Things to do in Marshall Islands

Drift through pristine shallow reefs teeming with colourful fish and giant clams in the crystal-clear lagoon of Arno, a short boat ride from Majuro.

Dive among WWII aircraft and warship remains in Kwajalein Atoll’s northern tip, where history meets thriving marine life in warm Pacific waters.

Stroll the powdery white sand of Majuro’s eastern tip as the sun paints the sky over the vast Pacific, a tranquil start to any island day.

Discover Marshallese heritage through traditional stick charts, canoes, and crafts in this small but rich repository of local culture and history.

Descend to the world’s most famous nuclear-test fleet, including the USS Saratoga aircraft carrier, now an eerie, unparalleled dive site for advanced explorers.

Paddle quiet waterways flanked by dense mangroves, spotting herons and fish, around the historic atoll that was once a German trading hub.

Savour the sweet, delicate meat of the world’s largest land arthropod, cooked in coconut milk and served with taro at a traditional Marshallese kemem party.

Trace remnants of colonial administration and copra warehouses from the German South Sea period, set against the turquoise lagoon.

Explore protected patch reefs with ranger-led tours, encountering turtles, eagle rays, and vibrant corals in a community-managed conservation area.

Learn from master navigators how to read the ocean swells and currents using traditional Marshallese meddo charts, a unique Pacific spatial art.

Stand beside the abandoned German-era iron lighthouse that still weathers typhoons on remote Rongelap, a haunting relic against endless blue.

Join locals on an outrigger canoe or skiff to troll the deep blue just outside the atoll for fast, hard-fighting tuna you can grill on the beach.

See the towering cross and Japanese and American memorials commemorating the brutal 1944 battle, on a tiny islet accessible by boat.

Sit with elders at dusk and share a cup of fermented coconut sap, a tangy, mildly alcoholic link to ancient communal life on remote atolls.

Pedal from Delap to Laura along the single tar seal, passing squalling seabirds, village cemeteries, and ocean-water lagoons on both sides.

Marvel at rows of huge Tridacna clams raised for conservation and export, in the shallow, sun-dappled waters off this northern atoll.

Witness traditional Marshallese outrigger canoe building, from breadfruit logs to lashing, at this family-run workshop preserving ancient shipwright skills.

Enter a collapsed reef crater filled with brilliant corals and resident reef sharks, an unspoiled natural aquarium rarely visited by outsiders.

Celebrate on 17 September with floats, canoe races, and Marshallese jowi (lineage) dances marking the end of WWII occupation, full of vibrant colour.

Climb the modest rise for a panoramic view of Majuro’s lagoon and the Uliga side, especially golden at sunset.

Search for faint carvings of turtles and human figures on beach coral slabs, left by the early seafarers of the Ratak chain.

Eat impeccably fresh yellowfin and sailfish sashimi on the open-air terrace, with trade winds and a view of the lagoon’s small islets.

Witness thousands of sooty terns, boobies, and frigatebirds nesting on the uninhabited, scrub-covered islands of the far northern Ratak chain.

Board the Dornier 228 for a low-altitude hop over endless atoll rings; the view of Ailuk’s blue coconut-studded islands is unbeatable.

A freshwater spring pools inside a coral rock hollow on this single island, a rare and refreshing dip after touring the friendly village.