Maui Tour Company, An Authorized Concessionaire Of Haleakala National Park Announces Tours, Awards & Accolades.

Valley Isle Excursions (VIE) is a Maui-based company that has been providing tours filled with aloha for over 20 years. Throughout this year, change and growth have been themes within the organization as they transitioned from being a commercial permit holder operating road to Hana tours that stop at the Pools of Oheo in Haleakala National Park at Kipahulu, to offering a number of other Maui tours, including day-time & sunrise tours to the mountaintop. 

As an authorized concessionaire of Haleakala National Park, every tour guide is an educated professional who has completed hundreds of hours of in-classroom, on-tour and on-road training, before ever driving a guest. All Valley Isle Excursions’ guides are also certified through the National Association Of Interpretation (NAI), enhancing the quality and educational components of VIE tours. 

VIE staff additional has Host Training through NAI, which further ensures that every guest receives a stress-free-vacation experience.

Lauren Blickley of Swell Consulting, an NAI Certified Trainer, works with the local college to help train professional tour guides and attain this important certification. 

“NAI Certification brings a new level of professionalism to Maui's visitor industry. Guides must be educators, customer service representatives, and local experts all rolled into one. This certification helps them perfect their craft and provide them with techniques to better connect visitors with our natural and cultural resources,” said Blickley.

The guides and staff understand that every vacation day is precious to the visitor and efforts are taken to make a day spent with Valley Isle Excursions one of their best days on Maui. On the 24 passenger tour cruisers, there are two guides for 12 guests to 1 guide ratio that provides a fun, interactive group experience guests really enjoy.

The 12 & 24 custom passenger cruiser vans and buses are constantly being upgraded so Valley Isle Excursions always has the safest, best vehicles for touring Maui. Oversized windows and wide, comfortable, elevated seats that make 8-12 hour tours really enjoyable, not cramped in a packed van with small seats. The team tries to think of everything to make a guests day better, even down to the choice in color of the vehicles - white. The staff has found that they are more easily seen at night on dark rainforest roads, reducing accidents, delays, and inconveniences for the guests. 

Meals are provided along with cold and hot drinks on all tours. These delicious meals include breakfast and a picnic lunch on the Hana and Volcanoes tours while guests enjoy a pre-dawn continental breakfast and a post-sunrise full breakfast buffet on the sunrise tours. Gluten-free, vegetarian or vegan options are always available and at confirmation, we make sure that any other dietary needs are met, including allergies. 

South, Central & West Maui hotel and condominium pickup and return are always included in all tours. Those who are staying in vacation rentals in residential areas of Upcountry or North Shore will meet the tours at their first breakfast stop where there is free, safe parking available. 

Valley Isle Excursions has been providing an Incredible Journey To Hana almost daily for over 20 years. The tour, provided in our original-design custom passenger cruisers to give the best views on the road, elevates guests above the grass and guardrails that block most of the views seen from cars, convertibles - and even jeeps. Being dedicated community members, providing an authentic, respectful storytelling experience about the people, the culture, places, and events that make Hana so unique throughout Hawai’i is important to the success of everyone on Maui. This road to Hna tour provides guests with the ability to experience some of the top attractions in all of Hawai’i, including; Haleakala National Park at Kipahulu, Waianapanapa State Park and its famed black sand beach and blowhole, Keanae, Kaupo, and so many waterfalls and coastal views, it's astounding. It is the best circle island tour route on any island.

In 2017, Valley Isle Excursions began offering the Volcanoes of Maui Tour that includes some of the top attractions in Hawai’i: the famed Iao Valley with its Iao Needle, State Park and Heritage Gardens and a visit to the summit area of Haleakala National Park are among the many stops. This 8-10 hour tour stops for shopping in the Upcountry town of Makawao, breakfast at Maui Lani and a picnic lunch in the gardens at the Lavender Cafe in Upcountry Maui. There are numerous stops within the park, at overlooks and several other points of interest throughout the day. It's a great way to get a wonderful overview of the island of Maui and its people.

In January 2018, the company began their Majestic Haleakala Sunrise tours to allow visitors to experience an incredible sunrise overlooking an otherworldly scene at the top of a sacred mountain. Guests are picked up in the early morning hours between 2-3:30 a.m., depending on the time of year, and taken to their first stop, a wonderful continental breakfast at a restaurant opened exclusively for Valley Isle Excursions’ guests. From there the guides lead guests up the mountain to enjoy the pre-dawn show with amazing celestial viewing opportunities and a colorful sky of reds, oranges, and hot pinks. After the amazing sunrise, they’re off to visit a number of overlooks and stops both within and outside Haleakala National Park before returning to the restaurant for an all-you-can-eat hot buffet. Guests will be returned to their accommodations between 10 and 11:30 a.m., with a full belly and plenty of great photos and stories to tell.

Valley Isle Excursions, in addition to being a TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence holder, was a recipient in 2018 of the Green Business Award from the Governor of Hawai’i and has completed re-certification as a Sustainable Tour Operator from the Hawai’i Ecotourism Association for 2019. The company won HEA’s Sustainable Tour Operator Of The Year in 2016. Sponsoring road cleanups along Veterans Highway as well as providing support to many communities, cultural and educational organizations as part of their give-back program. 

Valley Isle Excursions’ mission is to honor the beauty and sacredness of the aina through a storytelling experience that respects the culture, inspires visitors and spreads aloha to everyone.