What is more "Molokai" than the Molokai Mule Ride? The Mule Ride is simply the thing to do on Molokai. Anyone that has been to Molokai will ask if you "rode a mule down to the leper colony". You can either respond "no" or "yes, and I have the diploma to prove it!".
The mules are there to solve the pesky problem of getting down (and more importantly, back up) a trail that drops over 1,600 feet in less than 3 miles. The extreme vertical nature is only surpassed by the natural beauty that encompasses it.
Molokai Mule Ride has a very informative website. There you can find the latest pricing (about $175 at the time of writing), check availability and communicate with employees. Since a plethora of information is available on the site, I’ll go through what you can expect on your tour.
When arriving at the stables on the morning of your ride, check in with the person inside. Tours often include up to 14 during the high season and the staff must match up each person with a mule. After a short introduction to riding a mule, you saddle up and head to the trailhead, about a quarter mile further up the road. After a short ride through level forest, the mule train comes around a bend and things really start to go downhill. While adjusting to the steep grade, the Kalaupapa peninsula comes into view, amazing first-time and repeat riders alike. One of the biggest advantages to riding a mule has to be the fact that you are free to enjoy the view. Riding allows one to enjoy the view, but you must pay attention to guiding your mount down the trail. The guides notified us that we would learn the meaning of the phrase "stubborn as a mule" and they were not kidding. Mules tend to what to poke along and eat the foliage along the way. This is forbidden as they eat when they arrive at the bottom. It takes about an hour and a half to traverse the trail but between the scenery and keeping your mule on task, it feels like 20 minutes.
The staff on our trip was amazing. They knew the name of everyone on the ride (about 12 people) and the name of their mule. It was amazing since I was just learning the name of my mule and the three staff members by the ride back! They would frequently call out to you and were very friendly on the ride. This was in stark contrast to tour guides we had later in our trip.
Riding a mule to the Kalaupapa Peninsula is truly a unique experience. Both of the other methods of getting to the peninsula are cheaper (flying and hiking), but not nearly as fun. My advice is to do the tour the traditional way, collect your official diploma and bumper sticker after the ride and join the hallowed ranks of Molokai Mule Skinners.