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Kalaupapa National Historical Park

The primary story being told at Kalaupapa National Historical Park is the forced isolation from 1866 until 1969 of people from Hawai'i afflicted with Hansen's disease (leprosy) to the remote northern Kalaupapa peninsula on the island of Molokai.



 The Basics


Hours:

The park is open 365 days each year. There are no opening and closing hours due to the restricted visitation and active Kalaupapa community of people. Commercial tours operate Monday through Saturday, except Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Years Day.

Address: PO Box 2222
Kalaupapa, HI 96742
Phone: 808-567-5802
Fax: 808-567-6729


 Map

Kalaupapa National Historical Park, Hawaii Map


 Directions

The park can be reached by air through commercial and charter flights from Honolulu, O`ahu, and from Hoolehua, Moloka`i. Some visitors arrive by private boats and tie to buoys near the dock at Kalaupapa. Visitors also hike or ride mules down the steep Kalaupapa Trail from topside Moloka'i, accessed off highway 470 near Pala`au State Park and the Kalaupapa overlook. At the bottom of the trail, visitors connect with the commercial tour of the settlement. There is no vehicular access to the park due to the surrounding ocean and steep cliffs.


 Climate
 

Hawaii enjoys moderate temperatures year-round. Rain increases in winter; some summer days are hot and humid. Tradewinds are fairly constant. Temperatures range from the 70's in the winter to the 90's in the summer.

Link to our Molokai Weather coverage for more information.

 Fees
 

Free.


 Things To Do
 

The National Park Service does not offer any regularly scheduled interpretive programs or activities because of the restricted nature of visitation to the park. Tours of the park are offered through a commercial service, owned and operated by a Kalaupapa resident. The Kalaupapa overlook from topside Moloka'i at Pala'au State Park offers wayside interpretive exhibits for visitor understanding. There are additional wayside exhibits located throughout the park.


 Guided Tours
 

Damien Tours, owned and operated by a Kalaupapa resident, offer commercial tours of Kalaupapa daily, except Sundays and holidays. Call #808.567.6171 for tour reservations and information.

Mule rides on the Kalaupapa Trail can be arranged through Moloka'i Mule Rides, Inc., a National Park Service concession. For reservations call #808.567.6088 or #1.800.567.7550


 Nearby Attractions
 

R.W. Meyer Sugar Mill/Moloka'i Museum & Cultural Center

Located topside Moloka'i on highway 470 at the four-mile marker, the Meyer site features the restored 1878 sugar mill with a mule-driven cane crusher and operational steam engine. The cultural center has changing exhibits and artifacts. Tours are offered Monday through Saturday for a nominal fee. Rudolph Meyer was a German sugar farmer and rancher who came to Moloka'i in 1848. He served as the supervisor for the isolated Kalawao settlement from 1866 till his death in 1897.

Pala'au State Park

Pala'au State Park sits at an elevation approximately 1600 feet above Kalaupapa Peninsula at the edge of the steep north-shore pali cliffs of Moloka'i. The 233-acre heavily wooded park is located at the end of Highway 470 about 10 miles northwest of Kaunakakai, Moloka'i. The park has a campground for tent camping in an ironwood and eucalyptus grove plus a large covered picnic pavilion. From the overlook the visitor has an excellent view of the Kalaupapa Peninsula with wayside exhibits interpreting park themes.

The Nature Conservancy - Moloka'i Preserves

Kamakou Preserve: This is a 2,774 acre preserve containing native rain forest and shrublands. These remote forests are home to native forest birds plus several hundred species of plants, insects and land snails found only in Hawaii. Monthly guided hikes are available but are booked well in advance. A four-wheel drive vehicle is needed to reach the preserve.

Mo'omomi Preserve: Located on the northwest coast of Moloka'i, the windswept dunes shelter six globally imperiled plant species. Also the endangered Hawaiian green sea turtle nests in the preserve. There are also important sites for Hawaiian prehistory, paleontology and geology within the preserve boundary. Monthly guided hikes are available but usually must be booked far in advance.

Pelekunu Preserve: Containing 5,714 acres on the rugged north shore, this valley can be accessed only by foot or by boat. This remoteness has protected the lowland rain forests, verdant sea cliffs and one of Hawi'i's last remaining free flowing streams. For safety reasons, the Nature Conversancy does not encourage public access to this preserve.

Other National Parks In Hawaii

There are seven other park system units in the state of Hawai'i also managed by the National Park Service. Kalaupapa National Historical Park shares knowledge and broad themes with these NPS parks, including: volcanism; geology; endangered flora & fauna; decreasing habitat; threats from introduced alien species; Hawaiian culture; land use and history.

Link to our Molokai Attractions coverage for more information.

 Places To Go
 

Visitors must take the commercial tour offered by a Kalaupapa resident unless they are guests of a resident. The tour provides stops at all major points of interest at Kalaupapa, including lunch at Kalawao on the windward side of the peninsula with scenic views of the north shore cliffs and off-shore islands.



Copyright 1998 - 2008