The Upcountry Has the Best Farm Tours in Hawaii

Most visitors spend their Maui trip within a mile of the ocean — Ka'anapali, Wailea, the Road to Hana — and miss the side of the island where a lot of its character actually lives. Upcountry Maui, the agricultural belt that climbs from about 1,500 to 4,000 feet on the slope of Haleakala, is where the weather cools off, the soil gets rich, and roughly a dozen working farms open their gates to visitors. It's also about 20°F cooler than the beach most days, which alone is worth the drive.

Four farm experiences stand out, and none of them cannibalize the others — they're genuinely different activities that happen to share a zip code. You can stack two or three into one day if you plan the route.

1. Surfing Goat Dairy (Kula) — The Crowd Pleaser

The name is the joke. Surfing Goat Dairy sits on 42 acres at about 2,000 feet of elevation in Kula and produces a rotating lineup of fresh and aged goat cheeses — several of which have won national awards. The tours are the right answer for families with kids: you can feed the goats, watch them get milked, and taste through about a dozen cheeses at the end. It's the kind of activity everyone in the car ends up enjoying, including the teenagers who rolled their eyes in the parking lot.

• Casual Tour: 20-minute walkthrough, runs daily 10:00am–3:30pm, roughly $12 adult / $8 kids (no reservation required)
• Evening Chores & Milking Tour: the best one — see the herd come in from pasture and get milked, Monday–Saturday at 3:15pm, roughly $17 adult / $14 kids (reservations recommended)
• What's included: goat petting, cheese tasting at the end, run of the shop
• Best for: Families with kids under 12, cheese lovers, anyone with a free afternoon
• Hours & booking: verify the latest schedule on the official tour page before you go

2. Ali'i Kula Lavender Farm (Kula) — The Photogenic One

Ali'i Kula Lavender is a 13.5-acre working lavender farm at about 4,000 feet on the upper slope of Haleakala. It's smaller than Surfing Goat and the appeal is different — the draw here is the view. The farm overlooks the central Maui isthmus and the West Maui Mountains, the microclimate is cool and crisp, and roughly 55 varieties of lavender are in bloom somewhere on the property year-round. You can walk the gardens on your own, or book a guided walking tour that covers the growing process and the different lavender species.

• General admission: $5 per person (free for kids 12 and under)
• Guided walking tour: $12 per person, runs about 30–40 minutes, multiple times daily
• Current hours: Friday–Monday, 10am–4pm (confirm before you go — the farm's schedule has shifted in recent years)
• What to bring: a light jacket. It's noticeably cooler at 4,000 feet than it is at your resort.
• Best for: Couples, photographers, anyone pairing it with a sunrise or daytime Haleakala visit
• Details: full hours and tour schedule on the farm's Plan Your Visit page

3. O'o Farm Seed-to-Cup Coffee Tour (Kula) — The Big Splurge

This is the best farm-to-table experience on the island, full stop. O'o Farm is an 8-acre farm in Kula that supplies Pacific'O and Feast at Lele restaurants, and they run two very different tour experiences — a midday "seed to cup" coffee tour with brunch, and a harvest-and-lunch tour. The coffee tour is what's worth building a whole day around.

You start with French press coffees and signature coffee-cherry chocolate truffles, then walk the coffee orchard while the farmers explain the full process — from seed to roasted bean. You finish with a farm-to-table brunch served family-style at long tables, paired with pour-over coffees from the farm's own roast. The menu changes weekly with what's in the ground: typically a pastry, a garden frittata with Maui Nui venison, a seasonal vegetable course, and māmaki tisane to close.

• Schedule: Monday–Friday, 10:30am–1:30pm
• Price: $155 per adult, $77.50 for kids 5–12, infants free (kama'aina rates with Hawaii ID)
• What's included: guided orchard tour, French press tasting, signature truffles, farm-to-table brunch, pour-over pairing
• Reservations: required, and they're released in advance — don't show up without one. Book through the official O'o Farm tours page.
• Dietary notes: vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free diets accommodated with advance notice
• Best for: Food-first travelers, couples, anyone who thinks of the meal as the activity

4. Maui Tropical Plantation (Waikapu) — The Easy Add-On

If you're not willing to commit a half day to farm tours, Maui Tropical Plantation is the low-commitment option — a 60-acre property in Waikapu on the way up to Iao Valley that runs a 40-minute narrated tram tour through plantings of papaya, coconut, pineapple, coffee, mango, and star fruit. It's more of a "learn about tropical agriculture" experience than a true working-farm visit, but it's perfect as a stop-in while you're already passing through central Maui, and there's a solid on-site restaurant (The Mill House) for lunch.

• Tropical Express Tram Tour: ~40 minutes, runs multiple times daily
• Location: Waikapu, about 10 minutes from Kahului Airport
• Best for: Arrival-day or departure-day visits, families with younger kids, anyone headed up to Iao Valley

How to Stack Them Into One Day

What to Know Before You Go

• Book O'o Farm first, then plan everything else around it. It's reservation-only, capacity is tight, and it regularly sells out a couple weeks in advance. Everything else on this list has same-day or walk-up availability.
• Dress in layers. Upcountry Kula is 15–20°F cooler than the beach, and 4,000-foot elevation at Ali'i Kula Lavender can be breezy. A light fleece pullover covers all four stops.
• Closed-toe shoes for the working farms. Surfing Goat and O'o Farm both have uneven ground, occasional mud, and animals. Ali'i Kula is walkable in sandals but you'll be happier in sneakers.
• These are real working farms — hours change seasonally, animals have off days, and weather can close tours on short notice. Call ahead or check the website before you make the drive.
• Bring cash or card for the farm shops. Surfing Goat's cheese, Ali'i Kula's lavender sachets, and O'o Farm's coffee are some of the better edible souvenirs on Maui — better than anything you'll find at the airport.
• Don't try to combine with the full Road to Hana. Upcountry is the opposite direction and the math doesn't work in one day. Pick one.

Related reading: Upcountry Maui guide · Haleakala & Upcountry Maui one-day itinerary · Haleakala National Park · Maui guided tours