EM81 – HONIARA, AUKI AND GIZO EXPLORER SOFT ADVENTURE PACKAGE FOR INDEPENDENT TRAVELLERS 8 nights ex-Port Moresby This is a sampler package offering a taste of Solomon Islands’ three major visitor destinations. In Honiara, take an introductory sightseeing tour then choose from a menu of interesting day trip options to explore the history, geography and lifestyle around the capital. In Auki, visit the shark callers and shell money makers of the famous Langa Langa Lagoon then take a day to immerse yourself in the Malaita village lifestyle. The package concludes with three nights at the Solomons’ premier hideaway resort on a tiny island near Gizo where you can enjoy unlimited snorkelling and beach walking right in front of your waterside bungalow, or take boat trips to visit local villages or go hiking on nearby islands. Depart Port Moresby Friday and return the following Saturday OR depart Sunday and return the following Monday. For a 7-night version of this tour that connects with Brisbane flights, see EM81A. Click here to download a more detailed itinerary for EM81 with prices, list of tour inclusions and trip notes (Adobe Acrobat PDF file)
Air Niugini Fokker jet Entrance to Mendana Hotel	ITINERARY DAY 1: Friday or Sunday HONIARA: arrival Depart Port Moresby at 12:00 on Air Niugini flight PX84, arriving Honiara at 15:00 (2-hour flight plus 1 hour time advance). On arrival at Honiara airport you will be welcomed by our local guide (look for somebody holding a sign with your name) and transferred by road from the airport into Honiara town, a twenty minute drive along the main road past schools, shops and residential areas. Check in at the Solomon Kitano Mendana Hotel, popularly known as “the Mendana” (named after the Spanish explorer). The hotel is located on the main waterfront with its own tiny beach, just a few minutes walk from the central business and shopping district known as Point Cruz. There are a number of Chinese restaurants in the Point Cruz area - it is safe and pleasant to stroll around this area in the evening. Overnight Solomon Kitano Mendana Hotel (room only, pay as you go for meals by cash or card).
Mendana Hotel beach Honiara market	DAY 2: Saturday or Monday HONIARA: sightseeing tour 08:00 Your guide will meet you at the hotel reception to commence your day tour of Honiara. You’ll start with a trip to the little museum and cultural centre, which is just across the road from the hotel, then proceed to the central market, the U.S. war memorial on Skyline Ridge and the Japanese peace park on Mt Austen. As you travel about the city you will be greeted by warm smiles everywhere you go. The Solomon Islanders are very pleasant and welcoming people which is why the country is nicknamed “The Happy Isles. Honiara is a safe town with a low crime rate where you will feel secure and welcome. Today you will visit an urban village where you will meet local families living together in clan groups within the town environment. Local-style food will be cooked and prepared for your lunch. In the afternoon, you’ll take a drive out the scenic west coast road which features tropical rainforest interspersed with pretty coconut plantations, stopping for a swim at one of the coral beaches and a visit to the Vilu Cultural Village which has a display of World War 2 relics. Overnight Solomon Kitano Mendana Hotel (room only, pay as you go for meals by cash or card).
Upper reaches of the Mataniko River Honiara shoppng district Market shopping	DAY 3: Sunday or Tuesday HONIARA: day trip options Today a choice of activities is offered. 1) Hike to Mataniko Falls - this is a 6-hour round-trip hike following the Mataniko River upstream from Honiara. Guides will walk with you and a picnic lunch is included. The waterfall is quite large and majestic. There is a big cave at the bottom which can be explored if you take flashlights. There are stalagmites, bats and birds in the cave, which was used as a hideout by Japanese forces. The walking is challenging in the humid climate and requires reasonable physical fitness. You will first be driven half an hour from your hotel to the Tuvaruhu suburb upstream and commence walking from there. Pickup at reception 07:00, dropoff 16:00. 2) East Guadalcanal battlefields excursion – this trip covers all main points of interest from the 1944 campaign including Henderson field, Hell’s Point, Bloody Ridge, underground hospital, Red Beach, Koni field, Tetere Beach. As you drive along the east coast road, you may note straight sections of the road that are actually old fighter airstrip runways. Includes packed lunch. Pickup 08:00, dropoff 16:00. 3) Artifact and souvenir shopping – for those who prefer to stick closer to the hotel, this is a half-day activity that leaves you with a free afternoon to laze by the pool or sit on the little beach at the hotel, or do your own thing around town. The morning’s shopping stops include the Mendana gift shop (shell jewellery and general souvenirs), central market (shell money necklaces and other crafts), DJ Graphics (souvenir T-shirts, island-style garb and local music CDs), BJS Agencies (ebony wood carvings, woven baskets) and Betikama High School (copper beatings, paintings by local artists). Your guide may know some other good shop-stops. Of course there’s no obligation to buy anything… browsing is fun too. You won’t see another tourist all day and shopping is a great way to rub shoulders with the locals. For lunch your guide will take you to a local café to join the workers and shoppers for a local-style lunch: Honiara-style fish and chips (garlic-infused reef fish fried in batter with sweet potato chips) or curry chicken and tropical vegetables on rice are the two most popular dishes. Lunch is included in the tour. Pickup 08:00, dropoff 13:00 (or later by arrangement). Overnight Solomon Kitano Mendana Hotel (room only, pay as you go for meals by cash or card).
Sleepy Auki town Making shell money - drilling holes for threading onto strings	DAY 4: Monday or Wednesday HONIARA / AUKI: Langalanga Lagoon tour 0500 Your guide will transfer you to Honiara Airport to check in for Solomon Airlines flight IE230 to Auki (pronounced ow-kee) departing 07:00 arriving 07:30. Our local tour guide will meet you at Auki airfield and transfer you to Auki town for check in and breakfast at Auki Lodge. From there you will be taken down to the waterfront to board a motorised canoe for a full day tour of the Langalanga Lagoon. You will stop off at a number of villages located on the edge of the lagoon and on the various artificial islands which have been built up over centuries by piling up lumps of coral collected from the floor of the lagoon. Visiting the artifical islands of Alite (pronounced ah-lee-tay), Busu or Laulasi (low-lahsi) you will be shown local fishing methods, inspect the ancestral skulls, see how shell money is made and learn about the pagan shark worshipping cult. Local-style food will be served for lunch at Busu Cultural Centre, including unique local delicacies such as mangrove soup made from the grated propagules (fruit) of the large-leafed orange mangrove (Bruguiera gymnorrhiza), kata pudding made from indigenous nali nuts mashed with boiled taro and coconut cream, and takuma swamp fern cooked in coconut milk. You’ll also be entertained by a cultural group performing what the locals call a “custom dance”. Late in the afternoon on returning to Auki Lodge, enjoy a poke around in the Chinese shops nearby. Stop and chat to locals in the street or in the shops. Overnight Auki Lodge (room only, pay as you go for dinner, breakfast, snacks and drinks).
Sita village in the LangaLanga Lagoon near Auki Sharing a meal during village stay Traversing the lagoon	DAY 5: Tuesday or Thursday AUKI: village experience 08:00 Your local guide will meet you at the lodge reception and transfer you by private vehicle to a local village. Today you’ll spend the day at a typical local village and have an opportunity to meet ordinary Malaitans and learn about their culture and lifestyle. Your host village will be either on the shore of the lagoon or a little way inland. This is a genuine in situ cultural experience and not a tourist show. It’s a lovely safe environment, with no snakes or other nasties to be worried about apart from the usual mosquitoes. With the guidance of your host family you can safely: - paddle around in the lagoon by dugout canoe, exploring the mangrove labyrinths - bathe in the freshwater stream - bushwalk in the forest to see medicinal plants and bush foods, try to catch a glimpse of the frigate bird, the Malaita eagle and the wide variety of parrots - visit the gardens to see how staple foods are cultivated and harvested - watch how food is cooked in the smoke-house kitchen - play soccer or volleyball with the village kids. During the day you’ll meet many of the villagers and share a little of their lives. You’ll also learn about the Malaita culture, learn some pidgin and local language words. You will not be treated as royalty to be entertained but rather as a new member of the family being inducted into daily routine. After spending a day with your host family you will be able to say with confidence that you understand something of the lifestyle of Solomon Islanders living in rural villages. Local-style food will be served for lunch, including unique local delicacies such as mangrove soup made from the grated propagules (fruit) of the large-leafed orange mangrove (Bruguiera gymnorrhiza), kata pudding made from indigenous nali nuts mashed with boiled taro and coconut cream, and takuma swamp fern cooked in coconut milk. Of course you’ll also find familiar favourites such as pineapple, bananas and scones with butter and jam to wash down with a cup of tea. Overnight Auki Lodge (room only, pay as you go for dinner, breakfast, snacks and drinks).
Mbabanga Island with Sanbis Resort in foreground Beachfront bungalow, Sanbis Resort	DAY 6: Wednesday or Friday AUKI / GIZO Transfer by shuttle bus from Auki Lodge to Auki airfield to catch the morning or midday flight to Honiara with connecting flight to Gizo. On arrival at Gizo airfield which is located on a small island in the Gizo Lagoon, you’ll be met and transferred to Sanbis Resort which is located on Mbabanga Island, another little island in the Gizo Lagoon. Gizo town is located on the much larger Ghizo Island (note different spelling for the island itself). Overnight Sanbis Resort, Gizo (waterfront bungalow, room only) (NB If accommodation at Sanbis Resort is unavailable at the time of booking you will accommodated at Fatboys Resort www.fatboysgizo.com which is located at the opposite end of the same little island, or at the Gizo Hotel. In this case, all water activities will still by provided by Sanbis Resort and free daily transfers provided between Sanbis Resort and your alternative accommodation).
Sanbis Resort - great snorkelling right in front of your bungalow Snorkelling around the reef	DAY 7: Thursday or Saturday GIZO: Sanbis Resort Half day water sports and/or sightseeing by boat ex-Sanbis Resort + half-day at leisure. Your stay at Sanbis Resort (or alternative accommodation) is inclusive of accommodation and one organised half-day activity per day. The activities menu includes: scuba diving (including all gear), boat fishing, a boat trip to Gizo town or local villages, village-to-village hiking, being marooned on a desert isle with a picnic lunch, snorkelling offshore reefs, visiting John F. Kennedy’s island. A boat with driver, water sports equipment and lunch or refreshment hamper is at your disposal for the half-day. Swimming, snorkelling, canoeing around the resort area and exploring Mbabanga Island are free activities available for the rest of the day. Half-day excursions usually include a packed lunch. Pay as you go for other meals and drinks at the resort and any additional motorised activities apart from the half-day activity included in the package. (A suggested half-day trip is a coastal village-to-village hike on adjacent Kolombangara Island. A boat from Sanbis Resort will drop you off at the Kukundu Mission Station with a guide, and you’ll walk between pretty little villages along the picturesque coast until you get to Ghatere. The boat will pick you up at Ghatere and transfer you back to the resort. About 3 hours walking, plus stops to chat with villagers en route.) Overnight Sanbis Resort, Gizo (waterfront bungalow, room only).
Sanbis Resort - tle slice of paradise your own lit	DAY 8: Friday or Sunday GIZO: Sanbis Resort Half day water sports and/or sightseeing by boat ex-Sanbis Resort + half-day at leisure. Overnight Sanbis Resort, Gizo (waterfront bungalow, room only).
Solomon Airlines domestic workhorse: the 18-seater Twin Otter	DAY 9: Saturday or Monday GIZO / HONIARA / BRISBANE After breakfast, transfer by boat to Gizo airfield for your morning flight to Honiara connecting with Air Niugini flight PX85 to Port Moresby departing 11:40 Click here to download a more detailed itinerary for EM81 with prices, list of tour inclusions and trip notes (Adobe Acrobat PDF file)