Hey Cheepnis,
I might be annoying other thread users by doing this, but this is the Solomon Islands section of a larger post I made last year about my trip there.
Apologies to Lazlo, OzzieGiraffe and other regulars here for the reposting.
Cheers,
LostScot
I just spent a few great weeks traveling in the Solomon Islands (Honiara and Western Province) and Papua New Guinea (Milne Bay Province)
I had better share some advice so read on if you’re interested.
I put a sort of summary at the top
Summary
Security:
Costs:
Money:
Transport
Places
Honiara
Gizo
Liofagu
Norro
Munda
Marovo Lagoon
Port Moresby
Alotau
Wagawaga
Sewa Bay / Sibonai
Kiriwina, Trobriand Islands
Summary
*Security:
I am a single, scruffy, ugly guy and when I say I “felt safe” you should bear that fact in mind. I had ZERO problems with security anywhere while backpacking in the Solomon Islands or PNG.
In Milne Bay PNG I felt more like the locals were more interested in making sure that I was safe. Unlike in Fiji I never felt ripped off, badly over charged or had anyone try a scam on me. I only got asked for change once, in over a month of traveling. People I met in markets etc haven’t seemed to have thought of over charging tourists yet, and bargaining doesn’t really happen. Don’t blame me if it goes wrong – but generally I found the first price I was charged was the right one, even in taxis. I would be careful buying a carving in the Trobriand Islands though.
I stuck to the Milne Bay area of PNG however which is known to be safe, others I spoke to who had spent time in Port Moresby, Lae and the Highlands did report having some troubles and attempted muggings.
Apart from the RAMSI presence I saw no sign of the ethnic tension that saw a near civil war start in 2000, or the public disorder which destroyed China Town in 2006. However, conversations I had with people from both Guadalcanal and Malaita indicated that things would probably go wrong again quickly if RAMSI left the Solomon Islands today.
The tsunami areas in Gizo and Munda are fine now for tourism, thanks to the various “aid workers” who you will find in the most expensive hotel in town, drinking chilled wine at three in the afternoon with your tsunami relief donation money.
*Costs:
The costs in Solomon Islands all seemed to be pretty much double what is written in my PNG & Solomon Islands Lonely Planet (7th Edition).
The PNG prices actually seemed a little bit high in the same book, I spent less than I expected.
*Money:
I only used AMEX Travelers Cheques once – no problem at Honiara Airport
ATM limit in PNG appears to be K1000 and seems to be over S$2000 in the Solomon Islands.
I found ATM machines that worked with the Plus network in…
Solomon Islands Honiara Airport
Solomon Islands Noro, just up hill from the port/market, on the way to Noro Lodge.
PNG International Arrivals, before immigration
PNG Main Street, Alotau (watch out for long queues, its not 24hr, opens at 0600)
*Transport
I bought my Solomon Airlines internal flights while I was in Fiji.
Flying internally in both PNG and the Solomon Islands is highly unreliable. I know everyone says that but I suggest booking multiple connecting flights if you want to get a wonderful taste of what “unreliable” means.
• Flying
o Planes often simply don’t arrive. The ground staff at the airport it was supposed to arrive at will have zero information about it even after it has supposed to have landed.
o The PNG Airlines timetable you have been given or printed out from the official website bears little that resembles reality and is best considered only a rough guide as to when/where planes may go
o Sometimes the pilot will look down at the runway and decide not to land. Be very careful of SEGHE airfield in Western Province, Solomon Islands!!! If it has rained in the last 24hrs there is a good chance your flight will land at Ramata instead…
o If you try to make a connection you will probably miss it, even if it’s the next day
o PNG Airlines really don’t seem to give a sh1t if you miss your flight/connection etc
o …however Air Niugini put you up in a hotel with meal vouchers if you are stranded over night! I got this treatment twice, once in Alotau and one cruisy day and night at the Crowne Plaza in Port Moresby stuffing my face at the buffet. Consider that… if you get stranded then Air Niugini will put you in the best hotel in town, book cunningly and get stranded as much as you can.
• Surface
o Get a cargo ship, see in text below.
o I only used PMV’s in PNG and found them fine. On the way to the market in the morning and back in the evening they can get pretty full, but never too bad.
o It’s handy to find out the fare and have the right change ready, obviously.
o Think about markets, before the market opens boats/buses will head from the villages TO the market, and the opposite around market closing time. Simple!
I arrived in Honiara (Solomon Islands) by plane from Nadi (Fiji), the plane stopped in Vanuatu but apparently you are not allowed to make a stopover there. You can have a beer in the transfer lounge.
*Places
*Honiara, Solomon Islands
At the international bit of the airport you will find an ATM, a café and a money change booth. The money change booth opens at 9 or before, even on Sundays. The domestic terminal however is a dump, there isn’t even a bench to sit on although there is a dubious toilet. There was a dead body there when I was. The people on the other side of the grass sell fresh lime juice very cheaply.
A taxi from Honiara Airport to anywhere in the city centre costs S$50, the airport is refreshing in that you don’t get mobbed by taxi drivers, you have to approach them. I found a reliable taxi driver called Ben who I am sure would not mind me putting his mobile number here: 75098
I had no trouble getting a room at the Quality Inn (formerly Quality Motel) but it was more expensive than expected at S$420. That’s for an en-suite, with BBC on TV, fridge, view and leaky air-co. There is also a reasonable internet service there but the food in the restaurant didn’t look very nice.
Next day I got tonsillitis, as you do, and went to the Honiara Referral Hospital. Good news is that most of the people hanging out there are not waiting for treatment, but for relatives who are inside. If you are sick head to “Triage”. I was in and out in under one hour with a set of antibiotics after speaking to a really nice doctor and it was all FREE!
Honiara is a bit scruffy but fine to walk around. There are also minibuses that go up and down Mendana Avenue which are K2 to somewhere else in the centre.
There is a rather overpriced craft market, known locally as The Gallery, opposite the Police Station (thus, next to the Kito Mandana Hotel – hence the high pricing). I scored a bilum there but it was S$100 marked price.
There are plenty of internet places with airco (on the streets off Mendana)
The market is fun for a look around.There isn’t honestly a lot you could buy to eat there though. You can get good cheap Malaitan shell money necklaces at the stalls nearest the road. I paid S$20 for one. Incidentally Kiwi quarantine didn’t care about the shell money so go for it. Check out the gents toilets down by the boats. ;)
I liked all the Kai bars but the airco at Lime Lounge is hard to resist. Lime Lounge is full of RAMSI guys, last time I saw so many cops in a place they were raiding it.
There are a couple of bottle shops on the street between Mendana and Hibiscus streets.
Another time in Honiara I stayed at the Airport Motel. Its cheaper than the Quality Inn, but has no TV and the air-co doesn’t leak. Be careful! They will try to charge you S$100 as a deposit for your room key, but don’t open the office until after 0900 in the morning… when do you check in for your flight?
This place has the attached Bula Bar, which is a night club. Being white seems to qualify you for the more funky upstairs area where you can look down on the dance floor where the ratio of guys to girls is about 10:1
When I was here there were no taxis hanging around, and one I called never showed up however there are guests leaving for the airport too, so just bum a ride. You could walk to the airport in about 15 mins, turn right out of the motel.
*Gizo, Solomon Islands
I didn’t make it to the clam research place (now known as World Fish Centre) but if you want to then call 60022 and speak to Cletus. It’s on the same island as the airport, Nusatape.
The transfer fee from the airport to the Gizo wharf is S$40 per person which is a bit of a sting.
I stayed in Galvinas, Air Co en-suite room with fridge but no TV for S$320
The sign for Motel New Georgia has fallen off but they are still open for business
There is a purple place next to Motel New Georgia which has en-suite rooms for S$280 but I didn’t see them
I was warned that the place opposite Rekona Moa Moa is actually a brothel.
People I met said Phoebes is a great deal with a brilliant view. Apparently there is another budget place just below Phoebes on the same road.
I had a pretty good fish meal in a place called Gizo Nest, on the main street just past the market heading North.
I enjoyed having coffee and crap donuts in the market.
The Gizo Hotel and attached nightclub are the most expensive in town. The toilets have signs in them reminding the “aid workers” not to exchange aid for sex with locals. (!!)
Since LP recommended a place called “Curry Hut” another two or three businesses of that name appear to have opened.
The internet post certainly worked, but it’s not cheap. It’s in the Telecom office right next to the Gizo Hotel. It was here that I discovered Scotland had beaten France… again!
Gizo was badly hit by the tsunami of April 2007. People died and in Sept 2007 I still found large areas of devastation and destroyed housing.
PT109 is open for business despite getting a slap by the tsunami.
To find the tsunami damaged area use the map in your LP 7th Edition to go to the Tourist Office. There is no-one at the Tourist Office because it no longer exists. You will know you are there when you notice all the destroyed buildings and flattened palm trees.
Showers seem to be piss weak in Gizo, however there are some high pressure taps by the beach in the tsunami zone which were much better for a wash.
*Liofagu, Solomon Islands Cargo Ship
At the main wharf in Gizo I found the purser of a cargo ship and arranged to travel on it.
Don’t bother with the white ship on the right of the wharf, it’s been there for years apparently.
The ship I got passage on was called LIOFAGU and it was definitely a highlight of my trip.
Liofagu is a blue ship, and the largest wooden ship in the Solomon Islands. She was built in the Langalanga Lagoon in Malaita and most of the crew are Malaitan.
Liofagu generally starts its voyage in Honiara, and services the Western Province including Gizo, Marovo Lagoon etc but apparently on the trip before the one I joined they had also gone to Choiseul.
Their main activity is dropping off and picking up the fuel barrels used by Solomon Airlines. So Gizo and Munda are always on the itinerary of the Liofagu as these airfields have refueling stations.
The name of the very great friendly captain is Raphael. The slightly less friendly purser is Jack.
If you want to find the Liofagu your best bet would be to enquire at the Marine Office at the Main Warf, Honiara. Once you find the ship speak to Jack or Raphael.
I slept on deck, although several crew members said I could have their bunks. We ate fish soup and rice, so bring your own food if you don’t like the sound of that.
I contributed to food by buying some large fish in Munda, and getting certain crew members drunk.
I paid only S$200 to go from Gizo to Ringi to Norro to Munda to Rendova Island to Marovo Lagoon which took over 48 hours all in.
The ship often sets sail really early, but when it stops it’s often for hours so you can explore.
There is no rain water, so I used my purification tablets on the tank water on board.
No mozzies on the boat, so I used my sleeping mat but not my net.
I had a really great time on that boat, and made a lot of friends. I strongly recommend traveling like this. I was apparently only the second foreign backpacker ever to travel on the Liofagu like that.
*Norro, Solomon Islands
I wasn’t in Noro very long.
The Kai Bars don’t open before 0700 so if you need food for the boat buy it the day before.
Score some buai at the market, it goes down well on the boats.
Noro Lodge is scruffy but large and quiet and cool. Its S$100 or S$200 depending if you want en suite. They have satellite TV and I saw Fiji hammer Japan here. Dinner was surprisingly good. Top up at the big rain water tank in the garden out the back.
*Munda, Solomon Islands
Munda is really beautiful with all the flowering trees (September).
Don’t underestimate the walk from the main dock (which is trashed by the tsunami) to the airport and the village Lambete – there is very little shade on that road and less if you walk up the airstrip. Hitch a lift, I did.
I had a pretty good meal at Agnes Lodge, although I know that the manager has returned to New Zealand and I have heard that things have gone down hill a bit there. I didn’t stay.
There is a reasonable market, bottle shop, fish shop and a few stores.
The ice cream from the fish shop does not taste of fish at all, which surprised me.
The hospital is back by the wharf.
There is a fantastic little museum you can go to, but it’s at least an hour walking, return.
Best way to get there is follow the INLAND road to the East. By Inland road I mean the one that starts heading east from behind the telecom office, and not the pretty one by Agnes Lodge that follows the beach to the East. Follow the inland road to the east for about 20 minutes, or just over 1Km. There are also occasional PMVs heading along here, it will cost you S$2. You need to get to the football pitch on your left. Once you get there head diagonally across the football pitch and to the hut just beyond the corner flag. You are looking for Barney Paulsen.
Barney has a great collection of WW2 stuff, including (live) ammo, helmets, dog tags, guns, knives etc… and the most amazing bit: The remains of two Japanese soldiers. He tells me that the Japanese Embassy is supposed to be sending someone to pick up the bones but don’t seem to be in a hurry. It’s amazing and Barney is very interesting to listen to.
Now head back across the football pitch and continue the way you were going (East). In less than 2 minutes you will find a tiny little shop on the right side of the road, where a side street leads down towards the sea. Ask around here for the “American Dump” and you can pay S$10 to a kid called Axel (no English, use Pidgin) to show you the enormous pile of WW2 vehicles in the jungle. There are AA guns and landing craft down at the beach. When you finish looking around take the road at the BEACH to the West, which brings you back to Agnes Lodge in about 20 minutes. You could have come this way, but it would have been very hard to describe where you have to turn left. I think this is what Lonely Planet means when it says there is a “huge amount of war material in the bush behind Kia” but nobody I spoke to had heard of Kia.
When I was in Munda nobody had any petrol for dingies… lucky I could just hop back on my cargo ship!
*Marovo Lagoon, Solomon Islands
Absolutely stunning scenery but you know that already. It’s often quite overcast actually, so take those blue-water shots when get the opportunity.
Uepi (Uepi Island, Northern Marovo Lagoon) resort is approx A$190 per day, including all food. The food is very good and the management is very helpful when it comes to booking travel, contracting airlines and even arranging accommodation elsewhere in the lagoon. Its got 24hr electricity, full bar etc, however no TV, hot water or email – none of which you need. Staying at Uepi was not in keeping with my budget, but I don’t regret it.
The snorkeling off the jetty at Uepi is absolutely STUNNING. Better than every snorkeling trip I have ever done condensed into one. Amazing fish, huge clams, colourful coral and reef sharks that come really close… and you could even see all this without taking your hand off the jetty.
One morning I counted 23 sharks around me, really close, some as large as 6 foot long and I just managed to touch one on the fin.
Staying with John Wein at Kajoro Sunset Lodge (North coast of Vangunu Island) is comfortable. The guest hut could hold up to about 7 people. The shower is great!
John explained to me about the SDA church etc, and had some interesting theories about 9/11.
(Cold outdoor shower, no electricity, no drinks etc)
The price was S$140 for a night including dinner and breakfast.
Ralphs place at Rogosakena (North coast of Vangunu Island) is a bit nicer, the trouble is how to contact Ralph as he doesn’t yet have a radio. Not sure how to do this yet. Forget email, the rumoured internet post at Mbatuna village doesn’t exist.
Rogosakena is not marked in my Lonely Planet, if you looking at the map in the 7th edition then I think it appears roughly between Nggasini and Mbatuna. Good snorkeling (saw a banded sea snake here!) and better food than at Kajoro. (Cold outdoor shower, no electricity, no drinks etc)
My guess at prices for Rogosakena would be that they were a little more than Kajoro Lodge.
Charapoana (Charapoana Islands, opposite Uepi) doesn’t seem to want guests. They don’t answer any form of contact, either via word of mouth, radio or internet/email. I know they do take guests occasionally, but don’t seem interested, especially not in loan backpackers. I never saw the place.
Mbatuna is a beautiful yet boring SDA town with nowhere to stay and nothing to do and nothing to drink.
It’s a shame that some places, like Charapoana have received two rounds of funding in Tourist Development grants (once to buy a radio they don’t switch on) whereas other places (like Rogosakena) didn’t get any money at all but seem really keen. I spoke to the director of tourism about this, but there isn’t much he can do he said. Also Ralph needs a boat, and his lack of one makes leaving his place a little tricky.
Ralph doesn’t get many guests.
Charapoana, Kajoro and Rogosakena are all run by Seventh Day Adventist church goers, so expect little or nothing to happen on Saturdays and for the radios to be switched off.
Mavo Lodge (on Ramata Island) is a friendly place, but I did find some suspicious charges on my bill after wards (I had paid S$50 for staff service!). The beach is nice (perhaps too rough for swimming sometimes) and the food pretty good. Apparently they do good fishing here. They have cold beer and cold water shower.
I kept the receipt for this one, so here is exactly what I was charged:
Accommodation for one night: S$250
Dinner for one guest S$58
Breakfast for one guest S$35
Mavo Lodge Service Cost * 2 duty staff S$50
SolBrew beer S$15 * 3 S$45
Total: S$438
You are probably planning to leave the Marovo area via Seghe airport… if so WARNING!!!! See above where I warn about Seghe airport. Apparently due to several factors (different coral and not on a slope) Seghe airfield is more inclined to flooding than the others in the area (e.g. Ramata).
If you’re moving around a fair bit then most of your costs in the Marovo will not be accommodation but will be petrol for boat transfers.
This guide for petrol/boat costs is based directly on the calculations of John Wein at Kajoro Lodge.
Boat hire per trip: S$70
Cost per litre of fuel: S$12
So, for example, I arranged two transfers, so that 70 * 2 = S$140 for the hire.
My first transfer was estimated at 8 litres (Kajoro to Mbweka and back to Rogosakena)
8 * 12 = S$96
My second transfer was estimated at 25 litres (Rogosakena to Uepi/Charapoana)
25 * 12 = S$300
So Kajoro to Mbweka and back to Rogosakena, then picked up the next day and taken to Uepi was S$536
| 