Cheap flights to Maui from £587

Waiting for a sunset atop a volcano, hiking through craters or lying on a red beach sipping Mai Tais – this is Maui. The postcard-perfect island is the second largest in Hawaii with the most distinct layout: two large volcanoes divided by a tropical central valley. It’s also renowned for being the most diversified island with a variety of activities including diving, horseback riding and windsurfing. But don’t be fooled into thinking Maui lacks culture, on the contrary, there’s a handful of museums on the island, a vineyard and a botanical garden with a unique collection of orchids.

More than two million people a year book flights to Maui for the island’s golden beaches, which are among the best in the world. Most of the tourism is concentrated on the stretch of coastline known as Maui’s “forehead” and traffic jams in this area are common, especially in summer. Because of this, many people prefer to book Maui flights and holidays during the winter when the resorts are less crowded and the ocean is filled with humpback whales.

What is good to know if travelling to Maui?

• Walk into the crater of the largest dormant volcano in the world in Haleakala National Park. Watching the sun come up while standing at the summit is a must-do. The Wilderness Area of Haleakala National Park is enormous. Visitors can day hike, camp overnight in a tent or reserve a 1930s cabin. Travellers need a permit for overnight camping.
• See the whales: pods of Humpback whales migrate from Alaskan waters every autumn and spend December to April mating and birthing in the warm waters off Maui.
• In Lahaina, visit The Carthaginian II, a ship museum dedicated to whaling and whales. The original Carthaginian was lost at sea and this ship came from Denmark. The museum has an original whaling boat found in Alaska and artefacts related to the whaling industry.
• Pick a pineapple: the fruit is synonymous with Maui.  Plantation workers lead the Maui Pineapple Plantation Tour. You can pick your own pineapple to take home.
• The Garden of Eden is on Maui. This is a botanical garden and arboretum established in 1991 to help restore natural ecosystems and promote the native species of Hawaii. There are nature trails, hidden waterfalls, and beautiful views including Keopuka Rock, of Jurassic Park fame.
• Maui has more than 30 miles of beaches. The most notable beaches are Kaanapali, once the playground of Hawaiian royalty, Hamoa and Hana (along Hana Highway), Kanaha and Waihe‘e. Kihei Beach is known as Sugar Beach. The beach, one of the world’s longest white sand beaches, snakes for more than three miles around the bay to Maalaea.