Visit a Pineapple Farm in Maui

Currently in Maui there are few native pineapple farms still in operation, being the most prominent and visited by tourists the Maui Gold Pineapple Farm near Makawao. Without a doubt, it is one of the most fun things to do on Maui during your vacation.

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

While it is true that pineapple farms on Maui are very easy to visit, it is 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 town of Hali'imaile in Upcountry. The best way to tour it is to make your reservation using the internet as a tool.

If your trip to the Hawaiian Islands contemplates staying on Maui for a week or less, I advise you to book your tour as far in advance as possible, as due to the demand for participants, spaces become scarce at certain times of the year and on weekends.

The best part about taking a pineapple farm tour 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. Mind you, I recommend arriving at the site at least 15 minutes before the booked start time.

The plantation's location in the north central part of 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 that area of Maui are a trip to the Banana plantations in Paia or take one of the Maui hiking trails.

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

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

Plantation Tour

The pineapple plantation tour in Maui takes the group of travelers aboard a small, comfortable, air-conditioned bus.

The group will tour 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 is one of the most interactive and fun experiences you can have in Hawaii.

During your visit you will learn about the Maui Gold pineapple, a special type of pineapple characterized by its intense yellow color, which was created on the island at the beginning of the 20th century by crossing several species of pineapples.

Take home a pineapple as a souvenir

Many of the tours to the pineapple farms in Maui usually give a pineapple as a gift for visitors.

Additionally, part of the tour involves visiting 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 in the plantations it is possible to carry out a liqueur tasting in some parts of the tour.

Visit the gift store

The tour ends at the plantation's gift store, which I highly recommend visiting to find all kinds of curious objects, all related, of course, to the sweet pineapples of Maui.

Before organizing your tour to the plantations, it is important to find out the schedule and prices.

Price of a Pineapple Farm Tour

At the Maui Pineapple Farms, prices include the visit to all the activities at 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 facilities.
• 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 ages 3 and up. If you are on vacation on the island as a family with a baby, I recommend that you take turns to do the tour in two separate groups.

Plantation schedule

In terms of hours, you will find that the plantations on Maui are in operation every day of the year on a continuous schedule, including Sundays and holidays. The facilities open their doors to the public as early as 9:30 am.

Tours of the plantations are scheduled at fixed times several times a day. These schedules rarely change, so you can expect a first tour departing at 09:30h in the morning, a second tour at 11:45h and a last tour at 13:45h in the afternoon.

From my experience, a tour of pineapple farms in Maui 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.

Moreover, it is one of those out-of-the-ordinary activities that only certain destinations in the world, such as the islands of Hawaii, are able to offer.

This, as well as the adventure of swimming with sharks in Maui, are unique experiences difficult to replicate in another corner of 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 will 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 your trip to Maui is intended to be a memorable vacation, consider the following list of tips.

If possible, avoid weekends

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 you to do activities that have a larger number of offerings and, consequently, it is easier to meet the demand.

Some of my favorite 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 tasting and it is possible to buy some groceries on site, I recommend bringing water and snacks as a precaution.

Kids have a great time.

If you are going to Maui with kids and you are looking for ideas of fun activities to do with your family on your vacation, this is the perfect option to spend 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, dynamic and short tours, playgrounds and many more.

Visit other pineapple farms in Hawaii.

It is possible that your trip to Hawaii involves visiting other important islands of the archipelago. If this is the case, you should know that in the other islands you will also find pineapple plantations similar to the ones in Maui, but different in some aspects.

• 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 organized tours on the island that take travelers on excursions to some of the most emblematic and touristic places.
• Visit the pineapple farms of Kauai; although less touristy than Maui and Oahu, the island of Kauai is another important island of the archipelago and where there is a giant pineapple farm that receives visitors but only with prior reservation.

Dress for the occasion

Although the visit to the plantations includes transportation, keep in mind that you will be outdoors in the tropical climate for a long time. Dressing appropriately is of vital importance to feel comfortable during the experience. Your clothing should prioritize cool, breathable fabrics.

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

Regardless of the time of year the use of sunscreen and a sun hat is 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 Lahaina Town: 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 sightseeing tours. Rescuing an important part of Maui's history for all who want to enjoy it.