Which Hawaiian island does not allow tourists?

Niihau, also known as the Forbidden Isle, is a beautiful small island in Hawaii spread across 180 sq km. The island is off-limits to outsiders and only the Robinson family, their relatives, invited guests, government officials and US Navy personnel are allowed here.



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Ni'ihau earned its nickname as “the Forbidden Island” in the 1950s when the Polio epidemic was raging. To visit Ni'ihau then, you had to have a doctor's note and quarantine to prevent the spread of the disease to the small population.

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Access to the Reserve (the island and the 2 miles of ocean surrounding Kaho'olawe) is restricted because of the continued danger of unexploded ordnance. Access to the Reserve is permitted only with authorization of KIRC for specific purposes, such as restoration, education, and culture.

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No one is allowed to land on Niihau unless you are a resident of the island, a member of the Robinson family, or an invited guest. The Robinson family permits helicopter tours, but contact between the visitors and natives is not allowed. Fishermen and sailors may visit the island by sea, but are not able to land.

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Archaeological evidence reveals that the island was inhabited for more than 1,000 years, but it is now uninhabited. Kahoolawe was originally named for the Hawaiian god Kanaloa. From 1826 to 1853 the island was used as a penal colony by Hawaiian monarchs.

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Elizabeth Sinclair purchased Ni?ihau in 1864 for US$10,000 (equivalent to about $190,000 in 2022) from the Kingdom of Hawaii. The island's private ownership passed on to her descendants, the Robinsons.

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It has been privately owned by the same family since 1864, when Elizabeth Sinclair purchased it from King Kamehameha V for $10,000 in gold. Today the island is managed by Robinson brothers, Bruce and Keith Robinson who are descendants family members of Elizabeth Sinclair.

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Disrespect for the environment: Hawaii is known for its beautiful natural environment and animals that can be found nowhere else on the planet. But, the increase in tourism has resulted in problems such as overcrowding, littering, an overextension of our rescue and emergency resources & damage to the fragile ecosystem.

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Oahu is home to Hawaii's most famous tourist attractions. Not only can you find the state's capital Honolulu on Oahu, you can also visit Pearl Harbor as well as the famous Waikiki beach. Oahu is also Hawaii's cheapest island to visit.

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Molokai is known for its limited resorts and attractions, which adds to its charm as the least touristy island in Hawaii. Unlike other islands that are filled with high-rise hotels and commercialized attractions, Molokai offers a more rustic and untouched experience.

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No one is allowed to visit Hawaii's Forbidden Isle—the 70-square-mile island, which on a clear day can be spied from Kauai's west coast—unless they are invited by Niihau owners the Robinson family, or by one of its 70 full-time Native Hawaiian residents.

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No one is allowed to land on Niihau unless you are a resident of the island, a member of the Robinson family, or an invited guest. The Robinson family permits helicopter tours, but contact between the visitors and natives is not allowed. Fishermen and sailors may visit the island by sea, but are not able to land.

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Niihau is now valued at $88 million, according to county tax records. The island's population has declined in recent decades in step with a shortage of jobs, according to the Niihau Cultural Heritage Foundation. Some residents make a living weaving prized Niihau shells into lei.

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How You Can Visit Niihau. Although there isn't an island in the state that encompasses Hawaiian culture more than Niihau, it is not a place to vacation. There are no cars, no stores, no paved roads, no indoor plumbing, and no internet.

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And while neighboring Maui sees roughly 2.6 million visitors per year, there are less than 1,000 tourists on Molokai per day (or 365,000 annually). To date, there are approximately 8,000 residents island-wide, 40% of which are native Hawaiians.

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