrise worth an early alarm on your last Maui morning?

Yes, if you book the reservation ahead and actually get up for it, the crater view at 10,000 feet before the crowds arrive is a genuinely different landscape from anything at sea level on this trip. Skip it only if you are unwilling to leave your hotel by 3am, there is no late version of this that still catches the sunrise.

Does 6 days beat 5 for a Maui add-on?

Yes, clearly. The extra day turns Road to Hana from a single rushed loop into an actual full day with room for stops, and adds Haleakala, which the 5-day version has no room for at all. If Maui is the point of your trip rather than a quick add-on, this is the shorter version worth booking over the 5-day one.

At a glance

Day Distance / travel time Focus
1 HNL to Waikiki, 9 mi / 20-30 min drive Arrival, settle in, sunset on Waikiki Beach
2 Waikiki to Pearl Harbor ~12 mi / 30-40 min; to Diamond Head ~3 mi / 10 min Pearl Harbor morning, Diamond Head afternoon
3 Waikiki to Hanauma Bay ~10 mi / 25-30 min Hanauma Bay at opening, Ala Moana afternoon
4 Honolulu to Kahului, Maui, 35 min flight Settle into Maui, afternoon beach
5 Kahului to Hana and back, ~104 mi round trip Road to Hana, full day
6 Haleakala summit round trip, ~76 mi; Maui to Honolulu, 35 min flight Sunrise, fly back, depart mainland flight

Book your Haleakala sunrise slot the same week you book your flights, it is a separate reservation from the park entry and the popular pre-dawn times go first.