Things to do in Solomon Islands

25 things to do in Solomon Islands

Listed in full below. The running order is set by votes and loads with the page.

• Snorkel the coral gardens of Marovo Lagoon

  Dive into the world's largest saltwater lagoon, a UNESCO World Heritage tentative site, where pristine coral reefs teem with over 500 species of fish, manta rays, and sea turtles just metres from shore.

  Western Province, New Georgia Islands

• Explore the WWII relics at Bloody Ridge

  Walk the battlefield where US Marines fought fierce Japanese forces in August 1942, now a peaceful memorial site with rusting tanks, foxholes, and interpretive plaques overlooking Honiara.

  Honiara, Guadalcanal

• Visit the skull shrines at Haleta village

  In the remote village of Haleta on Nggatokae Island, ancient wooden shrines house ancestral skulls, offering a rare window into traditional head-hunting beliefs and Melanesian spiritual practices.

  Nggatokae Island, Western Province

• Dive the USS John Penn wreck off Guadalcanal

  Plunge to 35 metres to explore the barnacle-encrusted hull of this WWII transport ship sunk in 1943, now a thriving artificial reef frequented by barracuda and reef sharks.

  Iron Bottom Sound, Guadalcanal

• Wander the Honiara Central Market

  Browse overflowing stalls of taro, cassava, betel nut, freshly caught tuna, and hand-carved wooden bowls in the capital's bustling waterfront market, best on Saturday mornings.

  Honiara, Guadalcanal

• Kayak through the Vonavona Lagoon

  Paddle through glass-clear waters past stilt villages, coconut plantations, and uninhabited islets fringed by mangroves in this serene lagoon between Kolombangara and New Georgia.

  Vonavona Lagoon, Western Province

• Attend a pan-pipe dance performance at a village

  Watch elaborately costumed dancers perform rhythmic bamboo pan-pipe melodies and stomping war dances, a tradition passed down for centuries across the Solomon Islands.

  Various villages, Guadalcanal

• Dive Munda's Shark Point

  Descend along a coral wall patrolled by grey reef sharks, schooling barracuda, and Napoleon wrasse at one of the Solomon Islands' premier dive sites near Munda.

  Munda, Western Province

• Hike to Mataniko Falls near Honiara

  Trek through thick jungle for about two hours to reach a dramatic double waterfall cascading into an emerald pool, accessible from the village of Lelei east of Honiara.

  Lelei, Guadalcanal

• See the beached Japanese submarine I-1 at Tai Lagoon

  Inspect the corroded remains of the Japanese submarine I-1, captured and partially beached after a fierce surface battle in 1943, lying in the shallows of a remote lagoon.

  Tai Lagoon, Western Province

• Sail to the Florida Islands on a local canoe

  Hire a traditional logging canoe to cross from Honiara to the Nggela (Florida) Islands, passing WW2-era coral airstrips and landing on beaches with no footprints.

  Nggela Islands, Central Province

• Taste cassava pudding at a village feast

  Join a communal kastom feast where freshly pounded cassava is wrapped in banana leaves and baked in an earth oven alongside fish, taro, and wild greens.

  Malaita Province

• Visit the East Rennell UNESCO World Heritage Site

  Explore the world's largest raised coral atoll, covered in dense tropical forest surrounding Lake Tegano, home to endemic birds and the southernmost World Heritage Site in the Pacific.

  East Rennell, Rennell Island

• Explore the sunken wrecks of Iron Bottom Sound

  Dive a graveyard of over 50 WWII warships and aircraft lying on the seabed between Guadalcanal and Tulagi, including the heavy cruiser USS Astoria and destroyer USS De Haven.

  Iron Bottom Sound, Guadalcanal

• Stay in a traditional treehouse at Titiru Eco Lodge

  Sleep in a hand-built wooden treehouse perched above a mangrove-fringed lagoon on Rendova Island, with no electricity, surrounded by birdsong and gentle lapping waves.

  Rendova Island, Western Province

• Walk across the WWII pontoon bridge at Tulagi

  Cross the old US Navy pontoon bridge connecting Tulagi to the adjacent islet, a rusting remnant of the massive Allied naval base that operated here during the Guadalcanal campaign.

  Tulagi, Central Province

• Trek the Tenaru River to its headwaters

  Wade upriver through the jungle interior of Guadalcanal, passing cool swimming holes and spotting kingfishers, reaching pristine waterfalls deep in the highlands after a full-day hike.

  Guadalcanal interior

• Buy shell money at Auki Market

  Watch Malaitan artisans stringing traditional red-and-white shell money, still used as bride price and ceremonial currency, at the lively market in Auki town.

  Auki, Malaita Province

• Spot the Rennell starling on Lake Tegano

  Paddle a dugout across the vast brackish Lake Tegano to spot the critically endangered Rennell starling, found only on this isolated raised atoll in the southern Solomons.

  Lake Tegano, Rennell Island

• Visit the Vilu War Museum

  View an outdoor collection of WWII artifacts including a Japanese seaplane, artillery pieces, and rusting American tanks set in a coconut grove west of Honiara.

  Vilu, West Guadalcanal

• Dinner at the Lime Lounge in Honiara

  Enjoy freshly caught grilled wahoo, cold Solbrew beer, and live acoustic music at this popular expat-friendly waterfront restaurant overlooking the Honiara harbour.

  Honiara, Guadalcanal

• Climb Kolombangara's volcanic rim

  Embark on a gruelling multi-day trek through montane cloud forest to the 1,770-metre summit rim of this near-perfect volcanic cone, camped among mossy woods and rare orchids.

  Kolombangara Island, Western Province

• Night snorkel with flashlight squid at Gizo

  Slip into the warm waters off Gizo after dark to witness clouds of bioluminescent squid and parrotfish asleep in coral crevices, an eerie and magical underwater experience.

  Gizo, Western Province

• Shop for hand-carved wooden bowls at Honiara's Art Gallery

  Browse intricate ebony carvings, shell-inlaid war clubs, and traditional betel nut mortars crafted by artisans from across the archipelago at the National Art Gallery.

  Honiara, Guadalcanal

• Surf the reef break at Pailongge

  Paddle out to a rare Pacific island reef break off the weather coast of Guadalcanal, surfed by few outsiders, offering powerful left-handers over shallow coral at mid tide.

  Weather Coast, Guadalcanal