This is an excellent company. Service: I spoke with the owner for a bit. I could tell he was conversing to get an idea of my interest and skill level to explore the beautiful island of Maui. He communicated regularly to provide ideas of the for to customize the data to our wants and energy. He was prompt with everything, from calling, giving us updates on the route(as weather will affect the day), and showing up. Tour: everything met or exceeded our expectations. Willie took us to a couple away areas where, I think, he was assessing our hiking skills. From there he provided suggestions which he, successfully assessed, we could accomplish. Willie consistently provided the history and explanations of the area as we toured. Explorer areas: Willie brought us to a variety of locations. He is respectful of the island and the culture. I observed others providers who, I feel, were not as courteous to the local family owned vendors or tour operators. Willie was courteous, while still assuring we had a good time. read more

See all

I don't even know where to begin. I can't possibly put into words my level of appreciation for the wonderful day Willie provided us with. I've done the Road to Hana tour before, and had a great experience but it was on a bigger tour trip. We had an amazing tour guide that time, but I came this time with my FIANCÉ and his mom who have never been to Hawaii and I was afraid if we got a boring tour guide, it would be a LONG day. I started looking on Yelp in hopes it would help me narrow down the best of the best and that it absolutely did. I saw the raves about Willie and knew it was going to be worth every penny. Willie called me to talk about what we wanted to get out of our trip, and he also checked back in the day before to reiterate details about where to meet, etc. We told him we really wanted to see beautiful waterfalls and some cool secret, less touristy spots. We began our drive and Willie pulled off on this little beach, and said he wanted to show us something. We walked down, and there were sea turtles all over the beach which just made my MIL's day right off the bat. Then we went to the most delicious breakfast spot I have ever been to, hands down. All along the way, he told us about the areas we were driving through, the weather there, and gave us cool little tidbits of information. We went to the Garden of Eden where to my surprise, I got ENGAGED! Willie was so sweet and so happy for us, hugs all around. He truly made that moment, and the whole day really feel like we were with a friend we'd known forever. We went to the most amazing, secret waterfall and got to swim in the swimming hole and jump off rocks with no one else around! This was the absolute most beautiful spot I've ever been in my life and we never would've found it on our own or without Willie. Anyways, we did so much and there are so many details I could share but I would write a book if I shared the entire 11 hour day with you! I won't ruin all the surprises for you, but all I can say is I will never do another tour on Maui without him. Don't hesitate to book, just do it and don't go with any other company. He's truly the best! read more

See all

If I could put 10 stars I would! Been to Maui many times and used MET and Willie for the first time last year. Had such a blast I decided to go again and book Willie and do different! Met up with an old mate of mine in Kahului (literally 20 minutes after he landed), Willie was was there to pick us up and it all went up from there..... Lava Cave, Venus Pools and some other hidden spots! Did the longer hikes at Willies suggestion still keeping with our verrrry loose itinerary. Had snacks, stopped and stayed away from the larger tours and groups that get frequented by, well, tourists! I have a different experience every time I go, never expecting anything more than what I paid for, but, Willie kept it low key, comfortable and always had our experience first. The positives: The MET vehicle was durable and well equipped for all the elements. He had extra ponchos but I like to go with nature and not cover up. It had rained the first two days there, but, my boy and I didn't get deterred. Willie suggested we try a spot in Kipahula where a hidden waterfall is located along with a........(you gotta ask!) Banana bread, Coconuts and Rainbows! A few days in we decided to do front side trip of Road to Hana. began with some top notch Breakfast in Haiku. (Gotta go early!) A couple typical stops (to willie-not the average tour stop) again avoiding the big comfy, AC laden busses and jeeps. All of our stops except for one were clear so we could really take in the environment as my friend had never been yet. I wanted him to do Maui how it's supposed to be done. Stopped at a famous spot for some some genuine made Banana Bread and obviously 'Glens Ice Cream' (its an old repurposed bus/truck). Best quick, cool snack on da island.... Anyway, Willie, we will be back. See you next year, early April!!!! read more

See all

My girlfriend and I spent two days on private tours with Willie and WOW! IT WAS AMAZIIIIIIIING! Really the BEST way to experience Maui! We went on the Road to Hana (day1) and West Maui (day2) tours with him. Willie drove us around and showed us all the amazing spots that Maui has to offer! As a local, he knows his way around and knows the best locations and times to visit them to avoid the crowd. At many of the places, we were the only ones there which made it even more magical! We couldn't have experienced Maui in the same way without Willie. We originally wanted to only do the Road to Hana tour, which is a full-day tour. But we had such a great time with Willie, that we decided to do another full-day tour in West Maui, which includes snorkeling, with him. His car was super comfortable. He also brought snacks and drinks for us to enjoy during the tours. He customized the tours on the go as he got to know us better (what we liked and what we liked less etc.). He also has all the needed gears to keep us comfortable and safe (e.g., towels, snorkeling equipment, float, etc.). And also, very important: Willie is super friendly, fun and accommodating :) we really enjoyed spending time with him! He really made our trip to Maui. He really made it magical and next time we'll be there, we're planning on taking the Haleakala Sunset tour with him :) already looking forward to it! Thanks for everything, Willie! We couldn't recommend him enough! read more

See all

I'm so glad my husband and I did the full day road to Hana tour with Willie! Right from the get go, Willie was friendly and accommodating. He basically offers concierge service, answering all your questions about Maui and providing recommendations and advice. He was a great resource as we planned our trip! The actual tour was amazing. His car is very clean and he provided drinks and snacks. He was a really safe driver! We saw sea turtles without the crowds, got the best banana bread without a line, and climbed into a lava tube! Thanks to Willie, we had some great experiences we will remember forever. I highly recommend Maui Explorer Tours and can't wait until we come back to Maui to do another tour! read more

Maui Explorer Tours - One of many waterfalls along the Road to Hana - Tours Near Me - Makawao, Hawaii

All I can say is WOW. Willie knocked our socks off. We took 2 tours with him (RTH and W Maui). He is def a pro and navigating that windy, narrow road. We felt totally safe and were in awe of the special spots we got to see. We aren't super athletic but he gave us appropriately challenging hikes and made sure we were comfortable before proceeding. I really appreciated that! Road to Hana was a carefree and very thrilling adventure. We didn't get to snorkel on the W Maui tour due to unforeseen high winds/ swells. His mantra "Safety first!" But we DID get amazing views and a swim in a beautiful tide pool. His knowledge of tide was key and allowed us to take a dip into an area we would have never discovered on our own. We relaxed at his favorite w side beach and played with his pup, Banyan. We even saw a whale breach. What a breathtaking sight that was!! We cannot wait to book with him again when we come back with family. read more

See all

Willie took my family on an AMAZING customized tour of West Maui!! After being unable to secure spots on a large tour, I reached out to Maui Explorer Tours. Right off the bat, Willie promptly returned my call and attentively listened to the activities and locations we were interested in. As a 20 year resident of Maui with extensive tour and diving experience, he suggested some hidden gems we check out. We are so glad we did!! He took us to some absolutely breathtaking spots, waterfalls, and hidden pools well of the beaten path and away from other tourists. Our day ended with an awe inspiring snorkle in a tide pool alongside a female sea turtle!! This was an unforgettable experience. Thank you, Willie. See you next time we are in Maui!! read more

See all

We did 2 tours with Willie and both were special experiences we know we would not have had with any other tour company! Willie puts so much thoughtful detail into every activity and his love for Maui truly shows! Haleakala sunset tour- so much better than the sunrise! Less crowded, you don't have to wake up early and there are so many cool places to stop along the way! We stopped at ocean distillery and a organic goat cheese farm. It was perfect! Then we waited at the top for the sunset with chairs, blankets, drinks and Willie brought us amazing poke to enjoy. Then he chose a restaurant for us to enjoy dinner at which was perfect. We loved this tour! Road to Hana- Having Willie's safe driving skills were so important for this drive! Having a driver really helps you enjoy and take everything in, it would have been so stressful to drive ourselves. He took us to classic spots that were worthwhile and not tourist traps. We would have never known about these spots without him! We tried the best banana bread (Aunty Sandy's), saw a secret waterfall, had amazing fish tacos, and saw about 10 Hawaiian green turtles sunbathing. It was such a special day. We can't wait to hire Willie for his west Maui tour when we return to Maui! read more

See all

The best way to tour Maui! I took my parents on our first Family vacation to the island of Maui and was really looking to provide them with the best possible experience. While there are other companies that offer tours, Maui Explorer Tours definitely out matches them all. The tour is personalized and not timed, so me and my parents were really able to enjoy all the spots we were taken to without the worry of having to jump back on a bus at certain time slots. Both Nigel and Willie were great hosts as they guided us and arranged us to go to all the hot spots in Maui. We did both the sunrise tour and road to Hana tour. Both were magically and breathtaking! My parents took so many memories and sights that they couldn't even imagine! I plan on returning to the island with my family to do the remaining tours available :) I highly recommended this tour for anyone, couples, family etc. Its the best way to enjoy the island and admire all the beauty it has to offer! read more

See all

10 out of 10! Add all the STARS! Let me just say - I've never done the tour guide before because they always seem so stiff & touristy. I'm more of an off the beaten path type. Well, Willie made us feel like locals, he loves his job and enjoys the adventure as much as we did. We ended up doing multiple tours through them because it just felt like friends & of course we got to see whales breaching and the best secret hikes all at the same time. We were basically the only people at all the spots he took us too read more

See all

There are no words to describe how amazing of a time my daughters and I had on this tour! Being a single mom with two littles (6 & 8) I wanted a thorough tour of the island that was invigorating for both myself and my kids. We laughed and learned so much about the island. The spots the our guide Willie showed us were breath taking! Local culture, food, plants/flowers, waterfalls and beaches. We were in awe and had the time of our lives. We cannot wait to come back and take another tour with them to explore even more. There is no other way to see the island than with Maui Explorer Tours!!! read more

Our family took a two day tour of Maui with Willie in July. Willie was extremely friendly and knowledgeable about the island of Maui. He knew all of the best places to visit. He took us to the best beaches, Haleakalā Crater, the Iao Valley, Lahaina, and many more amazing places. He has a passion for his work and he truly picks the best places to visit - based on the needs and wants of his customers. Our family highly recommends Willie and his travel company. read more

See all

WIllie was amazing! We were taken to all the enchanted and secret breathtaking spots around the island. To my surprise Willie and my boyfriend at the time plotted an absolutely perfect engagement at our last touring spot of the day. Willie captured every moment of our engagement..it was priceless. Willie has amazing energy, is knowledgeable of the island, is prepared and has everything you need for the day, and is an absolutely lovely human being. If you are searching for a tour guide you have found the perfect one, no need to keep searching! BOOK HIM NOW! Thank you Willie for an unforgettable experience. read more

See all

This tour was speedy, but everything in Maui is, but so worth it!! Willy knows the secret places and provided the safe driving, beach chairs, drinks, snacks, snorkel gear and all we needed for a great time!! Highly recommend. read more

We booked Willie for 2 days in February. He's a genuinely nice guy and a good driver. Unfortunately for us, the day we spent with him (we punted day 2 at our expense) was a complete waste of time. If you need a driver to take you on a private tour of Hana or other landmarks, then I'm sure he would be fine. In our case, the visit to a goat farm, a lavender farm that was closed, a botanical garden that was recently devastated by a storm, and a search for a sunset in thick clouds and fog was underwhelming. read more

Absolutely incredible experience. Road to Hana and Haleakala Sunset all in one day. From the moment we booked this tour to our farewell aloha at the end of a full day of fun, Willie was amazing. Professional, kind, helpful, and fun. Willie customized our day to what we wanted to do. We have done the road to Hana on our own in the past. Willie took us to places we never would have found on our own. I can't say enough about Willie and Maui Explorer Tours. Don't hesitate. Just book it. read more

See all

I needed to some TLC from Mother Nature at her very best after years in high-pressure fine-dining in NYC. Without much of an initial plan, I decided on a last-minute escape to Maui to rest, relax, revitalize, reconnect, recharge and realign myself physically, emotionally and spiritually. This required getting out of my comfort zones! Off a tip from a friend who had frequented Maui through the years, I was introduced to Willie--a real gem of Maui. Willie was patient and helped nurture my ideas and plans in realtime; Gracefully, he showed me all the beauty and spirit that has been passed down through the ages on the luscious island: Secret waterfalls, hikes, the offbeat, great eats, history and humor, Venus Pools, The Road to Hana, Black Sands Beach, Red Sands Beach, some climbing...The man himself is plethora of stories and walks of life but more importantly he enjoyed the excursions as much as I did. He IS Maui. The world slowed down, my general anxiety subsided and throughout the experience of falling in love with Maui, I feel as I made a great friend along the way; I cannot wait to get back and explore more so much that I even signed up for flight deal alerts on a handful of airfare websites and apps. Working in hospitality professionally for 25yrs, I know firsthand the importance of fostering relationships like these, but I've never actually experienced this type of organic connection to "people and place" like my experience with Maui Explorer Tours. I cannot recommend highly enough, especially because I ran out of positive adjectives within just first few hours on tour. 5-Stars read more

My husband and I ended up booking an 8 hour tour with Willie to the surfing goat dairy, the Kula botanic gardens and of course the highlight, sunset on top of the Haleakala crater! Willie provides a comfortable environment and is very personable! He knows the island well and has been in this business a long time. He genuinely enjoys taking people around and sharing what he knows about the island. He provided us with lounge chairs for the sunset, a cooler full of poke, meats, crackers and some goat cheese from the surfing goat! (YUM!) if we booked again we would definitely utilize his expertise on the road to Hana. I've done the road 3 times on my own, but I know he could share some really cool experiences on that tour! I know he's a newer business and my husband and I wish him all the best! Thanks again Willie! read more

See all

I found Willie's company online while I was trying to plan excursions for our family.  I had been to Maui before and gone with group tours, but wanted something different this time around.  Willie's tours were exactly what I was looking for!   We had the great pleasure of being able to spend 2 days with Willie. Our family of 5 had an awesome time! We have 3 boys ranging in age from 9 to 14 and everyone enjoyed the adventures. We drove up to West Maui and made snorkeling stops all along the way. Willie is easy going and extremely personable.  He outfitted us with snorkel gear and guided us through to help us discover the best spots all while making us all feel extremely comfortable in the water.  Willie took us to a great local place to grab lunch sandwiches and kept the boys well fed and hydrated with his snacks and drinks he brought!  We didn't feel like you were on a tour, as much as we were being shown some hidden gems of Maui from a friend. Our second day trip with Willie was the Road to Hana - and was as memorable as the first tour.  We started out super early and made our way out of town and to an awesome local breakfast place that we would have not discovered on our own.  Our boys all wanted to hike to waterfalls and jump off of cliffs, so that is just what Willie delivered.  Willie was the first to take the plunge to show the kids exactly how to jump!  We made lots of stops at some local spots along the Road to Hana.  We all had an amazing day and Willie's knowledge, expertise, and personability made the experience so enjoyable. read more

We had a great time with Willie during our stay in Maui. We booked 2 private tours with him, West Maui and Road to Hana. Willie took us to remote places that few tourists visit and on top of that supplied us with drinks and amazing local fruit. We are laid back and did our tour with enough stops to enjoy ourselves and never felt rushed because we decided where we wanted to go, with Willie's recommendations (he provided estimates of timing). I have only snorkeled once but Willie was patient with my freak out over slippery rocks during our snorkeling adventure in West Maui and also introduced us to a lot of local businesses that made amazing food. My husband's favorite was the tide pools and Huli Huli Chicken spot Willie took us to. I enjoyed the back roads post Hana, Black Rock beach area hike, Garden of Eden(Road to Hana)and the amazing Lorraine's banana bread (during our West Maui tour), I will have to recommend her on Yelp too. We highly recommend Maui Explorers Tour and will definitely book Willie for our next excursion. If you want a private tour at your own pace, please call Willie! read more

I can't say enough good things about our tour with Nigel and Maui Explorer Tours. Since I live here part-time, I have been to Hana a few times, both the "regular" route and the backroad. It wasn't until my tour with Nigel that I feel like I fully experienced the beauty and mystery of this amazing place....not to mention the fact that you relax SO MUCH MORE when you or your partner don't have to drive!! We met at 7:30am, had literally no specific agenda. We asked for the "locals" tour - to go places not a lot of tourists go. Did Nigel ever deliver! He's such an easy-going, charming, fun guy, great to chat with and somehow knew when we should stop, get out, stretch our legs so the journey never became tiring. We did everything from hike to a secluded watering hole to a delicious lunch (best Maui beef I've ever had!!) to his chopping up a fresh coconut for us to drink and eat to checking out his favorite "locals" only surf spots. I think my favorite part was when he stopped on the side of the road, we crossed it, and proceeded to crawl through a small hole that opened up into a lava tube cave, covered by a banyan tree - amazing!! We never felt rushed or even like we were on a tour, but rather on an amazing drive with our friend. I went with my girlfriend who was visiting and loved it so much am taking my whole family when we're back for Christmas. Thank you, Nigel, for showing us the magic on Maui. read more

See all

We spent our first day with Willie a couple of weeks ago. We snorkled at three places with him that day. He took us to a local spot to get sandwiches and mini pies, which we enjoyed on a picnic table at the beach. Not only was our day amazing, but Willie became our friend instantly. If you are looking for an amazing experience, call Willie! read more

I called yesterday on the off chance of making a reservation short notice. Willie has been very accommodating. Super friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. Even though he is fully booked, he offered to rent an additional vehicle and take my hosts and I out personally. He's even been trying to help me find other resources. I'm very grateful for his assistance. Great customer service!! read more

spending the day with Willie didn't disappoint! Having been to Maui multiple times, his tour provided new spots to check out, great knowledge and good vibes all day long! Can't wait to come back and do his other tours read more

Maui Explorer Tours - Tours Near Me - Makawao, Hawaii

See all

Willie doesn't just give tours, he gives a full once in a lifetime experience! He is such an awesome and knowledgable tour guide that really knows all the best spots an in Maui. He also has a wonderful dog Banyan accompanying the tours alongside him that makes the hikes that much better. I wouldn't choose anyone else but Willie to show me around this beautiful island read more

Willie has incredible knowledge about everything a visitor could possibly want in Maui, and is very kind about sharing it, even if you're not necessarily booking with him. I was looking to charter a boat, and even though Maui Explorer Tours doesn't currently offer that service, Willie walked me through all of my options better than a concierge would! I don't have enough good things to say about him, and we will definitely be booking with MET when we're looking for a tour based on land. read more