Kalaupapa

A good view of Kalaupapa Peninsula can be enjoyed from Kalaupapa Lookout, which lies at the northern end of road 470. The naturally isolated position of this part of the island becomes immediately apparent from here. The history of the peninsula as a leper colony is described on information boards. The peninsula officially ceased to be a leper colony after 1969 and today it is a national park in which a few lepers still reside voluntarily. Modest tourism provides the colony with an income.

It takes effort and expense to visit Kalaupapa, which is separated from the rest of Molokai by 1970ft/600m-high steep cliffs, with only a single winding mule path, the Kalaupapa Trail, leading down to the peninsula. One way of visiting it is to undertake a 1-11/2 hour walk (it begins near former mule stables; at one time some rather exhausting mule rides were offered, but high insurance premiums have made these uneconomic). It is much more comfortable to travel by light aircraft. There are also relatively expensive flights from Honolulu.

To avoid disturbing the inhabitants of Kalaupapa visitors must reserve places in advance for a guided tour, and must be at least 16 years old. Those who travel to Kalaupapa by air can arrange to have places on a tour reserved by them through the airline concerned.

The tour visits two 19th c. churches, an historically important museum, memorials, parks, the former leper houses, cemeteries created on land where forests once stood, and the black lava coast.