Maui Reservations: What to Book and When (2027 Planning Timeline)

Maui used to be a place where you could show up and figure most things out along the way. That’s less true every year. If only things were still so laid back! These days, Haleakala sunrise, Waianapanapa’s black sand beach, and Iao Valley all take reservations well in advance. The best restaurants can fill up weeks or months ahead, and the most popular luau can sell out before you’ve even figured out where to stay.

Booking ahead isn’t hard, but it’s a lot to keep track of while you’re also sorting out plane tickets. Each activity opens up its calendar on a different schedule. Some visits require booking through a government website, while others are handled by phone or through OpenTable. Ignore a key booking window and you might end up missing out on something special!

That’s why we put together this detailed booking timeline, based on our own experiences and the questions we get most often from our guests. Booking windows are current as of October 2026, but they do change, so it’s always best to confirm directly.

At a Glance: What to Book and When

What	When to book	Where
Your place to stay	2 to 3 months ahead, or 3 to 6 months for winter and holidays	Direct or online
Rental car	As soon as your flights are set	Rental agency or Turo
Mama’s Fish House	Up to 18 months ahead	By phone only
Old Lahaina Luau	2 to 3 months, longer for prime seats	Online
Haleakala wilderness cabins	Up to 6 months ahead	Recreation.gov
Haleakala sunrise	60 days ahead at 7 AM HST, plus a small release 2 days ahead	Recreation.gov
Merriman’s Kapalua	60 days ahead at midnight HST	Merriman’s website
Waianapanapa State Park	Up to 30 days ahead	Go State Parks
Iao Valley State Monument	Up to 30 days ahead	Go State Parks
Helicopter tour	1 to 2 weeks ahead	Tour company
Molokini snorkel, whale watch, Lanai ferry	1 to 2 weeks ahead, more in peak season	Tour company or ferry
Aurum Maui	A week or two ahead, more for weekend dinners	OpenTable
Golf, zipline, resort day pass	A week or two ahead	Online
Maui Ocean Center	A few days ahead	Online

As Soon as Your Dates Are Set

Your place to stay

Lodging is the first domino, because so many other aspects of your trip depend on where you’ll be staying. For most of the year, booking a hotel room or condo 2 to 3 months ahead will offer a solid range of options. For winter visits, spring break, and major holidays, we always recommend booking 3 to 6 months ahead for the best selection and pricing.

The best condos for Christmas and New Year’s are often gone by June. If you’re still deciding where on the island to stay, our Wailea vs Kaanapali comparison and our guide to the best time to visit Maui are good places to start. If you want to stay in South Maui, Wailea Oasis is our 2-bedroom condo at Grand Champions in Wailea. You can check dates and book direct on our site.

Rental car

You’ll want a car on Maui, and the main rental agencies can run out during busier times of year. We advise guests to book as soon as your flights are set, choose a rate you can cancel for free, and then check prices again a few weeks before your trip. If the price drops, rebook. If you’re intrigued by peer-to-peer car rentals, be sure to check out our detailed analysis of Turo on Maui.

Mama’s Fish House

Mama’s is Maui’s most famous restaurant. It’s situated on a small cove near Paia on the North Shore and takes reservations up to 18 months ahead, by phone only, at (808) 579-8488 (between 9 AM and 9 PM HST). It doesn’t honor reservations made through third parties, so call them directly. Lunch is easier to get than dinner and costs a bit less. If you missed your window, call 24 to 48 hours before the date you want and ask about cancellations.

Old Lahaina Luau

This is the most popular luau on the island, and it runs close to full most nights of the year. Book 2 to 3 months ahead to get your preferred evening and seating style. If it’s sold out, Te Au Moana at the Wailea Beach Resort is our backup pick, and it’s much closer to Wailea. Our Maui luau guide compares the two.

Haleakala wilderness cabins, for adventurous travelers

For an unconventional Maui experience, consider spending a night inside Haleakala’s crater. The park has three rustic backcountry cabins on the crater floor: Holua, Kapalaoa and Paliku. You hike in (roughly 4 miles for Holua or 9 miles for Paliku), through a moonscape of cinder cones and silversword plants. The cabins have bunks, a wood stove and basic cooking gear, with no electricity. Bring a sleeping bag, food, and a way to filter water. Cabins run about $75 a night, plus the park entrance fee. What a deal!

If you’re keen for an adventure, be aware that these cabin rentals are among the hardest reservations to get on Maui. Bookings open on a rolling basis up to 6 months ahead on Recreation.gov, starting at 7 AM HST. Weekend nights go quickly. Stays are limited to 3 nights in any 30-day period. If you get a cabin, you’ll have one of the best night skies and sunrises in Hawaii (almost) to yourself.

Fixed Reservation Windows: Set an Alarm

The next three destinations are run by the National Park Service and the state, and they open their calendars according to a strict schedule. Popular dates can go within minutes, so do the math and be ready when your window opens.

Haleakala sunrise

Watching the sun come up from the top of Haleakala, 10,023 feet above the ocean, is among the most memorable Maui experiences. To drive up for sunrise, you need a sunrise reservation from Recreation.gov, and then you’ll also pay the regular park entrance fee. Reservations open 60 days ahead at 7 AM HST, and then a much smaller batch of reservations is released 2 days ahead (also at 7 AM HST). Note that you’re limited to one reservation per account in any 3-day period.

Make an account and sign in before 7 AM, then refresh right at the release time. If you miss out, try again for the 2-day release, or skip the reservation and go for sunset instead. Sunset doesn’t require reservations and can be just as beautiful, although it’ll get colder (instead of warmer) every minute you stay. Bring warm layers either way, because it’s often near freezing at the summit overnight.

Waianapanapa State Park

The black sand beach on the Road to Hana requires a reservation for out-of-state visitors, with a specific entry window and parking time. Reservations open up to 30 days ahead on Go State Parks, and they close the day before. That means you can’t book once you’ve already set out on the Road to Hana. There’s a per-person entry fee and a parking fee.

Time your reservation to slip nicely into your Road to Hana itinerary. Don’t have an itinerary? Check out our Road to Hana guide for practical tips on how to pace your day.

Iao Valley State Monument

Iao Valley, with its famous Iao Needle, is about 45 minutes from Wailea in the West Maui Mountains. Out-of-state visitors need a reservation, which is available through Go State Parks, up to 30 days ahead. This is usually a quicker visit. We typically budget an hour or so to enjoy the short trail, waterfalls, and misty mountain views. Pair this one with lunch and some shopping in Wailuku!

Counting back from your arrival

Here’s how the timing works for a sample Maui trip, arriving on Saturday, March 6, 2027:

Activity	The date	When booking opens
Haleakala sunrise	Monday, March 8	Around Thursday, January 7, at 7 AM HST
Merriman’s dinner	Friday, March 12	Monday, January 11, at midnight HST
Iao Valley	Tuesday, March 9	Sunday, February 7
Waianapanapa	Wednesday, March 10	Monday, February 8

A Few Weeks Out

Merriman’s Kapalua

Chef Peter Merriman helped start the farm-to-table movement in Hawaii, and his Kapalua restaurant sits on a rocky point with one of the best sunset views on the island. Reservations open 60 days ahead at midnight HST. Ask for an outdoor table at sunset, and give yourself plenty of time to make the long and winding drive from South Maui.

Aurum Maui

Aurum Maui is a newer island bistro at The Shops at Wailea, just a few minutes’ walk from Grand Champions. The menu leans towards local farms and fresh fish, with dishes like pan-seared local kampachi and lobster toast. Happy hour runs from 2 to 5 PM. Reserve through their website or OpenTable. It’s best to book a week or two ahead to make sure you have your choice of times. For more local lunch and dinner ideas, see our guide to the best Wailea restaurants.

Helicopter tour

Truth be told, we’re not big fans of helicopters. But don’t let that stop you from seeing Maui from the air! If you want to see waterfalls up close and slalom through the West Maui Mountains, there’s no better way to make it happen. Tours leave from the Kahului Heliport, next to the airport. Booking 1 to 2 weeks ahead usually gets you the day and time you want. Book for a day early in your trip so you’ll have another opportunity if your chopper is grounded due to weather.

Molokini snorkel tour

Molokini is a partly sunken volcanic crater off the south shore, with some of the clearest water in Hawaii. Morning tours leave from Maalaea Harbor and the Kihei boat ramp, which are both quite convenient from Wailea. Book a week or two ahead, and plan to go early in your trip (but perhaps not the very first day). The water is usually nice and calm in the mornings, but sometimes weather can move through and you’ll want another shot at it when that happens.

Whale watching

Humpback whale season runs from about December through April, with the most whales from January through March. The best tours sell out in January and February, so book a week or two ahead during those peak months. Our Maui whale watching guide covers the best boat tours and our favorite viewing spots from shore.

Lanai ferry day trip

Expeditions runs a passenger ferry between Maalaea Harbor and Manele Harbor on Lanai three times daily. It’s an easy day trip and a nice way to see some new scenery if you’ve never been to Lanai before. You can snorkel at Hulopoe Bay next to the harbor and take a shuttle up to Lanai City for lunch. You can book both directions a week or two ahead to get your preferred times. In winter, keep an eye out for spinner dolphins and whales along the way!

Golf, zipline and resort day passes

Tee times at the Wailea courses are easy to book a week or two ahead, and afternoon rates can be much lower if you’re willing to put up with sometimes breezy conditions. See our Maui golf guide for prices. Ziplines and resort day passes are generally also easy to book just a week or two in advance, maybe a bit earlier for weekends and holidays. Our zipline guide ranks the options from mild to wild.

A Few Days Ahead

Maui Ocean Center

The Maui Ocean Center in Maalaea is Hawaii’s largest aquarium and a perfect plan for a rainy or windy afternoon. General admission isn’t timed, and you can enter any time between 9 AM and the 4 PM last entry. Buy tickets online a few days ahead for the best rate, or pick them up when you arrive. Budget about 20 minutes to drive up from Wailea.

No Reservation Needed

Plenty of Maui’s best activities don’t require any planning at all:

Get the Printable Checklist

Maui Reservations FAQ