Day Trip to Lana‘i

Isle of windswept beaches, no traffic lights

Access to the island from Maui is a scenic 70-minute ride on the Expeditions ferry, which offers three trips daily. Airlines providing daily island hops to Lana‘i are Mokulele Airlines, from both Maui and Honolulu, and Lana‘i Air from O‘ahu.

With a population of 3,300 people across 141 square miles, Lana‘i is an island of wide open spaces, deep gulches and coastal cliffs. Passengers aboard the Hawaiian Odyssey aerial adventure with Maverick Helicopters get a bird's eye view of Lana‘i's north shore and famed Shipwreck Beach, plus unique views of Moloka‘i and Maui, MaverickHelicopters.com.

Take a short hike to see offshore Pu‘upehe Islet or trek the more challenging Munroe Trail. View ancient petroglyphs and the ruins of prehistoric Kaunolu Hawaiian Village. Visit the Lana‘i Culture and Heritage Center where displays connect visitors with stories of the island's history, land and people.

Listed by TripAdvisor as a top visitor attraction, the free Lanai Cat Sanctuary is home to over 750 rescued felines. Founded in 2008, the four-acre, 501c3 non-profit rescues cats removed from remote areas harboring native, ground-nesting birds and those needing intervention in island residential neighborhoods.

After a quick tour, visitors provide enrichment for the cats, offering company, ear-scratching and treats. “Visitors help our cats warm up to human interaction, transforming previously unadoptable cats into potential companion animals,” details Keoni Vaughn, Sanctuary ED.

“We are trying to do our part saving cats and birds on the island—it‘s a fragile ecosystem,” says Vaughn. “Feral cats are trapped by island conservationists and our volunteers before brought to the sanctuary to be microchipped, spayed/neutered, receive medical care and a safe home for life.”

Transportation to the island, and on-island via taxi or shuttle, can change. Visit LanaiCatSanctuary.org for travel tips.