If you’re looking into planning a trip to the Solomon Islands, you’ve probably heard the most about Honiara, the capital. And that’s probably because the rest of the islands have limited information and are pretty difficult to figure out how to travel to.
I spent weeks trying to figure out how to get to the outer islands before my trip to the Solomons, but to hardly any avail. Solomon Airlines was showing expensive flights, and it was extremely difficult to get a hold of any tour companies or accommodations!
Finally, while I was in Papua New Guinea, I found the information I wish I had earlier, and the contacts that ended up helping me immensely. That being said, my stress and frustration is now being put into this post to make traveling around Honiara and its nearby islands as easy as it can be.
By the way, I intended to go to Gizo and Munda islands, however three days of flight cancellations in the Highlands of PNG left me with only 5 days to explore as much as possible in Honiara.
And explore I did thanks to collaborations with Solomon Islands Tourism Board and Coral Sea Resort and Casino!
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Here’s how to make the most out of 5 days in Honiara, Solomon Islands!
There are very limited hotel options in Honiara, especially nice and safe ones. As a solo female traveler, who now opts for “adventure-luxury” trips, the only place I wanted to and would have stayed at is Coral Sea Resort and Casino.
This ocean front property has beautifully designed villas and suites that are the upmost luxury you will find on the island. Security is strong, which I was advised is important in the main area of Honiara, and getting transportation to and from the property was relatively easy.
Best of all, there are two restaurants onsite, which means you don’t need to leave at night to go out for dinner (I was told it’s a bit dodgey to be out at night alone). The food was absolutely incredible, with my favorite emals being the lobster pasta, and the whole “crayfish”, which is more like what most people including me would think of as a lobster (but without the claws).
Depending on what time you arrive, you can check in and then head to the waterfront bar for a bite, or take a dip in the pool. There’s also a snorkeling area onsite!
Pro Tips for when you arrive in Honiara:
Originally I was meant to stay at Coral Sea for the first three nights, but then I got in touch with the tourism board of Solomon Islands and they had other plans for me!
Since I didn’t have time to get to the farther islands, the tourism board suggested that I at least go to some small ones that are accessible from Honiara. The only downside, at least for solo travelers, is that it can be very expensive, and very secluded.
In fact, I’m not even going to lie, I felt like I was on the verge of a panic attack the entire time I was at Savo Island, which is where they had me stay overnight. For this reason, I do not suggest staying there overnight, and would suggest staying at Roderick’s Bay instead, or doing two day trips.
But you should at least do the day trip to Savo Island to see a really remote island, and if you’re up to it, do the volcano hike! It takes several hours but you’ll get to see lush, untouched jungle, and an active volcano!
You’ll need to leave well before sunset for the 1.5-2 hour boat ride to The Florida Islands, which is where Roderick’s Bay is. My boat rides were all really bad. In fact, I thought we were going to capsize a few times on the small boat, but allegedly it was extra bad since it was only me and the driver, and we needed more weight.
More complete honesty, the accommodation at both places are extremely rustic, so be prepared for a very quiet, slightly uncomfortable night either way!
Since I stayed at Savo Island, I had a trecherous two hour boatride to the Florida Islands in the morning. But when we finally got into the bays, I was completely awestruck!
Suddenly the waves calmed down as we turned into the bay, and up ahead I saw the half sunken shipwreck of MS World Discoverer and instantly all of the trauma of getting there was worth it. It was unlike anything I’ve seen in all of my worldly travels and adventures, to the point where I seriously thought I was on the set of a movie!
Salas, my boat driver, cruised right towards the wreck, which I wasn’t expecting, since most dive sites with wrecks have rules for staying far away from them. But as we approached, I quickly realized that wasn’t the case here, since I saw two tourist teenagers ziplining off of the top deck of the wreck!
Once you arrive at Roderick’s Bay, you’ll be warmly welcomed, and shown where you can put your stuff and use the toilets. Or if you stayed the night, you’ll be able to leave everything in your (rustic) over-water bungalow!
Then you can enjoy as much time as you’d like snorkeling in what I will attest to be one of the best snorkeling coves in the world! There’s vibrant coral, and several sea anenomae patches, that are inhabited by clown fish of all sizes!
Ziplining off of the ship was fun, but I definitely ended up dropping my snorkel, mask, and Gopro when I let go of it. Thankfully the two Aussie teens free-dove down to retrieve them, and now we know not to try holding any items when ziplining off of that shipwreck!
Also, masks, snorkels, and fins are NOT AVAILABLE for rent! You must bring your own, or attempt renting them from your accommodation!
After spending the day here and having lunch, and hopefully picking up a souvenir from the locals there, you get to take another trecherous boat ride back to Honiara. Hopefully you have better weather than I did and your ride will be smooth.
You’ll much appreciate getting back to the coziness of Coral Sea Resort tonight! Just in time for some nice wine and perhaps that Whole Crayfish Monay!
The adventures don’t end just because you’re back in Honiara! There’s still plenty to do on the main island! Well, not really, but there’s at least a couple of things!
Since you’ve spent a lot of time on boats in the last few days, why not stay on land and take a hike to a glorious waterfall?
Start as early as possible to avoid the heat and local crowds, and be prepared for a bit of a workout! Even I was sore afterwards, and I just climbed Everest Basecamp earlier in the year…
The drive to the starting point of the hike, Parangiju Mountain Lodge is around a one hour drive, with half of it being on bumpy dirt roads. It then takes around one hour to hike down to the waterfall, through scenic jungle fauna, but be aware that there’s a lot of small stair/steps that lead down to it.
Once you’re at the falls, it’s an absolutely glorious view to behold! Towering high above is a sheer cliff with the water freefalling down the face of it into a flourecent blue pool (in the sunlight).
You can safely swim in the water below it, which is mostly shallow until you swim farther towards to falls. It’s possible to swim under the falls, but not at all advised for obvious reasons. The (mandatory) guide that goes with you will also tell you that you cannot climb up on the rocks to try to jump off. And it’s probably a good idea to try hard not to get injured anyway considering it’s a long way back to the main area!
Once finished enjoying the waterfall, prepare yourself for a lovely never-ending uphill stair climb!
Then enjoy lunch at Parangiju’s terrace restaurant, with absolutely breathtaking views! Be sure to order your meal BEFORE the hike, or you might be waiting a while for it.
When you finally get back to Coral Sea Resort, enjoy a hot shower, perhaps pack a bit, then indulge in your last local fare feast in Solomon Islands!
For the last day, you likely won’t have much time for an adventure, as most flights leaving Honiara are early AF.
If you do happen to have time, you can do something like visit the Central Market, or go snorkeling at the hotel. OR you can just relax and enjoy the idyllic landscapes!
For those wanting to also Pacific-Island-Hop, I can suggest looking into a direct flight to Santo or Port Vila in Vanuatu from Honiara! Other options are Fiji or Tonga!
AGAIN, this trip was extremely difficult to plan in advance, even for me! If you’d like me to create a custom itinerary and make all of the arrangements for you, please fill out the form below!
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Such a beautiful place.
Absolutely!!