Any Travels

Forming a scattered archipelago of mountainous islands and low-lying coral atolls, the Solomon Islands stretches about 900 miles in a south-easterly direction from the Shortland Islands to the Santa Cruz islands. There are six major and approximately 992 smaller islands, attolls and reefs. The archipelago covers are area of about 249,000 square nautical miles while the land area is 10,938 sq. miles (28,446 sq. Km). Solomon Islands lies between 155 30' and 170 30'E. longitude and between 5 10' and 12 45'S. latitude. The six biggest islands are Choiseul, New Georgia, Santa Isabel, Guadalcanal, Malaita and Makira. They are characterized by thickly-forested mountain ranges intersected by deep, narrow valleys.

The climate is tropical, though temperatures are rarely extreme due to cooling winds blowing off the surrounding seas. Daytime temperatures are normally 25 to 32 c., falling about 3 to 5 at night. From April to October, the Southeast trade winds blow, gusting at times up to 30 knots or more. November to March is the wet season - the northwest monsoon - typically warmer and wetter. Cyclones start in the Coral Sea and the area of the Solomon Islands, but they usually steer towards Vanuatu and New Caledonia or down the coast of Australia.

One of the last areas of the world to fall under European religious and political control, the Solomon Islands remain today the best-kept secret in the South Pacific. It's all there: shark-callers, war wreckage, gold, and malaria; every Pacific race is present, from blue-black Papuans to chocolate-colored, blond Melanesians, bronze-skinned Micronesians, and fair-complexioned Polynesians. The variety of cultures and customs is striking, and the traditional ways are remarkably alive.

Like neighboring Vanuatu, it's a land of contrast and adventure, with jungle-clad peaks, mighty volcanoes, uplifted atolls, crashing waterfalls, mist-enshrouded rainforests, dark lagoons, scattered islands, and brilliant coral reefs. No other Pacific island group has a greater diversity of landforms. Once you figure out where the Solomon Islands actually are and finally get there, you won't wish to leave.

Unless you're on a tour, you'll find travel outside the capital, Honiara, an unstructured, make-your-own-arrangements affair. The number of visitors is negligible, and most of those who do come stay only a few days, mainly in the hotels of the capital or scuba diving at Munda, Gizo, or Uepi Island. This gives slightly intrepid travelers an unparalleled opportunity to get well off the beaten track and have a genuine South Sea paradise all to themselves. So you're in for something totally original!

Activities:

Solomon Islands offers some of the finest scuba diving in the South Pacific. In Western Province, the Uepi Island Resort on the Marovo Lagoon caters almost exclusively to scuba divers. The Solomon's top diving facilities, however, are the live-aboard dive boats.

There are unlimited possibilities for hiking in the Solomons. Good day hikes are from Honiara to Mataniko Falls and Gizo to Titiana. A guide is strongly recommended on the first. The really adventurous hiker will find many hiking areas where a white face is seldom seen on outer islands such as Choiseul, Isabel, and Makira. The Marovo Lagoon area is being developed for sea kayaking.

Fishing is the main pursuit at the Zipolo Habu Resort on Lola Island near Munda. The resort boat is available for trolling in the lagoon or open sea, with rods, reels, and lures provided. Some of the Pacific's most productive fishing is in and around the Vonavona Lagoon, and manager Joe Entrikin is one of the Solomon's top fishermen. Game fishing is also offered at Gizo.

Culture

Solomon Islander crafts are important for both traditional and decorative reasons. Carvings can be found throughout the island group, and can range from ornate ritual bowls in Makira/Ulawa Province to miniature canoe souvenirs in Western Province, Malaita, Ulawa, Santa Ana and Nggela islands. Music is played throughout the Solomons using bamboo pipes in a variety of forms. Pipes are played either in sets or singly as wind-instruments. Hitting lengths of bamboo with a rubber thong produces sounds ranging from a ukulele twang to a double-bass boom.

'Kastom' (custom) is used to refer to traditional beliefs and land ownership. Despite the predominance of devout Christian belief, traditional practice is still followed to a great extent, especially among the 75% of Solomon Islanders living in villages. Dances, songs and stories depicting the past are common. These usually celebrate war, hunting, the natural world or the harvesting of crops. In addition, some islanders believe in various forms of magic. Most common is the belief that after death, a person's spirit lives on for a time in sharks, birds or reptiles. This animal becomes sacred for a time, and tabu (forbidden) to eat. Ancestors, it seems, are particularly fond of returning as sharks.

Village life in the Solomon Islands is home to a great many tabus (taboos). It would be impossible to explain all of these here, however by excercising care and restraint you should manage to avoid embarrasing moments. The term itself means 'sacred' or 'holy' to the islanders, as well as 'forbidden', so sensitivity is the order of the day. It's worth bearing in mind that property rights are very important; a fruit tree or flower by the roadside may look like fair game, but it probably belongs to somebody. For many islanders, income is dependent on what they grow, and they will expect compensation if you pick fruit that was intended for sale. Modes of dress (or undress) vary enormously, but travellers should remain fully clothed at all times. In many areas, it's deemed inappropriate for a woman to stand higher than a male, but men must not deliberately place themselves below women. If you're a man, don't swim under a woman's canoe, or it may have to be destroyed, and a fine may be payable. Each sex also has its own area for abloutions in most villages. As with all cultures, taboos develop to enforce moral codes and protect the community; not to punish the uninitiated. If you inadvertantly breach a tabu on the Solomons, the locals will most likely silently forgive you for not knowing the rules.