Things to do in Micronesia, Federated States of

Descend into a vast underwater museum where over 60 Japanese warships and aircraft, sunk during Operation Hailstone in 1944, lie eerily preserved, encrusted with corals and teeming with marine life.

Wander through the ruins of a mysterious 13th-century ceremonial centre built on 92 artificial islets, connected by a network of canals, with massive basalt log walls rising from the lagoon.

Glide alongside graceful reef manta rays as they perform barrel-roll feeding dances in the strong currents of this channel during the winter months, a world-class marine encounter.

View the enormous rai stones, some over 3 metres in diameter, still used for major transactions and symbolizing wealth, scattered in village men’s houses and along pathways.

Follow a short jungle path to a 20-metre cascade plunging into a cool, swimmable pool, surrounded by lush ferns and tropical blooms near Nan Madol.

Float above a vertical limestone sinkhole that drops over 30 metres, its walls encrusted with colourful corals and patrolled by reef sharks, accessible from a shallow entrance on the fringing reef.

Glide silently across a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve’s emerald waterways, navigating tunnels of mangrove canopy alive with herons, fruit bats and mudskippers.

Stroll among the overgrown basalt walls, royal tombs and platforms of this 14th-century chiefdom capital, a counterpart to Nan Madol, set on a small island off Kosrae’s coast.

Paddle into a heaving left-hand reef break that delivers long, barrelling waves ridden by legends of the sport, but only for experienced surfers who respect the power of this remote spot.

Watch men in grass skirts and women in vibrant hibiscus skirts move in synchronised, storytelling chants and rhythms during a village feast, often accompanied by bamboo pole percussion.

Examine a hand-carved outrigger canoe and learn about the star-compass techniques that enabled Micronesian voyagers to sail open ocean centuries before Western instruments.

Trek up a steep volcanic pinnacle for a panoramic view of Kolonia harbour and the fringing reef, passing Japanese WWII gun emplacements and observation posts en route.

Launch a sea kayak from Kolonia and weave between tiny forested islets and coral heads, stopping to snorkel in crystal-clear lagoons teeming with colourful reef fish.

Crawl into hillside tunnels and pillboxes built during the Japanese mandate, some still holding rusted machinery and offering a tangible, haunting link to the Pacific War.

Buy just-caught yellowfin tuna sliced to order by local vendors, seasoned with soy and wasabi, and eat it on the spot while watching fishing boats unload.

Sit cross-legged in a thatched meetinghouse and accept a coconut shell cup of the sedative kava-like drink, poured with ritualistic claps, and feel the numbness spread.

Spot this critically endangered cinnamon-and-azure kingfisher in the high canopy of the island’s pristine watershed, one of the rarest birds in the Pacific.

Descend to a seamount where dozens of grey reef sharks school in the blue, joined by barracuda, jacks and eagle rays, making for an adrenaline-packed drift dive.

Crawl through dark volcanic tunnels formed by ancient basalt flows, some used as WWII hideouts, others revealing prehistoric pottery shards, guided by a local elder.

Handle replicas of rai stones, examine traditional fishing implements and see ethnographic displays explaining the caste system and the art of dancing, housed in a modest building in Colonia.

Climb Pohnpei’s highest peak through muddy, mossy rainforest to reach a cloud-shrouded summit providing glimpses of the entire island and its encircling reef on clear days.

Drift down a unique tropical river where freshwater springs meet the ocean, creating a stratified layer of cool fresh water over warm salt water, perfect for a lazy inner-tube ride.

Spend an afternoon on the beach learning to identify navigational stars and swell patterns from a traditional wayfinder, a tradition that once spanned the entire Pacific.

Take a long boat ride to one of Micronesia’s most remote and untouched coral reefs, where massive schools of bigeye trevally, sharks and turtles circle an isolated atoll.

Walk through tubs where foot-long Tridacna clams are grown to repopulate reefs, and learn about mangrove ecology and sea turtle conservation at this working research centre.