If you're looking for a memorable experience on Maui, join us on an amazing adventure! Explore Maui
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Congratulations to Michelle and Dan, who celebrated their 35th anniversary with us and the birds of Maui (and one exceptionally cool dog we saw in traffic)!
Birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, personal milestones: we love to celebrate with people (and we love to bird). It is summer, the views on Maui are glorious, and we have some bookings left to explore some Maui nature on your visit to this amazing island!
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Lunch with a view of infinity. Join us.
We can do short or long day hikes on Haleakalā Volcano, or just cruise up for lunch, views, and sunset. We are one of the few tour companies who have the access we do, so stop debating with yourself and get in touch. We have planning to do (including snacks!).
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Shout out to Pauli Graziano, who got some great shots of Maui birds on the 5/16 Group Birding tour, a.k.a. "Raptor Rapture"!
We can bird nerd with the best of them, so if you are feeling the call of a Maui birding tour, we are ready when you are! Bring your best binos, we've got the crack bird guide (and the snacks!).
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Carrie, Paul, and their son Christian explored some Maui nature with us at Haleakalā National Park and 'Iao Valley—very different places with very different ecology, climates, and stories. In-between there was also lunch with a view. Maui is pretty fascinating that way, a smorgasbord of experiences to soak up and talk about for years. Summit to sea, we know how to make your Maui day!
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Hey fellow birders! Check out this amazing bird artwork by Lindsey Arnold, who saw the endemic Hawaiian 'i'iwi for the first time on our May 16, 2024 group birding tour! These cheeky little scarlet honeycreepers were feasting on mamāne blossom nectar and generally buzzing around on sugar.
Pretty rad, Lindsey!
IIMG:
Let's just take a minute to enjoy the sight of an endemic Hawaiian ʻiʻiwi foraging for nectar on mamāne shrubs in the high elevation shrublands of Haleakalā National Park, shall we?
IMGS: Cassie Pali
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Barbara and Chad went birding with Superbirder Wendy the other day, and a little bird told us that it was their honeymoon, too! Man, we love a couple that will devote honeymoon time to birding. These are our kind of humans.
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Maui is a mix of endemic birds, native birds, introduced birds, birds that escaped someone's cage, migratory birds, and invasive birds. The blend on every island is different, so each one is worth an investigatory birding tour.
Happy Getting Married, Barbara and Chad! Thanks for spending some of your time with us!
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Laura Summerlott went adventuring up Haleakalā Volcano with Superguide Wendy, and beautiful summer weather went up with them. The summit of Haleakalā is 10,023ft. above sea level and jutting up into major airflow, so it can be sunny up there and sleeting the next, no wind or gale winds, brilliant sun or clouds so thick you can't see past your outstretched arms.
But this day? This day was PERFECT.
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Wow, Matt Borland, we are blown away by you and this review!
Mahalo nui loa, thank you very much!
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On our recent trip to Maui, we went on the Road to Hana tour and Haleakala Sunset & Private Chocolate Tour with Explore Maui Nature. Both tours were amazing!
The guides for Hana and Haleakala, Lance and Wendy respectively, were incredibly personable and knowledgeable. Though long tours, the entire time was lively and interesting. Having Lance guide the Road to Hana was essential as it allowed us to enjoy the views while also quickly adapting to opportunities as they came up. For example, a pull-off was empty by a lava tube, and because of Lance's knowledge of the road traffic, etc., we were able to stop and enjoy the tube, when it might have been busy on our way back. He also had great recommendations for other stops, custom to our interests. Great conversation and information the whole way.
For our chocolate and Haleakala tour, Wendy was also an excellent guide. She is a birder, as are we, and when on Haleakala she helped us spot many of the rare native birds. The chocolate portion of the tour was very interesting and pleasant, and is kind of its own sub-tour. It is NOT a corporate-style tour (a la Napa Valley), to set expectations. You meet at an independent farm and are shown, in an informal space, the hands-on raw processing of cacao beans. You get to taste beans at different stages, and do a sampler of a variety of local and non-local chocolates. This was a very interesting and personal tour!
Although the weather wasn't completely cooperative with a standard romantic mountaintop sunset, we had a thoroughly enjoyable time, exploring areas as weather allowed, and the light dinner was customized to our needs.
Explore Maui Nature tours was excellent to work with, and I would recommend them to any travelers like learning about Maui and enjoying what it has to offer.
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We had the honor of having Jacqui Agate, writer/editor for Wanderlust magazine, join us for this tour to explore some Maui nature and culture! The day included our new tour offering: "Haleakalā and Hawaiian Crafts", with cultural specialist Nan Cabatbat. We offer it every Wednesday (other days by request). Cool endemic plants, weaving tips, Hawaiian stories and memories, lunch in beautiful locations, drives to the top of the island...it is a pretty magnificent tour. Be like Jacqui, come spend the day with us!
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Looks like it was a gorgeous day in ʻIao Valley and up near the summit of Haleakalā Volcano with Lisa Buchy and Michael Herman. Maui is so diverse and so beautiful in every direction that sometimes it's hard to figure out what exactly you want to do/see/learn/experience. Lucky for you, we can build a day trip around whatever you find fascinating, and we have several that have a framework of places we can start with. No worries, no hurry.
It is JUNE already and we are booking like hotcakes. Want to explore some Maui nature? Be in touch!
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Siyu, Jamie, Sarai, Cynthia, Adrian, TeTe, Mingyang, and Ayla!
Superguide Wendy had a blast birding with you from sea to summit!
Here is your Kealia Pond sighting list:
- Hawaiian Coot / ‘Alae Ke’oke’o
- Black-necked Stilt / Ae’o
- Black-crowned Night Heron / ‘Auku’u
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Hey, when we birdwatch with our guests, we are watching ALL the birds. Sometimes a chicken can steal the show, you know?
We are the only tour company offering bird tours on Maui, so if you have some birds on your list yet to check off, or you just love birds, or you want to have Wendy sing you her bird songs in the tour van—whatever your goals, we are here for it!
June is booking like hotcakes, so be in touch, OK?
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Chocolate making and volcano sunsets!
The Borlands signed up for our very decadent Chocolate/Sunset Tour, learning about the chocolate process from bean to bar. Then they bundled up, headed up the slope of the volcano to the summit through the eucalyptus groves, and were greeted by a pair of Hawaiian endemic nēnē geese on the way!
If you want to explore a side of Maui that isnʻt beaches and bars, get in touch and let's figure out what makes you happy while you are here with us!
June is filling fast!
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Listen closely to hear the fluted call of this ʻiʻiwi as it forages among the māmane blossoms at Haleakalā National Park! These birds always hijack our hearts. Native forests and shrublands like those protected at national parks are key to this bird's survival.
Come bird nerd with us on a custom or private birding tour. Hawaiʻi endemics are always a part of everyone's Life List.
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Studies show that everyday encounters with birds can improve overall well-being and reduce feelings of depression, anxiety, and stress. Birdsong, in particular, can increase concentration and help with stress recovery. Birding outside and with other people is also great for our mental health, cognitive function, and physical fitness. In a society with an always-on mindset, the pastime offers a free and easy way to slow down, decompress, practice mindfulness, destress, and get out in nature.
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Younger generations are turning to birding for its stress-reducing mental health benefits. You can, too.
This one is an inside joke for all of the Monty Python fans out there. If this isn't a candidate for the Ministry of Silly Walks, then nothing is!
Come do a birding tour with us, we're a crack up!
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"We’re living in the golden age of birding, and like any good cult member, I’m recruiting people to the cause."
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There has never been a better time to be or become a birder
Bala and the Dickson family (Andrew, Francesca, Michael, Kathy, Camille and Cole) rambled all over Maui on their birding quest, guided by the ever-competent and sharp-eyed SuperBirderGuide Wendy.
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Bonus on this day: Wendy says they had a native butterfly land on the van at their first stop when they were looking for skylarks! There are only TWO native species of butterfly in Hawaiʻi, and Wendy thinks that one was the Blackburn's Blue butterfly. Wings of all kinds!
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Adventure chaperones (including us!) from Hawaiʻi and beyond helped create the upcoming selection of comfy walkable sandals, ideal for all types of outings. Find general sandal tips, waterproof clogs, all-terrain Tevas that you can even wear hiking and more.
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These actually supportive shoes for men and women can withstand water, rough terrain and long days spent on your feet.
Rebecca and Greg Hovater came along with us to chase adventure and explore Maui nature! From the cool greens and rushing stream of historic 'Iao Valley to the high cinder summit of Haleakalā Volcano they roamed, soaking up those special things that make Maui unlike any other place you have ever been. Come spend the day with us to do some exploring of your own on a custom or private tour!
May is filling up fast...
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Superguide Wendy had another Wendy, Wendy Schaefer, plus Phil Schaefer and their birder son Greg, on a sea to summit birding tour last week. They started around Keālia Pond, worked their way through forest and fields up to Hosmer Grove at Haleakalā National Park, and ended their day way up above the clouds where the non-native Eurasian chukars roam. Look at that weather up there! Summer is coming!
Have you made your summer tour and trip plans yet?
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Ah, the legendary attitude (mootitude? attimoo?) of the cows that roam around the Haleakalā Highway on the long, switchbacky drive up to the national park gates at 7,000ft above sea level. Karen and Kim Snepp went birding with Superguide Wendy but also got an eyeful of sea turtles and moo cows on the way. Because Maui.
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We still have a few spots left for custom or private Maui birding in May! If you are planning your trip, get in touch now.
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2024 is Ka Makahiki o Nā Manu Nahele: The Year of the Forest Birds, a time to celebrate the jewels of our Hawaiian forests. Our native forest birds are uniquely Hawaiian: they exist only in the Hawaiian Islands and nowhere else in the world. These birds have critical ecological roles as pollinators, seed dispersers, and insect managers of Hawaiian forests. Our forest birds are an inextricable part of Native Hawaiian culture in their roles as ʻaumakua (family deities) and messengers between akua (gods) and kānaka (people). Nā manu nahele are celebrated in mele (songs) moʻolelo (stories), ʻōlelo noʻeau (proverbs), kaʻao (legends), and in the creation of feather adornments including lei hulu.
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2024 is for the birds. Celebrate with events, swag, and activities all year long.
Fun fact: Haleakalā Volcano was probably originally another 4,000 feet taller than it is now, before wind and rain and clouds and sun trenched and carved it out. And it is possibly the world's most surreal, indescribable hike. You should come do it with us.
Just look at those ferns!
May is filling up fast...
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People think of Maui as pale sandy beaches, but Maui is volcanic, and has the black sand and pebble beaches to prove it. The northern and easters sides of the island are wilder, lusher, and more visually dramatic than the gently, more typically "beachy" south and west sides. We think you should come with us and explore that for yourself.
We still have some spots in May for a custom or private tour!
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🎼 Youʻre walkinʻ on cloud tops, whoaoaoaoaoaoa
Youʻre walkinʻ on cloud tops, whoaoaoaoaoaoa
Youʻre walkinʻ on cloud tops, whoaoaoaoaoaoa
And donʻt it feel GOOD? 🎼
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Leslie and Laurie, and John and Bethany, spent the day birding on Maui with Superguide Wendy from sea to summit. Did you know that Wendy is the only fulltime birding guide on Maui at the moment? Yup. True words.
Is your Life List speaking to you in your dreams? It is time to get in touch with us for a custom or private birding tour and explore some Maui nature!
Here is the list of birds seen JUST in and around one site on this expedition:
Maui Tropical Plantation:
- Nene / Hawaiian Goose
- Black-crowned Night Herons
- ducks, likely mallard hybrids
- Java Sparrow / Java Finch (a.k.a. miniature puffins!)--lots of juveniles!
- Chestnut Munia
- Kolea / Pacific Golden-Plover
- Red-crested Cardinal
- Northern Cardinal
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Jon and Tammy, J.C., and Chayse went birding with Superguide Wendy up Haleakalā Volcano and lots of other places on Maui that Wendy knows about. Are you a birdy type? New to birding or a longtime birder? Have you got passion for birds and for Maui? We are here for you!
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From the rushing Wailuku River in sacred ʻIao Valley, to the billowing clouds and Mars-like landscape at the top of Haleakalā Volcano, the best of the day unfolded for the Mocarski family. Not only that, but these are nēnē fans who got a kick out of Superguide Wendy's nēnē plush mascot Lucy Goosey, (sold by the park visitor center stores), and also met the brand new plush nēnē gosling, Makamae. Fun folks and good sports all around!
Bring your favorite plush and sense of adventure to a custom or private birding, hiking, even eating tour! Maui has a lot to offer and we're ready when are!
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Wailea, HI
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Yes, this is Maui. Welcome to the wao akua, the realm of the gods. 🌄 #haleakalavolcano #waoakua #exploremaui #exploremauinature #mauinature #mauitours #mauitourguides #booknow
The very top of Maui looks absolutely unlike the shoreline. 10,023 feet above those golden beaches you are looking at the vast erosional valley at the summit of Haleakalā Volcano (and two of the high peaks of the Big Island, too!). Summer is here, the weather is amazing, and you should book a trip with us. 🌄 #exploremaui #mauinature #exploremauinature #haleakalavolcano #mauitours #mauitourguides
Listen closely to hear the fluted call of this ʻiʻiwi as it forages among the māmane blossoms at Haleakalā National Park! These birds always hijack our hearts. Native forests and shrublands like those protected at national parks are key to this bird's survival. Come bird nerd with us on a custom or private birding tour. Hawaiʻi endemics are always a part of everyone's Life List. 🐦⬛ #exploremaui #mauinature #exploremauinature #haleakalabirds #mauitrip #yourmauitrip #mauidaytripping #alldaybirding #mauiadventures #maui #mauihigh #birdingmaui #mauioptions #birdingtrips #birdingplans #maubirdingguide #mauitourguide #privatetour #mauitour #iiwi
Happy Birdtober! October is #Birdtober month in Hawaiʻi! In addition to the endemics, natives, and migrants, Maui is home to birds from all over the world, most of whom were introduced by a homesick settler or someone trying to rectify what they thought of as a deficit. You will find birds on the island from many places on the planet, like this Chinese melodious laughing thrush (always cryptic, but always piercing) yelling away at us in Hosmer's Grove last week on Superguide Wendy's birding tour. 🐦 #birders #birdnerds #birdsofinsta #birdsofhawaii #mauibirding #exploremaui #exploremauinature #haleakalanationalpark #laughingthrus #hwamei #birdwatch #birdwatcher #birdwatchers #birdwatching #mauinokaoi #gohawaii #birdingtours #birdwatchingtours #hawaiibirds
We are on the ground and the water with our staff, supporing the volunteer effort. This video is from 8/11 and 8/12. Some of the companies and boats supporting the effort to move supplies to West Maui: Blue Water Rafting, the Getaway, Maui Snorkel Charters, and Seafire. Some privately owned boats were helping, too. Each boat could easily take 2 pickup truck loads of donations, and there were 7-8 boats that went on one trip—it takes a while to get up there and come back. We offloaded at S Turns yesterday, and Kanaha today. Local jet ski owners helped shuttle stuff from boats to shore. Some told us they didn’t get anything at all from official organizations, and others that they got some supplies like water but not anything near what’s actually needed on the ground. There is still no power and no water in many locations up there there (the water may be toxic, so they can’t even brush their teeth with it). Our effort was "small kine" but we are trying to reach people out of reach of the official disaster relief agencis. 🛟 #mauistrong #lahainafires #volunteering #mauinokaoi #mauivideo #exploremauinature #mauicommunity #imua #ourpeople #boatstotherescue
How many other Maui tour companies will take you swimming, or even go swimming WITH you? We get it, we love the ocean too, we love Maui, too, and sometimes, well, it's just too irresitable. Get in touch to set up your custom or private unique Maui tour with us. We get it. 🌊 #uniquemauitours #mauiprivatetours #mauitours #gohawaii #lethawaiihappen #mauihawaii #roadtohana #hanamaui #jumpin #mauisummer #mauicustomtours #mauitourcompany #mauitours #mauiadventures #mauiprivatetours #mauiholidays #mauidiscovery #mauivibes #uniquemaui #mauiguidedtours #mauimemories #summeronmaui #swimtrip
Sarah and Matt! Thank you for joining our birding excursion on Maui! It was such a pleasure to spend the day with you both AND a Hawaiian honeycreeper joined you, too! 🐥 😮 #honeycreepers #birdingmaui #apapane #mauibirding #birdwithus #birdingtour #mauitour #custommauitour #privatemauitour #mauibirdingtour #exploremauinature #mauiprivatetours #mauitours #gohawaii #lethawaiihappen #mauihawaii #haleakala #mauibirds #haleakalasunset #video
"The summit of Haleakalā is a wahi pana - a legendary place. And as wao akua (realm of the gods), the summit area has been a place of pilgrimage, ceremony, and intentional resource extraction since the first peoples arrived on Maui from the ancient homeland. Kahuna (priests) conducted protocols, Hoʻokele (navigators) studied the movements of the stars, and kākoʻi (adze makers) created well-crafted tools. These specialists left behind structures and remnants of their tasks—giving us today a deeper understanding to the importance of this sacred mountain." ~Haleakalā National Park #exploremauinature #mauiprivatetours #mauitours #gohawaii #lethawaiihappen #mauihawaii #haleakala #mauibirding #haleakalasunset #waoakua
M-n-Ms at lunch will give you superhuman switchback hiking zoomies! Do you feel up to doing an Advanced Crater Hike with us through the summit wilderness of the mighty Haleakalā Volcano? Then you should pack your chocolate nibbles and get in touch! 🥾 #viewsfordays #mauitrails #advancedhike #maui #mauihiking #hikingmaui #haleakalatrails #advancedcraterhike #guidedhikes #guidedtours #exploremauinature #mauiprivatetours #mauitours #gohawaii #lethawaiihappen #mauihawaii #haleakala #mauibirding ##haleakalāvolcano #zoomies #sugarzoomies #video
Some notes from our 3/28/23 birding tour: "Our rare sandpiper was not a Pectoral Sandpiper, but a Dunlin?! I made the rookie mistake of only comparing species with the word "Sandpiper" in their names and forgot about our stealth sandpiper named Dunlin! But the neck markings and the long black bill make that the correct name for our rare little friend, apparently Outsider Enemy #1 to nesting Hawaiian Black-necked Stilts or territorial Sanderlings." Drama in the wetlands! If you love bird drama, join us on a custom or private tour, bring your binos and your Life List, and we will keep you happily snacking as we stalk our feathered friends around this great island! #HawaiianBlackneckedStilts #HawaiianStilts #birdingmaui #mauibirding #mauibirdingtour #exploremauinature #mauiprivatetours #mauitours #gohawaii #lethawaiihappen #mauihawaii #haleakala #mauibirdingwithus #stiltvideo 🐤
Shake it off! This black-crowned night heron clearly had something to get out of its system! Come birding with us—we offer custom tours, group tours, birding-only tours, and we are really, really good birders. Shake off your blues and come with us around Maui! 🦆 #birders #birdnerds #birdsofmauinui #birdsofhawaii #mauibirding #exploremaui #exploremauinature #aukuu #wetlandbirds #nativebirds #lifelisters #birdwatch #birdwatcher #birdwatchers #birdwatching ##mauinokaoi #lethawaiihappen #gohawaii #birdingtours #birdwatchingtours #hawaiibirds #mauiwetlands #video #birdvideo
It's kind of amazing to think that this misty valley is thousands of feet above the encircling Pacific Ocean, an island of clouds in the sky. The summit area of the great volcano Haleakalā has many secrets and hidden, profoundly beautiful places. We can show them to you. The link for a guided day trip is in our bio. Video: W. Swee * * * #haleakalā #haleakalanationalpark #haleakalāvolcano #exploremauinature #mauidaytrips #adventuretravel #mauitravel #mauitrips #mauihikes #letmauihappen #mauimist #guidedtour #comewithus #video #mauivideo #haleakalāvideo #mistydreams
Happy #AlohaFriday! We’ve been fortunate to experience some ideal conditions - great visibility, warm temperatures & very little wind - this past week. We hope you can come enjoy the view with us soon! 🤩 https://exploremauinature.com/haleakala-tours/
For Avian August, our first spotlight has to be the nēnē, of course, Hawai’i’s state bird and the rarest goose in the world! We admired this adorable pair for several minutes during yesterday’s tour as they ambled about, nibbling against a most gorgeous backdrop in Haleakalā National Park!
I had really been missing those views, the silence, peacefulness, crisp air, and sacredness of Haleakalā... The Park is now partially reopen, with limited days, hours, and locations, but it was so good to recharge a little up there, gain some perspective, and take a deep breath 😌 Sharing it to hopefully give a few seconds of peace and calm for those who might need it today in this crazy world of ours ❤️🌈🌺
Not exactly a “lifer” but so freaking cute!! 😍🐣🐥🐣🐥🐣🐥
