Hawaii Vacation Destination
Molokai
Looking for a peaceful and relaxing Hawaii vacation spot? Molokai, also affectionately called the Friendly Isle, is the perfect place to retreat away from the major tourist centers and Hawaii resort complexes some of the other islands are known for. Regarded as the most Hawaiian Island, Molokai is the place if you're looking for natural beauty, rainforests and deserted beaches.
With a land area of 260 square miles, Molokai is the fifth largest of the Hawaiian chain, and has a population of about 7,500 - mostly comprised of native Hawaiian ancestry. The island is peaceful and rural and its main town, Kaunakakai, ecompasses only three blocks and has not a single traffic light or fast-food restaurant. Instead, you'll find pristine natural island beauty and blissfully quiet stretches of white sand beach.
The island is a favorite for nature lovers, ecotourism visitors and those who simply enjoy the uncomplicated things of vacation travel such as snorkeling, swimming and sunbathing. On Molokai you'll find Hawaii's longest white sand beach at Papohaku Beach Park; the longest fringing reef in the US on the island's south shore; a lush mountain forest filled with endangered native plants and rare birds at Kamakou Preserve; Kahiwa Falls, at 1,750 feet the highest sea cliff in the world.
At Kalaupapa National Historical Park, are the historic Hansen's disease (formerly called leprosy) settlements of Kalaupapa and Kalawao. Visitors can take the world famous mule ride down the sea cliffs to the settlements where Joseph de Veuster, known as Father Damien in his time, ministered to the sick.
Molokai is also renowned as the island of origin of the hula dance and where it is said that the goddess Laka first gave birth to the art of the hula. Each May, Ka Hula Piko, Molokai's hula festival, is celebrated in Papohaku Beach Park.
Molokai's Main Attractions
- Papohaku Beach Park
- Kaupoa Beach
- Kahiwa Falls
- Kamakou Preserve
- Kalaupapa National Historical Park
- Nene O Molokai
Island Facts
- Official Island Flower: White Kukui Blossom
- Official Island Color: Green
- Highest Point: Kamakou - 4,970 feet
- Average Temperatures Range: 75° to 85° Fahrenheit