Maui

What is it about Maui that arrests a tourist's attention? Is it the Quicksilver catamaran to Molokini, where you can snorkel at Molokini Marine reserve and Turtle Town and hunt for dolphins at La Perouse Bay? Or a yachting experience that offers tropical snorkelling? Or seeing the magnificent waterfalls up close from a helicopter tour as the pilot narrates the history of the island below? Whether you're after adrenalin-pumping activities or lazing on sun-kissed beaches, scuba diving, kayaking or fishing, Maui is a front-line tourist destination.

Other attractions in Maui include inshore fishing expeditions. In addition to the prized catches [Marlin or Billfish], a fisherman may catch any of the 400 species of reef and inshore fish. Maui game fishing is excellent off the West Coast, with fleets of game fishing charters at Maalaea Harbor and Lahaina Harbor. There is no fresh-water fishing on Maui.

No trip to Maui is complete without ‘whale watching'. West Maui is famous for the humpback whales that migrate there for the winter and spring calving season. Tourism in Maui witnesses a sharp increase during winters; starting in October and extending to as late as May, whale watching is a popular tourist activity.

On the road, the 55-mile highway to Hana is a scenic, though arduous, drive. You'll cross over 54 bridges, viewing waterfalls, villages, wayside parks and the town of Hana on a circular bay. The black sand beaches are a tourist attraction. Iao Valley State Park is in a beautiful valley that contains the Iao Needle, an old cinder core's bare dike that rises over 1,200 feet above the stream at its base. The park brings together four streams that merge into the Iao Stream, and offers a network of nature walks.