region
Guadalcanal (Honiara)
Sleep in Honiara and do the island in short car trips: the war sites, the market and Bonegi are 10–40 minutes from one bed; keep the Western Province for a flight.
Not field-verified
Rules in force · 2
- Solomon Islands ↗Many nationalities receive a visitor permit on arrival with an onward ticket, but rules vary: check Solomon Islands Immigration for your passport before booking.
- Solomon Islands ↗Most land and reefs are under customary ownership: pay custom fees for visits, snorkelling or diving where asked, and ask before using a beach or taking photos.
Honiara is the country's only real gateway and a base for Guadalcanal's war history. There is little public transport to rely on: a hotel car or a driver by the hour is the transport, and road conditions depend on the rain.
Where to sleep
Honiarasleep base
Central Market, museum, memorial ridge, Bonegi wrecks.
Mount Austen and the Mataniko valleyday trip
Battlefield sites inland; needs a guide and a car.
Night sequences
- 2 nights
- Honiara 2, one morning at Bonegi
- 4 nights
- Honiara 4, one day out by car with a guide
- Without a driver, distances beyond the centre are hard: book through the hotel.
Day-trips door to door
| To | From | Door-to-door p50 | Last return | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bonegi wrecks | Honiara | 25 min | unknown | Hotel car or driver; agree the wait and the return. |
| Mount Austen battlefield sites | Honiara | 40 min | unknown | Go with a local guide: unexploded ordnance remains off the paths. |
Bags between cities
No luggage forwarding culture: keep the big bag at the Honiara hotel.