Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Finally, hikers can drive 200 yards past the mule barn on Highway 470 past the town of
Kala'e, and park on the right side of the road next to a locked metal gate. While you can
arrange a permit in advance with Damien Tours for $50 (or potentially even pay cash at
the bottom when you meet the tour guide at 10am), you can also play it safe and arrange a
permit with Moloka'i Mule Ride, which will also include a light lunch for $69.
Kalaupapa Peninsula
Ever since a group of wealthy Honolulu businesspeople purchased 70,000 acres of land in
1897, the western half of Moloka'i has been known as Moloka'i Ranch. Never completely
steady, the ranch tried its hand at a number of different ventures for the next 111 years until
finally succumbing in 2008 to public pressure over proposed development. The closing of
the ranch's hospitality operations did away with 120 jobs, and in the years since, the area
has yet to recover. During its tenure, the ranchland supported sugarcane, pineapples, sweet
potatoes, wheat, cattle, safari tours, a luxury lodge, an 18-hole golf course, a movie theat-
er, and rustic accommodations on Kaupoa Beach colloquially known as “tentalows.”
