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Voykit pocket guide · Federated States of Micronesia
Kolonia
Kolonia is a small, wet, cash-only town: do the market and the walls in the morning before the rain, keep US dollars in small notes, and treat every trip beyond the town, above all Nan Madol, as a separate half day with a guide and a car.
Kolonia is the main town of Pohnpei state, a few blocks of shops, offices and eateries along the harbour road, with the airport and the capital Palikir a short drive away. It rains on most days, taxis are shared and informal, and cards are not accepted everywhere. The trips that go wrong assume an ordinary resort town: no cash for a guide, no plan for the tide at Nan Madol, or a landing after dark with no hotel desk open. Four short walking clusters cover the town; the ruins and waterfalls are trips from one kept bed.
- Country
- Federated States of Micronesia
- Best months
- Jan · Feb · Mar · Apr · Dec
- Time zone
- Pacific/Pohnpei
- Stay
- 2 days: Kolonia market, Spanish wall and harbour; Nan Madol with a guide
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- USD
- Money
- Cash for taxis, guides, site fees and most food; cards at a few hotels, often with a surcharge. US dollars are the currency.
- Daily spend
- Budget US$40–70 excl. bed · Mid US$70–130 excl. bed · High US$130+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Bring an unlocked phone; a local SIM may be available in town, but coverage and plans vary: check with your hotel.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 911 · Pohnpei State Hospital Check locally
- Plugs
- 120 V; US-style two-pin sockets (types A and B). Bring an adapter if you need one.
- Tipping
- Not expected.
- Water
- Do not drink tap water; use bottled, filtered or boiled water.
- Toilets
- Hotels, restaurants and the market; carry tissues.
Get in
By air
- Pohnpei International Airport (PNI)
- PNI to Kolonia: one pre-booked hotel car or taxi, about 10–15 minutes by road; the risk is not the ride but a hotel with no night desk and no cash in your pocket.
Get around
Walk inside a cluster; taxis (often shared) between clusters and to the airport or Nan Madol.
- Passes
- No pass. Agree the fare before you ride; a half-day hire for Nan Madol with a driver is the norm.
- Late at night
- No rail; taxis thin out after dark: book your ride home before you go out.
See and do
01Kolonia town marketKolonia market
Go early for local produce and fish before the rain; cash only, small notes.
02Spanish Wall
Short colonial-history walk: go in the morning, wear shoes with grip and do not climb the wall.
03Kolonia harbour waterfrontKolonia harbour
Walk the harbour road late in the afternoon for boats and light; take a taxi home after dark.
Hours and prices are desk estimates (checked 2026-09); anything marked (check) is not confirmed. Coordinates open in any map app.
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Nan Madol | Car about 30–40 min, then a boat or walk depending on the tide | Half day |
| Sokehs Rock | Car and a steep walk | Half day |
| Kepirohi Waterfall | Car about 30 min, then a short walk | Half day |
Eat
- Kolonia waterfront eateries
- Walk-in rice-and-fish plates and seafood along the harbour road; go at midday or early evening, carry small US notes and take a taxi home.
Sleep
- Kolonia centre
- First-timers: a hotel near the main street with a desk that opens for late flights and a taxi that knows the door; confirm both before you fly.
- Kolonia harbour side
- Closer to the eateries and the sunset: a taxi for everything else, and a short ride to the market.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | Kaselehliekah-say-LAY-lee-ay |
| Thank you | Kalahngankah-LAHNG-ahn |
| How much? | How much?how much |
| Please take me to this site | Please take me to this siteplease take me to this site |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and a greeting in the local language; avoid: Loud, hurried talk
- Walking through villages: Ask first, keep to the path, carry something in hand in Yap; avoid: Wandering onto land or beaches
- Elders and chiefs: Stoop slightly when passing seated elders; let titled people speak first; avoid: Standing over seated people
- Dress: Knees and shoulders covered in towns; avoid: Swimwear in town or villages
- Gifts: Bring small gifts for hosts (food, tobacco for elders if advised); avoid: Refusing food offered
- Photography: Ask every time, and pay fees where asked; avoid: Photographing people bathing or at church without consent
Red lines
- Ask permission and pay any fee before entering a site or private land; the sites are owned by clans.
- Dress modestly: cover thighs and shoulders in town and villages.
- Do not take stones or objects from Nan Madol or the Spanish wall.
Scams and watch-outs
- Unagreed taxi fares: agree the price before you ride.
- Site fees asked twice: keep the receipt or the name of the person you paid.
One and two days
1 day
The first day of the timed plan.
Day 1 — Town market, a 12:30 lunch table
- 07:30Kolonia town market
- Spanish Wall (optional)
- 12:30Lunch table 12:30 (Kolonia)
- Cafe or hotel 13:00–16:00 in the rain; the harbour at late afternoon.
2 days
The first two days of the timed plan.
Day 1 — Town market, a 12:30 lunch table
- 07:30Kolonia town market
- Spanish Wall (optional)
- 12:30Lunch table 12:30 (Kolonia)
- Cafe or hotel 13:00–16:00 in the rain; the harbour at late afternoon.
Day 2 — Spanish Wall, harbour and dinner on the waterfront
- 08:30Spanish Wall
- Kolonia harbour waterfront
- Kolonia waterfront eateries
- Book a guide and car for Nan Madol on your free day.
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Federated States of Micronesia national government: www.fsmgov.org/
- Wikivoyage — Pohnpei: en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Pohnpei
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Kolonia
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
Take me to
- Kolonia marketKolonia town market
- Kolonia harbourKolonia harbour waterfront
- Police, fire, ambulance911
- Pohnpei State HospitalCheck locally
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/kolonia). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.