Christine Hitt
The Kalaupapa Peninsula on the island of Molokai remains closed indefinitely to visitors, but there's some hope that it will reopen to tours soon. Mikiala Pescaia, a park ranger at Kalaupapa National Historical Park, says it's "closer than ever" to resuming commercial tours.
In the mid-1800s, the secluded peninsula was chosen as the place where more than 8,000 people with Hansen's disease (also known as leprosy) were forcibly exiled. It wasn't until 1969 that the quarantine law was abolished. A handful of residents remain and have chosen to continue living there.
Kalaupapa was closed in March 2020 by the Hawaii Department of Health (DOH) during the Covid-19 pandemic to protect residents. Restrictions were lifted in 2023, but tours did not resume. While the DOH is responsible for caring for the Hansen's disease patients who live on the peninsula, the National Park Service is responsible for managing the historical park, which includes interpretive programs such as tours.
"Access was closed by us during Covid, but it's currently closed because there's no tour operators that the park service has as a contractor," said Michael Casey, a planner with the DOH's Hansen's Disease Branch. Casey said the general public requires a permit from the DOH to visit Kalaupapa, however, it is only available to visits through tours.
Pescaia didn't share further details about plans, but says she anticipates a tour to be in operation before the end of the year.