Visitors to the Islands can learn the history of one of Hawaii's most sacred settlements by taking the Kalaupapa Saints Tour.
The settlement, on an isolated peninsula on the island of Molokai, was home to a community of thousands of people forced into exile due to Hansen's disease, a rare affliction perhaps more commonly known as leprosy.
After being closed to visitors for several years, the Kalaupapa National Historical Park reopened in 2025 via a partnership between operator Seawind Tours & Travel and local resident Meli Watanuki, who founded Kalaupapa Saints Tours. Watanuki helped design the tour and ensures that the stories shared are done authentically and with respect.
Priced at $625 per person, the tour begins with a flight out of Honolulu on Mokulele Airlines, landing less than an hour later in Kalaupapa.
"We're working with [Mokulele] to start new limited tours in February and then really increase the numbers that we go from there to March," said Camryn Kunioka, group travel coordinator for Seawind Tours & Travel.
So far, the response to the tour has been enthusiastic, Kunioka said.
"People have been really excited about it. We have a big waitlist right now ... people have been interested and have been really receptive," she said.
As it is a full-day experience, visitors are encouraged to dress comfortably, wear sunscreen and bring your own lunch. While the tour provides drinking water, guests are welcome to bring full bottles on the flight.
Upon landing on Molokai, visitors board a vehicle that takes them past historical cemeteries; there is a stop at Papaloa Cemetery, where they can walk through and learn about those who are buried there. Guests are then driven to the Kalawao side of the peninsula, the original settlement where patients were first brought.
Father Damien's grave lies next to St. Philomena Church. Photo Credit: NPS/Glauco Puig-Santana
Here, guests will see the historical St. Philomena Church, where they can visit the gravesite of Father Damien, who ministered to the colony in the late 19th century before succumbing to the disease himself. Father Damien was later canonized as a saint in the Catholic Church by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009.
While at St. Philomena, visitors can also learn about the testing methods that were used in early Hansen's disease research.
"You'll hear the history of what [those who cared for the afflicted] did for the community and how they helped the patients live normal lives and bring community to people who were exiled," Kunioka said.
A lunch break follows at Judd Park, a very scenic turnaround spot that overlooks a cove with tall cliffs.
Afterward, the group explores the Kalaupapa side of the peninsula, where they visit the grave and memorial of Mother Marianne Cope, who cared for those in the community and who was canonized by Benedict XVI in 2012. Other sites on this side of the peninsula are Bishop Home, St. Francis Church and Historic Damien Hall, each of which offers visitors a chance to gain insight into the people who created community despite the extraordinary challenges.
The tour concludes at 4 p.m. with the return flight to Honolulu.
Tour dates for 2026 have not yet been released but will be posted at www.seawindtours.com/kalaupapa/saintstour/.