UnCruise Showed Me Another Side of Hawaii
I’ve been to Hawaii’s islands a few times, but never like this. And my voyage with UnCruise Adventures was the perfect way to honor Earth Day.
I have been to Oahu, Maui, Kauai, and the Big Island. I have paddleboarded in the shadow of Diamond Head and feasted on a luau on Waikiki Beach. I have shopped for ukuleles in Maui and driven the Road to Hana. I have explored the jungles of the Garden Isle, sailed the Nāpali Coast, and marveled at the simmering Kīlauea volcano. And yes, I have stayed in big commercial hotels and purchased a sarong from an ABC store. I loved all of it—every little bit! But what I have never done is board an expedition vessel for a more rustic, mostly ocean-borne adventure of the less accessible islands: Moloka’i and Lana’i, and search for marine mammals in the waterways off Maui and the Island of Hawai’i. This I did with UnCruise Adventures, an award-winning company that, as the name suggests, is nothing like a commercial cruise and summons the adventurer in you.
I joined 31 people on the Safari Explorer for a week, mostly on the water but with some stunning and invigorating land excursions. This trip favors those who are physically and socially outgoing, curious and careful about flora and fauna, and who appreciate fine food and fun conversation at the end of the day. UnCruise was voted #1 Best Hawaii Cruise in the USAToday 2024 Readers’ Choice Awards.
About the boat
The Safari Explorer is a 145-foot-long yacht with a cruising speed of 10 knots. Built in 1998 and renovated in 2008, it can comfortably accommodate up to 36 guests, with triples increasing the capacity to 40. The cabins are on the port and starboard and while they are not staterooms, they do have everything you require, such as comfy beds, closets, TV, and a bathroom with shower.
Photos: UnCruise Adventures
The boat is well equipped with a top deck for lounging, a jacuzzi, and an outdoor gym. The bow is roomy enough for everyone to gather for whale watching. The dining room, bar, lounge and library are where we spent much of our time on sea days, and the ambience nudges luxury without being fancy. The vessel tows skiffs, which are used for sightseeing and going ashore, and the aft is where we would gather with snorkeling gear to disembark for our adventures. This is an expedition cruise, which is to say it is a small group on a vessel that can access areas a large cruise ship can’t. The crew is made up of experts and guides, and the day’s itinerary depends on weather conditions and other factors, just as it would with an expedition.
About the people
Initially founded as American Safari Cruises in 1996 in Juneau, Alaska, and acquired by Captain Dan Blanchard in 2008, who transformed it from a pioneering small yacht service to a globally admired provider of intimate, luxury cruising experiences for the environmentally aware. Blanchard grew up on a tugboat in Puget Sound and learned to sail at age 10. He is a keen advocate for sustainability. His enterprise is all about leaving the smallest environmental footprint while delivering the most immersive experiences to expeditioners.
Our ship’s captain on this cruise was Captain Tiffany, who grew up on Maui and knows the waterways like the back of her hand. She was ably supported by a crew who were skippers, guides, storytellers, writers, photographers, servers, and all-around caring and talented folks who took us out each day and brought us back in time for a welcome cocktail and a three-course meal prepared using the finest local ingredients.
What we did and where we went
I might as well say it up front: If you don’t enjoy hiking, snorkeling or being on the water, this might not be the trip for you. But if you do enjoy those things, you won’t be disappointed with the abundance of nature, views, and sea life—all enjoyed in good company.
Photos: UnCruise Adventures
We arrived in Moloka’i and assembled at the hospitality hotel, where some of us refreshed and recovered from long flights. After being transferred to the vessel and boarding, the captain and crew greeted us with smiles and sparkling wine. We settled in, familiarized ourselves with our cabins, and enjoyed our first meal before learning about the voyage ahead. Already, a process of engaging us with storytelling and information about our transportation, our location and other elements had begun and would continue for the rest of the voyage
Moloka’i, Hālawa Valley
Cultural immersion kicked off this trip in Moloka’i, before we spent most of our time on water. Traditional Hawaiian life existed in Hālawa Valley until the 1946 tsunami and its evacuation by the villagers. However, after the 1957 tsunami, which flooded the valley and destroyed the taro fields, the area was mostly abandoned. Only a few families now reside there, including cultural guide Greg Solotario and his descendants, who host UnCruisers, teaching them about the history of Hawaii and its customs, such as how to make the staple food, poi.
Photos: UnCruise Adventures
Our arrival was announced with a conch, and Solotario greeted us individually. The traditional Hawaiian way of greeting involves a gesture called “Honi,” which is a touching of noses and foreheads, and inhaling each other’s breath. “Honi” signifies sharing one’s breath, a symbolic act of giving life and receiving life, and is a way to honor the other person.
Photos: UnCruise Adventures
The dramatic and cathedral-shaped Hālawa Valley is deep and long and has a wild and pounding surf beach and the tallest sea cliffs on the planet. Our group hiked to a waterfall and was rewarded with breathtaking views and a plunge in the freshwater pool. Later that evening, we enjoyed true Hawaiian hospitality with a pa‘ina (feast), complete with a home-style Hawaiian ukulele jam session at Moloka’i Museum and Cultural Center.
Photos: UnCruise Adventures
Kayak, Snorkel, Skiff
Our days fell into a rhythm of whatever the “kai” or “moana” (ocean) was doing, and what the captain thought best. This could mean cruising along Moloka’i’s dramatic northern cliffs, sailing past Lanai’s uniquely scalloped bays, taking a skiff tour of the volcanic shorelines with its lava formations, plugs, and blowholes, or kayaking along Maui’s hidden coves. All the coastlines are beautiful, and the water is deep and sapphire blue. The guides are educated in the species that call the islands and their seascapes home, and we were treated with stories about their habits, as well as an afternoon guest lecture on the protection of marine mammals.
Photos: UnCruise Adventures
Although we had planned a stop on the “private island” of Lana’i to explore its town and hike the swells were too high for us to go ashore, so we contented ourselves with marveling at the thousand-foot sea cliffs that form the distinctive coastline of the island, and looked forward to our next excursion, which would be around the picturesque and dramatic coast of Maui. The site of the island’s prominent peaks, shrouded in clouds, never gets old. Maui has two large volcanoes: the dormant Haleakalā, and the West Maui Mountains, formed by the eroded volcano Mauna Kahalawai, which provide stunning vistas viewed from the water.
Photos: Merryn Johns
Whales, Turtles, Dolphins
The Humpback National Marine Sanctuary is located between Lana’i, Moloka’i, and Maui and provides front-row seats to this breeding ground for the elusive mammal. We scanned the horizon, binoculars in hand, and were rewarded with the sight of a mother and her calf feeding and playing just beneath the surface of the cerulean sea. And while zipping along on a skiff tour, we were accompanied by dolphins. Snorkeling was to become a regular highlight, beginning with a known sea turtle habitat called “Turtle Town” and its underwater community of diverse tropical fish who make the reefs their home.
Photos: UnCruise Adventures
Signature Drinks and a la Carte Meals
Imagine returning from a sunny and invigorating snorkel or a swim to find your bartender waiting for you on the stern deck with a freshly mixed cocktail. And for the most fun time, also off the back deck was swim time with all of us diving and bombing off the ship and into the 150-foot deep, dark indigo waters. A hot shower in our well-appointed cabins, a quick spruce up before dinner, and then onto the dining room with new friends before sampling the signature cocktail, tucking into a set menu with choices, paired with wine, followed by an indulgent dessert dreamed up by your very own pastry chef! Full breakfasts were also made to order, and continental options were provided for the early risers. Lunches were lovely, from quinoa salads to hearty burgers, and snacks were always available. And so were Gin Gins and seasick medication for those who needed it! Moana gave us one bumpy night, but mostly it was smooth sailing.
Photos: UnCruise; Merryn Johns
A Big Island Finish
UnCruisers enjoyed a rocky hike up the cool and misty slopes of Hualālai Volcano, 6,500 ft above the Kona coast. This private trail featured black lava flows, pit craters, and native dryland forest. Accompanied by a guide, UnCruisers discovered a lava tube and learned how lava flows from the early 19th century reshaped the coastline of the chain’s newest island.
Some less active UnCruisers chose to tarry in the tranquil Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park, which was once a traditional Hawaiian village inhabited by shore-dwelling subsistence-minded folk who used tidal pools to harvest seafood and grew taro and banana in the uplands. This was a lovely place to swim and to search for sea turtles sunning themselves on rocks or in the shallows, and soak up the ambience left by our former human ʻohana (family).
Photos: UnCruise Adventures
After a stunning sunset and a moon rise over the Big Island, the evening continued to be otherworldly as we anchored at an offshore location and were taken by skiff to zooplankton-rich waters for a night snorkel with giant Pacific manta rays.
We donned our wetsuits and snorkel gear and observed these majestic animals up close as they glided within inches of our astonished faces. Even underwater, you could hear the squeals of UnCruisers through their snorkels as they beheld the world’s largest ray, with its distinctive diamond-shaped body and graceful wing-like pectoral fins.
Photos: UnCruise Adventures
Our last and best snorkeling adventure was at Kealakekua Cove, which is also the historic site of the Cook Monument, marking where explorer Captain Cook met his end in February 1779. Here, on the lava-edged shore which was girded by reefs and a sudden drop-off into the deeper ocean, we encountered populous, playful, and vibrant marine life, including colorful tropical fish, several sea turtles, octopus, and eels floating in the indigo currents or darting in and out of the coral outcrops. It was an experience to savor before returning to the Safari Explorer and our final dinner as a group.
Photos: UnCruise Adventures
The Safari Explorer docked at the Kailua-Kona Pier, on the Big Island, and we said our farewells at UnCruise’s Kona hospitality hotel. Several of the 31 folks on this adventure were return UnCruisers and intended to sign up for more adventures. And I hope to see them again one day. But in addition to a good group having good times, which is essential to pleasurable non-solo travel, there was a more transformative aspect. UnCruise Adventures had me “unlearning” the aspects of travel that focus on consumerism, trophy hunting, and inspiring envy in others. This is travel for a new world, one in which the future of the Earth, its climate, and its creatures have been deprioritized. And while UnCruise has been 30 years in the making, it has arrived on my travel horizons right on time.
Find out more about the Hawaiian Seascapes cruise here.
