Kiribati (pronounced Kiri-bass) is an island group in Micronesia straddling the equator and, until 1995, the International Date Line. Kiribati’s 33 atolls, with a total area of only 811 km², are scattered over an area of 3.5 million km². Kiribati saw some of the worst fighting of the Pacific theatre during the Second World War, including the infamous Battle of Tarawa in November 1943.
Kiribati is most emphatically not another Tahiti, Hawaii, etc. where you can go to relax and have nothing to worry about. It has few visitors, and they have to be prepared to “rough it.” That said, there aren’t many countries where the people are more friendly.
South Tarawa is one of the most densely populated, severely poverty-stricken places in the world. Other islands have far fewer people, but getting to them can be difficult, and conditions are even more primitive. Most tourists, especially from the USA, go to Kiritimati (Christmas Island). It received some attention on 1 January 2000 as the first location in the world to experience the new millennium. Conditions there are somewhat better than in the rest of Kiribati.
The Phoenix and Line Islands were generally held to be on the east side of the International Date Line and are in different time zones from the Gilbert Islands group, but on 1 January 1995, Kiribati proclaimed that all of its territory was on the same calendar day (skipping 31 December 1994 in those island groups), effectively extending the Date Line further eastward to accommodate this. This makes the Line Islands the farthest “ahead” of any territory on the planet.
KIRIBATI Summary Jan 1-5
KIRIBATI – GILBERT ISLANDS and BANABA (Tarawa)
Visa. Visa-free for up to 30 days. Covid-19 vaccination certificate
Money. Kiribati dollar ($), pegged 1:1 with the Australian dollar, both currencies are universally accepted across Kiribati. 1US$ = 1.56 A$. ATM’s Betio, Bairiki and Bikenebeu. hospital. only cash
Flights. Nauru Airlines Tawara (TRW).
Jan 1 INU – TRW Nauru Airlines ON023 @05:15-06:30 A$350.50
Jan 5 TRW–PNI Nauru Airlines @08:05-11:30 A$609
Accommodation.
Utirerei Hotel. A$90/night. Central location to access both south and north atolls. Fair restaurant, free airport transfers, breakfast included, hot showers, wifi cheap vouchers ($5/GB). info@utirereihotel.com +686 675022530 Booked and paid A$186.30 half of the total of 372.60.
Phone. Country code +686. Vodafone SIM diagonally left outside of the airport.
Get Around. No taxis. Hitchhike or rent a motorbike.
Air Kiribati travels to all Outer Islands in the Gilbert group regularly.
Coral Sun Airways. Reconfirm your return flight on arrival at your destination.
Do. Read “Sex Lives of Cannibals” all about Kiribati, one of the funniest books I have ever read. About an American man who comes with his wife who works for the Peace Corps and lived in Kiribati for a year.
Day 1 Mon Jan 1
Flight. INU – TRW Nauru Airlines @07:15-08:30 A$350.50
Borriki Reservoir. The main fresh water source for Kiribati.
Immigration was simple and fast. I was first out with my carry-on luggage. Utirerei Hotel had a van waiting just outside arrivals and we waited for the plane’s aircrew to arrive.
Kiribati looks like a tropical paradise from the air – atolls and coral reefs all surrounded by shades of light blue/green water. However, on the ground was different. The drive to the hotel was depressing on the only road in the country. There was a speed bump every 100 metres to protect the thousands of little kids. Besides some sturdier concrete block houses, most homes were a mishmash of corrugated metal, fibreboard, plywood, tarps and sheets of plastic – all very poverty-stricken. The yards were dirt with nothing growing like a garden. Garbage was everywhere, in the yards, lining the roads and covering the beaches.
At the hotel, I bought wifi for A$5 per gigabyte, hoping that it would last me the 4 days I was here. I had to wait for my room to be cleaned but there was nowhere much to sit, except two benches out front. The section of grass could have had some nice tables and chairs under umbrellas. The restaurant sits on pilings over a pond of green water and floating masses of stuff. The bubbles were not insects but air bubbles rising from the organic material decomposing on the bottom.
It has 2-story rows of units. The bottom ones have a small patio with a table and chairs. The hotel was full, mostly with Chinese on long-term leases. My room was down the short corridor from the reception with some couches. The room was quite nice with a small kitchen and ensuite.
Dinner in the restaurant was not available and I continued my fast.
I spent most of the day reading. I have started to reread “Sex Lives of Cannibals”, a hilarious book about Kiribati. Written in 1996, many things may have changed, but not that much. There seems to be a lot of running water and the electricity was on. I’m not sure if the lagoon and ocean are still the toilet and don’t have any aspirations to go swimming.
ON Utirerei Hotel. A$90/night.
Day 2 Tue Jan 2
After a continental BF of cereal and toast/jam, I sat in one of the outdoor palapas with a nice table and fan working on my hiking and climbing book. After 18 hours, I was exhausted. With 4 days in Kiribati with not much to see, it was great to do some of the jobs I had planned on when I got home.
ON Utirerei Hotel for the second night.
Day 3 Wed Jan 3
This was my big day to see the South Atoll.
SOUTH ATOLL
Te Umanbong Museum. I hitchhiked the 15 km down to the museum. It has a wide range of ethnographic exhibits – mats, baskets, model houses, outrigger canoes, jewelry, a truly giant clam, coral, weapons, stamps, grass skirts, and woven armour. I was escorted by a lovely woman. Free
I then wanted to hitchhike just to the Parliament buildings and return to my hotel but was picked up by a nice young couple going to Betio to shop, so I went with them and returned. They were buying wood for their new house (a 9 m 2×6 cost A$96) and they bought 6, basically buying a few at a time. We stopped at several other stores and a restaurant where the man demolished a big plate of rice and vegetables in 5 minutes.
Parliament Building. A mid-century modern building with a high swooping roof line. It couldn’t be entered.
Betio Island – most of the WW II sites. The islands of Kiribati saw some of the bloodiest fighting of World War II and remnants of that war are still all around. Tarawa (and Betio in particular), Butaritari, Abemama and Banaba island are home to the most prominent World War II sights, including coastal defence guns, bunkers and pillboxes. Tanks, ship wrecks, amtracs and plane wrecks are still visible at the coasts of Tarawa and Butaritari, especially during low tide. Betio Lodge, George Hotel. Connected by Nippon Causeway.
We stopped at two large coastal guns barely beginning to rust after almost 70 years, several large cement bunkers, a very rusted tank and some pill boxes. They had no problem with showing me around. I gave them A$5 for gas. They drove me back to the hotel.
I spent the afternoon and evening doing more hiking posts on West Kootenay Hiking & Climbing. Dinner was the same very good chicken curry.
ON Utirerei Hotel.for the third night.
Day 4 Thur Jan 4
In the morning, there was an incredible lightning/hail storm and a rain deluge. The 55-year-old man at the desk has never seen a storm like this in his entire life. The lightning was followed by an instantaneous thunderclap. It continued to rain most of the day, a great excuse to do nothing but work on my Hiking and Climbing the West Kootenay posts.
I had the same meal, a delicious chicken curry, for the third night.
Day 5 Fri Jan 5
Up at 5 to shower and pack, the shuttle to the airport left at 6 with the crew of the flight I was to take.
Flight. Nauru Airlines TRW–PNI @08:05-11:30 A$609
NORTH ATOLLS – The road eventually ends, skips a few islands then continues to Naa at the very tip of Kiribati. Crystal clear waters and water bungalows are very rundown and basic (mattresses on rickety platforms).
Guide. Molly Brown: mollybrown413@gmail.com. +686 73001016. Price reasonable than other quotes that beat out the cost of a car rental and fuel.
Abalong. Speedboat $35 Teraie Bird Bungalow.com WA+68673005959
HISTORY. Kiribati was inhabited for 2000 years prior to European contact. Under British colonial rule, it was known as the Gilbert Islands and was administered along with the neighbouring group Ellice Islands (now the independent Polynesian nation of Tuvalu). Kiribati was granted self-rule by the UK in 1971 and complete independence in 1979. The US relinquished all claims to the sparsely inhabited Phoenix and Line Island groups in a 1979 treaty of friendship with Kiribati. The presence of gun emplacements and shipwrecks from WWII battles on South Tarawa makes shipwreck diving a common tourist activity.
Politics. In 1995 Kiribati suspended diplomatic relations with France to protest the latter’s decision to resume nuclear testing on Muraroa Atoll. In 1999 the government claimed that two atolls had been lost due to sea level rise and subsequently, in 2002, joined with Tuvalu and the Maldives to take legal action against the US for refusing to sign the Kyoto Protocol.
Climate. Whoever coined the phrase, “It’s not the heat, it’s the humidity” may have had Kiribati in mind. Actually, the average high temperatures are quite reasonable compared to other well-known places in the tropics (such as Bangkok, Singapore, Manila, etc.). But the humidity more than makes up for this, making it feel very sauna-like. The wet season varies, but is usually December to March, give or take a month. Severe drought also occurs at times.
SEE
Except for Banaba (Ocean Island – 6 km², pop.~300), all the main islands are in one of three groups: the Gilbert Islands, the Line Islands, and the Phoenix Islands.
Beach scenery (lagoons, white sandy beaches and waving palm trees) and boating or yachting on many of the atolls are lovely to explore on bike or foot. Traditional culture is still very much alive. The Kiribati people are generally friendly and welcoming to visitors, and will include you in their celebrations if you happen to be around.
Kiribati Music and Dance Festival. Kiribati folk music and dance is unique to the region, with chanting accompanied by body percussion and guitar, while dance is typically bird-like with costumed performers. Maneaba have music and dance nightly in-season.
1. GILBERT ISLANDS. The western island chain is home to the vast majority of Kiribati’s population, including the capital Tarawa.
Makin (Gilbert Islands extreme north)
Banaba Island (Tarawa)
Central Gilberts (Maiana, Abemama, Kuria and Aranuka)
Southern Gilberts (Nonouti, Tabiteuea) except Arorae
Arorae (Gilbert Islands extreme south)
Kingsmill Group. XL A group of the southern Gilberts was called the Kingsmill Group, a name that in the 19th century applied in some texts to all of the Gilberts.
TARAWA
Te Umanibong Museum, Bairiki.
Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary, Koinawa:
Bonriki Island Water Reserve
Butaritari World War II sites. The Dark Side.
WW II sites. The islands of Kiribati saw some of the bloodiest fighting of World War II and remnants of that war are still all around. Tarawa (and Betio in particular), Butaritari, Abemama and Banaba island are home to the most prominent World War II sights, including coastal defence guns, bunkers and pillboxes. Tanks, ship wrecks, amtracs and plane wrecks are still visible at the coasts of Tarawa and Butaritari, especially during low tide.
Outer Island Trip. Kiribati Outer Island trips allow you to see unspoiled Kiribati way of life, in a more subsistence and clean environment. Most islands have council accommodation. Depending on scheduled flights or boats, you can do weekend trips. Flying (Air Kiribati) is typically the only way to get to most islands, otherwise you would be spending 24h on a boat.
2. LINE ISLANDS The farthest flung islands, with populations on the three northern islands of Kirimati (Christmas Island), Tabuaeran, and Teraina.
The Line Islands were so named because they straddle the Equator, known to sailors as “the line.”
NORTHERN LINE ISLANDS
CHRISTMAS (Kiritimati)
Kiritimati Airport (CXI)
Kiritimati Diving. Available year-round but the best conditions are April through November. The largest coral atoll in the world. Shore diving and snorkelling are available Boat diving & snorkelling are from custom-built 38-ft outrigger canoes. The reef is only 100 feet wide with a wall starting at 15-20 feet. Fish abound in this area — pelagics just off the wall and sharks everywhere.
Visibility averages in the 100-150 ft. range. From the boat, divers experience amazing walls, pinnacles, as well as spur and groove formations. You’ll add plenty of species to your life list on this trip (how about a flame angel, dragon moray or an oscillated lionfish). You will also encounter a school of manta rays, witness a wall of lionfish, laugh with acrobatic spinner dolphins, glide with sea turtles, and encounter pelagics every day.
Fanning (Tabuaeran). XL
CENTRAL & SOUTHERN
Malden Island is largely barren above water but possesses an underwater luxuriance that attracted scientists from National Geographic’s Pristine Seas project.
The southern Line Islands haven’t always enjoyed such splendid isolation. In the 19th and 20th centuries, several were exploited for natural resources like guano and coconuts, and in 1957 the British government conducted atmospheric nuclear tests near Malden Island. But none of that human impact is evident underwater.
“If an alien had just one day on Earth and wanted to see a coral reef,” says National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Enric Sala, “I would show him Millennium Atoll.”
What that alien would see is one part of perhaps the most pristine archipelago in the Pacific: five remote isles named Caroline (commonly called Millennium), Flint, Vostok, Malden, and Starbuck, together known as the southern Line Islands. The waters around these uninhabited specks of land, located 1,500 to 2,100 miles south of Hawaii, are among the last truly wild places in an overexploited ocean.
The Kiribati government recently declared a 12-nautical-mile fishing exclusion zone around each island. “These islands help us understand what ‘pristine’ means,” he says. “From every perspective—coral density, fish biomass, the number of top predators, the biodiversity—their ecological story is amazing.”
On some reefs, the corals were so dense they covered 90 percent of the seabed—vastly more than the 5 to 10 percent coral coverage found in the Caribbean. Additionally, they seem to be unaffected by bleaching or disease even though this region was hit hard by ocean warming. Corals tend to be resilient in places where other elements of the marine ecosystem are flourishing too. In parts of the lagoon at Millennium, densities of giant clams reach up to four per square foot—an almost unheard-of abundance for creatures highly sought for their meat and shells. “Giant clams have been decimated in most atoll lagoons,” says Sala. “In Millennium Lagoon the reefs are paved with clams.”
The most common species, Tridacna maxima, is better known by a name that seems to contradict itself: the “small giant clam.” These mollusks are a little longer than an American football, but they are dwarfed by individuals from the largest clam species, Tridacna gigas, which can exceed four feet in length. At first glance, the small giants look like they’re wearing blue, indigo, green, or another shade of lipstick. The colour comes from pigment cells inside their fleshy mantles, which protrude like wavy lips when the shells are open.
The giant filter feeders act as water purifiers. Microbiologists on the expedition measured bacterial concentrations at every atoll they visited and found Millennium’s clam-filled lagoon to have the lowest count. Bacteria can cause diseases in coral, fish, shellfish, and crustaceans such as crabs. Low concentrations in seawater are an indication of a healthy marine ecosystem.
But none of that human impact is evident underwater. Sala and his team recorded 325 fish species in the southern Line Islands, and estimates of fish biomass (total weight) were some of the highest ever reported from a coral reef. At several locations, divers saw endangered Napoleon wrasses, one of the world’s largest reef fish. Also known as the humphead wrasse because of a pronounced bump on the forehead of mature adults, these fish can grow to more than six feet long—large enough to sometimes have their escort fish, as sharks and large rays do.
The waters around the islands showed the “inverted biomass pyramid” of healthy reefs, in which top predators, as measured by cumulative weight, account for most of the fish—at Malden Island, more than 70 percent. Predator dominance had been previously reported at Kingman Reef. “It’s a seascape of fear, everything is either hunting or being hunted.”
On one dive at dusk—what Skerry calls the “shark witching hour”—he found himself hemmed in by gray reef sharks. “There must have been 60 of them,” he says. “I was trying to photograph in a three-sided coral head, and one of them would come in really close. Usually, a shark will go away, at least temporarily, if you fend it off, but these guys were doing a quick 360-degree turn and coming right back, and behind that one were five more, and behind them another ten, and you could see them jockeying for position. In 36 years of diving, I’ve had some dicey moments with predators, but I’ve never felt physically hunted, as I was here.”
That abundance of predators could easily be lost. Sala reckons it would take just a few months for a large vessel to strip the reefs of sharks, which are hunted for their fins. The health of the ecosystem could then quickly plummet. Without top predators, midrange predators would likely proliferate, herbivore numbers tumble, and algae overtake the coral.
At Millennium Island divers saw two sharks with stainless steel hooks in their mouths, one of them trailing a length of fishing line. A French sailor moored in the lagoon said he had seen a long liner working offshore.
Diving: http://www.ronperrier.net/2014/09/27/the-southern-line-islands/
http://www.ronperrier.net/2014/10/01/kingman-reef-line-islands/
Caroline XL
Flint XL
Malden XL
Starbuck Island XL
Teraina (Washington Island) XL
Vostok Island XL
3. PHOENIX ISLANDS
The Phoenix Islands are a group of eight islands, totalling 28 square kilometres (11 sq mi) in land area, located in the central part of Kiribati. Almost completely uninhabited, except for a few families on Kanton.
Phoenix Islands Protected Area. World Heritage Site. The world’s largest marine protected area, this is a treasure waiting to be discovered. Sandy beaches with coral islands and incredibly blue lagoons. Bird watcher’s paradise. Diving: unspoiled. Gaining access to the islands isn’t easy and it is not possible to dive there yet.
Kanton
Manra
Nikumaroro Atoll (Gardner island) M@P
Abariringa (Canton Island) XL
Enderbury Island XL
.
GET IN
Visa. Nationals of all European Union member states, except Ireland, may enter Kiribati visa-free for 90 days within 180 days. Most other Western countries may enter visa-free for up to 30 days.
By plane. If the tickets are too expensive, get to Fiji any way you can and go from there. On the other hand, if you’ve got thousands to spend and extra time, see how a Round the World fare on OneWorld or Star Alliance compares with the fare to Tarawa and include this on your itinerary.
Solomon Airlines has a service which flies from Brisbane to Tarawa, the cheapest way to get to Tarawa, at roughly half the cost of the flight from Fiji. This service is a joint venture with Air Kiribati.
Fiji Airways has two weekly non-stop flights (3 hrs) from Nadi, Fiji with connections from Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Canada, and the United States including Honolulu (with codeshares on American Airlines, and possibly other ONEWORLD members). If using another airline to get to Fiji, be certain it lands in Nadi and not Suva (unless you’re staying a while and can get to the other side of the island).
Air Marshall Islands does scheduled flights every 2 weeks from Majuro to Tarawa CW117 returning the same day. Air Marshall Islands email amisales@ntamar.net Phone number is +692 625-3733, calling is suggested as emails often go unanswered.
GET AROUND
Domestic Flights and Airlines in Kiribati Air Kiribati has two turboprop aircraft for inter-island travel. Flights travel to all Outer Islands in the Gilbert group regularly. A new domestic carrier has also been set up recently Coral Sun Airways. Coral Sun offers a scheduling alternative to Air Kiribati and can also be chartered for private use.
The reliability of internal flights in Kiribati is improving all the time and fares are relatively cheap. It is important to reconfirm your return flight on arrival at your destination. Each airline has different booking and confirmation conditions, you need to ensure you are familiar with these to ensure a hassle-free trip.
Talk. The official languages of Kiribati are English and Gilbertese – also known as Kiribati.
Money. The official currency of Kiribati is the Kiribati dollar ($). The currency is pegged 1:1 with the Australian dollar ($), and both currencies are universally accepted across Kiribati.
ATM’s are located in Betio, Bairiki and Bikenebeu. There is also one located at the hospital. There is also a foreign exchange office at the Airport. The Australian bank ANZ operates in Kiribati. Most shops will only accept cash, as credit cards are rarely used–except for the two hotels.
ACCOMMODATION
South Tarawa. The two main hotels are Mary’s Motel and the government-owned Otintaai Hotel located at different ends of South Tarawa.
North Tarawa. The best way to experience village life in Kiribati is guesthouses and traditional-style accommodation.
Gilbert Island Group and Council Guesthouses. Each island has a council guesthouse – a mix of the local-style houses known as Kia Kia’s and open-style guest rooms. Each guesthouse usually has a communal living area where meals are served and the cost is approximately $30 per night including 3 meals a day. Recommended that fresh drinking water is taken. Each council will normally have a truck and driver that you will be able to hire to help you discover the island. Alternatively, many of the locals will be keen to hire motorcycles and scooters.
Kiritimati Island This world-renowned bone fishing destination has a variety of fishing lodges, guesthouses, and motels to choose from.
STAY SAFE
Kiribati is generally a safe place and virtually all problems are caused by adults’ excessive drinking habits, not career criminals.
Health. Don’t drink the water without boiling or filtering. Chemical treatment is not recommended as it may not prevent giardiasis. The lagoon (especially around Beito) is heavily contaminated and may make the entire island segment smell bad at times. Always ask first before going out in the water at each location on South Tarawa, no matter how inviting it looks. This is a good idea on other islands too. Get a hepatitis A shot, and be up-to-date on all other vaccinations. Mosquitoes can be very bad at times, so use repellent.
There’s no malaria, but dengue fever outbreaks occur. The fish caught locally may give you food poisoning (ciguatera). Ciguatera is not preventable by cooking or freezing the fish. Promptly treat even the smallest cut, sore, or insect bite, as these can become infected very easily.
Medical evacuation insurance is highly recommended for Kiribati. Many outer islands have no airstrip, making any sort of evacuation long and difficult.
RESPECT. The ‘katei’ or traditional way of life involves a strong sense of personal pride, respect for one another and a consistently open welcome to ‘irua’ or ‘bwaroko’ meaning foreigners. This behaviour is commonly experienced by foreigners who are called into the homes and meeting places of the locals. Uncommon to Western society, the I-Kiribati people have great respect towards their elderly citizens and religious leaders regardless of their denomination (almost all are of Christian background). It is common to observe intoxicated people returning home to approach missionaries and apologize for being drunk. Many individual communities have laws specific to their village as decided by the elders of that village. Respect for these laws is strongly maintained to keep order and harmony in the communities.
Contact. www.kiribatitourism.gov.ki E-mail: info@kiribatitourism.gov.ki Phone: (+686) 25573 and ask for the Tourism Office. (Please note that English is not the first language for most of the staff in the office).
KIRIBATI – GILBERT ISLANDS AND BANABA (Tarawa)
DARE
Arorae (Gilbert Islands extreme south)
Banaba Island
Central Gilberts (Maiana, Abemama, Kuria and Aranuka)
Makin (Gilbert Islands extreme north)
Southern Gilberts (Nonouti, Tabiteuea) except Arorae
Islands
Abaiang (Gilbert)
Abemama
Tarawa (Gilbert)
XL
Banaba Island
Kingsmill Group
Cities of Asia and Oceania
TARAWA
Airports: Tarawa (TRW)
World Capitals: South Tarawa
Museums: Bairiki: Te Umanibong
Religious Temples: Koinawa: Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary
World of Nature: Bonriki Island Water Reserve
The Dark Side: Butaritari World War II sites
KIRIBATI – LINE ISLANDS (Kiritimati, Malden, Starbuck)
M@P
Central and Southern Line Islands (Caroline, Flint, Malden)
Northern Line Islands (Christmas, Fanning)
Islands: Kiritimati (Line)
XL
Caroline Island
Fanning Island (Tabuaeran)
Flint Island
Malden Island
Starbuck Island
Teraina (Washington Island)
Vostok Island
Airports: Kiritimati (CXI)
Festivals: Kiribati Music and Dance
KIRIBATI – PHOENIX ISLANDS (Kanton, Manra)
World Heritage Sites: Phoenix Islands Protected Area
M@P: Nikumaroro Atoll (Gardner Island)
XL
Abariringa (Canton Island)
Enderbury Island
World of Nature: Phoenix Islands Protected Area