At Jacksons Airport
in Port Moresby (Papua
New Guinea), at the Check in of the Air Niugini Company,
for the flight to Honiara, they asked me to show
them the Airline booking attesting to leaving the Solomon Islands.
Punctual as
never before, my plane no. PX80, operated by Air Niugini, in the direction of
Honiara Henderson Airport (Solomon Islands), (multi-leg fare Honk Kong - Port
Moresby, Port Moresby - Wewak, Wewak - Port Moresby, Port Moresby - Honiara),
taxes included: HKD 6,933 ).
A sandwich
and a drink are served on the aforementioned aircraft.
The
duration of the flight is 2 hours 20 '.
Punctual
arrival at 12.15 p.m., at Honiara Henderson Airport
(Solomon Islands).
There are 9
hours of time zone, compared to Italy,
when summer time is in force in Italy,
10 hours when winter time is in force.
To enter
the Solomon Islands
it is not necessary to have an entry visa, for tourism up to 90 days. To easily
obtain the entry stamp, it is necessary to present a passport with six months
of residual validity on the date of entry into the country and the completed
form indicating the address where you intend to stay.
Keep in
mind that in some areas of the Solomon
Islands, Malaria is present (high risk).
In the Solomon Islands
there is the Guide on the Left, in English.
In the Solomon Islands,
many are tattooed.
In the Solomon Islands mobile phones with Italian cards
do not work, except that of Vodafone which sporadically allows you to send a
text message in Italy
but not to call.
At Honiara
Henderson Airport (Solomon Islands), it is possible to withdraw money at ATMs,
but it is also possible to exchange cash (Euros, US Dollars, Australian Dollars
and many other currencies), at unfavorable exchange rates compared to the city
center, where in Via main (Mendana Ave) there are some banks that change
currency. I exchanged it at the Bank "N ° 1 currency" at the
following exchange rate (1 Euro = S $ 7.77, USD 1 = S $ 7.93). From this it is
clear that in the Solomon
Islands it is clearly advantageous to
exchange American Dollars against Euros.
Keep in
mind that there are very few vehicles on the roads of the Solomon Islands, with the exception of large
cities such as Honiara.
In the Solomon Islands,
even in the dry season it is possible that it rains mainly at night.
If you are
visiting the Solomon Islands,
the first thing you will notice is the bright red teeth and lips of the local
men and women. The cause of this particular color is betel nuts, which the
locals call "buai". Green betel nuts are a fruit that grows in the
tropical climates of Southeast Asia and is
very popular in the islands of the South Pacific. They can be found at every
corner in the country's streets and are chewed as a key part of the most
important ones. social events, but also in everyday life. Betel nut has a
mildly stimulating effect and, in addition to traditional reasons, the locals
chew it to reduce stress, increase alertness and suppress hunger.
Languages:
English and local languages
Religions:
Protestant.
In the Solomon Islands
the police are generally kind to foreigners and do not bother them with
requests for money.
In Papua New Guinea,
there are many Filipinos and Indonesians working there.
The roads
on the island of Guadalcanal are in poor condition
(except the road that runs from the capital to the airport), especially in the
north-east. Keep in mind that only the northern part of the aforementioned
island can be easily visited.
From Honiara Henderson
Airport (Solomon Islands), located about 10
km east of the city center, to reach it you need to take a taxi or a minibus
that passes on the main road 200 meters away. about from the Terminal. The taxi
costs about S $ 100 while the minibus costs S $ 5. You pay the attendant
after getting on. The ride takes about 20 minutes and ends in the main street
(Mendana Ave) near the central market.
One of the
cheapest solutions to sleep in Honiara is to stay overnight at St Agnes Union
House, located on the hillside, 5 minutes walk from the main street (Mendana
Ave). I booked by e-mail at the following address: stagnes@solomon.com.sb. Cost
for a double room with ensuite bathroom: S $ 381 per night. Mosquito net not
present. Fan present. Air conditioning and television not present. Wifi,
present but not available to guests. Shared kitchen available. Breakfast not
included. Night watchman present. Well kept and spotless accommodation.
Honiara, the capital of the Solomon
Islands, is great on foot and appears quite
safe during the day. After sunset, however, it is convenient to travel by taxi.
If you want
to visit the House of Parliament, the symbolic building of the capital, located
on the hill above the city, you need to book.
Keep in
mind that if you want to visit Tenaru Falls or Mataniko Falls, located a few
kilometers south of the capital, it is necessary to hire a mandatory guide,
booking it at the Honiara Tourist Office, at least the day before.
The Honiara
Tourist Office, located on the main street (Mendana Ave), opposite the National Museum, has a website. Although he never
replies to e-mails, if you go personally during the opening hours he has very
friendly and kind staff who can give you useful information and can help you
find a guide or a boat.
To go to
the island of Savo,
located just a few kilometers north of the island of Guadalcanal.
To reach it keep in mind that there are no public boats.
I relied on
the website www.solomonislands-hotels.travel, through which I booked an
overnight stay at the Savo Sunset Lodge, located a step away from the sea in
the Village of Sakaleki,
on the Island of Savo and managed by the former Prime
Minister of Solomon Islands, Mr. Allan Kemakeza. Cost for a double room with
shared bathroom: S $ 150 per night. Mosquito net not present. Air conditioning
and television not present. Wifi, not present. Breakfast not included.
Electricity supplied by a generator from dawn to dusk.
Since the
Savo Sunset Lodge has neither email nor whatsapp, but only the following
telephone number: (677) 7238977, through solomonislands-hotels.travel, through
the email bookings@solomonislands-hotels.travel, I remedied transport from Honiara to Savo Sunset Lodge, by car to Vila and then by boat to Savo Sunset Lodge at
a cost of S $ 600 (round trip).
In the
morning at 8.30 a.m. the very young Son of the former Prime Minister of the
Solomon Islands, Mr. Allan Kemakeza came to pick me up at my hotel and drove me
to Vila, a small village located on the north-west part of Guadalcanal Island,
which is the closest point to the island of Savo. From there a small motor boat
was waiting for me to tackle the turbulent Solomon
Sea to the Savo Sunset Lodge in Sakaleki Village. The not easy crossing takes
about half an hour.
Once you
reach the Selvaggia, the staff of the Savo Lodge offers you some activities,
all for a fee, and described below:
1.
Excursion by boat (30 'round trip) and then on foot (30' round trip) to see the
Vutusuala Volcano. In addition to the boat rental (cost for 1 day S $ 100) and
the Guide (cost for 1 day S $ 50), you must pay the Village Chief 20 S $, for
the permit to moor on the boat, 20 S $, to cross Volivolila Village, 20 S $, to
cross the Kodola Village and 40 S $, to be able to see the Succitato Volcano.
2. Boat
excursion (40 ') to see the Dolphins. In addition to the boat rental (cost for
1 day 100 S $) and the Guide (cost for 1 day 50 S $), you have to pay 40 S $
tax.
3. Hike
(scarce 2 hours round trip) to see KoPapuarail
Falls. Keep in mind the
route is articulated on the bed of the stream and therefore is slippery and
demanding. In addition to the cost of the Guide (cost for 1 day 50 S $), you must
pay the entrance fee to the falls of 40 S $.
4. Boat
excursion (30 'round trip) to see the Megapods and its eggs. In addition to the
boat rental (cost for 1 day S $ 100) and the Guide (cost for 1 day S $ 50), you
have to pay S $ 80 to the Village Chief of Enagatoga.
On Guadalcanal Island,
keep in mind that all of the major easily accessible tourist attractions are
located on the north coast to the east and west of Honiara. To see them take into account that
with minibuses it is very difficult to reach them and therefore you need to
hire a private taxi in Honiara
at a cost of S $ 100 per hour. Just stop any one on the road.
Usually the
most beautiful beaches, which are located west of Honiara have an entrance fee but my taxi
driver knew the owners and let me in for free.
I had to
pay instead:
• S $ 100,
for the Vilu War Museum,
which houses WW2 planes, commemorative monuments, ect.
• S $ 50,
for the WWII Museum, which houses numerous amphibious
vehicles from the 2nd World War.
• Free, US
War Memorial of Honiara;
• S $ 50,
for the Solomon Peace Memorial Park;
• S $ 100
for the visit of Mount
Austen;
• S $ 50
for the Bloody Ridge;
• Free Henderson Airport Memorial
Garden;
To leave the Solomon Islands it is necessary to
present the completed form to the Airport Authorities, thus obtaining the exit
stamp.
My complete travel report
with map, photographs and videos is available at this link:
https://vivendosalendo.blogspot.com/2019/01/viaggio-in-papa-nuova-guinea-wewak.html
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