The most famous of all Molokai parks is the Kalaupapa National Historical Park. Located on a remote peninsula, the National Park Service has managed Kalaupapa since 1980. Kalaupapa once served as Hawaii’s colony for thousands of quarantined patients afflicted with leprosy. This once incurable disease is now called Hansen’s disease. The National Park Service seeks to preserve and interpret the history of those who were exiled here.

The park does not have opening or closing hours. It remains a community of patients that once had Hansen’s disease in Hawaii. All visitors, regardless of how they enter the park, must be 16 years or older. Visitors must obtain permits to enter the park. Tourists can arrive by plane, boat or by mule on a narrow path down the cliffs.

Park Terrain

The ocean surrounds the Kalaupapa Peninsula on three sides. The world’s tallest sea cliffs borders it on its fourth. There are no restaurants, shops or stop-lights. Provisions arrive weekly for the residents, giving no need for a general store. Here, there are only homes, gardens, churches, graveyards and its quiet gentle inhabitants.

History

King Kamehameha V established the Act to Prevent Leprosy in 1865. As a result of this law, anyone living in Hawaii with the disease was exiled to Kalaupapa. This law continued for 103 years until 1969. In all, the Hawaiian government quarantined over 8,000 patients to Kalaupapa.

The current residents of the community are eye-witnesses to what life in the colony was like. Several of the patients have been here since they were 12 years old. Sadly, many feel like outcasts of society. As a result, they are not comfortable living in the outside world. Because of this, they choose to remain on Kalaupapa. Visitors can gain insight into the sacrifice and sorrow of those still living in this community.

Additionally, Kalaupapa has been the home of religious legends, Father Damien and Mother Marianne Cope. Father Damien dedicated and eventually gave his life to serving the people in Kalaupapa during the late 19th century. Mother Marianne Cope selflessly brought joy and hope to those suffering in the colony.

Activities

Visitors can experience some of this painful past. Most tourists visit this park by taking the mule ride down to Kalaupapa. Such rides are offered through Damien Tours, a private company that gives guided tours to the historic town. Physically fit tourists can also walk down the cliff path to Kalaupapa. However, it is a difficult hike of 3.5 miles requiring a high level of fitness.

Camping is not permitted in the community itself. However, there are camp grounds some 1,600 feet above the peninsula. This camping area, located in Pala’au State Park, allows for guests to stay in a wooded space above Kalaupapa.

All visitors to Kalaupapa Peninsula must behave respectfully and graciously to the patient-residents there. Taking photographs of the inhabitants or their homes is not permitted without written permission. There is no place to purchase food and water in this park. So visitors must bring their own.