Solomon Islands – an undiscovered paradise

Our son Bastian is currently spending several months in the South Pacific conducting research as part of his studies. In addition to the Fiji Islands and Vanuatu, he has been particularly taken with the Solomon Islands. And since very little practical information is available to travellers about this distant island paradise, we are very happy that he is sharing his experiences here in our blog:

A guest article by Bastian van der Neut

The Solomon Islands, one of the least visited countries in one of the least visited regions of the world, the South Pacific. In preparing to go to the Solomon Islands as part of my PhD fieldwork, I scoured the internet for any and all basic information that a backpacking traveller would need for the Solomon Islands, and found barely any information, and much of the information was out of date or plainly incorrect, inspiring me to write this article:

The 2025 guide to travelling in the Solomon Islands!

Warning! The Solomon Islands holds without a doubt a special place in my heart and is a remarkable country to visit, however you need to know what to expect, as the Solmon Islands could not be further from a tourist hotspot and for good reason. Most tourists I met were in the Solomon Islands for 2-3 days on a wider trip through the Pacific Islands on a quest to visit as many countries as they possibly can. Their passports may be full, but their hearts were empty. They usually found the Solomons, lacking in tourist infrastructure, expensive and dirty and left the country unfulfilled. Even in the fanciest resorts warm showers were no guarantee and they are left wondering what they are paying for. Honiara they found to be dirty, dusty, and complicated to navigate. “How do the buses work, the taxi companies don’t pick up.”

For these types of tourists, I would say: The Solomon Islands is not for you. However, for the true globetrotter, who seeks to genuinely connect with new places and people, you will find in the Solomon Islands a hidden paradise and one of the most authentic travel experiences you can have. But one fact remains: Travelling to the Solomon Islands poses significant challenges, which is why this article will help you navigate these challenges. I am trying to put as much practical information in this article as possible!

Arrival tips

Arriving at the international Airport built at the old Henderson airstrip, a United States relic from the second world war, you will deboard the plane down the stairs and make your way into the international airport. After immigration, you will not struggle to find the luggage belt, as there is only one.

The first things I do upon arriving in a new country backpacking, are 1: get cash, and 2: get a SIM card. Honiara is the first international airport where I have been without a SIM card shop. Online, I had found that there was supposed to be a shop, but after asking around, this was no longer in use. There are, however, ATMs at the airport, where you can get cash, which is important, because in the Solomons, cash is king! Honiara is full of ATMs; however, most places do not have ATMs, so make sure you carry enough cash when leaving the Capital. For example, the central province, 40km across the ironbottom sound has no ATMS to my knowledge and people travel by boat to Honiara to access cash.

Taxis

To get into town, it is easiest to take a taxi at the airport. From the airport to any of the town accommodations will be around 150 SBD (15€), which is only slightly higher than the usual fare of 10SBD/km. In Honiara, I recommend calling Kings Taxi: 27888 or Prince Taxi: 29800. Both have been reliable and charge fair prices; however, they do not stay on the line long, so when they hang up after you tell them your location, do not worry, they will (most likely) come. Overall, getting a taxi is a bit challenging at certain times, as the lines are busy and it can take a significant time for taxis to show up, so make sure you take this into account when you need to be somewhere on time. Furthermore, Honiara, although really only having one main street that is asphalt, it is almost at any time during the week experiencing congestion. So always plan more time to get anywhere. I myself almost ran late to a meeting with the British High Commissioner, but luckily he was stuck in the same traffic as I was.

SIM Cards

On your taxi ride into town you can ask your taxi driver to stop at a shop that sells SIM cards. I recommend Telekom for the best coverage and deals in the Solomon Islands. Make sure you have your passport ready, as it is required to register a SIM card. You can top up your SIM card at every corner in Honiara. Data costs around 10SBD per GB (1€), although you can get a slightly better deal if you buy more: 13GB for 100SBD. A SIM card is a very useful tool as most places outside of Honiara do not have Wifi and most of the bookings do not go via booking.com or other online services but merely through WhatsApping the owners and paying cash. Do not hesitate to save the numbers you find online and reach out to people on WhatsApp, as this is much more reliable than waiting for people to respond to emails in the Solomon Islands. Whatsapp is the normal way of doing business in the Solomon Islands.

Public Transport

If you prefer to take public transport instead of Taxis in Honiara, things get a little complicated, especially for the German in me. There are plenty of “buses”(minivans) in Honiara; however, there is absolutely no schedule or plan for where busses go. Buses stop at clearly marked bus stops; however, you just have to listen to the drivers where they are going. There is no numbering system, and they go when they please.

When travelling outside of Honiara, you can try to find the right buses going west up to the beaches, but with luggage, it is easier to ask your next accommodation to organize transportation. Outside of Honiara, most transport needs to be with 4-Wheel drive, as the streets rapidly deteriorate.

Honiara

Honiara is locally known as the only dusty city in the Pacific, and it is an apt description, as a cloud of dust kicked up by the numerous 4-wheel drive cars shrouds the city. Beyond a few main roads, most roads are only partially asphalt, or maybe used to be asphalt at some point, but are now not far from dirt roads with often impressive potholes. And despite its size and really only having one main road, traffic is terrible. During rush hour, expect to take 20 minutes for a 5-minute journey. Most places in town can be easily reached on foot; however, in the 30 degrees Celsius that may not always the most comfortable.

Some of the highlights of the city are the Museum, which is free, and the central market, where you can get anything from fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, fish and souvenirs for very low prices. You can easily cover the highlights of Honiara in a day. I tried several different small restaurants in my quest to find good, cheap food, and did not really succeed. You can get decent Chinese take-away for 35-40 SBD and a burger with fries for as cheap as 70-80 SBD, but the quality of meat is often not the best. If you expect Western-quality food, expect to pay Western or a little under Western prices.

It is not worth staying in Honiara for more than a couple of days to settle in as a tourist. There are two things you will notice in Honiara. Firstly, unfortunately, a lot of trash in the streets, as a lot of trash just gets dumped there. And secondly, you will find the red spit of Betelnut chewing in the dust covering Honiara.

Staying in Honiara

There are several nice resorts and hotels in Honiara, like the Heritage, Mendana, Coral Sea and King Solomon’s. I visited them all to meet more important people than me and they look lovely; however, do not expect everything to always function, as there can always be issues with electricity and warm water in Honiara. The Solomon Islands have the most expensive electricity in the world, generated by burning imported fuel, so please be mindful when visiting to limit the amount of power you use.

These resorts and hotels look great, are however a nightmare for budget travellers, as they are very expensive. There are no hostels in Honiara, however, there is a (somewhat) saving grace for budget travellers, Chester Rest House, where I stayed and highly recommend. The rest house is located very central in Honiara just 5 minutes walk from the port terminal, however set against a hill provides a calm safe and relaxed accommodation with a balcony overlooking the bustling city. They charge 330 SBD for a room (2 single beds), and this price has not changed in decades!

I spent a total of 16 nights there for my research and honestly loved it. Not for its luxurious stay, rooms are basic with a fan, and showers are cold (when there is water, which was most but not every time). There was only one tiny power outage during my stay. However, the communal space creates a wonderful environment, where you get to meet people from all over the Pacific and the world. This is likely the only place in Honiara where Pacific Islanders and international travellers both stay and can socialize in an organic way. During my time at Chester, I made many connections from all over the Pacific, from Fiji, PNG, Marshall Islands and of course, plenty of Solomon Islanders who taught me key local phrases and helped me settle into how the Solomon Islands work.

Chester Resthouse is run by the Melanesian Brotherhood, an influential Christian organisation. The brothers reside at the bottom floor, but you will not see much of them. The staff is very nice and helpful, and from time to time, we played football on the concrete courtyard in front of the house. The highlight of Chester Resthouse however, is the balcony deck spanning the length of the building that provides a beautiful view on the city, sea, and on clear days, you can see the central province appear over the Ironbottom straight.

Safety

One thing you may ask yourself. How safe are the Solomon Islands and Honiara?

Starting with Honiara, I think it is much safer than it gets credit for by some. I did not once encounter an even remotely uncomfortable situation during the more than 2 weeks I stayed there; however, I did not go out alone at night much, which is recommended. Furthermore, what I found remarkable is that although the Solomon Islands is nominally one of the poorest countries in the world, you would absolutely not expect it when looking at the number of homeless for example. During the 16 days that I was in Honiara, I saw a total of 3 people that I suspected of being homeless; furthermore, I was not once begged for money, scammed, or harassed in Honiara or any other place in the Solomon Islands.

Outside of Honiara, the places I stayed almost all had no locks or lockers for valuables; however, I felt comfortable leaving my valuables in my room unprotected, as you will quickly know everyone at the accommodation I will discuss, and there was no doubt in my mind about the integrity of the people there. In a country where most people live in villages where they share almost everything, the idea of theft seemed far away.

Local recreational products

Betelnut

You will find almost everyone chewing betelnut in the Solomon Islands. This fruit grows all over the Solomon Islands on specific palm trees and is chewed with ground-up corals, and has a relaxing effect on the consumer. I have seen children as young as 9 years old chew them in the villages; however, they are not healthy, so I would not recommend excessive use. Importantly, they produce a distinct red spit , which you will see in the streets of Honiara, but also leaves red stains on the teeth, which you will notice, especially prevalent with young men. Chewing betelnut has strong cultural roots and although I spoke with several mothers and grandmothers who complained about the excessive use and spitting by their sons, they would still partake in a betelnut or two a day.

Kwaso

The Solomon Islands have their own type of moonshine called Kwaso, which is an extremely hard alcoholic drink. Although it is hard to know the exact percentage of this unregulated illegally produced alcohol, it can be as strong as 85%. At night, it is sold on the streets in water bottles. I accidentally almost purchased a bottle one time when I was looking to buy some water late at night in Honiara; however, I was kindly refused their “water” bottle.

Tourism around Honiara

The Tourism industry in the Solomon Islands is still in very early stages, and there are limited options; however, there are a couple of must-sees easily accessible from Honiara.

Parangiju Mountain Lodge

The Parangiju Mountain lodge is about an hour from Honiara, however only accessible with 4-wheel drive cars. Contact the lodge if you need transportation. They can provide a return transport for 800 SBD. Once you arrive, you’ll be met with stunning views of the Island, and if you are lucky, you can see the beautiful native birds like the hornbill flying around.

There are two hikes you can do from there. One to a cave and another to a waterfall. You will need to pay to enter the hikes, as they pass through customary land, but overnight guest get a significant discount, and the accommodation provides guides to accompany you on the hike if you wish. When going to their restaurant, do not miss out on their Sweet and Sour Chicken, which is excellent. The Lodge is locally owned by a family which are lovely and you can always rely on them helping you out and providing you with the best service possible.

Roderick Bay and the MS World Discover

The highlight of my Solomon Islands trip was without a doubt my 3 night stay at the Roderick Bay Beach Bungalows. About 40km form Honiara across the Ironbottom straight (1,5 hours by boat) lies the shipwreck of the MS World Discover in Roderick Bay.

I recommend arranging the boat with Patrick the organiser to leave as early as possible in the morning with good weather conditions, as they operate a small boat and early in the morning the strait is more calm. On your passage across the Ironbottom Sound keep your eyes open because you may spot flying fish on your trip to Roderick bay! When you get there, you are met by a beautiful calm bay with nice beaches and a gigantic shipwreck that is slowly being retaken by nature. Plenty of plants, trees, and crabs now call it their home.

Most people come to visit this site on a day trip, which is worth it, but to really connect with the people and the place in a different way, I recommend staying overnight. You can visit the village about 10 minutes from the bay and Patricks family is at the bungalows providing you with everything you could need. There are plenty of activities to do, from stand up paddling, to snorkelling and relaxing in one of the many strategically placed hammocks. The bungalows are basic and there is only power for 2-4 hours a day and a weak mobile signal, so prepare to live off the grid!

I had an amazing time with the family of Roderick Bay, and the village children that got used to my presence and after a few days were only all too happy when I invited them to come aboard the stand up padel that I had been using, until so many children hopped on that we sank. In the evening I would play cards with the local youth, which was another wonderful way to connect with the locals. So visit Roderick Bay and really get off the grid for a few days, with little electricity, service, but a heap of adventure and authentic connections.

And on your way back please do insist on leaving early, because I caught the ironbottom sound in choppy conditions on my way back and let me tell you, I was happy to arrive back after a very wet and tumultuous 1 hour and 40 minutes of crashing through the waves.

In Conclusion

The Solomon Islands is a remarkable country with some of the nicest, generous and genuine people I have met on my many trips. You will be able to experience a country that is still unknown to most of the world and experience true adventure, but you have to be open to a place that is not cheap and organised, and lower your hygiene standards a fair bit and try to make real connections with the country to make the trip worthwhile. So if you are considering going to the Solomon Islands, do it! But do it not to tick off a country on a list, but to really find and experience the beauty of a country where you will be surrounded by fantastic people and very very few tourists.

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