Five Islands of Maui County 2026: What You See From the Air

Booking choice: The 5 Island private flight, from $536 per person. Check dates Tour details

Maui County covers Maui, Lanai, Molokai (except the small Kalawao County on the Kalaupapa peninsula), Kahoolawe and Molokini. Two of them have nobody living on them, and you cannot set foot on one at all without permission.

That is why the five-island flight is such an easy sell: the whole county fits into 90 minutes in the air.

The quick answer

The five islands of Maui County are Maui, Lanai, Molokai, Kahoolawe and Molokini. The 90-minute private flight's stop list names Maui's north and south shores, Lanai and Molokini; Kahoolawe and Molokai are not on it, although guests describe seeing them. The listing sells it as a five-island flight, and the pilot sets the exact route on the day.

Golden dry cliffs dropping to a turquoise reef along a quiet coast — Dry golden cliffs and a turquoise reef along a quiet coast.

What are the five islands of Maui County?

Maui, Lanai, Molokai, Kahoolawe and Molokini; the last two are uninhabited.

The island list follows the County of Maui profile .

Island	People	On the 5 Island stop list?
Maui	Inhabited	Yes: north shore, south shore, lava fields
Molokai	Inhabited	Not named
Lanai	Inhabited	Yes: Lanai Culture & Heritage Center
Kahoolawe	Uninhabited	Not named
Molokini	Uninhabited	Yes: Molokini Crater

Want all five in one flight? Check dates for the 90-minute private flight.

Check dates for the 5 Island private flight

Which islands does the 5 Island flight actually pass?

The published stop list names Maui, Lanai and Molokini; Molokai and Kahoolawe are not on it.

The listing's pass-by points are Nakalele Blowhole, Honolua Bay, the Lanai Culture & Heritage Center, Molokini Crater, Wailea Beach, Makena State Park, the lava fields, Kamaole Beach Park I and the Alexander & Baldwin Sugar Museum. Guests fill in the rest. One wrote that the flight "did cover the 5 islands - maui, kaho'olawe, lanai [...]", another wrote: "Wonderful way to see the 5 islands around Maui. See the majestic cliffs, blues and greens clear waters, the blow hole [...]".

Guests also report being offered route options before take-off. If one island matters most to you, say so at check-in.

Does the flight pass Lanai?

Yes: the Lanai Culture & Heritage Center is on the 90-minute flight's stop list, and the flight passes it without landing.

The county profile notes that Lanai was known for pineapple on most of its 141 square miles, a crop that has since been phased out. From above, look for the dry uplands and the bright reef shelf along the shore. The flight passes the heritage center in Lanai City on its stop list.

Why can't you visit Kahoolawe?

Kahoolawe was a military target from 1941 to 1990, and access to the island and its waters is restricted.

Today the island is in the care of the Kahoolawe Island Reserve Commission, which authorizes every visit. It lies off Maui's southwest shore, and from the south shore beaches it looks close.

The 60-minute 3 Islands flight names Kahoolawe on its stop list, if this is the island you want most.

A low brown island on a calm deep blue sea — A low, dry island on a calm sea, the way Kahoolawe sits off Maui.

Kahoolawe on the list? The 60-minute private flight names it, along with Molokini and the West Maui coast.

★ 5.0 · 60 minutes · from $380

Explore the 60-minute 3 Islands flight Tour details

What is Molokini, and can you snorkel there?

Molokini is a crescent-shaped volcanic crater about three miles off Maui's southwest coast, protected as a state marine reserve since 1977; you can snorkel it by boat.

From the air it looks like a broken ring of rock with a bright reef inside, and it is on the stop list of the 5 Island, 3 Islands and Circle Island flights. To get into that water, take a morning snorkel cruise from Ma'alaea Harbor.

Seen it from the air? The Calypso leaves Ma'alaea at 7:30 AM for Molokini and Turtle Town, with breakfast and lunch.

★ 4.6 · 5.5 hours · from $189

Explore the Molokini snorkel cruise Tour details

Can you see Molokai on the flight?

Usually, at least in the distance: it sits across the channel from West Maui, but the flagship stop list does not name it.

Molokai's north shore cliffs rise to 3,000 feet according to the National Park Service, among the highest in the world. One guest wrote that the tour of the islands was memorable "especially Malakai". If the cliffs are the reason you are flying, read how to see the Molokai sea cliffs first, because the helicopter routes go there by name.

A deep green valley with ribbon waterfalls running down to the sea — A green valley cut by ribbon waterfalls, from the Viator listing photos.

What do you see over Maui itself?

The north shore blowhole, Honolua Bay, the south shore beaches from Kamaole to Makena, and the lava fields beyond.

Nakalele Blowhole on the rocky northwest tip comes first on the list, then the bay at Honolua. On the south side you follow Kamaole Beach Park I, Wailea and Makena State Park to the dark lava flows at the end of the road. The Alexander & Baldwin Sugar Museum marks the central valley on the way back to Kahului.

Resort beaches along the West Maui coast with a rainbow over the mountains — The West Maui coast, with a rainbow over the mountains.

Can you really see all five in one flight?

Guests describe seeing Kahoolawe, Lanai and Molokai, but the pilot sets the route on the day.

Clouds decide the rest. Book early in your stay so there is room to move the date, and ask the pilot which islands are clear before you go. If you would rather spend the time over Maui alone, the Circle Island private flight loops the whole island with Haleakala and the Hana coast.

Clear skies in the forecast? See open dates for the 5 Island private flight.

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