Yap or Pohnpei?

Hi Folks,

I have to make a decision, if I will put Yap OR Pohnpei on my itinerary - what would you recommend?

Yap is more traditional and there is also the stone money to see.
On Pohnpei I would have the opportunity, to visit Nan Madol.

Which one would you choose?

Thanks,
Marcus

Yap without question. I am not terribly fond of mangrove islands. Nan Madol is very interesting, but Yap is magical. The small villages and men's houses are still vital.

Where else are you going to?

Cant comment on Pohnpei, but have been to Yap recently.
Nice island, great atmosphere, very very friendly and relaxed people & good diving spots.

Yap island isnt actually ONE island, really a collection of 4 connected islands but easy to go around.

Check http://www.visityap.com/ for current information and a source for answer to questions.

There is PMA, an air service which serves the outlying islands twice per week /
german site http://www.pmafms.com/

There is a requirement of approval by the chief(s) to visit neighbour island(s) but easy
to obtain, either by the Council of Tamol or by the Yap visitor center.
I STRONGLY recommend to go/ fly there if not under time pressure.
UNFORGETABLE
The Yap visitor center can arrange homestays on outlaying islands
(did it on FAIS for one week- what an experience !! )
and there is even a ressort/ hotel on ULITHI, a little pricy but BRILLANT.
/ Ulithi adventure resort
http://www.welt.de/print-wams/article109905/Inseln_am_Ende_der_Welt.html in german

Well, I was really thrilled by these islands and yes # 1 "magical" ---absolutely

Can't comment on Phnpei but Yap and Fais are among my favourite places in the world

I like both islands, but Yap has that something that Pohnpei has not. Pohnpei has more physical beauty, lush vegetation, impressive waterfalls and towering peaks - and of course Nan Madol. But culturally Yap is much more interesting, and i found the people there one of the most friendly I ever met on my travels. (And Yap even has some nice beaches wich Pohnpei has not.)

That said, my first choice in the FSM would be Kosrae!

eflatjan
http://www.pbase.com/bolla49
http://my.flightmemory.com/eflatjan

Thanks a lot for all your responses.

I will travel with a Round-the-World-Ticket. For the lowset fare are only 5 stopps allowed. I will also stopp at Singapore (with side-trip to Bali and East-Timor), Palau, Majuro and Venezuela. So for the 5th stopp the question was Yap or Pohnpei. But I found a solution to visit both. I will arrive at Palau at 01:50 AM at one day, having the onward flight on the next day at 01:10 AM. because the break is less than 24 hours, it doesn,t count as one of the five stopovers. So I will have the opportunity to have a stopover in Yap and on Pohnpei.
Regarding the outer islands of Yap I don't know, if I will manage to visit them. I am for 3 days on Yap. So I guess, I will stay on the main island.

Cheers,
marcus

Can I ask why you're stopping Majuro? It's a nice island and there's resorts and diving, but I don't know that it's worth a stop on a 5-stop RTW. If you cut out Majuro, you could go to both Pohnpei and Yap...

I am just curios to visit Majuro. There is also no need to cut out Majuro, because I have found a solution to include both - Yap and Pohnpei - within my trip (see post #5)

You are only spending 24 hours in Palau? You are stopping in Majuro but only 24 hours in Palau? I understand your curiosity but let me point out this- very very few people talk about their time in Majuro. NOT because it is out the way or hidden or whatever, but because there are so many better places to go- including Palau. It may be too late but do take this into consideration.

Having lived in both the Marshall Islands and Pohnpei, I can honestly say that you will not see anything in a 24 hour period on either island. The beauty in the Marshall Islands lies in the outter atolls which take some time and patience to reach and get off. Of all the Micronesian islands, Yap has retained much more culture than the other islands have. Also remeber that everything there operates on Island time...My advice would be to pick one and enjoy the pace of island life.