Advice on where to head in the solomon islands??

hi, im heading to the solomon islands in july this year to do some volunteer work around the kirra kirra area for a week, i want to stay in the solomon islands for an extra week and have a look around, i'll be travelling on my own and just unsure where a good place to base myself relax and explore around, any advice would be awesome! cheers jason.

Two weeks isn't much time in the Solomons, particularly given unreliable transportation, the length of time it takes to get anywhere etc. It's also pretty expensive to get around. If it were me I'd spend the extra week seeing a bit of Makira - I'm just looking at a map now, and I'd be thinking about going down to Star Harbour (because I think I recall there are some lodges there?) and then maybe across to Santa Ana.

You can also easily fill in a few days in Honiara - there Solomons wiki mentions some good walks, as does the SIVB website. I've always found the staff at SIVB really helpful (it's located right next to Mendana, so it's easy to find).

BTW if you're interested in reading about Makira before you go, check out the work of anthropologist Michael Scott.

It should be possible to hire an outboard and driver to get around Makira after you have been there for a week, working with the locals. Santa Ana has some very interesting culture.
If you go back to Honiara, consider visiting Gela or Savo. If you have the money, Maravagi is a great place to snorkel and chill. (Be careful that they give you a quote including transport and meals, though).

as above - if in the Honiara area get across to Ngella (above calls it Gela) and/or Savo. Both are short dinghy rides from Honiara. Both have cheap guest houses.

Roderick Bay on Ngella has the wreck of the World Discover, an expedition ship that ran aground then beached itself 12 or so years ago and a beautiful beach. Stay at the Roderick Bay Yacht Club. Savo has some good walks etc

If you get out to Santa Ana as also suggested above its worth it.

Why not get out to Marovo Lagoon - one of the most beautiful areas in the country - plenty of different levels of accomodation around, well worth getting out there!

GlobalCitizen01

Sorry abit delayed in my reply.. Too much to do in too little time!! Hopefully the volunteer works going to be a regular thing so i can explore more! I reckon i may hang around honniara and see how i go from there! I really dont have much idea what its going to be like over there, especially to get around. What r the people like and do they speak much english over there? And can it be dodgy in certain areas? cheers, jason.

Very few dodgy areas, apart from the usual night clubs/Casinos at night in Honiara, if you get in with the wrong people. If you are working with locals, follow their advice.
However, Honiara is dirty and not terribly exciting. It is also a good idea to arrange Honiara accommodation in advance, as it can book out quickly.
Most people in the towns speak Pidgin, and understand English, with English being the official language used in schools.

Honiara is not a big place and there isn't really much to do if you're just a "tourist". However as with any town, you'll have fun if you've got friends there, and Honiara has its own kind of vibrancy if you know where and how to look.

I find Honiara very safe. Watch out for your wallet at the central market, and exercise the usual caution in nightspots - as is the case anywhere in the world, people get drunk, fights might break out, and wallets might get stolen etc.

It's definitely worth learning Pijin if you'd like to go to the Solomons regularly.

If you're looking for accommodation, St Agnes and Chester are both affordable, comfortable, and popular with locals, so you definitely won't feel like you're stuck on your own in a hotel room.