Skip to content
Voykit
Set your trip — dates, party, bagsPlanner

Draft data. Times, fares and step counts are desk estimates awaiting field checks. Unknown times stay unknown. How we verify

Cluster · Garapan (Saipan)

Marpi and the north-east war sites

A car-loop cluster at the north end: Banzai Cliff, the Last Command Post and Bird Island Lookout; go in the morning, take water and fuel, and plan 3–4 hours including the drive.

Not field-verified

Key facts

28″ bags
forbidden
Time budget
half
Rescue coverage
92% ≤7′
max p90 7′
Places
3
Rules in force · 9Hot pavements and long gaps between shade
  • Oceania ↗Oceania's island states guard their farms and reefs at the border: tick 'yes' on the arrival card for any food, plant, animal product, soil or used outdoor gear, and let the officer decide.
  • Oceania ↗Across the tropical South Pacific, cyclones are possible from November to April: choose insurance that covers weather delays and keep one spare night before a long-haul departure.
  • Micronesia ↗Micronesia runs on a handful of weekly flights, so one cancellation can cost several days: build slack into every connection between islands.
  • Northern Mariana Islands ↗US entry rules apply: a US visa, ESTA, or eligibility for the Guam–CNMI Visa Waiver Program. Check US Customs and Border Protection for your passport, and note that the Guam–CNMI waiver does not allow travel on to the rest of the US.
  • Northern Mariana Islands ↗The CNMI runs its own customs and quarantine check: declare food, plants and animal products on arrival.
  • Northern Mariana Islands ↗Second World War sites (Banzai Cliff, Tinian's North Field) are memorials; do not remove relics or climb on structures.
  • Saipan ↗From July to November a typhoon can close the airport and the boats: keep a spare day before an international flight.
  • Garapan (Saipan) ↗Hot pavements and long gaps between shade: bags go from the car to the door, never on a walk.
  • Garapan (Saipan) ↗From July to November a typhoon can close the airport and the Managaha boats: keep a spare day before an international flight and check the official forecast.
Map to the centre
Google Maps Apple Maps Street View
Directions
From where I am

Add your hotel to get directions from it. · stays in this browser; shared with the pocket card.

Walking weather, next 5 days

Loading forecast…

Forecast: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), model data for this point.

Plan

How the ground walks, and what is here

Bound and physics

The Marpi road and lookouts at the north tip (approximate box; not a walkable area).

Slope
rolling
Stairs
Some stone steps; a few steps at the lookouts
Shade
low
Surface
paved road, uneven paths
Sleep here or visit
visit

A walking route that works

Morning

  1. Banzai Cliff

    Memorial and lookout.

  2. Last Command Post

    Ruined bunker and guns.

  3. Bird Island Lookout

    Short view stop.

On the ground

Where to rest, how to leave, where to sleep nearby

Rescue anchors

399 grid cells · 40 m
ABCDEF
Green: rescue anchor (always). Amber: heat-only anchor. Red dots: grid cells more than 7 min (p90) from every valid anchor. North is up; not to scale for navigation.

A — Banzai Cliff car park (field-verify)

seated_rest · toilet · valid: always

B — Memorial monuments bench (field-verify)

seated_rest · valid: always

C — Roadside lookout (field-verify)

seated_rest · valid: always

D — Shaded pavilion (field-verify)

seated_rest · shelter · valid: heat, rain

E — Path bench (field-verify)

seated_rest · valid: always

F — Bunker path rest (field-verify)

seated_rest · valid: always

always: 92% covered, max p90 7′, worst cell 11′ · heat: 98%

Nodes in this cluster

  1. Banzai Cliff

    A memorial cliff at the north tip of the island, 30 minutes by car from Garapan: go in the morning with a driver, stay quiet, dress covered, and treat it as a war memorial and not a photo stop.

  2. Last Command Post

    A ruined Japanese command bunker in the Marpi hills with guns and pillboxes nearby: stop on the Banzai Cliff loop, stay on the path, and go in daylight.

  3. Bird Island Lookout

    A short roadside lookout over a small rocky islet and the north-east coast: a five-minute stop on the Marpi loop, best in clear morning light; do not try to reach the water below.

Listen: audio walk →

Edges out

directed
ToHowp50Climb
Garapan beach road & Paseo de MarianasCar or taxi~30 minflat
American Memorial Park & Micro BeachCar or taxi~28 minflat
Chalan Kanoa & SusupeCar or taxi~40 minflat

Red lines here

  • Stay on paths: unexploded ordnance is still found in the jungle.
  • Few services in the north: fill the tank and take water.

Deep dive

Around this cluster

Straight-line distance; walk time adds 30% for streets.