Lonely Planet™ · Thorn Tree Forum · 2020 |

# 2 weeks in SI - Itinerary help Country forums / Pacific Islands & Papua New Guinea / Solomon Islands
skicrazy72 02:02 UTC 21 Mar 2011 | We are looking for some information to get our plans rolling. Haven't done a whole bunch of research, but the LP is pretty small. We are divers and nature lovers, like to get off the beaten track and explore on our own. Unortunately we only have about 2 weeks at the end of November. We, of course, are looking to do things budget wise as well. I was thinking about diving 2 days, maybe 3 depending on the cost per tank/day but other than that looking for one or two islands to bunker down on for 7 days each (that have diving of course). so questions are: where's the best diving? i realize you can fly, but is the boat situation do-able or does it take far to long? are there any must sees? waterfalls, dives, animal activity, snorkel spots (have our own stuff), etc, etc are the solomons cheap? thanks for the help, anything is appreciated, websites, names, islands and i'll continue my own research..... Vs |
ozziegiraffe 11:06 UTC 21 Mar 2011 | The only parts of Solomon islands that have dive facilities are the Western Province (relatively expensive to access from Honiara) Guadalcanal (accessed from Honiara), and Gela/Savo, where you would probably need to book in Honiara. Inexpensive accommodation in Honiara is available at church rest houses, such as Chester and St Agnes, which have shared cooking facilities as well. Malaita is cheap and easy to access from Honiara, but I don't know of any dive facilities there. Plenty of places to snorkel hike, etc. Look at Solomon Islands visitors bureau and Exploring Solomons for more information. | 1
surfingyogini 12:05 UTC 02 Apr 2011 | I'm probably a bit biased having lived in Munda, but the diving there is EXCELLENT! The gorgonian fans at BeloBelo are simply spectacular and I can't rave enough about shark point and top shelf and some of the other dive sites there. There is now quite a few options for places to stay in Munda and its easy to get to from Honiara. The owners of the dive shop are very friendly and helpful too and will help you work out an itinerary and budget that works for you. As nature lovers you really can't go past Tetepare which is the largest uninhabited island in the Pacific and has beautiful walks, lakes, snorkelling... A visit there is also a great way to support the local community as its established and run by the descendants of the original inhabitants of the island. Amazingly, everyone got together and agreed that it was worth protecting rather than logging or overfishing and it really is rather spectacular (i'd recommend a night walk to see the coconut crabs! THe coconut crabs scene from the BBC production "South Pacific" among other was filmed there.). Finally, getting around the Solomons is quite expensive, but with 2 weeks you probably wont be able to get around much, so just jump on a plane to Munda, do some diving, boat to Tetepare, do some snorkelling, walking, eating and relaxing, then head home! http://www.mundadive.com/ http://www.tetepare.org/ | 2
ozziegiraffe 12:27 UTC 02 Apr 2011 | I forgot to add, look in a library for an old Solomon Islands only LP guide. The prices are out of date, but much more information about the country. | 3