NAURU is a small island in the South Pacific Ocean, south of the Marshall Islands and is the world’s third smallest independent republic.
Currency: Australian dollar (AUD)
Capital: government offices in Yaren District
Area: 21km²
Population: 13,770 (July 2008 estimate)
Language: Nauruan (official, a distinct Pacific Island language), English widely understood, spoken, and used for most government and commercial purposes (de facto official)
Religion: Christian (two-thirds Protestant, one-third Roman Catholic)
Country code: +674
Time Zone: UTC +12h
Drive: Left
NARUE Summary Dec 29-Jan 1
Visa. There are 3 categories of visa: those who are visa-free, most Western countries that don’t need the criminal record and health check and those that do.
Must have an entry permit letter (visa letter) issued by Nauru. Email Cramer Cain and request a visa application form.
Applications can be submitted via email to Cramer Cain <cramer.cain@brisbane.gov.nr> who submits them to immigration.
1. Nauru visa application form 2. passport bio page. 3. Flights inbound & outbound. 4. Hotel booking. 5. Source of funds. 6. COVID-19 vaccination record (needed for check-in at Nauru Airlines) 7. Visa fee proof of payment AUD$50.
Bank details: Bendigo & Adelaide Bank Limited, 12 Bath Lane, Bendigo Victoria 3550 Australia. BSB Number: 633000 Account Number: 154763767. Swift: BENDAU3B
Write VISA T- and then your last name in the reference box upon payment. Paid Wise.
The processing time is 1-4 weeks
Accommodation. Dec 29-Jan 1 Menen Hotel A$157/night for a studio apartment. Credit card. menhotreservation@yahoo.com +674 557 8022. It has about 10 blocks of 14 rooms each. On the southeast side of the island and not close to any services.
Ewa Lodge cpreservations@capelle.com.nr +674 557 1055. 4 standard rooms A$165/night. It is booked out 3-4 weeks ahead and 8 weeks ahead at Christmas. It is on top of Capelle and Partners supermarket. It is on the north end of the island near many services.
Od-N Aiwa Hotel. It is on the southwest of the island and close to services in Yerevan.
Money. Australian dollar (AUD). Cash mainly; credit cards accepted at Menen Hotel. 8 ATMs
Flights.
Dec 29 NAN-INU Nauru Airlines @00:55-04:35 A$657
Jan 1 INU–TRW Nauru Airlines ON023 @07:15-08:30 A$350.50
Day 1 Fri Dec 29
I arrived at 4:30 am and had to call Menen Hotel to come and pick me up. I checked in, paid for the room for three nights A$157 x 3 = A$471 and bought a Digicel SIM for A$20 plus 2GB of data for A$21. I then went to bed sleeping through a lot of the day and reading. I bought some milk from the hotel restaurant A$8 for 1 litre and they gave me some sugar for free. For dinner, I had the meal I didn’t eat on the flight.
Day 2 Sat Dec 30
I was up well before daylight to eat and start the walk around the island before it got too hot but didn’t leave till 7 when 6 would have been better. I went counterclockwise so that the museum and the sights around Yaren would be open when I got there. The walk visits all the “sights” in Nauru except the phosphate field.
Walk around the island. The 19km sealed Island Ring Road circles the island. Community bus every hour (but not very useful as it comes hourly and only stops at infrequent bus stops). Hitchhiking is easy and the best way to get around. Cars or bicycles rented from Capelle and Partners. The drive takes about 25 minutes non-stop. A bicycle ride would take 2-3 hours and a walk maybe 5-6 hours. There is lots of nice scenery if not much to do. Cappelle & Partner department store right at the top of the island in the Ewa district makes for a welcome break halfway around.
The entire island is surrounded by a coral shelf that extends 100-150 m off the shore and where the surf breaks. The shelf is studded with jagged small columns of limestone and a few areas where the columns are 4-5 m tall. There are sandy/pebble beaches only on the east coast between the Menen Hotel and Ewa Hotel. Most including Anibare Bay have small limestone columns covering the entire shelf but just south there is an area where the columns are missing for the first 30 m and may have the best swimming. Locals swim at the small port surrounded by a cement wall.
As you walk around there are several small Chinese stores, basketball courts, many dogs (some free and many chained but none were threatening), chickens and two large groups of cyclists.
Anibare District, port with protected boat launch and guys fishing from the wall, Bay Restaurant (Asian/Western fusion), Anibare Lodge (closed), two pill boxes and three no-name hotels (for construction or government workers?).
Anibare Bay is the best for swimming as most beaches are too shallow and rocky.
Anetan District.
Capelle & Partner is the only department store and largest business in Nauru. The grocery store has a great selection, much better than anything else, in most small Chinese stores. Also has the Tropicana Cafe, bakery, bottle shop, and a bank with an ATM. Rent a truck A$110 or Rav A$90/day.
Ewa Lodge. Owned by Capelle & Partner, the hotel is on the second floor of the store.
4 Standard rooms A$165/night, 3 studios with a kitchen. Booked 3-4 weeks ahead and over 8 weeks ahead at Christmas. Rent a modem A$10 + data A$21/2GB. Game fishing for A$550 for 6 people.
Arubo Christ the King Catholic Church. A small RC church near Capell & Partners.
Christian Landing Monument 1887.
Denig District
Climb Command Ridge, Nauru’s highest point with three large round gun batteries, a storage tank and 4 communication towers. Turn left just after the Nauru Ron Hospital and walk 1.4 km up to the ridge. The ruins of the WWII Japanese prison are north on the ridge.
Buada Lagoon. The only fresh water on the island is dirty and not suitable for swimming Surrounded by a road, palm trees and bush. To get there, take the road opposite the Od-N-Aiwo Hotel, go left at the T to the lake, 1.7 km one-way. I hitch-hiked both ways getting a ride both times with little waiting.
I walked back to the Memorial and two churches.
WWII Memorial & Monument. A long stone wall with 3 small arches and a large central cross. Has the names of Naurians exiled to Truk – Did not Return (died) – 240, Returned – 175, priests – 2, US Crew ot the Coral Princess June 1944 – 6, British and Hong Kong Chinese who returned – 7, Lepers gunned down at sea by Japanese July 11, 1943 – 13.
AOG Tabernacle (Assembly of God), Yangor. Plain with low ceiling and blue chairs and an outdoor prayer area with a view of the Ocean. Open only on Sundays.
On both sides of the AOG church are phosphate-loading cranes and docks.
Od-N Aiwa Hotel.
Linkbelt Oval sports field. Dirt. Play Australian Rules football. In front of the large phosphate mill, it appears to be a ruin but I was told it still operates.
Orro Congregational Church, Boe. Outside it is plain grey with a small bell tower. Inside it has multipaned peddled green stained glass windows, a large stained glass window of Jesus surrounded by 9 children, and a nice wood altar.
YAREN.
Naoero Museum, Yaren. Has several boards of photos – historical, the war and modern, a diorama of the island, a model crane, a traditional dress and handicrafts. Free
The Parliament House and other Government buildings – Nauru University, Police, fire station, primary school.
World War II relics. 3 gun batteries on Command Ridge, bunkers, and a Japanese prison on Command Ridge were all left over from WW2.
Plane spotting from Yaren airport.
Day 3 Sun Dec 31
Phosphate field. The entire center of the island is the phosphate mine. I thought it was a moonscape but it is almost completely treed I entered one of the main access roads just above Menen Hotel and got a ride with a couple out for a drive. Pass the Nauru Prison (presently 38 prisoners), a large solar array, an Australian mining camp, some of the detention centres and finally the garbage landfill. I had asked to go to the top where WWII relics were thinking it was in the centre of the area but it is Command Ridge.
Also up here is the Australian Immigration Detention Centre, 4 camps that once held up to 3,000 but presently had no one there. Those who were classified as Asylum could not leave the camps, whereas Refugees could leave.
Menin Hotel held a New Year’s Seafood Buffet Lunch from 12:30-2 pm for A$40. I thought I would go but when I saw the spread and no foreigners to sit with, I decided to have a fasting day.
The day started windy and rainy but turned into a typical hot humid day. I slept, washed clothes, read “War Doctor” and took it easy.
Day 4 Mon Jan 1, 2024
Flight. Jan 1 INU–TRW Nauru Airlines ON023 @07:15-08:30 A$350.50
HISTORY
Although other island states may be smaller in area and/or less populous, they are all dependent territories of other countries, so Nauru keeps the title of the world’s third-smallest independent republic.
First inhabited by Micronesians and Polynesians, Nauru was annexed by the German Empire in 1888. In 1900, Nauru’s phosphate deposits, which occupied about 90% of the island at the time, were discovered and began to be mined under a German-British consortium. During World War I, the island was occupied by Australian forces. After the war, the island became a League of Nations joint mandate (later a United Nations trusteeship after the Japanese occupation for three years during World War II) under Australia, the United Kingdom and New Zealand.
Nauru achieved independence from Australia in 1968.
In the years following independence, phosphate exports briefly gave Nauruans the highest per capita income in the world. The primary phosphate reserves were soon exhausted, crashing the local economy in the process, but in 2006–07, mining of a deeper layer of “secondary phosphate” began. As of 2016, most of Nauru’s revenue came from the export of phosphate. The industry is controlled by the Nauru Phosphate Corporation (NPC). It is anticipated that the phosphate reserves will be completely exhausted before 2050. The sale of fishing licences is the other major revenue raiser. Countries such as Australia and Taiwan provide substantial development cooperation funding. Despite this, the unemployment rate currently stands at 90%, which is the highest in the world. That is not the only problem on the island, as over 95% of the population is obese and over 40% suffer from Type 2 diabetes- the highest levels of obesity and diabetes in the world.
In 2001, the Norwegian container ship Tampa rescued several hundred asylum seekers from a sinking Indonesian vessel and attempted to deliver them to Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean, which is an Australian Federal Territory. In what was labelled The Pacific Solution, the Australian Government established a controversial Off Shore Processing Centre (OPC) on Nauru where these people were housed, pending assessment of their claims to be refugees. The OPC was closed in early 2008 and re-opened in 2012. The OPC still remains very controversial owing to its extremely negative human rights record. As of 2016, there are approximately 470 people – chiefly of Middle Eastern origin – held in the OPC.
Climate. The climate is tropical, with some rain occurring between November and February.
Terrain. There are a few “sandy” beaches but most of the shallow area around the island is coral reefs. Most of the interior of the island is worked-out mining land, which is to be rehabilitated.
GET IN
By plane. Nauru’s national carrier Nauru Airlines flies to Nauru International Airport from Brisbane (Australia), Tarawa (Kiribati), Majuro (Marshall Islands), Luganville and Port Vila (Vanuatu) and Nadi (Fiji). Schedules change throughout the year; further details are available from the website.
GET AROUND
Nauru is so small that it takes less than one hour to drive right around it. The airport runway cuts across three of the twenty kilometres of road. The only traffic lights on the island are used to stop the traffic and allow the plane to cross the road to the terminal! This is a favourite souvenir snapshot taken by visitors.
Traffic drives on the left. The 19km Island Ring Road circles the island. Drivers should be on increased lookout for animals and pedestrians while driving on the beltway. There is a community bus which travels around the island every hour or so during the day. Cars or bicycles can sometimes be rented from Capelle and Partners, the largest local supermarket.
Talk. The official language is Nauruan, a distinct Pacific Island language. Some locals speak Tuvaluan or Gilbertese which are quite common around the island since these two ethnic groups have historically worked in the Nauru mining industry.
English is widely understood, spoken, and used for most government and commercial purposes. It is de facto official language.
BUY
Nauru uses the Australian dollar ($) as its national currency. Cash transactions are the norm; credit cards are rarely accepted. There are 8 ATMs on the island; 1 is situated at Meneng Hotel, Capelle and Partner’s Supermarket, Nauru International Airport and 4 at the Bendigo Bank. ATMs frequently run out of money and go out of service as a result.
Nauru t-shirts can be purchased at Capelle’s.
EAT
Food is imported from Australia and arrives by ship and plane, usually every week as the vessels have been in operation regularly. There are lots of small “eating places”, selling Chinese food. There is a fast food kiosk at Capelle’s supermarket served by the locals and at Milton Ross supermarket served by Filipinos. There is also another fast food takeaway at McDon’s, serving Filipino dishes.
Nauru has a serious obesity problem, as will become apparent as soon as you arrive. The decision to mine the phosphates led to an almost complete loss of agricultural land, with the result that almost everything is imported. Such imported foods are usually processed and high in sugar and fat. Several studies have cited the country as the fattest in the world.
Dining in Nauru is a great experience. During your Nauru tours, enjoy all kinds of delicious and healthy dishes. Since Nauru is an island nation, seafood is very popular in its restaurants offered as authentic dishes. The cuisine of Nauru is highly influenced by the cuisines of countries such as Germany, Australia, China and Britain. You can savour all kinds of mouthwatering dishes in the various restaurants and bars in Nauru.
Local-owned restaurants ‘Jules’ and ‘Bay Restaurant’ are popular names in the list of restaurants and bars in Nauru. Jules serves seafood delicacies from mussels, oysters and whatever you love from the ocean. ‘Bay Restaurant’ serves Asian delicacies and a variety of pizza. Both places have various drinks to serve. Many other restaurants in Nauru are Chinese-owned. There are many food stalls on certain roadsides on the island where locals sell barbecue serves of variety dishes. If you crave for barbecue, keep an eye out for the ‘BBQ signs’ by the roadsides. Nauru cuisine is very light because of the high temperature. Another popular area to eat is the ‘Eigigu takeaway’ which serves local food. It is situated close to the Nauru Post office. Therefore, you will get to savour simple food items in the eateries of this country. The aroma and flavour of the delicacies of Nauru are unique to this country.
The dishes offered in Nauru are a treat to the taste buds. Sushimi, Coconut fish and Meat are some of their main foods. Cooked and smoked hams are also very popular.
Drink. The Reef Bar at the Menen Hotel is one of the only bars in Nauru. It is on the opposite side of the island from the Od-N-Aiwo, one of two other hotels in Nauru. It serves beers and international spirits. The bar has a couple of pool tables, satellite TV and recorded music. It’s lively at the weekends as there are sometimes local bands playing. There is also a huge flat screen located outside on the patio where there is a sea view of the background and guests and local friends do karaoke or sit and watch football matches live on weekends as part of their social outing.
There is a bar called ‘Jules’ in Denig district that is privately owned, and opened in 2012. New faces will be enthusiastically welcomed by the locals and the expats will usually have a chat, too. No flip flops/thongs/shorts (enclosed sandals are OK). The usual clothes for men is collar T-shirts or floral island shirts and skirts/dresses for women. Standard clothing is highly recommended.
SLEEP
There are 3 hotels, the more expensive but brand new Budapest on the northeast coast, the original Menen on the east of the island and the budget Od’n Aiwo to the west. As of 2018 it was also possible to book alternative accommodations through Air BnB, such as a room in a guesthouse behind the airport. Note that these hotels are slow to respond to booking requests, and in order to successfully get the reservation confirmation as required by the Nauru tourist visa process you will likely need to follow up with the hotels several times.
Od’n Aiwo Hotel, PO Box 299, Aiwo District, Republic of Nauru (On the coastal belt road, to the west side of the island, directly opposite the road inland to Buada), ☎ (+674) 555 9203 (odnaiwo@yahoo.com). The less expensive of the three hotels on Nauru. USD40-80.
Menen Hotel, PO Box 298, Anibare District, Republic of Nauru (On the coastal belt road, to the east side of the island and south of Anibare Bay.), ☎ (+674) 557 8021 (menhotreservation@yahoo.com). The Menen is Nauru’s largest hotel, boasting 119 rooms and conference facilities for up to 200. It possesses two restaurants and one the island’s two bars. USD80.
Budapest Hotel, Anibare District, Republic of Nauru (On the coastal belt road, to the north-east side of the island, near Anabar Beach and the Lovoni Baptist Church), ☎ (+674) 554 4983 (hasan@radianceinternational.com.au). The more expensive of the three hotels on Nauru. USD170-330. edit
STAY SAFE
Like many other Pacific Islands, Nauru is surrounded by a shallow reef with cut-outs through the reef providing access for boats and harbours, and there can be strong currents across the shallow water, moving boats in the harbours, and dangerous marine animals on the reef floor. Ask for advice before venturing into the water.
The trafficking of drugs and narcotics of any kind will be punished severely.
Although homosexual acts in Nauru were legalised in 2016, open displays of affection between same-sex partners may offend some.
The island hosts an immigration processing center for nearby Australia as a source of income. Do not trespass on the property.
Health. Water supply in Nauru is dependent on rainwater collected into tanks from the roofs of houses and from an ageing reverse osmosis desalination plant.
Respect. Be respectful to the native people and their environment. As the nation has one of the highest obesity rates in the world, pointing out someone’s obesity will almost always be taken poorly and cause offence. Use common sense, and avoid other actions that are considered rude internationally. Be respectful of the wildlife and nature, and remember that it has all been there long before any humans.
The island nation allows freedom of religion, but most of the island practices Christianity, so be respectful of any and all religious practices. While the constitution allows any religion to be practiced, religious practices under the Church of Latter Day Saints and the Jehovah’s Witnesses have been limited.
Contact. Cenpac Net is the internet service provider (ISP). Mobile phone and data is available from Digicel wireless. Digicel uses 900 MHz for 2G/GSM and 3G/UMTS/HSPA+. 4G/LTE was started in December 2016 on band 3 (1800 mhz). The whole island is covered. You can get more info at their website here.
Get out. If you travel by yacht, you can reach Tuvalu.
NOMAD MANIA Nauru
World Capitals: Yaren District
Borders: Nauru (sea border/port)
Airports: Nauru (INU)
Religious Temples:
Arubo: Arubo Catholic Church
Orro: Orro Congregational Church
Lakes: Buada Lagoon
Experiences: Angam Day