Photos by Ken Ige, Star-Bulletin
A humpback turns tail,an awesome sight for visitors cruising the
waves in a 25-foot inflatable craft. Whale-watching is one water-bound
activity, kayaking in the clear calm waters off Molokai's
coast, below, is another.

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On this trip, you can
‘rough it’ in comfort

By Tim Ryan
Star-Bulletin

Molokai Ranch, the island's largest landowner and the second largest ranch in Hawaii, has opened what is arguably the state's only complete eco-visitor destination, as well as Hawaii's first "full-service" dude ranch.

Called "The Great Molokai Ranch Trail Adventure," it has been quietly operating since November and only advertising since March from Maunaloa's Paniolo Camp.

Guests are housed in "tentalows," 10- by 12-foot bungalows made of water-resistant canvas stretched over a frame and mounted on raised wooden platforms. A tent fly keeps heat out. Toilets and showers are open-air -- wood walls sans roof. And there are no electrical outlets.

Water is heated by solar power. Lights and an overhead fan are powered by a photo-voltaic system.

The toilet is a self-composting, flushing, non-chemical system that removes more than 90 percent of the moisture of the waste, eliminating odor.

The 17-acre Paniolo Camp is the first of four planned "luxury" camps on the Ranch, designed to merge outdoor recreation, cultural experiences, environmental sensitivity and open-space preservation.

Two other beach camps are planned at Kolo in the late spring and Kaupoa in 1998. The ranch eventually wants to build another 10 more traditional camp sites with none of the amenities of the luxury camp sites.

Travel Tips

You could just sit on the redwood deck at your quarters and read all day, but the fun is in the hiking, biking, exploring, paddling and riding horses and getting real sweaty and dirty.

The terrain is rugged, with lots of rock outcroppings, kiawe trees, deep-cut red dirt gullies, and waist high grass, though the camp itself is well landscaped.

Daytime can be hot and sticky, nights sweater-weather cool, since the camp is at the 1,200-foot level.

All this requires good shoes and lots of clothes. There are no washing machines, so bring clothes that won't be noticeably stained by Molokai's famous red dirt. What to bring:

Long pants

Covered walking shoes, hiking boots or reef walkers (depending on what you like to do)

Swim suit

Casual, comfortable attire.

Sweatshirt, sweater or windbreaker, sweat pants

Sunscreen

Hat or visor

Sunglasses

Cellular phone, if you really, really, really, really, really need one. (There are no phones in the rooms.)

Rates

Per-day rates includes daily maid service, three meals, an ice chest stocked daily with drinks and snacks, airport transportation, shuttle service to all campsite activities, choice of numerous daily activities with all equipment provided. Kamaaina rates are 25 percent off.

Single tent: Single or double occupancy, $185 per person

Two tents: Double occupancy, $185 per person; three people, $170 per person; four people, $135 per person

Three- and five-day packages are also available.

All rates include Hawaii state taxes.

Reservations and information: (800) 254-8871 or (808) 552-2791.