Haleakala Sunset Tour in Hawaii

I have a driver's license and my husband is a beginner driver, so I didn't have the confidence to go up and down the dark mountain road in a rental car, so I took this tour. The hotel pick-up and drop-off were very friendly and the car was spacious and comfortable. The road was quite long and boring, but the guide driver explained it well, which was nice! (His soft voice made me a little sleepy, but if you're someone who usually sleeps well in the car, that's good in its own way.) We stopped by a rest stop and Kula Marketplace in the middle, where we bought souvenirs, drinks, snacks, and other snacks and took a break. In the meantime, the driver picked up a lunch box for us to eat when we arrived at Haleakala Point. When you first get on the car, you choose one of four menus for the lunch box. I had Asian chicken salad, and my husband had Caesar salad and turkey focaccia. The portion was large and the salad vegetables were very fresh. The salad dressing also had a teriyaki sauce flavor that Koreans like. Haleakala was windy and a little cold, but it was bearable because it was sunset, not sunrise. Still, I hope you bring a light padding or windbreaker. I brought a hand warmer and a hot pack, which were very useful! When you arrive at the top of the crater, it will be around 5:30 PM, and you will have free time until 7:30 PM, when the sun sets. During that time, you can eat a packed lunch and have a cup of hot chocolate, coffee, or tea prepared by the driver, take a picture of the peak, and come back down, and the sunset will begin below. The crater was so red that it felt like the surface of the moon or Mars. The sunset was truly fantastic. I have often seen sunsets over the ocean, but it was my first time seeing the sun set on a mountain, especially above the clouds, and it was spectacular. If you go to Maui, I highly recommend that you experience this.