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Most people visit the beach while driving The Road To Hana. Which means most people arrive around 12pm and don’t have much time to enjoy the beach. A big positive if you want to spend some time here sans clothing! Instead most people take a quick hike to the viewpoint above the beach to grab a photo and leave. The trail also gets steeper when you make the final descent to the beach which deters some people. Whilst we were at the beach for over an hour we saw no one actually make the trip down to the sand – which was fine by us! The only other people on the beach were a few nude locals and someone who was meditating while smoking weed. They kept to themselves while we awkwardly battled the choppy waves.
As you’ve probably also assumed – there is nothing here apart from the beach. So make sure to pack out what you pack in. There are some nearby options for lunch, like the friendly Hasegawa General Store. We picked up lunch and snacks from here to take to the beach and it did the job. The view from the beach is so relaxing and the pebbles are unlike anything we’ve walked on before. The locals were having an afternoon nap in the shade and if we’d planned our trip better we probably would have done the same.
Apparently you’re almost always guaranteed an empty beach if you come in the morning or late afternoon but being there at 12pm wasn’t so bad. We didn’t really mind the occasional people taking Instagram photos – you can’t really make out naked people from that distance with an iPhone anyway. Maybe keep a towel handy if that really bothers you!
Kaihalulu Beach trail isn’t maintained or in great condition and we wouldn’t recommend attempting the trail during or after wet weather. Pay close attention to the directions below and stick to the trail. It is not the faint of heart or kids who might be likely to fall or injure themselves. We’d definitely come back again and try to spend more time at the beach. The only problem is that Hana doesn’t exactly have any affordable accommodation options, so it is a long windy drive to and from the beach. At least 2 hours from nearby hotels – even longer if you’re staying in Lahaina as we were. Btw we tried driving home via the ‘back way’ to Hana which isn’t allowed by rental vehicles. It was scenic and serene the whole way with barely any cars, also nowhere near as rough conditions as we were led to believe.
Highly recommended beach! Try to make more time to enjoy the serenity if you can and take proper shoes. Also a comfy blanket would have been a great addition. Kaihalulu is most definitely the least busy of the two known nude beaches in Maui – most locals will assume you are talking about Little Beach in Wailea if you mention a nude beach.
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