EM82 – HONIARA, MUNDA AND GIZO EXPLORER SOFT ADVENTURE PACKAGE FOR INDEPENDENT TRAVELLERS 8 nights ex-Port Moresby This is a sampler package featuring Honiara and the Western Solomons. 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 Munda, tour the historical Roviana Lagoon and visit the skull island and the ruins of the village cult fortress on Nusa Roviana Island, razed by British colonial forces in 1892. The highlight of this itinerary is a three-hour speed boat ride from Munda to Gizo through the stunning Vona Vona Lagoon, surely one of the world’s most picturesque water journeys. 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 EM82A. Click here to download a more detailed itinerary for EM82 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) Day 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).
Munda air terminal on a busy day ... 2 planes	DAY 4: Monday or Wednesday HONIARA / MUNDA Your Honiara guide will transfer you to the airport for your morning flight to Munda – pickup time to be advised. On arrival at Munda airfield you’ll be met by a representative from Agnes Lodge. From the small terminal to the Lodge is only a five minute walk – porters from the Lodge will carry your bags. Before sundown there will be time to take a stroll around tiny Munda township, one of the quietest little townships in the Pacific. The air terminal is located right in the middle of town: the taxiway out to the runway actually bisects the town. Munda’s 3000 metre runway is said to be the longest airstrip in the Solomons: it was originally built by the Japanese as a bomber strip during World War 2, and later commandeered by the Americans. Overnight Agnes Lodge, Munda (room only, pay as you go for meals and drinks)
Exploring the Roviana Lagoon with local guides	DAY 5: Tuesday or Thursday MUNDA: Roviana Lagoon tour Today you’ll take a full day tour of Munda and the Roviana Lagoon by motor canoe. The Roviana people were head-hunters in the pre-colonial days and you’ll be taken to Skull Island where the bones of both ancestors and the unlucky are displayed, and then to Nusa Roviana Island where the head-hunting tribe lived in a fortified village that was razed by British colonial forces in 1892. The ruins are still there including the remains of a totem stone carved in the likeliness of a wild dog that the chief of the time kept as a mascot. On the island you’ll visit a seaside village and be served traditional New Georgia-style cooking. On the opposite “mainland” shore-line you’ll be taken to see the Holupuru Falls and bat cave, and a brilliant swimming and snorkelling beach with colourful coral gardens. Snorkelling gear is provided. Overnight Agnes Lodge, Munda (room only, pay as you go for meals and drinks)
Mbabanga Island with Sanbis Resort in foreground Beachfront bungalow, Sanbis Resort	DAY 6: Wednesday or Friday MUNDA / GIZO This morning you’ll be transferred by sea-going launch from Munda wharf to Sanbis Resort on Mbabanga Island near Gizo town. The launch will depart Sanbis early in the morning and pick you up at approximately 08:00. The water transfer takes about two hours and is one of the Solomons’ most picturesque water journeys. 75% of the distance hugs the shore of Vona Vona Island and weaves through a myriad of tiny islands that lie in the Lagoon between Vona Vona Island and Kohinggo Island, both part of the New Georgia group. At the end of the lagoon you’ll pass through a narrow passage between Vona Vona and Kohinggo then cross Fergusson Passage, a short stretch of open water separating Vona Vona from the Ghizo Island group, of which Mbabanga Island is one. The launch crew will be happy to make shore stops en route through the Vona Vona Lagoon if you would like to visit a village or do some snorkelling in any spot that takes your fancy. You’ll probably never pass through such a beautiful part of the world again, so don’t blink! Arriving at Sanbis Resort in time for lunch, the rest of the day is at leisure. Snorkelling, kayaking, swimming and exploring the island are all free activities at Sanbis Resort www.sanbisresort.com. 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. Gizo town is located on the much larger Ghizo Island - note different spelling for the island itself).
Sanbis Resort - great snorkelling right in front of your bungalow Gizo market "canoe park"	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 - your own little slice of paradise	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 EM82 with prices, list of tour inclusions and trip notes (Adobe Acrobat PDF file)