Flyin Hawaiian Zipline
Highlights
- Maui's Longest, Highest, Fastest zipline course
- 8 lines with longest almost 2/3rds of a mile!
- Check in at Maui Tropical Plantation in central Maui
- Weight limit 230 pounds. Minimum age is 10.
Description
Flyin Hawaiian Zipline is Maui's longest, highest, and fastest zipline course! This course features eight zipline experiences with really long rides. One line is 2800 foot and is tied for the second longest line in Hawaii, and there are also lines of 2100 feet and 1900 feet. Their grand finale is the longest at a staggering 3600 feet in length, which is over two-thirds of a mile ride on one single zipline!
Flyin Hawaiian Zipline's location in Central Maui is a convenient drive for guests staying in both South Maui and West Maui. The course is so long that it starts and ends in two different towns! Flyin Hawaiian Zipline tour begins at the Maui Tropical Plantation in the village of Waikapu. The course ends in Maalaea a little over a mile from the Maui Ocean Center Aquarium and Maalaea Harbor.
After checking in, you will board a 4 wheel drive van and enter the picturesque Waikapu Valley by way of a dirt road through old sugar can fields. The first stop is their 250 feet long "trainer line," and you will gear up here. This line is only a few feet off the ground, and it is designed to familiarize guests with the equipment. You will gain confidence in the zipping system before moving on to the longer and higher lines. The guides make zipping easy by securing you in your harness and attaching your trolley to the line each time you zip. All you have to do is sit back and enjoy the ride.
Next, board a six-seat ATV called a "ranger" which is driven by one of the guides. They transport you to the top of the ridge on the south side of Waikapu Valley to the 1500 foot level. An uphill trail, which is short but moderately strenuous, leads you to the observation deck where you look out over the valley. The second line is 2800 feet in length, and watch as your guide zips to a landing platform that you can barely make out on the other side. When it is your turn, you will fly through air and soar past the spires of the breathtaking West Maui Mountains.
Typical ziplines courses will work their way down going back and forth from the top of a mountain or cross back and forth over a gulch. The Flyin Hawaiian course is different. From the top of a ridge, you will soar across 11 ridges and 9 valleys as you work across slopes from north to south of the West Maui Mountains. From the second line, you cross a very wide valley and land on the next ridge. Then the third line starts on that ridge, and to get to the fourth line, you cross the next valley! And then to get to the fifth line...well, you get the idea! Not only is this an adventure, it's a form of transportation!
When the final line comes to view, it's hard to believe the distance the line covers. It's hard to see the landing platform across the 3600 feet of line! You will cross close to the tops of three ridges, which gives you an idea of the speed you are zipping. At the end of the final line, an ATV ranger takes you down the mountain to a van, which will take you a few miles away to the check-in location.
Flyin Hawaiian Zipline offers adventure plus stunning spectacular views of the West Maui Mountains, the Central Valley of Maui, Kahului Harbor, Maalaea Bay, and Halaeakala!
Cost
Flyin Hawaiian Zipline - 8 line course Rate (FHZ1)
$235.00 per Participant (plus 4.712% Hawaii sales tax)
Location
GPS Address: 1670 Honoapiilani Hwy, Wailuku, HI 96793 Click to view map
Details
Schedule: Monday through Friday at 8:30am
Check In: At Maui Tropical Planataion 30 minutes prior to tour time.
Duration: 4 to 5 hours
Restrictions: Minimum age for this tour is 10. Minimum weight is 75 pounds and maximum weight is 230 pounds. No one who is pregnant or who has neck or back injuries or cardiac conditions may participate. This tour is moderately strenuous; guests must be in good health and able to walk several hundred yards on uneven terrain and carry 10 pounds. All participants must sign a waiver of liability. Because of the remote location of the ziplines it is not possible for observers to go along on this tour. Everyone must zip.
What to Wear: Participants must wear closed-toed shoes ... sneakers or tennis shoes are best. Sunglasses, comfortable clothing and sunscreen.
Reservations: Advanced reservations required and we recommend booking this a month or more before your arrival. This event is "RESERVE NOW PAY LATER"; we need a credit card on file to finalize your reservation but we do not charge you for this reservation until a few days before the beginning of your vacation!
Minimum Notice for Cancellations / Changes: At least 48 hours before the start of the event. All tours go out rain or shine.
Note: This page presents the most extreme zipline tour on Maui. If you are looking for more kid friendly zipline experience that takes children as young as five, be sure to see our Maui Zipline page.
The Conservation Story at Flyin' Hawaiian Zipline
The builder and president of the Flyin Hawaiian Zipline is Maui native (and part Hawaiian) named Duane Ting. Duane learned that the privately owned land on the slopes above the Waikapu golf course was going to be sold, and the likely purchaser was a housing developer. The large open space there called the "Waikapu Preserve" could be lost forever. Duane approached the landowner with a proposal ... "Instead of selling your land, keep it in the family. I will generate income for you so that your property taxes are paid, and at the same time I will preserve the land from development." The landowner agreed and gave Flyin Hawaiian Zipline a long-term lease on the property. As the general contractor involved with the construction of two other zipline courses on Maui, Duane had the expertise to pull off this massive project, and he did it without the use of heavy equipment and bulldozers. He designed the zipline course so that most of the takeoff and landing platforms are hidden from view from the valley floor below. At the beginning of the course the ATV access trail to the top of the ridge was built so that it is completely concealed by the existing treeline. Unless you know exactly what you are looking for, most of this massive course is completely undetectable from below. The visual impact is almost zero, and the land has been saved from development. At the same time, Maui residents and visitors to our island have the exceptional treat of viewing this land that has never before been open to the public.
Duane Ting's vision for preservation did not stop there. He learned that the rare native Hawaiian Hibiscus known as ma'o hau hele was on the federally endangered plants list and was only found in 7 places in Hawaii with a grand total of less than 60 plants in the wild. Ma'o hau hele is not to be confused with the common red and yellow chinese hibiscus varieties that are used as shrubbery all over Hawaii; those are not native to the islands and they certainly aren't rare. The native Hawaiian Hibiscus hibiscus brackenridgei is much more delicate, and it is the official state flower of Hawaii. Duane learned that the slopes of the Waikapu Preserve were once the home of the Hawaiian Hibiscus before it was choked out by other more invasive plants that were introduced to the islands. With this knowledge, he obtained a permit from the US Fish and Wildlife Service to collect seeds from this rare plant and to propogate the species. Now on each tour a seedling is taken along for the ride, and on a windy ridge abover Kaunohua Gulch zipline guests participate in planting and watering the native Hawaiian Hibiscus. Duane's ultimate goal is to see the plant removed forever from its endangered status and to be resetablished in the wild.
One other nice environmental touch at Flyin Hawaiian; instead of using plastic water bottles that could end up littering the preserve, all guests are given a complimentary aluminum water bottle which they can take home and reuse again and again!
Kevin's Activity Tips:
Zipline courses in Hawaii got their start on the island of Kauai about 10 years ago. The zipline tour was a single line that dropped down over a stream and was about 400 feet in length. Next a few multi-line courses appeared on Kauai and Maui. Each course tried to out-do the other; more lines, longer lines, more comfortable harnesses. The epitome of this progression is what you will find at the Flyin Hawaiian course. It is really hard to imagine that anyone will be able to top this; what Duane Ting has accomplished here is nearly miraculous. Flyin Hawaiian is the longest zipline course in Hawaii. They have the longest single line in Hawaii. They have the zipline with the highest elevation from the valley floor below (600 feet). How high is 600 feet? You could stack the Grand Wailea, the Four Seasons, the Westin Maui, and the Hyatt Regency on top of each other and still zip right over the top! On top of the extreme thrills, they are leading the way in eco-tourism and environmental preservation and restoration.
Some zip line courses use a harness that tends to ... well ... get uncomfortable in certain places after you've been wearing it for a while (if you know what I mean). The harness that is used for these ziplines is adapted from the "seat" used by paragliders, and they are designed for comfort for the long haul. In other words, you won't be sore if you do this tour. That's a good thing!
The pulley that is used on their zip lines is a heavy duty "trolley" that weighs a little over 10 pounds. You do need to carry the trolley from line to line. If you can't handle carrying the trolley, zip line tours might not be the best activity for you anyway. This event is best described as "moderately strenuous." Most people who are in average physical condition and overall good health can do this tour. There is far less than a mile of walking scattered throughout the tour. Most of the walks from the end of one line to the beginning of the next are rather short. The trails are rough; part of keeping this course from standing out on the slopes is not putting in steps, railings, and sidewalks. Guests do need to negotiate uneven terrain, and some of the walking is uphill. The longest walk is after you get off the ATV headed uphill toward the second line. It only takes about 5 minutes, but it is definitely UPHILL. I think the best comparison is this ... if you can't carry a 10 pound bag of groceries up three flights of stairs without having to stop and catch your breath every few steps, then this tour is not for you.
The tour is long and encompasses all of the lines. There is no "short tour" or partial course offered. From our experience the 5 hours just seemed to fly ... LITERALLY!!!
Tours are limited to 10 guests per timeslot. Three guides accompany the group. One guide oversees setting you up on each line and facilitates your safe take-off. The second guide is at the receiving end to assist you on the landing. The third guide operates the heavy-duty breaking system that is built into the end of each line. A fourth staffer is used to trasport you to the base area in the heart of the Waikapu Valley and then at the end of the tour picks you up. Considering this tour requires four staff to operate a tour for 10 guests, the price is incredibly affordable!
A word about cameras and video cameras. Small ones are fine, but they are best left in the pack that is built into your harness while you are actually zipping. This tour operator does give you the freedom to change up the order during the tour so that you can take turns shooting photos of other members of your group taking off at some lines and coming in for a landing at others. Once you get confident, you can take some pictures or shoot video while you are zipping on the moderate length lines in the middle of the course. Very large cameras aren't a good idea and should be left at home.