Next stop of my South Pacific trip after the Solomon Islands is Kiribati, one of the most isolated countries in the world. I guess you have probably never heard of it. Made up of 33 atolls, most of them inhabited, it is at risk for climate change and rising of the ocean, being its highest point at only 2 mt above sea level.
After hours of flying above the ocean, a thin strip of sand appears from the plane window, surrounded by a stunning lagoon, resembling an artist’s paint palette of every blue. “Welcome to Tarawa”, announces the Capitan, “Kiribati’s main island and home to more than half of the country population. We will be landing soon, enjoy the view!”
How to get to Kiribati?
You can only reach Kiribati by plane. There are weekly flights from the Solomon Islands with Solomon Airlines, the one I took, from the Marshall Islands and Nauru, with Nauru Airlines. There is also a once a week flight from Tuvalu with Air Kiribati.
Flights might encounter problems due to the weather, technical issues or changes of the schedule due to the airlines. Be ready for unexpected changes to your plan and allocate enough time to spend in Kiribati.
Do I need a Visa?
No Visa is required and you can stay up to 3 months if you are from Europe, North and South America, Australia and the other Pacific countries.
Where to sleep?
There are only few accommodations available on the island. I stayed at Betio Lodge and I highly recommend you do the same. it is located in Betio, the largest village of Tarawa. It has nice rooms (a double costs 75 AUD per night) and a good restaurant/café. Also, they provide free transport to and from the airport, very useful considering it takes almost an hour to reach Betio or Bairiki (the 2 main villages where hotels are), and Kiribati has no taxi service.
What to do in Tarawa, Kiribati?
After landing me and my friend Andrea got picked up by the receptionists of Betio Lodge and we went to the hotel. Unexpectedly, it took an hour driving. Kiribati (Kiribass, as they told us to pronounce it) has only one main road that goes all the way from the airport to Betio.
We had dinner at the hotel and went out partying following the suggestions of the receptionists. It was a Wednesday night so we weren’t expecting much in such small atoll in the middle of the Pacific but…
Partying in Kiribati
Yeah, Kiribati is by far the country with the most vibrant nightlife in the Pacific! The whole island goes out at night, almost every night of the week, and the main place to go is the DJ Marina, a club in front of the George Hotel. Don’t expect anything fancy, it is a dirty wooden 2 floor building that smells badly and it is very dark inside. But hey, you are in Kiribati, what do you expect! You can also check out Amazing Pub and Seaman (just on weekends), but I found DJ Marina to be the best and busiest club.
Local drink: Kaokioki
Drinks are very cheap and we were told to try Kiribati’s local drink: Kaokioki.
Supposedly made out of coconut, we asked the bartender one and he took this plastic bottle out of the fridge and gave it to us, for just 2 AUD. Hmm, an open plastic bottle with some smelly white liquid inside in a dirty bar, not really promising.
We tried it and it tasted like moldy water mixed with gone off milk. Yeah, it was undrinkable but we made a little effort and we had 2 shots each!
The bottle was still almost full though, and we were already fighting inside not to vomit after those 2 shots. We gave it to a group of local girls next to us. They were almost shocked we didn’t like it, and after waving a little, they downed it in 10 seconds. Good on ya ladies!
We had a lot of fun that night and went back every other of the 4 nights we stayed in Tarawa. DJ Marina stays open all night and at around 1-2 am it gets very crowded, with locals and Chinese fishermen that usually stay at the George Hotel.
I suggest you to party and enjoy nightlife in Kiribati, as you won’t find much in the other Pacific countries.
Rent a car and drive to North Tarawa
The next morning we rented a car and went to explore the island all the way to North Tarawa. It seems like a small atoll but it is very long and you need a car to move around.
We started in Betio and explored the edge of the atoll, with a great walk along the white sanded beach. It was super hot though, and after 10 minutes under the sun I felt I was already burning my shoulders.
Then we drove towards the airport and on the way there are some World War 2 relics. You will spot the big 8-inch anti-ship guns on the south (ocean-facing) side of Betio island, near the causeway connecting to Bairiki. Tarawa was occupied by the Japanese during the war and subsequently captured by US forces, in one of the bloodiest battles of the Pacific Theatre.
Keep driving and you will see the Kiribati Parliament, a nice building on the side of the lagoon.
We kept going towards Bairiki, that has a small shopping mall and a market. Driving in Kiribati makes you feel like going towards heaven with light blue coloured water on both sides of the road.
After the airport if you want to reach North Tarawa you keep driving and you will see some small villages with wooden houses. We went all the way to the end of the road, where we stopped and walked around the village. A bunch of kids starts running to us saying “Mauri”, which means hello, and asking many questions to know who we are and what we do there.
English is widely spoken so it’s easy to interact with locals. We stayed for an hour playing with the kids and visiting a local school, a super nice experience.
On the way back to Betio we stopped at a local high school and we joined a group of guys for a soccer match!
Locals in Kiribati are some of the friendliest and nicest people I’ve met around the world. They are always smiling and saying Mauri! It is an advantage that they speak English so it is possible to interact and we arranged another soccer match with those guys of the high school for the next afternoon, in a sport center next to our hotel.
Visit the outer islands
If you have more days in Kiribati you can plan a trip to the outer islands. A few can be reached by boat, but the journey is long and uncomfortable. it is recommended to go with Air Kiribati that has some fairly good prices and reaches all the small islands. The schedule is not available on the website so you can call or email them, or better going to the airport office to ask them directly.
Safety in Kiribati
There is a serious stray dogs issue in Kiribati. Especially at night, when it is dark outside and there are not lights on the street. You need to be extra careful for stray dogs. Better if you carry a stick to defend yourself. For the rest, the country is very safe.
Tips
– Say Mauri to every local, especially kids, they will be very happy.
– Rent a car, not a scooter, to explore the island. The sun is strong and stray dogs are an issue.
– Bring mosquito spray and cover yourself at night, Dengue is still a problem in Kiribati.
– Make sure to double check with your hotel the pick up time at the airport, there are no taxis available.
– Party at night, it’s one of the few Pacific country with a vibrant nightlife
– Don’t swim in the water of the lagoon, it is an open trash for the whole island.
I really enjoyed Kiribati and it is by far my favourite country in the Pacific! I’m leaving to Nauru, but I’ll be back in Kiribati in a week for an extra 2 nights, to catch a fly to Tuvalu with Air Kiribati.
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