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Lanai Snorkel Tours
Nine miles across the Au'au channel from West Maui lies the privately-owned island of Lanai. It was once the largest pineapple plantation in the world; now very little pineapple is grown there. The island's economy is centered around the two resort hotels - the Manele Bay Hotel and the Lodge at Ko'ele. Most visitors to the island come over for the day from the island of Maui. The island is very dry and doesn't have the lush beauty found in Maui's rainforests, but Lanai has the longest stretch of coral reef in Hawaii and the beaches on this island are down right deserted. The area around the Manele Bay hotel is particularly beautiful, with uncrowded beaches, fascinating tidepools, great snorkeling, red seacliffs, and lots of sun. But the biggest attraction of Lanai is the large pod of Spinner Dolphins frequently encountered on Lanai's southern coast ... watching these marine mammals in their natural environment will surely be one of your most memorable vacation highlights!
Lanai Explorer - our most popular Lanai tour
Lanai Explorer with Landing - 6.5 hrs |
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List
Price |
Our
Price |
Adults |
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$114.00 |
$99.00 |
Children (12 & under) |
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$84.00 |
$74.00 |
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| Lanai Explorer Dolphin (no landing) - 4.5hrs |
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Adults |
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$89.00 |
$79.00 |
Children (12 & under) |
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$64.00 |
$59.00 |
Note: Lanai Explorer has a $6 per seat fuel surcharge for adults and children on
all of their tours which will be added to the above
rates.
Not recommended for anyone
with neck or back injuries or pregnant women. Minimum age for these
tours is 5. Exceptions may be made for kids who are 4 years old and
particularly adventurous and are good swimmers. Vegetarian lunches are available by request ... if you would like a vegetarian lunch please call our office after making your reservation using the form on the right.
Lanai Explorer with Landing - 6.5 Hours
What a great
trip! As your raft crosses the Au'au Channel on the way to Lanai the search for dolphins begins. When you arrive at the island of Lanai the captain will select an excellent spot to snorkel from the boat. After snorkeling, the Lanai Explorer lands at Manele Bay Harbor. You get
to spend three hours on the island of Lanai, exploring some fabulous
isolated beaches that are a 7-10 minute walk away. More great snorkeling is available at the beach,
and don't miss the fascinating tide pools found nearby (see the
amazing photos above). This 6.5 hour trip is perfect for people who
want to go on a snorkel trip to Lanai, but who don't want to spend
the entire time on the boat. During the three hours on the island
you are on your own and free to go off and explore. Hike the trail to the spectacular Sweetheart Rock overlook. Relax at breathtaking Hulopo'e Beach. You can even walk up to the luxurous Manele Bay Hotel and stroll the grounds or enjoy a cocktail at their poolside bar.
The Lanai Explorer with Landing is the single most highly recommended activity by Adventuremaui.com clients! We had one client who enjoyed this tour so much that the next year they came to Maui they booked this same tour for TWO days in one vacation! Here is a sample letter we received from one of our clients ... "I
just wanted to let you know that the Lanai Explorer w/ landing trip
was the best trip ever! I will never forget the snorkeling
experience that I had. My whole family enjoyed it. They
packed a mean lunch that fed us the whole time we were on the
island. Just to experience this was once in a lifetime, but if
I do come back I will definitely take this trip again." J
McKernan, Lafayette, OR
This tour includes snorkel gear, and a personal-sized cooler with a deli lunch and beverages that you take with you to the beach. The Lanai Explorer is fast, fun, and comfortable with a maximum
capacity of 35. The Lanai Explorer with Landing tour is offered on Mondays, Wednesday, and Fridays ... check in is at Lahaina Harbor at 9:00am and the tour is from 9:30am to 4:00pm.
Lanai Explorer Dolphin (no landing) - 4.5 Hours
This tour is
operated on the same boats that do the Lanai Landing, but with
a shorter itinerary. Instead of stopping at Manele Harbor and
giving you three hours to explore the island of Lanai, the
boat goes to a second snorkel location for an additional hour of snorkeling. The tour includes snorkel gear, two snorkel sites from the boat with a total snorkel time of a little over two hours, breakfast, a deli lunch, and dolphin
watching ... all in a 4.5 hour trip. While the overall tour length is shorter than the landing version, the non-landing tour does have more time on the water and this increases the opportunities for encountering dolphins! The Lanai Explorer Dolphin (no landing) tour is available on Tuesdays, Thursdays,
and Saturdays ... check in is at Lahaina Harbor at 7:00am and the tour is from 7:30am to 12:00pm.
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| Lanai
Explorer / Whale Watch Combo: This is a WHALE of a combo deal! If you are coming during humpback whale season (December through April) reserve either of the Lanai Explorer snorkel
tours and receive an adult rate of $28pp on one of the Whale
Express whale watches (normal list price is $39). CLICK HERE
FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO
RESERVE THIS COMBO. |
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Unfortunately NCL
cruise ship passengers who are in port in Kahului are NOT able to do the Lanai
Explorer with Landing tour. This tour CAN work for Lahaina
cruise ship passengers on their first
day in
port as this tour departs right
next to the cruise ship tender in Lahaina. NCL
cruise ship passengers are able to do the Lanai
Explorer Dolphin (no landing) on their second day in port in
Kahului but it requires a one hour drive to Lahaina. We
can arrange a rental car for you for $39 per day. For
rental cars with cruise ship shuttle pick-up see our rental
car page.
This
tour can also work for Lahaina
cruise ship passengers on their second day in
port as this tour departs right
next to the cruise ship tender in Lahaina. |
Ocean Riders Rafting - most adventurous Lanai tour
Ocean Riders Rafting Rates |
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Adults |
Children (age 5-12) |
Adults |
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$129.00 |
$109.00 |
Children (ages 5-12) |
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$109.00 |
$99.00 |
Ocean Riders
has a 3% fuel surcharge which is added to the above rates.
Available 7 days a week
Ocean Riders is the
ultimate Lanai adventure, completely circling the island in a zodiac raft. They are the only tour operator that consistently circumnavagates the entire island of Lanai year-round. On a normal tour you will see shipwrecks strewn along the north shore of Lanai. They anchor in shallow water and you have the opportunity to swim in and walk around on an isolated, remote beach where there is no hotel or road in sight! Your captain will pull inside a sea cave carved out of the cliffs by giant storm swells over the centuries. Witness the cliffs of the Kona Coast of Lanai ... and see Shark Fin, one of our favorite snorkel spots in Hawaii and one of the few places where pyramid butterfly fish can be seen.
Ocean Riders zooms in and out of every nook and cranny of the coastline, sometimes at breathtaking speeds! Lanai has
some unbelievable scenery and wild rock formations on the back side ... places that very few people who live in Hawaii have ever seen ... but with
Ocean Riders you get to see it all! For thrill
seekers, this is the trip for you! It also offers you the ultimate
get-away adventure. They are going to snorkel at places where other
snorkel boats just don't go. On a normal day they will snorkel at three different spots ... sometimes four. And if there are dolphins anywhere along the route ... Ocean Riders will find them!
On very rare, EXTREMELY calm days Ocean Riders will set asisde their normal itinerary and head to the north shore of MOLOKAI ... where even more spectacular scenery than Lanai awaits. If you happen to catch them on one of these days, count yourself particularly blessed and make sure you have LOTS of room left on your digital camera's memory card! The setting on Molokai is truly stunning ... the tallest sea cliffs in the world tower overhead and sea caves and waterfalls await around each turn.
Ocean Riders features a deep-V rigid hull inflatable raft that is 30 feet in length and capacity is limited to 18 guests per tour. The boat is powered by twin 250hp engines ... this boat is truly the Ferrari of snorkel tours on Maui! Ocean Riders checks in at the Mala Boat Ramp just 1/2 mile north of downtown Lahaina (not Lahaina Harbor) ... check in is at 6:30am. The tour departs at 7:00am and returns between 2:00pm and 3:00pm (depending on ocean conditions).
This
trip is limited to 18 people per day ... children under 5 are not
permitted. Rough ocean conditions are sometimes encountered. No one who is pregnant or has neck or back injuries is permitted. Sound like the sign posted at the entrance of a roller
coaster??? Maybe a little ... but after all, this trip is the
ADVENTURE of a lifetime. There are a few days per year that the winds don't permit going all the way around, but circling the island of Lanai (or going to the north shore of Molokai) is always their goal.
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NCL
cruise ship passengers are able do Ocean Riders on their second day in port in
Kahului but it requires an hour drive to Lahaina. We can
arrange a rental car for you for $39 per day. For rental
cars with cruise ship shuttle pick-up see our rental
car page. Lahaina
cruise ship passengers can do this tour on their second day in
port and it requires a 5 minute cab ride to get to the
boat ramp. |
Lanai Scuba Diving
Extended Horizons offers excellent two-tank certified scuba diving trips ... they leave from Lahaina and typically go to the Lanai Cathedrals and one other dive site. For more information see our MAUI SCUBA DIVING PAGE.
Activity
Tips
A Lanai dolphin adventure is a must-do
on my list of Maui activities. If you have time for two snorkel boat
tours, go to Molokini and Lanai. If you only have time for one, go to
Lanai!!! The reef there is just as good as Molokini (better in places)
with lots of fish and turtles ... and there are a lot less people.
Lanai trips are definitely a good way to
go for people staying in the West Maui area (Kapalua, Kahana, Honokowai,
Kaanapali, and Lahaina). Lanai trips leave from Lahaina, so much less
driving is involved than most of the Molokini boats.
While none of the Lanai trips GUARANTEE
dolphin sightings, it is unusual to not encounter
dolphins along the south coast of Lanai. Your chances of seeing dolphins
is in the 75-80% range on any given day.
Lots of people ask if they can swim with
the dolphins. The honest answer is "probably not." Snorkel tours have to be very cautious in approaching dolphins ... they are protected marine mammals. Once
in a while a boat will stop to snorkel and the dolphins will approach out
of curiosity. If this happens, enjoy the moment ... you are truly blessed.
Don't plan on it happening. You will likely see plenty of activity just watching
them from the boat ... the large pod of spinner dolphins at Lanai is very
active. You will likely witness acrobatic behavior and dolphins will
probably swim on both sides of the bow of the boat just a few feet away
from you.
So now you know you want to go to Lanai. Which boat should you do?
The Lanai Explorer is our most popular tour .... it offers the adventure of rafting ... but more comfort than most rafts as there are real seats on board the vessel (you don't have to sit on the innertube sides of the raft unless you want to). The Lanai Explorer also offers quite a bit of shade and has a marine head on board when nature calls. We absolutely LOVE the Lanai Explorer with Landing tour. Grab your camera and hit the trails that go out to the point beyond Hulopo'e Beach ... see the colorful tidepools and sea arch, scrample down a wooden ladder to the hidden beach that looks out to Sweetheart Rock (the Hawaiian placename is Pu'u Pehe), and hike up to the overlook. You can even walk up to the Manele Bay Hotel ... the place Bill Gates rented out entirely when he got married here on Lanai. This tour is doable for the majority of our clients ... but not all. Keep in mind that there is a walk of about 5-7 minutes each way to and from the beach.
The non-landing version of the Lanai Explorer is a great choice for people who have been on-shore at Lanai before ... and want to spend more time out on the ocean around the island.
Finally ... the trip for the die-hard adventurer. Ocean Riders is an awesome tour ... if you are up to the challenge. When you leave the harbor at 7:00am be aware that it will be 7 or 8 hours before you will see another white porcelein seat with chrome handle on the side of it. This tour can be rough at times ... but in terms of the amount and variety of snorkeling, the overall distance the tour covers, and the value you get for your dollar ... this is the best itinerary in Hawaii for those of you die hards out there!
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