I know. You didn’t come to Maui for alpacas. You came for the beaches, the sunsets, the Road to Hana, maybe a sunrise at Haleakala. Alpacas were probably not on the itinerary.

But here’s the thing…some of the best experiences on Maui are the ones you never planned for!

So yes — there are alpacas on Maui. They live on a beautiful eight-acre farm on the slopes of Haleakala in upcountry Maui. And you should absolutely go meet them.

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Meeting Alpacas in Upcountry Maui

Maui Alpaca is an eight-acre farm located at 2,300 feet elevation on the slopes of Haleakala, in the upcountry Maui area near Makawao. If you’ve never spent time upcountry, it’s worth knowing that this part of Maui feels like a completely different island from the beach resorts below — cooler air, lush green hillsides, a slower pace, and the kind of scenery that makes you wonder why you’ve never been up here before.

The farm is home to a herd of alpacas and a collection of angora bunnies, and they offer farm tours, fiber and spinning demonstrations, and the cutest alpaca products for sale.

The whole operation has a small, personal, family-run feel — this is not a big commercial tourist attraction. It’s intimate, unhurried, and genuinely charming.

Tour options range from one-hour meet-and-greet farm visits to private alpaca picnic lunches and even alpaca trekking experiences where you actually walk an alpaca on the slopes of Haleakala. 

All visits require advance reservations, so this is one you’ll want to book before you arrive on island.

Why You’ll Love This

The alpacas are RIDICULOUSLY cute. I say this as someone who did not have strong prior feelings about alpacas either way. They’re gentle, curious, wonderfully weird-looking animals with big eyes and that slightly judgmental expression they all seem to have, and feeding them treats in an open pasture while they crowd around you is the kind of simple, joyful experience that makes you feel like a kid again. 

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The guides are genuinely knowledgeable and engaging…they’ll walk you through everything from how the alpacas are cared for, the process of spinning their fibers, and the alpacas’ individual personalities.

The angora bunnies deserve their own mention. The farm’s bunny village is home to a crew of angora rabbits who genuinely love being cuddled.

It’s genuinely great for kids of every age. This is one of those activities that works just as well for a five-year-old as it does for a fifteen-year-old — the hands-on animal interaction is universally appealing and there’s enough variety (alpacas, bunnies, fiber demonstrations, spinning wheel) to keep different ages engaged in different ways.

For the ultimate experience, book the alpaca trekking option — you actually take an alpaca for a walk on the slopes of Haleakala, which is exactly as wonderful as it sounds and makes for the kind of vacation story you’ll be telling for years.

The Maui Alpaca shop is stocked with alpaca and angora products that are beautiful and locally made.

A visit to Maui Alpaca pairs perfectly with an upcountry day. Maui Alpaca slots beautifully into a morning spent exploring upcountry — combine it with a stop at the Ali’i Kula Lavender Farm, lunch at the Ulupalakua Ranch Store, or a visit to O’o Farms for a full day in one of the most beautiful and underrated parts of Maui. This is a part of the island that most visitors skip entirely, and that’s genuinely their loss.

 

Want the full plan, not just this post?

If you’ve read this far, you’re probably actually planning a trip to Maui…not just daydreaming. So here’s the thing: what you just read is a small piece of what I know about this island.

I’ve been visiting Maui for years, and I put everything…the itineraries, the hotel breakdowns, the restaurants actually worth your time, the spots most visitors never find…into one guide. It’s 75+ pages, built around real day-by-day plans (not just a list of “things to do”), plus an interactive map so you’re not toggling between five browser tabs trying to piece your trip together.

It’s the guide I wish I’d had on my first few trips here.

See what’s inside the Maui Guide → HERE