Tarawa

I lived here for close to 3 months and I loved every second of it. Not everything comes as easily or as quickly as it does in the western world, but there’s an unforgettable lesson about happiness that you will learn from the locals.

Kiribati values communal life, fishing traditions, and natural resilience. Tarawa is the capital and gateway to atolls. Why visit: Snorkeling, local culture, and Pacific landscapes. How to visit: Fly into Bonriki International Airport; boats or local tours recommended. When to visit: April–October for dry season. Where to visit: Tarawa, Banaba, Christmas Island. Investor insights: Small-scale eco-tourism and marine ventures are feasible.

Stayed at Tarawa Boutique Hotel (35min from airport) South Tarawa. Facing the main national oval we watched multiple live wrestlings, school competition's, band, marching among other sports. Watched the independent day & its festivals from our balcony (12 July 2017). Missed Beauty Pageant nite coz we flew out that day. Food, Mary's Motel which is less 5min walk is the only decent meal I found ($8-$20AU). You can buy food off the street for $2-3 (rice with chicken). Lots of mosquitoes, smart to carry antiseptic cream, repellant & paracetamol. People are very friendly, honest and helpful to foreigners. Kiribati is not a luxurious place and people are not so much influenced by westernism. Island is very raw, natural & lots of sun. Everything is really slooooow here, Services, food orders, laundry, etc. Surprisingly, I haven't found a nice sandy beach. We drove round the whole Island in half day, North & South Tarawa in a rented car 70/day. Currency used Aust$, roads are usually good, humid everyday and rains on/off everyday. Temp has been 27-31C (82-87F) (its Winter). We got front row during cultural performances & dance which was gr8 to watch. There's a big waste prblm here. Kiribati has a Religious background rooted in Catholicism & Protestants. Overall it's a cheap destination both accom & meals Flights ..appox 3hrs from Fiji.

A classic example of Malthusian disaster waiting to happen. Too many people in too little space. The NGO's are happy, the religionists are happy, the businesman are happy but I do not know how happy the Kiribatians are.

Tarawa isn't a tourist Mecca. Hotels are difficult to contact, flights are expensive and infrequent and the industry associated with tourism elsewhere in the Pacific simply doesn't exist. Instead, expect to find genuine and smiling people, slightly curious and sometimes suspicious of who you are and how on earth you came to be in Tarawa. If you are coming to live here for a while and don't know how to make your own fun, do not know how to cook with creative and limited ingredients, or if you value your own time more than locals do, you might struggle a bit. If not, Tarawa is a truly uniquely stunning place to visit and to be. If you are coming as a tourist, it pays to get some local help with bookings, tours and sites. So many of the best things to do or see are well off the beaten track and not available online.

Kiribati: I'M NAME MY CAPITAL CITY IS TARAWA!

I lived on Betio in the 1970s. If you ignore the historic reminders of WW2 the Atol has drop dead clear waters, night sky's unfettered by light pollution and fantastic friendly people

The people are a happy and delightsome people. I don't understand the negative remarks. I loved exploring and being immersed in their way of life while I was there. It's a fun and pretty relaxed place. if you come, you should definitely visit an outer island as well. However, Tarawa does have some very neat experiences; The wartime structures in Betio, the fish ponds in Temaiku, and the beautiful ocean rushing under the bridges that lead to Abatao. In recent years they've gotten paved roads and become a bit more westernized. Their beautiful culture still shines through though and cordially sets them apart.