Visiting Molokai is like visiting Kauai 50 years ago before Princeville & all the other developments. The drive to the Halawa Valley travels along the oceanfront then climbs up & over the east end of the island through ranch country to an astounding final few miles of switchbacks as you drop down to Halawa Beach. Vistas of Molokai mountains and across the channel to Maui are jaw-dropping! Along the road on the south side of the island is access to unpopulated sandy beaches. Throughout the trip, one is struck by the fact that there are no high-rise condominiums and few visible homes--just the unspoiled island of Molokai. The road is paved but narrows to one lane for the last 3 to 4 miles. Use extreme caution on the blind curves--you think no one else is within miles but then it's a big surprise when an on-coming car suddenly appears at the narrowest part of a sharp curve. The 'highway' ends at the entrance to the beach and the beginning of the trail up to the falls. Without making the hike (which other reviewers indicate is challenging), easy paths lead around to the headland and along the water. The river is wade-able as it makes its winding entrance to the bay. Surf was high in December so no one was in the beach front waters. White knuckle driving for 3 to 4 miles was well worth it to get to this beautiful tropical valley between high mountains and opening onto a secluded beach.
Do NOT miss this! Call Eddie Tanaka for your guide. Soak in the culture, swim in the astonishingly cold waters below the falls.
We took this drive to the beach twice on our trip. It is a long twisty drive, but so beautiful. The beach at the end was a great reward. We were able to swim and enjoy the nice beach. There were several nice little beaches to stop at along the way, too.
The views are fantastic. After following a two-lane road along Molokai’s southern shore, a single-lane roads cuts across Molokai’s mountainous eastern end to reach Halawa Bay near the island’s northeast point. This view looks down upon the bay, and it’s another 5 to 10 minute drive down to the bay’s Halawa Beach Park. Bring your own food and drinking water. Once there, one of the two high waterfalls along the stream that feeds into the bay can be seen in the distance inland. The land along the stream before it reaches Halawa Beach Park is largely privately owned.
It is well worth to take the drive to the Halawa Beach park. The road was very narrow in many places, but the drive was extremely beautiful. The highway ends at the park. The surroundings looked kind of deserted and there were signs indicating no trespassing. There was also a sign that said no hiking today due to rain and the track was dangerous. It seemed like it has been there for a long time. We could see a tall waterfall far away, but there no way to get there without a guide. The beach area was serene and there were two families with kids who were on floaters. Other than that there was no sign of life. One could see the destruction caused by past tsunamis in the area.
We arranged our hike through the Hotel Molokai, and this hike to the bottom of the falls was excellent! The trip out is a bit strenuous with 2 river crossings, but the guide took good care of us, and explains many plants, trees, and historical items along the way.... The end of the hike at the falls bottom is worth it... Pure old Hawaii....
I was there on my honeymoon .I had been living in oahu in Honolulu, but molokai is a drastic change, we loved it..hardly no one around us .as opposed to oahu ...the hike to the falls was absolutely gorgeous.that was over twenty years ago. I hope the people and population has not been to altered. It was truly paradise. Mahalo.
The road to Hawala Valley is very narrow one lane road, so recommend to rent a compact car to get there.It's a little scary to drive to there, but the view is breath taking - waterfalls, the mountain and the water. It's well worth going there.
Take the last few miles of the drive to Halawa very carefully. Philip and his family are very proud of their culture and they took about an hour to talk about their experiences and how they interact with others that reside in the valley.The hike is quite intense and would not recommend this to someone that is not athletic or in questionable shape. The first crossing of the river has the hiker up to their knees in swift water, stepping on quite large, slippery immersed rocks. The second crossing of the river near the end of the hike is across boulders. Again, BEWARE, this was not easy for me and suspect that it will be difficult for many if not most people.Wear shoes that you don't care about the condition after you complete the hike. They will get wet and muddy. Bring Bug Spray because misquotes are plentiful.Bring a sandwich with you because the tour stops at the falls for an hour or so. Don't expect a sandy beach somewhere near the falls. You will have to find a comfortable rock to rest and eat. Don't forget the camera.
The drive along the coast to the Halawa Valley takes about a half day round-trip. It is not for timid drivers, as there is a stretch of the road towards the end that is one lane along the twisting face of a large cliff with sheer drops and blind turns. It was a little frightening going in, and we prayed that we didn’t meet a car coming up the cliff. Fortunately we didn’t, but I can imagine the logistical nightmare of backing up uphill. It was not as bad coming back up the cliff the after visiting the valley. My advice is to drive slowly and honk the car’s horn around the blind turns on the cliff. The portion of the journey along the coast for the first approx. 20 miles was easy to drive, and there were nice views of Hawaiian fish ponds, two churches constructed by Father Damian, and several lovely beaches. Once in the valley, the vegetation turned to jungle, and I felt that I was in a lost world. There is also an old chruch from 1948 here. We didn’t arrange to take the hike up the valley, just spent some time admiring the area and visiting the beach (rocks and driftwood mostly). There are NO services there, and I was happy to eventually return to civilization. Yes, I survived going there. Would I ever go again? No, once is enough.