Tour Overview
| Duration | 12 Days / 11 Nights |
|---|---|
| Country | Federated States of Micronesia — 607 Islands, 4 States |
| Price From | $3,995 per person (twin share) |
| Tour Style | Island Hopping / Cultural Discovery |
| Data Source | Micronesia Tour / YPT Adventures Abroad — 2026 |
Itinerary Highlights
Day 1: Arrive Pohnpei — The Garden Island
Arrive at Pohnpei International Airport. Pohnpei is the largest and tallest island in FSM, draped in dense rainforest and ringed by mangroves. Transfer to your hotel overlooking the lagoon. Welcome briefing. Afternoon visit to Kolonia, the capital — a charming town with Spanish-era buildings, a colorful market, and the FSM National Government complex. Overnight in Pohnpei.
Day 2: Nan Madol — The Venice of the Pacific
Full day at Nan Madol, one of the Pacific’s greatest archaeological wonders. This UNESCO World Heritage site comprises 92 artificial islets built on a coral reef using massive basalt logs — some weighing up to 50 tons — transported from quarries miles away. Built between 1200-1500 AD by the Saudeleur dynasty, these “floating” stone structures are a mysterious engineering achievement. Walk among the ruins, visit the royal mortuary of Nan Douwas, and learn the legends of the sorcerer-kings who ruled here. A site that rivals Machu Picchu and Angkor Wat in mystery and grandeur. Overnight in Pohnpei.
Day 3: Pohnpei Waterfalls & Kava Ceremony
Morning hike to Kepirohi Waterfall, a stunning 70-foot cascade into a natural pool perfect for swimming. Continue to Liduduhniap Twin Falls. Afternoon: visit a sakau (kava) bar for a traditional ceremony — Pohnpeian sakau is notable for being pounded from fresh roots, creating a muddy, potent drink that is central to FSM social life. Evening: traditional dance performance featuring the distinctive Pohnpeian nose flute. Overnight in Pohnpei.
Day 4: Pohnpei’s Outer Reef & Ant Atoll
Full-day boat excursion to Ant Atoll, a pristine coral atoll on Pohnpei’s barrier reef. World-class snorkeling in the atoll’s lagoon: manta rays, eagle rays, and reef sharks in crystal clear water. The pass into the atoll is a drift snorkeler’s paradise. Beach picnic on a deserted motu. Afternoon: visit a traditional fishing village. Overnight in Pohnpei.
Day 5: Fly to Chuuk — The Wreck Capital
Morning flight to Chuuk (formerly Truk) — a brief 45 minutes. Chuuk Lagoon is the world’s #1 wreck diving destination. In February 1944, Operation Hailstone destroyed the Japanese Imperial Fleet anchored here — 60+ ships and 250+ aircraft lie at the bottom of the lagoon, now transformed into artificial reefs. Afternoon: visit the Japanese WWII memorials and the Truk Stop Museum with recovered artifacts. Overnight in Chuuk.
Day 6: Chuuk Lagoon Wreck Diving — Fujikawa Maru
Full-day wreck diving (3 dives). The Fujikawa Maru sits at 110 feet in warm, clear water — fully intact with its bow gun, engine room, and cargo holds accessible. Fighter aircraft remain in the hold, their wings still folded. Artillery shells lie stacked. The ship is encrusted with soft corals, anemones, and sponges — a museum frozen in time beneath the sea. Non-divers can snorkel above the wrecks or take a lagoon tour. Overnight in Chuuk.
Day 7: Chuuk Lagoon — San Francisco Maru & Betty Bomber
Second day of wreck exploration. The San Francisco Maru at 200 feet (technical dive) is known as the “Million Dollar Wreck” for its cargo of tanks, trucks, and mines. Recreational divers explore the Kensho Maru with its engine room telegraph and sake bottles scattered on the deck. Snorkel the Betty Bomber, a Japanese Mitsubishi G4M lying in just 50 feet of water — wings intact, fuselage draped in coral. Overnight in Chuuk.
Day 8: Chuuk Island Culture & Island Tour
Morning surface interval. Afternoon island tour: visit Weno’s Japanese lighthouse, the Xavier High School (the best school in Micronesia, run by Jesuits), and the traditional village of Sapuk. Learn about Chuukese navigating traditions and love magic. Evening: sunset over the lagoon with the eerie sight of rusted ship masts protruding from the water. Overnight in Chuuk.
Day 9: Fly to Yap — Island of Stone Money
Morning flight to Yap (via Guam). Yap is the most traditional state in Micronesia, famous for its stone money — massive limestone discs, some 12 feet in diameter, carved on Palau 400 miles away and transported by canoe. The stones don’t move when traded — ownership simply transfers by oral agreement. Afternoon: visit a stone money bank where dozens of rai stones line the path. Overnight in Yap.
Day 10: Yap Traditional Life — Men’s Houses & Dance
Full-day cultural immersion. Visit a traditional village with its imposing faluw (men’s house) — access strictly restricted to initiated men. Learn about Yap’s caste system, one of the most complex in the Pacific. Visit the Yap Living History Museum. Afternoon: private traditional dance performance — Yapese dance is one of the Pacific’s most distinctive, with women’s sitting dances (churu’) and men’s standing dances telling stories of voyages and battles. Evening: traditional stone oven feast. Overnight in Yap.
Day 11: Yap Diving — Manta Rays & Mandarin Fish
Yap is one of the world’s best places for manta ray encounters. Morning dives at Manta Ridge — cleaning stations where mantas with wingspans up to 16 feet cruise within feet of divers. Afternoon: macro diving at Yap’s famous Mandarin Fish dive — watch the spectacular sunset mating ritual of these psychedelic-colored fish. Non-divers can snorkel the channel where mantas swim in just 10-15 feet of water. Overnight in Yap.
Day 12: Depart Yap
Morning at the Yap Art Studio for carved storyboards. Transfer to airport.
Inclusions
- 11 nights (Pohnpei 4, Chuuk 4, Yap 3)
- Daily breakfast + 6 lunches + 4 dinners
- Inter-island flights (Pohnpei-Chuuk, Chuuk-Guam-Yap)
- Nan Madol guided tour
- Ant Atoll boat excursion
- Pohnpei waterfall hikes
- Sakau (kava) ceremony
- 3 days wreck diving/snorkeling in Chuuk Lagoon (9 dives)
- Yap stone money tour & traditional village
- Manta ray diving/snorkeling in Yap
- Traditional dance performances (Pohnpei + Yap)
- Airport transfers
- English-speaking guide
Why Micronesia
- Nan Madol — the Pacific’s Machu Picchu built on a coral reef
- Chuuk Lagoon — the world’s greatest concentration of WWII shipwrecks
- Yap stone money — the world’s most unique currency
- Manta Ridge — guaranteed manta ray encounters
- Traditional culture — Yap’s chiefs still rule today
