Best Molokai Day Trip from Maui or Oahu

February 26, 2007 by Lisa
Filed under: Maui, Maui Activities, Molokai, Vacation Planning

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Brian of Alexandria, Virginia asks

What is the best way to visit Molokai Island as a day trip? I will be in Oahu for a week, then touring Maui, Kauai, and the Big Island as part of a cruise. I am especially interested in the history of the island, including its role as the location of the colony for those with Hanson’s disease (leprosy).

Would it be best to do this as a day trip from Maui?

Hi Brian,

It may be best and easiest to schedule your trip as a day trip from Maui, but I am concerned that you will find it hard to coincide your shore leave times from the cruise ship and the tour times so we’ll look into options from Oahu and from Maui.

Pacific Wings and Molokai Air Shuttle (808-567-6847) and Island Air offer flights from Oahu (Honolulu) to Molokai.

Molokai Outdoors looks to be an outfit that will set up all your flights or transportation from Oahu or Maui and get you started on a tour or with a rental – whichever you want.

The so-called ‘leper colony’ is located on the Kalaupapa peninsula and hard to get to, plus you must either take a tour or be invited by a resident – you can’t just wander wround the area. Here are some options:

Molokai Mule Ride
A ride down the mountain on a mule plus tour.

Molokai Ferry offers ferry-car packages, guided day tour excursions, and a hike and tour, all from Maui.

Comments

13 Comments on Best Molokai Day Trip from Maui or Oahu

  1. Janet Meyers on Wed, 28th Oct 2009 8:24 pm

    2. My husband and I are going to be on Maui on vacation from 2-4-10 until 2-9-10 and are considering a day trip to Molokai. It was suggested that since we are mainly interested in the history and seeing the leper colony, perhaps we might enjoy flying there, taking the mule ride down and then returning to Maui on the ferry or whatever ship goes there. Is there a tour that has that type of itinerary and how would we arrange it? I am also open to other tours that there might be. Could you help me with this?

    Thank you.

    Sincerely, Janet Meyers

  2. Lisa on Thu, 29th Oct 2009 8:12 pm

    3. Hi Janet,

    There are tours available: here’s an example of someone you could book through. http://www.hawaiiactive.com/activities/molokai-discovery.html

    If you want to fly then take the ferry one way you may need to do that arranging yourself, I’m not sure how available one-way ferry tickets are.

    here’s the ferry http://www.molokaiferry.com/
    and the two airlines are http://iflygo.com/ and http://www.hawaiianair.com/Pages/Index.aspx

    have a wonderful time! Lisa

  3. Iolani Air Tour Company on Thu, 10th Dec 2009 10:05 pm

    4. Aloha,
    Please note Iolani Air Tour Company does fly ‘on demand’ charters to Molokai.
    Aloha,
    J. Mulvihill

  4. ed lopez on Sun, 26th Sep 2010 4:54 pm

    5. If I go to Molokai how can I take a tour to Father Damian’s town? I don’t want to hike or do the mule ride. Can I drive to it or take a tour?

  5. Lisa on Mon, 27th Sep 2010 8:22 pm

    6. I would suggest contacting Molokai tours. They can get you down there. http://www.molokai-outdoors.com/activities.php you can’t drive. You must take a mule or a plane.

  6. ed lopez on Fri, 15th Oct 2010 3:35 am

    7. So to get to father Damien’s town one can: Hike, take the mule hike or fly?
    3 years ago we went from Maui to Molokai, but we didn’t get to the town and we want to do so next time. If I fly from Oahu I must take the tour from there?

  7. Lisa on Fri, 15th Oct 2010 4:08 am

    8. No, if you fly from Oahu, you could fly down once you are on Molokai – go from the Molokai airport to the Kalaupapa airport. I don’t know if you can hike, and you can’t go yourself. You have to have a guide in.

  8. Irene Lerma on Mon, 21st Feb 2011 3:30 am

    9. I would like to visit the Leper colony and also visit the town of Molokai. Three days there is what I plan. I am not able to ride the Mules, and would like to know if I can fly to Molokai Town and visit there and then take a tour to the Leper colony by plane from Molokai Town and back?

  9. Lisa on Mon, 21st Feb 2011 9:20 pm

    10. i’m not sure if you can take the plane from molokai town or not – contact these people to see
    http://www.tombarefoot.com/maui/paragon_air_molo.html

  10. Lou on Tue, 26th Apr 2011 3:49 pm

    11. We will be in Oahu in September and want to knw if the only way to get to Molokai or Lanai is via air – is there any boat day trips or tours??

  11. Lisa on Sat, 30th Apr 2011 7:19 am

    12. as far as I know, there is no way to get from Oahu to Molokai or Lanai by boat. There is a ferry from MAUI to both islands, but not Oahu. It’s too far and the channels are too rough.

  12. eward on Wed, 29th Jun 2011 4:22 pm

    13. we will be in maiu september of this year and would like tour of molokai flying frommaui and down to the peninsular of kalaupapa and father damiens church cant find anything like that on the net only ferry schedule thanks

  13. Lisa on Wed, 29th Jun 2011 11:07 pm

    14. I don’t actually think you can fly direct from Maui – you may have to fly to molokai and take the mule tour or the plane tour as above.

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