A Few Notes on Tuvalu

Spent ca 3 weeks around Christmas and New Year in this tiny country and thought a few updates may be handy for those considering a trip out there.

Getting There

The agent for the Tuvalu government's boats in Suva is now Freshet Shipping.
Sailings are every 1-2 (or sometimes 3...) months and schedules are only available once the ship has already left Tuvalu for Fiji (from where it returns quickly).
The Kiribati government's Nei Matangare goes once every 3 months from Fiji to Kiribati via Funafuti, but costs almost as much as flying. Its Suva agent is still Williams & Goslings.
Unless you have unlimited time to spend in Tuvalu, it is probably best to go OW by ship but buy a flight ticket for the return journey.
Return tix ARE checked upon arrival and you'll have to buy a RT for the boat if you don't have an air ticket to return.
Air Pacific is the only airline flying there, with fares AU$ 700 and up RT.

Getting Around

The only bus on Funafuti is broken down, so either walk or rent a motorbike ($10).
Trips to the motus of Funafuti can be way cheaper than LP says - I visited 5 islets for $80, with Tepuka being the highlight.
Trips to the outer islands by boat are unpredictable, in theory running fortnightly, but when I went, people up North told me that the previous sailing was a month ago. Schedules, as much as they exist, can and do change till the last minute. The first sailing of this year actually left days earlier than had been announced.
Of the 2 ships, the Nivaga is bigger and more stable in rough seas, but the Manu Folau has an aircon room for deck passengers.

Accommodation

Most tourists seem to end up in the Filamona right next to the airport, where rooms can be bargained down to $33, making decent accommodation a bit cheaper than in Tarawa in Kiribati.
The big government hotel holds a fiafia on Wednesdays ($15) but I was told it features typical "dinner show style" Polynesian dances, not traditional Tuvaluan ones.

Food

Food is much pricier than in Kiribati, starting at $5 for a basic meal.
Supermarket prices are ca twice as high as in Fiji - the coop one (fusi) is cheapest.
There is no market selling local veggies and fruits - which basically don't exist anyway.

Overall impressions

The people are friendly, but far more westernized than in Kiribati.
Many carry laptops on boat trips!
Still, the outer islands retain more traditional houses than any other place in Polynesia, and traditional festivities, should you happen upon one, are stunningly colorful with different costumes/dances from the rest of Polynesia.
Outer island hospitality is probably as good as it gets in Polynesia - I just couldn't accepts all invites for meals/feasts!

Is it worth it?
If you have only a few days and would spend it all in Funafuti proper (which has no "sights" and not even a decent beach, but extensive slum-like areas to the north and the worst amount of rubbish anywhere in the Pacific), probably not.
Visits to the motu around Funafuti lagoon make it more rewarding as would be the chance to see a traditional event. The outer islands are the best experience, but you need time and luck to get to them.

I put a few photos of my trip here .

Cool-Thanks for sharing!

Thank you, Laszlo for this information!

It's golden, almost like you! :-P

I have been wondering to do this trip myself one day. But good thing you cleared that veggie thing up, I cannot go as I'm a lacto-ovo-vegetarian. .

Do you have a post like this about Kiribas/Kiribati?

I do have a similar post on Kiribati .

In Kiribati (just pronounced as Kiribas, but written as Kiribati - "ti" is pronounces as "s" in their language), there ARE markets selling some local veggies in Tarawa, but that means basically just breadfruit, pandanus, and taro if you are lucky.
Ask more about that on the Kiribati thread if necessary.

Thanks for sharing, Laszlo! How did you go about organizing boat transfers to the motus?

Asked around and negotiated (with the help of local friends I took along on the trip, too) - it's a small pace! ;-)

There seem to be relatively few boats around, and fewer still in regular operation, but it should not be too difficult to arrange one for hire. I opted for convenience and had the lodge organize it.

Water shortage seems to be a bit of a problem; last week the hotel did not accept new guests because of that; the lodge however is open for business, but water usage is severly restricted.

While local fruit and vegetables may be rare, you should be able to get a very limited supply of imported stuff. When I was there last week there were a few apples from New Zealand and some oranges available. Taiwan seems to be running an operation to increase local agricultural production over time. In fact the Taiwanese seem to be running a lot of things in Tuvalu, as you will see right in front of you as you step out of the aircraft...

I would add that Tuvalu is a quite laid-back place, with not too much to do other than relaxing and enjoying the scenery, which is what I ended up doing.

I can see why it's the least visited country in the world, lol

How was the boat fare?