Day 1 Honiara, Guadalcanal Island, Solomon Islands
Honiara is the capital city of the Solomon Islands on the north-western coast of Guadalcanal Island. It is the hub of all activity in the archipelago which has recently undergone an ‘urban boom'. Discover the cities beautiful landscapes and the significance of the city in the World War II.
Day 2 Njari Island, Solomon Islands
Njari is a small island almost entirely covered in trees with just a small sand spit at its eastern end. A labyrinth of reefs and coral heads make an approach only feasible from the north. The small beach invites one to relax, but swimming from the beach is almost impossible as the corals are too close. To enjoy the underwater world one has to enter the water from a small boat, a little distance from the shore, where an amazing array of fish and coral will be visible. Two hundred and seventy nine different fish species have been seen during a single dive; the fourth-highest fish count ever recorded. An indication of why this island is considered a top spot for snorkeling in the Solomon Islands.
Day 3 Gizo, Solomon Islands
Day 4 Bougainville Island, Papua New Guinea
Day 5 Bougainville Island, Papua New Guinea
Day 6 Rabaul, Bismarck Archipelago, Papua New Guinea
Rabaul, the former provincial capital, has quite a remarkable location. The town is inside the flooded caldera of a giant volcano and several sub-vents are still quite active today! The fumes of the volcano Tavurvur can be seen continually and the town suffered greatly during the last major eruption of 1994 when some 80% of the houses collapsed due to the ash raining down onto their roofs. Rabaul has a Volcano Observatory sitting atop the town's center, monitoring the 14 active and 23 dormant volcanoes in Papua New Guinea. A small museum opposite the bunker used by Yamamoto during World War II shows exhibits relating to Rabaul's local, German, Australian and Japanese past from the 19th century to Papua New Guinea's independence in the 1970s.
Day 9 Chuuk (ex Truk), Micronesia
Chuuk Lagoon, also previously known as Truk Lagoon is one of the four states of the Federated States of Micronesia. The cluster of 16 much-eroded volcanic islands have mangrove swamps along their coasts with rich rainforests in the central mountainous areas. The islands are hugely popular with scuba divers thanks to the incredibly interesting shipwrecks which have become foundations for new reef growth.
Day 10 Pulap Island, Micronesia
Pulap is an atoll consisting of three islands located in the Pattiw group in the Caroline Islands. The three islands are, Pollap in the north, Tamatam in the south, and Fanadik at the western fringe of the reef. The island is surrounded by a number of ghostly shipwrecks that are virtually intact, submerged underwater. This makes for great diving expeditions where you can explore the reef and its incredible marine life as well as the shipwrecks.
Day 11 Satawal, Micronesia
Satawal is a remote coral atoll made up of just over 1 km2 of land that is thick with coconut and breadfruit trees. It is home to approximately 500 inhabitants. Archaeologists have not yet agreed about when or how the islands of Yap and Satawal were settled. The people of Satawal are culturally and linguistically related to those of Chuuk in the Caroline Islands. Satawal has a narrow fringing reef and is not frequently visited by outsiders. After World War II, the island was controlled by the United States and administered as part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands from 1947. Satawal became an official part of the Federated States of Micronesia in 1979.
Day 12 Ifalik Atoll, Micronesia
Day 13 Gaferut Atoll, Micronesia
Gaferut Atoll is a rookery island full of nesting birds, and one of the fourteen outlying atolls that partly make up the island State of Yap in the Federated States of Micronesia. Just 1,500 feet long and 500 feet wide, Gaferut is called Fayo by the Fareulep people of the neighboring atolls; meaning stone or rock in the Woleaian language. The atolls are considered somewhat separate from Yap proper, which is made up of three contiguous islands set higher along the Philippine Sea Plate. Gaferut and its peer atolls are southeast of a nearly 1-mile reef that teems with beautiful undersea life amidst the clear turquoise waters.
Day 14 Guam, Guam
Situated in the western Pacific Ocean lies Guam, the largest and southernmost island in the Mariana Islands archipelago. There is a wealth of history in Guam, it was ceded to the US by Spain in 1898 after the Spanish-American War. Captured by Japan in 1941, it was retaken by the US 3 years later. Come to the end of your expedition in Guam where you can enjoy local culture and visit the historic landmarks.
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