Visit a Pineapple Farm in Maui

There are few indigenous pineapple farms still in operation on Maui today, with the most prominent and most visited by tourists being the Maui Gold Pineapple Farm near Makawao, which is undoubtedly one of the most fun things to do on Maui during your vacation. It's definitely one of the most fun things to do on Maui during your holiday.

Although the space is completely set up for tourists to visit, it's certainly a 100% working farm, where you'll find everything from vehicles used in the early days of the plantation to modern equipment used today.

While it's true that pineapple farms on Maui are very easy to visit, it's also true that this type of attraction is already rare on the island.

For example, the most visited plantation on the island is Maui Gold, which is located in the small village of Hali'imaile in Upcountry. The best way to tour the plantation is to make your reservation using the internet as a booking tool.

If your trip to the Hawaiian Islands involves staying on Maui for a week or less, it is advisable to book your tour as far in advance as possible, as demand for participants means that places become scarce at certain times of the year and on weekends.

The best part about taking a tour to the pineapple farms on Maui is mainly that it is a short duration experience. The tour of the facilities and activities is usually completed in less than 2 hours. However, I recommend arriving at the site at least 15 minutes before the booked start time.

The plantation's location in north central Maui allows this activity to be combined with many other interesting excursions for a full day of fun.

Some of the adventures you can take in this area of Maui include a trip to the Banana Plantations in Paia or take one of Maui's hiking trails.

Finally, consider in your planning the transfer time from your Maui hotel to Upcontry. For example, if you're staying in or around Lahaina, it will take about 45 minutes by road to get to this part of the island, but if you're staying in the Wailea area, the drive can be completed in 30 minutes or less.

Visiting the native pineapple farms on the island is one of the best tours and excursions on Maui. This is because of the many interesting activities that can be done there. Here are the highlights.

Plantation tour

The Maui Pineapple Plantation Tour takes the group of travellers aboard a small, comfortable, air-conditioned bus.

The group will travel through the fields on dirt roads and numerous stops are made to learn about the history of pineapple on Maui and see the fields up close.

Pineapple tasting.

In addition to seeing how Maui pineapples are grown and processed, the tour includes a tasting of the different species of pineapples grown on the farms. This makes it one of the most interactive and fun experiences you can have in Hawaii.

During your visit, you will get to know the Maui Gold pineapple, a special type of pineapple characterised by its intense yellow colour, which was created on the island at the beginning of the 20th century by crossing several species of pineapple.

Take home a pineapple as a souvenir

Many of the pineapple farm tours on Maui often give visitors a pineapple as a gift.

Additionally, part of the tour involves a visit to the pineapple processing factory, where the exotic fruits are beautifully packaged for shipment to various destinations, for sale and for guests to take home.

Liquor tasting.

The Maui Gold Plantation is part of the Hali'imaile Distilling Company, which is why it is possible to do a liqueur tasting at some parts of the tour.

Visit the gift shop

The tour ends at the plantation's gift shop, which I highly recommend a visit to find all sorts of curious items, all related, unsurprisingly, to the sweet pineapples of Maui.

Before arranging your tour of the plantations it is important to find out the times and prices.

Price of a tour to the pineapple farms

At the Maui Pineapple Farms, prices include a visit to all the activities on the farms and are divided according to the age of the participant.

• Visitors over the age of 13 pay approximately €75 for their entrance ticket to the facility.
• Visitors between the ages of 3 and 12 pay a reduced rate of approximately €65 for their entrance ticket to the facilities.

This type of activity is designed for children aged 3 years and over. If you are on holiday on the island as a family with a baby, I recommend that you take the tour in two separate groups.

Plantation schedule

In terms of opening hours, you'll find that the plantations on Maui are in operation every day of the year with continuous hours, including Sundays and public holidays. The facility opens its doors to the public as early as 9:30am.

Plantation tours are organised at set times several times a day. These times rarely change, so you can expect a first tour starting at 09:30h in the morning, a second tour at 11:45h and a final tour at 13:45h in the afternoon.

From my experience, a tour of the pineapple farms in M aui is a totally worthwhile experience, mainly because of the opportunity to learn many interesting things during a tour that is extremely fun and hands-on.

It is also one of those out-of-the-ordinary activities that only certain destinations in the world, such as the Hawaiian Islands, are able to offer.

This, like the adventure of swimming with sharks in Maui, are unique experiences that are hard to replicate anywhere else on the planet.

The only drawback to a trip to the pineapple farms is the weather.

If you go to the island during the wetter months, you'll need to carefully plan your activities for rainy days and your activities for sunny days. I highly recommend doing your visit to the pineapple farm on a sunny day.

If you're looking for a memorable holiday on Maui, consider the following list of tips.

Avoid weekends if possible

If you want to visit the pineapple farms in Maui, it is mandatory to book in advance. However, my advice is to avoid weekends as these are the days with the highest number of visitors.

For weekends in Maui, I recommend activities that have a larger number of offerings and therefore easier to meet the demand.

Some of my favourite activities in this category are the fabulous Luau shows on Maui or, if you like adventure, a full-day Road to Hana excursion.

Bring water and snacks

Although the plantation tours include food and beverage tastings and some groceries can be purchased on site, I recommend bringing water and snacks as a precaution.

Kids have a great time.

If you are going to Maui with children and are looking for ideas of fun activities to do with your family on your holiday, this is the perfect option for a fun day or afternoon!

The only requirement is that children must be at least 3 years old to visit most of the plantations.

That being said, Hawaii's pineapple farms include numerous activities specially designed for the little ones in the house such as: train rides, short and dynamic tours, playgrounds and much more.

Visit other pineapple farms in Hawaii.

Your trip to Hawaii may involve visiting other important islands in the archipelago. If this is the case, you should know that on the other islands you will also find pineapple plantations similar to those on Maui, but different in some ways.

• Visit the Dole Plantation on Oahu: a visit to the Dole Plantation is an activity that I recommend taking on a Circle Island tour on Oahu; these are very popular organised tours on the island that take travellers on excursions to some of the most iconic and touristy places.
• Visit Kauai's pineapple farms; although less touristy than Maui and Oahu, the island of Kauai is another important island in the archipelago and is home to a giant pineapple farm that welcomes visitors by reservation only.

Dress for the occasion

Although a visit to the plantations includes transport, be aware that you'll be outdoors in the tropical climate for a long time. Dressing appropriately is vital to feel comfortable during the experience. Your clothing should prioritise cool, breathable fabrics.

If you are going to Maui in winter, rain boots may be the best option as even if you visit the plantation on a sunny day the likelihood of having to walk in the mud will be very high.

Regardless of the time of year, sunscreen and a sun hat are highly recommended.

While these are facts you'll learn during your tour, I think it's worth knowing a little about the emergence and evolution of pineapple plantations on Maui.

In the 1830s, two missionaries arrived in the town of Lahaina: Dr. Dwight Baldwin and his wife Charlotte.

Lahaina became one of the oldest and most prosperous towns in the Hawaiian archipelago, and just a few generations later, the Baldwin family was already one of the most influential and wealthy in the area, owning a large part of the island of Maui.

In 1903 the first pineapple plantation on Maui, the Maui Pineapple Company, was started and by 1969 it merged with its main competitor, the Haiku Fruit & Packing Company.

The company closed its doors in 2009 and in 2018 was acquired by Hali'imaile Distilling Company who opened the plantations for tours. Rescuing an important part of Maui's history for all to enjoy.