Molokai offers a truly local experience devoid of crowds and chain restaurants.

Molokai is known as the most Hawaiian island for good reason. It’s the only island in the chain except for Niihau (a private island near Kauai) where Hawaiians account for the majority of the population of about 8,000. In fact, more than half are of true Hawaiian ancestry. Molokai is also the birthplace of the hula, which is celebrated each May with the Ka Hula Piko Festival.

Molokai is well suited for clients who want to experience old Hawaii, indulge in adventures such as mountain biking and hiking while encountering few other tourists, and have a completely casual vacation (shorts T-shirts and flip flops are the norm here, even in most restaurants). The oblong-shaped island, the fifth largest in Hawaii, is devoid of chain restaurants and retail stores (even Hawaii’s ubiquitous ABC Stores); and its two hotels — the Lodge and Beach Village at Molokai Ranch and the Hotel Molokai — are independently owned and operated. In short, everything is local and authentic. It’s also quiet and uncrowded, with most businesses closing by 9 p.m.

Tourism got a late start on Molokai. It wasn’t even a significant part of the island’s economy until recent years, prior to which it was primarily an agricultural island with ranches. (Its largest, the 65,000-acre Molokai Ranch, covers about one-third of the island.) And the only hotel on the island was the 54-room Hotel Molokai. But when a bovine tuberculosis epidemic hit in the 1970s and 1980s, all cattle were destroyed. Since then, Molokai Ranch has built up its herd to about 10,000 head of cattle; but it also diversified into the hospitality business, when it built its 22-room lodge and 40-unit beach village about nine years ago.

Today, nonstop air service to Molokai is available from Honolulu and from Kahului, Maui. In addition, roundtrip ferry service between Molokai and Maui’s Lahaina Harbor is available. Once on Molokai, it’s hard to get lost on the 261-square-mile island, which measures approximately 38 miles in length and 10 miles in width. Its few paved roads lead to towns such as Kaunakakai and Kualapuu, as well as Molokai Airport, and attractions such as the Halawa Valley and Kalaupapa National Historic Park. Yet this relatively small island, which is part of Maui County, is geographically diverse, with lush valleys, waterfalls, pine forests, more than 88 miles of unspoiled coastline, and sheer cliffs — including the tallest in the world, dropping 3,000 feet to the sea.

Clients can get to these attractions on their own via rental cars available at the airport or by booking a tour with any of a number of companies that offer land visits to plantations, farms, gardens, valleys and coastal regions; as well as fishing excursions, snorkeling adventures, scuba diving, kayaking, canoeing, eco-tours, bicycling, hiking and nature walks, all of which can be booked directly or via hotel concierges. Among the local operators are Ohana Concierge & Tours (808-553-8284), Molokai Off-Road Tours & Taxi (808-553-3369) and Molokai Charters (808-567-9400).

Among Ohana Concierge & Tours’ excursions are island tours, as well as cultural tours, agricultural tours and customized tours for up to 14 people. Island tours may include a visit to one of approximately 100 ancient fishponds, which conservationists are restoring; the Halawa Valley on the eastern side of the island, with its waterfalls, rainforest and Halawa Beach Park; the Kalaupapa Lookout on the North Shore, for a view of the peninsula of the same name; and Phallic Rock, an aptly named natural rock formation.

Clients who want to explore on their own can drive themselves to the Halawa Valley, where they can hike or drive to the bottom. There they’ll find Halawa Beach Park, with restrooms, a picnic pavilion and grills. The park’s two beaches — the curved Kama’alaea Beach and the rockier Kawilli Beach — are usually calm during summer and feature large waves for surfing during winter. A small church sits also at the bottom of the valley. The Halawa Valley was home to an active farming community until the area was struck by two 45-foot tsunamis in 1946 and 1957.

Near the island’s West Coast is the Big Wind Kite Factory in Maunaloa, specializing in handmade kites and windsocks, and also carrying Hawaiian books, music and other items from around the world. And in the Ho’olehua district (near the airport), clients can visit Purdy’s Natural Macadamia Nuts, a five-acre farm whose proprietors talk with visitors about the farm and the island, and offer free samples of nuts that visitors can crack themselves.

Back in Kaunakakai, the intimate Molokai Fine Art Gallery features original, Hawaiian art, as well as handcrafted items from local artists, in the center of town. While in town, clients can stop in at the Kanemitsu Bakery, a local favorite, for breakfast or a freshly baked pastry or turnover. It opens at 5:30 a.m. Clients who really want to experience some local flavor can join residents as they flock to the bakery’s nondescript back door nightly from 10:30 p.m. to about 3 a.m. for hot bread, fresh from the oven. Different types are available for less than $5, and bakery employees split the loaves open and slather them with a choice of toppings.

One attraction that clients must visit via a guided tour is the Kalaupapa Peninsula on the North Shore, a national historic park. The peninsula is the infamous site of a colony where Hawaiian residents afflicted with Hansen’s disease (leprosy) were banished between 1866 and 1969. It is where Father Damien, who arrived in 1873, helped build a settlement and treated the victim’s wounds, eventually succumbing to the disease himself in 1889. While Father Damien is buried in his native Belgium, a relic is located at the settlement on Kalaupapa.

With the introduction of sulfone drugs in the 1940s, the disease went into remission, and the sufferers are no longer contagious. Kalaupapa Settlement is still home to several surviving Hansen’s disease patients. Tours are available via mules from Molokai Mule Ride (800-567-7550) or via a hike down a 1,700-foot pali (cliff), also bookable via Molokai Mule Ride. Upon arrival at the settlement, guests are guided around the area by a representative of Damien Tours guides. All visitors to Kalaupapa must be at least 16 years old.

In addition, commercial ranches such as Molokai Ranch and the smaller Pu’uhhoku Ranch offer horseback rides. Molokai Ranch also offers bicycle rentals and guided bicycle tours.

Molokai is well suited for clients who want to experience old Hawaii.