solomons - activities

Hello everybody!

This post is my first on this forum. I am very happy to see that few people who have lots of information about Solomons share them with others. This is going to be my first time to visit the Pacific region. I don't know if I manage it financially. So let me be short:

1. What is the visa situation in Solomons for EU - citizens? (Laszlo replyed to Woytek from Poland that visa is not needed, but our foreign ministry claims the opposite). Is it maybe visa on arrival? Can one stay for 60 days in Solomons without any visa extendings or other formalities?

2. I am interested in Solomons because of absence of tourists, beautiful nature and WWII remnants. i've already visited the very useful "exploring solomons" website. Does anybody have any further information about:

2a. where is it possible to rent kayaks? is it only in Marovo lagoon?

2b. I would like to do some snorkelling, especially around WWII ship wrecks. I am able to free dive up to 20 m. Which wrecks (places) would be convenient to do this? Is it possible to ask the locals to take me to any wreck, what are the approximate prices to be offered? Is it possible to dive by myself, what is the situation with sharks (it's my first time in Pacific, I don't have even a brief idea about this) ? Is it possible to join the dive operators in the boat or are these places dealing with high-end costumers only?

2c. Is water from the springs drinkable when trekking the island's inland? What would be the approximate price to pay a guide per day?

1. Domestic flight fares: somebody mentioned that the final fare is incresed by quite much due to taxes etc. How much is that? If Honiara - Ghizo return flight costs 1336 SBD (solomon airlines), what would be the final price approximately? Are the flights often full in August and September?

Any information would be more than welcome.
Have fun!

1. There is no such thing as visa situation for "EU citizens".
   Visa regulations depend on nationality, regardless of EU membership.
   Check here!

Hello, Dzuro,
I am starting at the end of your post and working back. I am not a diver, so cannot comment much except to say that most diving is off Guadalcanal and Western Province (including Marovo) where many of the WWII wrecks are. You can use your own accommodation and one of the local dive operators if you choose to.
If you stay at locally-owned accommodation, someone there will help if you just want to snorkel.
You shouldn't have too much trouble flying internally in August and September as they are not local holidays. However the domestic planes are small, and often overbooked. Also, depending on the condition of the smaller airfields, planes often get cancelled without warning. So make sure you have insurance which will pay if a scheduled service is cancelled. Also, allow at least a week after your last internal flight to anywhere far from Honiara before your international flight out - I have been delayed that long. (If you have a spare week, visit Gela, Savo or Malaita, which are easier to get to)
Solomon Airlines website quoted fares include taxes.
I drink local spring water in Malaita all the time - it's beautiful. However, I always boil Honiara town water, as it is rarely safe to drink. Many places have water tanks, and this water is fine to drink.
I don't know anyone who rents kayaks, but could easily find a local who would rent you a traditional dugout canoe, especially in the Lau Lagoon in Malaita.
The other good news is there is a new airline out of Brisbane Australia which has much cheaper fares: Check out Skyairworld
You can stay up to 3 months in Solomon Islands on a visitors visa issued on arrival, as long as you have a return or onward ticket.

thank you both for all information which made things lots easier to me.
one more big little thing: how is it with sharks?

the question may sound a bit naive, but I really have no idea about situation in these seas. and there are some warnings in the good old LP guidebook edition.

After World War II there was a huge problem with sharks in what they call "Iron Bottom Sound" (because of all the shipwrecks) off the north of Guadalcanal. However that finished more than 60 years ago.
These days, the only sharks I have heard about are small ones (the ones the shark callers of Malaita call - the spirits of their ancestors.)

Hello,
regarding visa. In any calendar year you stay up to 3 months as a tourist and citizen of a country, who get visa on arrival. Immigration wants to see your ticket out and usually if there is travel date on your ticket, you will get only until this date. For example, if you enter on 1. August and your outward ticket has the date 1. Sept. you usually will get only until that date and not 3 months from 1. August. You will be refered for visa extension to the Honiara city office.

It's relatively simple to extend a 3-month visa to 4 - or up to 6 - months. I normally get a 3-month visa (I book my air ticket for a 3 or 4 month stay) when I land at Henderson - airport immigration can only issue a 3-month visa - then extend it by a month at Immigration in Honiara. It's easier to extend your visa these days than it was before the "troubles".

Mind you, immigration in Honiara is not the most user-friendly government office, so give yourself lots of time if you need to do this, and be prepared to wait either in a tiny corridor or the hot sun, in a queue. (Buy cold drinks before you get there.
You will also need to walk to the Ministry of Finance to pay (cash only) and wait in another queue.

Ooops, I forgot, you also need to get a visa photo, but the whole procedure (in 2002) only took about a couple of hours, including photo-taking in town. I got the visa extension straight away. Previous trips I had to go through the rigamarole as stated by Ozziegiraffe (no. 7) and then had to wait a week for them to make up their minds. Hope things aren't reverting to the old way.