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Back to Honiara

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Voykit pocket guide · Solomon Islands

Honiara

Honiara is a morning city: do the market, the museum and the war memorial before the heat, rest indoors at midday, take a car after dark — and carry small Solomon Islands dollar notes.

Honiara is a hot, spread-out port town with broken pavements, minibuses on set routes and few taxis after dark. The sights are close to the centre, but the Second World War sites and the wrecks are a car ride away. Four clusters cover a first visit; a hired car with a driver joins them, and a stop of one or two nights is enough before flying on to the Western Province.

Point Cruz, Central Mar…Chinatown & Kukum roadNational Museum & the U…Bonegi coast and the wr…Chinatown and KukumPoint Cruz2.5 kmpins: sleep areas · dots: places
Sketch, not to navigate by: shapes follow this guide’s areas and places, not official boundaries. North is up.
Country
Solomon Islands
Best months
May · Jun · Jul · Aug · Sep · Oct
Time zone
Pacific/Guadalcanal
Stay
2 days: Market and harbour front, museum and memorial ridge

Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.

Essentials

Currency
SBD
Money
Bring enough Solomon Islands dollars in small notes; use bank machines in daylight and keep a reserve. Cards work only at larger hotels.
Daily spend
Budget SI$300–600 excl. bed · Mid SI$600–1,400 excl. bed · High SI$1,400+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
SIM and data
Our Telekom and bmobile-Vodafone sell SIMs in Honiara with your passport.
Emergency
Police 999 (check) · Ambulance 911 (check) · Fire 988 (check)
Plugs
Types I, G · 230 V · 50 Hz · Mostly Australian-style angled pins; some older UK-style sockets. Lodges may run generators for set hours.
Tipping
Restaurants and hotels: Not expected.; Guides and boat drivers: Not expected; a small gift or SI$50–100 for great service is appreciated.; Villages: Pay the custom fee; buy crafts rather than giving cash to individuals.
Water
Not safe from the tap in Honiara; lodges use rainwater — treat or ask for boiled or filtered water.
Toilets
Western toilets in hotels and lodges; basic or none in villages. Carry paper.

Get in

By air

Honiara International Airport (HIR), Henderson Field
HIR to Point Cruz: one pre-booked hotel pickup or airport taxi, 25–45 minutes — the risk is a flight that lands with no ride arranged, not the distance.

Get around

Walk inside a cluster by day; a taxi or hired car between clusters and after dark.

Passes
No pass. Agree the fare before you get in; hire a driver by the hour for the ridge and Bonegi.
Late at night
No rail. Taxis are few after dark: ask the hotel to book the ride back before you go out.

See and do

  1. 01Bonegi wrecksBonegi

    Go at opening light, before 09:00: the wrecks lie close to the shore and the water is calmest early; take a driver and pay any landowner fee.

  2. 02Central Market

    Go in the morning for fruit, vegetables, shell jewellery and carvings, before the heat; small notes; keep bags at the hotel.

Hours and prices are desk estimates (checked 2026-09); anything marked (check) is not confirmed. Coordinates open in any map app.

Eat

Chinatown waterside food stalls
Walk-in fish, rice and noodles at waterside stalls and cafés; go at dusk, take a car home, carry small notes.

Sleep

Chinatown and Kukum
A car ride from the market and the ridge, with cafés and food stalls at the door; a good second base or a quieter night.
Point Cruz
First-timers: the market and the harbour front are a short walk; choose a hotel with a 24-hour desk, a generator and a car door.

Language

English is the official language and used in government and hotels, but Solomons Pijin is the everyday common language across nearly 1,000 islands with about 70 local languages. Most people you meet will switch to English with visitors.

  • Pijin basics: 'Halo' (hello), 'Tanggio tumas' (thank you very much), 'Hao nao?' (how are you?), 'Hamas nao?' (how much?).

Etiquette, safety and scams

Etiquette

  • Greeting: Shake hands gently, smile and say hello to everyone; avoid: Loud or brash behaviour
  • Village arrival: Ask for the chief or elder and explain your visit; avoid: Walking through villages or onto beaches without asking
  • Dress: Shorts to the knee and covered shoulders; avoid: Swimwear or bare chests in villages
  • Photography: Ask first, especially of women and children; avoid: Photographing tambu sites
  • Sunday: Rest, or attend church if invited; avoid: Swimming, fishing or noisy activity near villages

Red lines

  • Memorial sites: quiet, covered dress.
  • Ask before photographing people, and before using a beach or entering village land: land is under customary ownership.
  • Do not touch old munitions.

Scams (Solomon Islands page)

  • Unagreed custom fees: Fees are legitimate, but ask the amount before you start and pay the landowner, not a passer-by.
  • Taxi fare surprises: Agree the fare before you get in; hotels quote fair prices.
  • Fake war relics: Most 'relics' are replicas; real ordnance is dangerous and cannot be exported.
  • Petty theft: Keep phones and cash out of sight; do not leave bags on beaches.

One and two days

1 day

The first day of the timed plan.

Day 1 — Central Market, harbour front, a 12:30 lunch table

  1. 07:30Central Market
  2. point cruz harbour (optional)
  3. 12:30Lunch table 12:30 (town centre)
  4. Hotel or AC café 13:00–16:00; Chinatown stalls at dusk by car.

2 days

The first two days of the timed plan.

Day 1 — Central Market, harbour front, a 12:30 lunch table

  1. 07:30Central Market
  2. point cruz harbour (optional)
  3. 12:30Lunch table 12:30 (town centre)
  4. Hotel or AC café 13:00–16:00; Chinatown stalls at dusk by car.

Day 2 — Bonegi wrecks at 07:00

  1. 06:30Bonegi wrecks
  2. bonegi beach (optional)
  3. Evening: fish and noodles in Chinatown from 17:30; book the ride back before you go.

Sources

Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.

Pocket card

Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.

Honiara

My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)

Take me to

  • BonegiBonegi wrecks

Voykit · checked 2026-09

Printed from Voykit (/honiara). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.