Solomon Islands Explorer — 8 Days WWII Relics, Guadalcanal Battlefields, Diving & Tribal Culture

Tour Overview

Itinerary Highlights

Day 1: Arrive Honiara, Guadalcanal

Land at Henderson International Airport — the very runway built by the US Marines in 1942 after the Battle of Guadalcanal, one of the most pivotal campaigns of the Pacific War. Transfer to your hotel in Honiara, the Solomon Islands’ capital. Afternoon: orientation tour — Honiara Central Market (the country’s largest, with fresh fish, tropical produce, and shell money — the traditional currency still used in remote islands), the National Museum (excellent displays on WWII, traditional culture, and the Solomon Islands’ 992 islands), and the American Memorial at Skyline Ridge (panoramic views over Iron Bottom Sound — named for the 50+ warships sunk during the naval battles of 1942-43). Overnight in Honiara.

Day 2: Guadalcanal WWII Battlefields

Full-day guided tour of the Guadalcanal battlefields. Morning: Bloody Ridge (Edson’s Ridge) — where 840 US Marines held off 3,000 Japanese soldiers in a desperate night battle (September 12-14, 1942), a turning point of the Pacific War. Walk the ridge where foxholes and shell craters are still visible after 80+ years. Visit the Japanese Memorial at Mount Austin and the Gifu (named after a Japanese prefecture, this was the site of intense jungle fighting). Afternoon: Vilu War Museum — an extraordinary open-air collection of WWII relics: aircraft wrecks (F4F Wildcat, Japanese Zero fighter, SBD Dauntless dive bomber), artillery pieces, tanks, and personal artifacts, all left where they fell and lovingly curated by a local family. Continue to Bonegi Beach — the wrecks of Japanese transports Kinugawa Maru and Kyusyu Maru lie just offshore, now some of the world’s most accessible wreck dives/snorkels. Snorkel among the corals and fish that have colonized the rusted hulls. Overnight in Honiara.

Day 3: Iron Bottom Sound — Wreck Diving & Savo Island

Boat trip into Iron Bottom Sound. Morning: snorkel or dive the wrecks — options include the USS John Penn (US attack transport, 40m down, covered in corals and giant trevally), the Hirokawa Maru (Japanese transport, accessible snorkel depth), and numerous aircraft wrecks. The density of WWII wrecks in these waters is among the highest in the world. Afternoon: visit Savo Island — a volcanic island with active hot springs, where villagers cook food in geothermal steam vents. The waters around Savo were the site of the Battle of Savo Island (August 9, 1942), one of the worst defeats in US naval history. Visit the island’s megapode fields — these unique birds bury their eggs in volcanic sand to incubate, and locals harvest them as a traditional delicacy. Overnight in Honiara.

Day 4: Matanikau River & Cultural Villages

Morning: visit the Matanikau River — site of fierce fighting in 1942. Cross the river to visit traditional villages in the interior of Guadalcanal, where life follows customary rhythms. Experience a panpipe performance — Solomon Islands panpipe music is among the most sophisticated in the Pacific. Participate in a traditional shell money-making demonstration. Afternoon: visit the Botanical Gardens and the Japanese Peace Park on Mount Austin. Overnight in Honiara.

Day 5: Marovo Lagoon — World’s Largest Saltwater Lagoon

Morning flight to Marovo Lagoon (or boat) — the world’s largest saltwater lagoon, a UNESCO World Heritage Site candidate encircled by a double barrier reef. Marovo is famous for its master woodcarvers — intricate ebony and kerosene-wood carvings of sharks, dolphins, and spirit figures, considered among the finest indigenous art in the Pacific. Visit a carving village to watch masters at work and purchase directly. Afternoon: snorkel over pristine coral gardens at the lagoon’s edge, with hundreds of fish species, sea turtles, and reef sharks. Overnight at a lagoon eco-lodge.

Day 6: Marovo Lagoon Exploration

Full day in the lagoon. Morning: visit the Uepi Island reef wall — one of the Pacific’s premier dive sites, where the lagoon shelf drops 2,000m into the deep ocean. Schools of barracuda, manta rays, and reef sharks patrol the wall. Afternoon: visit uninhabited sand cays for beachcombing, kayak through mangrove channels, and visit a skull shrine — a traditional headhunting relic from the Solomon Islands’ pre-colonial era (the last recorded headhunting raid was in the 1890s). Overnight at lagoon eco-lodge.

Day 7: Return to Honiara

Morning flight/boat back to Honiara. Afternoon: free time for souvenir shopping — wood carvings, shell jewelry, and local art at the Central Market. Optional: visit Tenaru Falls — a spectacular 60m waterfall in the Guadalcanal interior (2-hour hike). Farewell dinner at a Honiara restaurant featuring fresh yellowfin tuna and cassava. Overnight in Honiara.

Day 8: Departure

Morning at leisure. Transfer to Henderson Airport. Fly out with views over Iron Bottom Sound — the waters where history was made.

Included

• 7 nights (4 Honiara + 3 Marovo eco-lodge)
• Daily breakfast + 4 lunches + 3 dinners
• Domestic flight/boat Honiara-Marovo-Honiara
• Private guide + vehicle on Guadalcanal
• Snorkeling gear (optional dive supplements)
• All entrance fees and village contributions
• Airport transfers