Where to go, what to see, everythin

Hi guys,

I am going to the Solomon Islands for a month between June and July 22.. I am going primarily for a research trip on parrotfish bioerosion on Kolombangara but I was hoping you guys could let me know of a few things as I'll have about 2 fully weeks off:
Can you kayak Marovo Lagoon without doing a tour or anything? I kinda just want to pick up a kayak with a tent and stuff and make my own way around the place!!!
Is it easy to get from Kolombangara to Marovo?
I'd love to dive over there - How does Gizo compare to Munda/Uepi?
Have anyone of you spent any time on Kolombangara aside from climbing it?
Where are the interesting WWII sites around Honiara and anything else good to see?
Also, where do all the saltwalter crocs hang out?
Also, aside from the obvious landscapes etc - Can you think of any really interesting photo ops over there?
And given that it is the dry season - there should be a lot of sunny days for me huh?
If I think of anything else I'll be sure to let you know :D
Cheers
Adam

Sounds like it would be worth getting the last edition of LP's Solomon Islands guide for you - it has MUCH more detail than their current, pathetic coverage of the country in the South Pacific and PNG guides.
It describes Honiara's WWII sites in decent detail.

Gizo is a much bigger town on a much smaller island than Munda - I guess this sums up the major difference between them. I also found Munda had much more interesting/scenic excursion possibilities nearby. Gizo1s only points of interest to me were its Gilbertese (Micronesian) villages.
I can't comment on Uepi from personal experience, but my impression is that it is just a nice, small resort island which appeals to people who like nice, small resort islands. Clearly a very different category from the other two.

As for crocs - the only wild croc I've ever seen in the whole of Melanesia so far was one in deepest-darkest West Papua. I guess you must make some dedicated searching to spot them!

I guess I'm thinking about Gizo because it's the closest place for me to use the internet to relay back data to my supervisor and get supplies :D
And Uepi because of the rad diving :D
I would personally love to get off the beaten track and see some real cool stuff, especially as I love my photography :)

Actually that reminds me, my supervisor's family there has a boat and everything - is there anywhere I can hire diving stuff for a couple of days from somewhere like Gizo and dive using our own boat?

Ah I wish I was going to PNG too :(

All three places have diveshops, but whether or not they will rent you equipment to take away and use on your own, I have no idea.

Note that I was not talking of PNG above - though that country is certainly fantastic, too.

BTW, in my first reply I was trying to suggest getting this book - for some reason (yet another TT bug) the link was not displayed!

Ah right right..
You were in Indo :D
How old is that LP? Looks around 2001... What is so wrong with the latest PNG & Solomons copy?
Cheers

Publication date is on the page I linked to - older than 2001!
See my review of it on what that means.

Anyway, it has almost 300 pages on all provinces of the country.
The latest PNG & Sols book has just 36, on only 5 provinces.

The first 3 editions of the LP Solomon Islands guide are the best guide books to the country by far. The latest editions, which are tacked on to the end of the PNG guide, are only useful for updated prices - they barely cover the most frequented islands, and leave most of the country out.
There is a company (I think in Gizo) that rents out kayaks.
Crocodiles have killed people over the last 5 years on Guadalcanal, the Russell Islands, and I think in parts of Western Province. Do be careful - and ask the locals for advice on where not to swim.
You might find Tetepare nature reserve interesting, rather than the touristy Uepi etc.
There are lots of WWI sites along the northern coast of Guadalcanal (and this is where the main road runs). Guadalcanal Travel offer tours, or you could do a self-guided one in a rental car.
The American War Memorial on Skyline Ridge will give you a great overview of the battles that took place. You can get to it easily and cheaply in a local taxi. As a diver, don't miss the opportunity of doing a wreck dive with one of the Honiara based companies.

Sweet!
Tell me you can hire drop-tops or something.. haha
Where's the best place to hire a car from? I land at 2.15pm so it'd be nice to rock out with a car straight out of the airport or something..
How long does it take to go from Honi to the west coast?
And should I be any more worried about my safety in Honi/around Guad than I was in downtown Suva at night?
Cheers all

Sweet!
Tell me you can hire drop-tops or something.. haha
Where's the best place to hire a car from? I land at 2.15pm so it'd be nice to rock out with a car straight out of the airport or something..
How long does it take to go from Honi to the west coast?
And should I be any more worried about my safety in Honi/around Guad than I was in downtown Suva at night?
Cheers all

What on earth is a drop-top?
There are a few local rental car companies. Kosol (also the local Hyundai dealer) kosol@solomon.com.sb ,Budget (677)39082 , Avis qcmotors@solomon.com.sb advertise an airport counter (I'm pretty sure Kosol have one too. Both are only open for bookings made in advance.
What do you mean by west coast? the main road runs east-west, along the northern coast of Guadalcanal (the local short form is Guale, not Guad). Where are you trying to get to? Basically, how long it takes depends on what the recent weather has been like, as only the forst 20km or so are sealed, and there are many vulnerable bridges.
Honiara would be every bit as safe as Suva. Watch for pickpockets in the main market, and be careful walking streets alone at night (as a woman, usually travelling alone, I generally only go out at night with locals). In the daytime it is fine to go practuically anywhere.

you can get from Gizo to marovo lagoon by the ferry pelican express .i am not sure if it stops somewhere at kolombanghara.In marovo it stops at seghe and at batuna
the plastic kanu you can only rent from upi resort (very high budget) now but within next month I know someone who imports a plastik kanu .
if you want to know more about write under whisperexpress at hotline dot com
But a good option is to go of one of the village stays in marovo lagoon and organize something with locals and their wooden canu.
If someone is interested in contacts also write me under email above.
i stayed in ringi cove, which is only intersting if you are interested in logging. stayed also in iriri which is an idylic village. Yopu can also climb the volcano from there.
yes the old edition of the old lonely planet from solomon island is so much better. I hope it will get extended again, because Solomon island deserves more than a small section of the actual book.
good picture possibility everywhere

This is a kink to Marovo kayaks. They are based at Uepi resort.