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.
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Key facts · Solomon Islands
- Best months
- May–Oct
- Currency
- Solomon Islands dollar
- Language
- English official
- Plugs
- I · G · 230 V
- Time zone
- UTC+11, no daylight saving
Rules in force · 5
- 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.
- Melanesia ↗Malaria is present in Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and parts of Vanuatu (not Fiji or New Caledonia): ask a travel clinic about tablets before you go.
- 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
Sleep base
Day trip
- Mount Austen and the Mataniko valleyGuide: planned
Battlefield sites inland; needs a guide and a car.
Page planned: listed so the region plan is complete.
Plan the nights
How to split the nights, day-trips and what to do with your bags
Open Plan the nightsClose Plan the nights3 partsNights · Day-trips · Bags
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.
When to go
Months and weather
Open When to goClose When to go1 partSeasons
Seasons at a glance
Pick a month to see where to go.
Show all 12 months, country by countryHide the 12-month table
| Country | JJan | FFeb | MMar | AApr | MMay | JJun | JJul | AAug | SSep | OOct | NNov | DDec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Honiara | × | × | ok | ok | go | go | go | go | go | go | ok | ok |
| Solomon Islands (country-wide) | ok | ok | ok | ok | go | go | go | go | go | go | ok | ok |
Computed from each country’s own data; hover a country name for the source. Advisory countries are left out.
Eat and move on
Regional food and where to go next
Open Eat and move onClose Eat and move on1 partGo next
Go next
Western Province
planned5–8 nights
Munda, Gizo and Marovo Lagoon for diving, snorkelling and village stays
Malaita and the Central Islands
planned2–4 nights
Artificial islands of Langa Langa Lagoon and the Florida (Nggela) group; basic facilities
Guadalcanal (Honiara): what we know, and what is coming
1 of 2 places open
On this page
- 2 places with their role: where to sleep, what to do as a day trip
- How to split 2 or 4 nights
- 2 day trips with door-to-door time
- Seasons month by month, from the cities’ own tables
- What to do with the big bag between beds
Coming as the guide grows
- Climate strip by zone, with the storm and haze months
- Get in: airports and stations with door-to-door times
- Regional passes and cards, with a buy / skip verdict
- Regional food: what, where and when it works
- A page for Mount Austen and the Mataniko valley — Battlefield sites inland; needs a guide and a car.
Meanwhile
Planning aids
Built from this guide's own data
Open Planning aidsClose Planning aids3 partsIn numbers · Trips here · Local time
Region in numbers
- Where to sleep
- 1 base
- Day trips
- 2, 25 min to 40 min
- Nights suggested
- 2–4 nights
Trips that stop here
Honiara and one lagoon
7 days · 3 nights here
Honiara → Munda or Gizo → Honiara
War history and Marovo
10 days · 3 nights here
Honiara → Munda → Marovo Lagoon → Honiara
Guadalcanal, the west and Malaita
14 days · 4 nights here
Honiara → Munda and Tetepare → Gizo → Auki and Langa Langa → Honiara
Local time
What time it is there now, compared with the clock on your device.
Honiara
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